Does It Matter Where I Die?
Thinking about death is no small picnic; neither is reading about it.
I have been trying to unmask my fear of death over the last year. My quick foray into Stoicism has taught me that thinking about death holds some benefits.
“I cannot escape death, but at least I can escape the fear of it.” — Epictetus
“It is not death that a man should fear, but rather he should fear never beginning to live.” — Marcus Aurelius
To live, one must not fear death. In the absence of fearing death, we can make decisions without the inhibitions of that fear.
The Stoics encourage us not to suppress feelings of grief toward death; it is a natural occurrence that should play little emphasis on our daily interactions and emotions. Further, we should even imagine dying and let it become a comfortable feeling, one that is never surprising and unpredictable. Death is a return to nature, and there is no point in arguing against this certainty of biological life.
Fair point, although I am far from reaching a balance of acceptance on the issue of death. I want to live forever…
