What is Memento Mori?
Discover how considering your death can help you live a life with more purpose.
“Remember that you will die.”
I’ll never forget the first time I heard those words. I was in a philosophy class in college, and the professor was talking about the Stoics.
The Stoic philosophers believed that by constantly keeping our mortality in mind, we would live our lives with more purpose.
First coined by the Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca, the phrase “memento more” translates to “remember that you will die.”
It’s a reminder to live in the present moment and not take life for granted.
It was in his Moral Letters to Lucilius that Seneca wrote the astounding words: “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.”
These words have always stuck with me. It’s a powerful reminder that death is inevitable and that we shouldn’t take life for granted.
How to Apply Memento Mori to Your Life
When it comes to living a good life, Seneca believed that it’s not about how long we live but how well we live.
Here are four ways you can start applying memento mori to your life:
- Stop Procrastinating
- Live in the Present Moment
- Appreciate the People in Your Life
- Do What Matters to You
Now that we know what memento mori means let’s explore ways we can apply it to our lives.
1. Stop Procrastinating
One of the main ways memento mori can be applied to our lives is by helping us stop procrastinating. When we remind ourselves that we will die one day, it puts things into perspective.
It’s easy to get caught up in the mundane day-to-day tasks and put off what’s truly important to us.
But when we think about our mortality, it becomes clear that life is too short to waste time on things that don’t matter. Only by living in the present moment can we make the most of our time on earth.
2. Live in the Present Moment
Do you ever find yourself living in the past or worrying about the future? If so, memento mori can help.
By constantly keeping our mortality in mind, we’re reminded to live in the present moment and enjoy life. After all, life is short, and we don’t know when it will end.
It’s easy to get caught up in the past or worry about the future. But when we keep our mortality in mind, it becomes clear that all we have is the present moment.
3. Appreciate the People in Your Life
Memento mori can also help us to appreciate the people in our lives.
When we realize that we will one day die, it becomes clear that we should cherish the time we have with our loved ones.
When we stop taking the people in our lives for granted, we can start to build deeper, more meaningful relationships.
Not only will this make us happier, but it will also make the time we have with our loved ones even more special.
4. Do What Matters to You
Finally, memento mori can help us to do what matters to us.
We all have dreams and goals that we want to achieve. But oftentimes, we put them off because they seem too difficult or we’re not sure where to start.
When we keep our mortality in mind, it becomes clear that life is too short to not pursue our dreams.
If there’s something you’ve been wanting to do, don’t wait any longer. Start taking steps towards making it happen.
Memento Mori: A Powerful Reminder to Live a Purposeful Life
We live in a chaotic world. Often, it can feel as though we’re just going through the motions day after day. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
By reminding ourselves of our mortality, we can live a life with more purpose. We can stop procrastinating, live in the present moment, appreciate the people in our lives, and do what matters to us.
So next time you’re feeling lost, remember memento mori. “Remember that you will die.”
Use it as a reminder to live a life with purpose. When you do, you’ll be amazed at what you can accomplish.
