Memento Mori
“He who has learned to die has unlearned slavery. He is above any power and certainly beyond it. What terrors have prisons and bonds and bars for him?”
There is a famous painting by French artist Phillipe de Champagne that seems out of place among his normal paintings of French Monarchs, Catholic Cardinals, and Christian scenes. The painting is simple; it only has three objects: A flower, an hourglass, and a human skull. But it wasn’t just him; throughout the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, European art had taken a drastic swing towards the macabre with paintings of dancing skeletons and sculptures of skulls becoming commonplace. Why? A reminder of death.
Vanitas Still Life with a Tulip, Skull and Hour Glass, by Philippe de Champaigne, c. 1671. Tessé Museum, Le Mans, France.
The name of the art form derives from a Roman practice that all the Stoics were familiar with Memento Mori. At the end of a major Roman victory, the commanding general would be thrown a huge party and parade through the city of Rome called a Triumph. During the Triumph, the commander was the center of the show, and everyone was cheering for them calling them a god among other things; but if you paid close attention you would notice a small boy sitting behind the general who would bend over and whisper in their ear “Look behind you! Remember, you are mortal! Remember, death!” Memento Mori.
At first glance, this seems to be a dismal proposition, but the Stoics considered it to be one of the most important practices for letting go of attachments. They considered death to be the ultimate external, something that is completely out of our control or that we are unable to fully wrap our minds around, and yet something that is inevitable with which we must come to terms with. Death inspires fear. But if you harness it properly, it can also be a radical tool for changing perspective and inspiring growth.
The Stoics believe that most of us have a hard time seeing death objectively, and because of that, we experience irrational terror associated with death. They argue that when you sit down and look at death, it’s no different than birth: it’s a relatively painless transition from one state to another. They also argue that death is constantly experienced as we are always spending time we can’t get back. We ought to keep our mortality close to the forefront of our minds and allow it to influence our behavior, making us kinder, more fearless, more temperate, and more humble. Therefore, death is just another catalyst for virtue.
Practice: Meditate on Death
Time: 10-15 minutes
Foundations: “We do not suddenly fall on death, but advance toward it by slight degrees. We die every day. Every day, a little of our life is taken from us right up to yesterday. All past time is lost time; the very day we are now spending is shared between ourselves and death. It is not the last drop that empties the water-clock, but all that has flowed out already.” –Seneca
Description: This is a meditation that is best done at the end of the evening and/or the beginning of the day. The concept is simple. First, recognize the truth that you are dying right at this moment and that the events of yesterday are dead time. Then ask the following questions of yourself:
1. What things did I do yesterday (today) that I approve of? That helped me feel more virtuous or good about myself?
2. What things did I do yesterday (today) that I disapprove of? That made me feel less virtuous or good about myself?
3. Envision actions that you could have done that you would approve of and make plans to do those actions today (tomorrow).