Summary: This episode is on death, which is arguably one of my favorite subjects. Although it's strange because in my day to day life I don't actually have that much face to face interaction with death. Yes, the food I eat has died at one point, but I'm not in any military job that forces me to kill, and I'm not in a health care field that typically deals with dying patients. To paraphrase one of my favorite books "On Killing", discussing death for most people is like virgins discussing sex. We haven't experienced it yet, so we can only fathom a guess of what it will be like and how it will affect us. Some of us have experienced loved ones die though, and in doing so we have experienced grief, which is one aspect of death. I think that the stoic view of death is particularly adept at dealing with grief if it is applied diligently. EPISODE OVERVIEW Why death important to think about Biggest fear It’s common among everyone Conquering fear of death is one of the most significant steps towards bravery Samurai and their view on death The Stoic view of death My own views of death Various possibilities The process of dying / does it hurt? Universe and Alan Watts Death meditation Hagakure quotes on death: Page 75: “Whether people be of high or low birth, rich or poor, old or young, enlightened or confused, they are all alike in that they will one day die. It is not that we don’t know that we are going to die, but we grasp at straws. While knowing that we will die someday, we think that all the others will die before us and that we will be the last to go. Death seems a long way off.Is this not shallow thinking? It is worthless and is only a joke within a dream. It will not do to think in such a way and be negligent. Insofar as death is always at one’s door, one should make sufficient effort and act quickly” Page 130: “It is said that Tokunaga Kichezaemon repeatedly complained, “I’ve grown so old that now, even if there were to be a battle, I wouldn’t be able to do anything. Still, I would like to die by galloping into the midst of the enemy and being struck down and killed. It would be a shame to do nothing more than to die in one’s bed.” Page 154: “A person who does not want to be struck by the enemy’s arrows will have no divine protection. For a man who does not wish to be hit by the arrows of a common soldier, bt rather by those of a warrior of fame, there will be the protection for which he has asked.” Meditations quotes on death: Book 4, Passage 47, page 50 “Just imagine the gods saying to you, “Tomorrow, you’re going to die, or at the latest, the day after tomorrow.” Are you going to make a big deal over the difference between tomorrow and the day after and start begging the gods for an extra day? Not unless you’re a thorough-going coward. Really, what’s the difference? Well then, take the same attitude toward living to be a ripe old age or dying tomorrow.” Book 6, Passage 2, page 65 “Do your duty - and never mind whether you are shivering or warm, sleeping on your feet or in your bed, hearing yourself slandered or praised, dying or doing something else. Yes, even dying is an act of life and should be done, live everything else, “to the best of your abilities.” Resources Books I reference: The Emperor’s Handbook by Marcus Aurelius The Hagakure Songs by Slayerment
