“You could leave life right now…”
A Year in the Death 1/3/21
In yesterday’s piece I discussed the front side of the Memento Mori coin I carry as a daily reminder of my mortality. (If you haven’t read that short essay, Memento Mori means “Remember you will die.”) Today, I’ll introduce you to the other side.
“You could leave life right now…” is the first half of a well-known quote by one of the greatest Roman emperors, a man who may have been the closest thing to Plato’s ideal of “the philosopher king” the West has ever seen: Marcus Aurelius.
Marcus had a lot to say about life and death, so you’re going to encounter him often if you follow this project throughout its entirety. Therefore, let me give you a quick, high-level introduction to the man. (I recommend Ryan Holiday’s Lives of the Stoics for a more-detailed biography. And if you’re looking for a truly deep dive into the life of Marcus, check out Anthony R. Birley’s Marcus Aurelius.)
Marcus lived from 121–180 A.D. and ascended to the throne in 161 A.D. after the death of his adoptive father, emperor Antoninus Pius. During his 19-year reign, Marcus faced nearly nonstop war, a horrific global pandemic, a depleted treasury, and a number of personal tragedies (including his own poor health and the deaths of eight of his 13 children before they reached adulthood).
