Welcome to That’s Philosophical, a place that feels like a virtual home. Twice a week, I send you inspirational ideas to become a more mindful person in a world that can’t take a break.
You can read the web version here.
Humans have discussed mortality for thousands of years. It terrifies some of us, makes some people sad. But there are people who use death to live a more meaningful life.
Thinking of your end is the most powerful motivation you can ever get. You get a perspective on your whole life with only one word- deathbed.
In the end, we will regret things we didn’t do, rather than things we did. Next time you get a sense of fear or if you are not sure about taking on an opportunity, think- are you going to regret this decision? I remember an interesting quote from one of my favorite tv-shows, it is so obvious, but it really hit me when I heard it:
“Screw fear. Tomorrow you could be driving along in your car happily, and then an 18-wheeler truck could smash you head to head, you are squished to the road, and you are dead. Just a waste of time. So screw fear.”
Fear isn’t worth your time.
All of the fear is inside our heads. In reality, it’s not that bad or scary as we think it is. One of the interesting Stoicism principles is that we suffer more in our imagination than in reality. Once you understand that all you do is just overthinking, you get a relief that actually even if you fail, it’s not that bad.
Steve Jobs famously said:
“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.
Because almost everything—all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure—these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked.”
My favorite movie of all time is Interstellar. As I was watching how people explore space, I was puzzled with a question- if humans are so advanced in the future, why don’t they just send robots into space? And the movie itself gave me an answer:
“You know why we couldn't just send machines on these missions, don't you? A machine doesn't improvise well because you can't program a fear of death.
Our survival instinct is our single greatest source of inspiration.”
- Dr. Mann, Interstellar
Writer Austin Kleon says: “Thinking about death every morning makes me want to live”. Death gives our life meaning.
I often notice how it’s limitations that make life worth living. For example, if you got everything you wanted at once, would you appreciate it and keep living as you used to? Striving for more is what gives our life meaning. When I get too many resources in a video game, it quickly becomes meaningless.
We need limitations- like a finite life, to see the meaning.
And it’s not about chasing money, too. If you had an infinite amount of money, what would you do? You’d quickly become bored and throw it away to pursue something truly meaningful, something that gives you fulfillment.
This perspective shift is what saved many lives from going nowhere. Don’t be afraid of asking whether you are going to regret the path you are on at the end of your life.
«If you don’t pursue those things that excite you, where will you be in one, five, ten years from now?
How will you feel having allowed circumstance to impose itself upon you and having allowed ten more years of your finite life to pass doing what you knowwill not fulfill you?»
- Tim Ferris
I would like to share a newsletter from my friend Nishant! The SneakyArt Post is a newsletter about art of everyday life, on ordinary days, in ordinary places. Nishant Jain walks the streets of his city marking his observations with a fountain pen inside a little sketchbook. Every week, he shares his art and reflections from his journey of self-education to be an artist.
Thank you for reading, have a great weekend!
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This is SO important. Thank you for writing this, Rufat. I agree strongly with this, in particular: "Thinking of your end is the most powerful motivation you can ever get."
Loved this piece. It resonates deep within. Sometime back I have written a similar piece on the phrase 'Memento Mori'. Thank you for reminding me of this practice ❤️🙏🏼