Are You Scared To Die?

then you aren't really free

Are you scared to die? Would you have the courage to invite death to avoid compromising your values?

In today’s Letter To Lucilius (LXXVII), Seneca talks about death. He tells his friend death is nothing to fear. In the grand scheme of eternity, all life is short. The world has existed for millions of years, and will continue for millions more, what difference does it make if you live another 2 or 20 years? All life is short.

But you might say, well I have duties I need to complete still. I need to take care of people and finish some work and more. By that logic, you should never die. There will always be more duties. But is death not a duty as well? It’s the part of life that is inescapable. It is one of the few things every single person and creature ever has in common. We all die.

And if we all die, do you ever die alone? Over 100 people die every single minute on earth. Would you feel more courage if we all stood together in our final moments? Simply imagine them beside you.

The point is not that you should try to die anytime soon. The point of this is to have the courage to die.

“Life itself is slavery if the courage to die is absent” - Seneca

Without the courage to die, life is inescapable. You have no way out.

Having the courage to die and choosing not to, means you can never be a slave. You will always be choosing life.

Question of The Day

Do you have the courage to die when you’re ready?

Your Friend,

Noah “BigNerd” Sochaczevski

PS. I’ve been trying out different posting times in the morning. If you have any thoughts or preferences, let me know! Just reply to this email.