On death

The subject thats I mulled over during my existential crisis during the pandemic. Death. I think the most prominent thought was that it’s so sad that when a person dies, a whole universe collapses. All of the memories and experiences are swept away. It’s a really sad thought.

The stoics say we should be very acquainted with death. And to think about it a lot, so we don’t fear it. Unfortunately in my anxious state, it made my anxiety worse. But now that I’m not in that dark hole, I can understand the strategy. And after reading Sartre’s work, I am relieved that it’s a normal feeling to have. We are thrust into the world, with the inevitable death. He says we should live without hope, and that it’s a good thing. To accept our fate and make it worth living.

I don’t think about it as much as I used to, but I still think about our limited time. A recent book that I recommend, Four thousand weeks: Time management for mortals talks about how accepting our fate should reorganize our relationship to time. It sometimes still haunts me, and I do things to increase my longevity. But the book makes me think that I shouldn’t fight it, and to live more presently. Easier said than done.