memento mori
Basically memento mori means that you should remember that death is very present and everyone dies. This thought is both comforting and terrifying, as we can find solidarity in the fact that we all face the same fate, but this brings to head the terrifying reality that our demise is soon to come. The reality of death and the ever present question of ‘what comes next?’ can often consume people, as it has consumed me. The question of what comes next is baffling to me and confuses me to my core and is something that I am prepared to never quite fully understand.
The fact that this phrase is almost completely up to the individual’s interpretation is a really interesting concept to me and I think it is very valuable. In a society where concepts are very rigid and very few people feel that interpretation is acceptable, I think that this is a very refreshing idea.
“Let us prepare our minds as if we’d come to the very end of life. Let us postpone nothing. Let us balance life’s books each day. … The one who puts the finishing touches on their life each day is never short of time.”- Seneca