Death

The perfection of moral character consists in this, in passing every day
as the last.

~ Marcus Aurelius

Our culture tries very had to deny death.  We don’t say people died; rather, we say they failed, kicked the bucket, went to a better place, passed on, expired, and so on.  I once had a textbook with two pages devoted to how to say someone died without using the word died.

Plastic surgery, medications, and other things are ways to deny the aging process.  But the truth is, you don’t start living until you accept your mortality.  As long as you think you have an unlimited time ahead, you don’t worry about what you are doing.  You act as if you’ll have time for everything, but actually you may find you’ve missed out on the most important things.

There is an old Native American saying about carrying death on your shoulder to remind you to live in the moment.  I think it is very wise.

Live with the knowledge of your mortality.