Of Shadows and Dust
Stoicism at its core is centered around accepting what we cannot change, yet the universal question of what becomes of us when we die presents a unique challenge to any adherent. The reason behind this thought of mine, which some may consider morbid, comes from a lovely conversation I had with my girlfriend …… about Muhammad Ali of all people.
This chat reminded me of a discussion I had had with my younger cousin Danny years earlier about the above-mentioned Greatest of All Time. I had brought up Muhammad Ali in passing to a distinct look of confusion on Danny’s face. In response to his evident consternation, I asked if he knew who Ali was, and his response in the negative shocked me immensely. The fact it was followed up by his question of was that the guy who bit the other guy’s ear, added to the shock. How could someone not know who Muhammad Ali was?
Stoicism’s approach to dying
Stoicism has been synonymous with practicality throughout the entirety of its existence, going right back to Zeno gazing out upon his sinking ships. This practical approach feeds right through its practice and the approach to death is no different in this respect.
The same fate awaits all of us irrespective of our wealth or how famous an individual may be. We will all live and die, the rites which come at the end of our lives may differ but the above will never change.
This may seem to the initiated to be a dreary outlook on life but most definitely not to the Stoics. That we die is just another fact of life, one we will all face in time. To live our lives in fear of an eventuality is no true way to live in the eyes of the Stoic practitioner. Instead, the members of the Stoa would proffer that the only true guarantee of dying well comes in living well. Which fortunately for you and me just so happens to be something we can control.
As the late Michael Sugrue once said of Stoicism,
“Marcus Aurelius let us know all people suffer but that not all people pity themselves. Marcus Aurelius let us know that all men die, but that not all men die whining.”
Stoicism and Fame
You may be wondering what in God’s name this has to do with Muhammad Ali, my cousin Danny, or my girlfriend. I often question myself in a similar manner when putting together these pieces, but believe me, I do eventually figure out the point I am trying to get across. So I guess what struck me was that Muhammad Ali who had been the most famous man in the world at one stage, was slowly slipping from the general public consciousness onto the footnotes of history. This brought me back, as is so often the case to the Meditations.
“Alexander the Great and his mule driver both died and the same thing happened to both. They were absorbed alike into the life force of the world, or dissolved alike into atoms.” – Marcus Aurelius
All of his fame, his wealth (long dissipated at this stage), and the great feats he had achieved, could not save him from the inevitable fate of mankind. Muhammad Ali died and despite being remembered by many in the modern day, will slowly become less and less well known. The same again could be said of just about any celebrity or influencer (as I am loathe to use the word these days) that attain some semblance of fame in the modern day.
At the end of the day fame is as fleeting as the winds and to spend one’s life in the pursuit of such an unworthy goal would be in direct contrast to the ethos of Stoicism. Even moving past this point, the famous individuals in a society predicated on instant gratification oftentimes maintain a bare sixty seconds in the sun before they are discarded. This further highlights the sheer pointlessness of seeking out fame and a form of external validation that can be taken from us at any given moment.
Shadow and Ashes
This may all seem quite morbid and in a sense it is but this is why we fear death in many respects. We attach an air of mysticism to something that is beyond our control and attach the dreary dark tag to any discussion relating to the topic. Instead, we should look upon death as another road all of us take and an area that should be spoken about openly.
The uncertainty may loom over us like a specter, however, life truly is for the living. Those who obsess over this fear of what may come without ever truly coming to terms with it will be robbed of the most precious of all gifts the present.
The end will come, we cannot decide the manner or the time in which our respective lights are snuffed out but we always have a choice as to how we face it.
“I have to die. If it is now, well then I die now; if later, then now I will take my lunch, since the hour for lunch has arrived – and dying I will tend to later.” – Epictetus
A final thought or two
I have been accused a time or two of being an underthinker, much of this has come down to my continued practice of Stoicism over the years. In this respect however much of it comes from near brushes I have had with death. That has reminded me of just how fragile life can be, how it can all be gone in an instant. As such this is one aspect of my life in which I can be said to have devoted much time and thought.
My views on death are quite simple, whatever comes we can either face it on our feet or on our knees. I refuse to give in to the fear of the end and fall into the latter bracket, rather I have learned to face up to my own mortality through continued Stoic practice. Understanding what is within my control, always trying to live a good life, and ensuring that my ledger is balanced to the extent that I can at the end of each day.
Fame and wealth do not come into the equation for me. Why live your life in pursuit of such self-centered and pointless ideals? The fact an Instagram post of mine receives millions of likes or that I can jet off to some exclusive destination at the drop of a hat, will not help me when I face my end.
Rather I have come to my own conclusions, which center around a single point. Living well is the only true manner in which we can attain any form of immortality. The good deeds we have accomplished, the positive influence on others, and even the incalculable impact of the butterfly effect.
For if we reach even one person in a positive manner, we will live on in them. The good deeds they might achieve due to the inspiration we provided, the kindness they may render with our memory in the forefront of their mind, and the overarching betterment of their own small corner of the world.
Heroism has long been tied up in the defeat of some big bad, yet for me, moral heroism lies in living a good life and leaving a better world behind us. This may seem overly simplistic and that is the point, because we all die in the end so why chase fame when we can dedicate our lives to others and change the world in some small way while we’re here?
“Marcus Aurelius is dead, Maximus. We mortals are but shadows and dust. Shadows and dust, Maximus!” – Proximo, Gladiator 2000
