{"product_id":"on-the-shortness-of-life-the-stoic-classic","title":"On the Shortness of Life: The Stoic Classic","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"165\" data-end=\"440\"\u003eThe most important lesson of \u003cem data-start=\"194\" data-end=\"220\"\u003eOn the Shortness of Life\u003c\/em\u003e is, of course, that we need to \u003cstrong data-start=\"252\" data-end=\"270\"\u003evalue our time\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong data-start=\"275\" data-end=\"308\"\u003eavoid wasting it at all costs\u003c\/strong\u003e. The essay is a poignant reminder of what we so deeply intuit, yet so easily forget—and so chronically fail to put into practice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"442\" data-end=\"827\"\u003eThere is no shortage of things that take away our time, and we must guard against them. To live this lesson, practice saying \u003cstrong data-start=\"567\" data-end=\"576\"\u003e“No!”\u003c\/strong\u003e to many of the time-wasting things that you do—like trying to impress people or staring at a screen. Consider whether your potential actions are virtuous, whether they will truly benefit you, and whether they are worthy of making up your only life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"829\" data-end=\"1141\"\u003eIf not, commit to turning them down, even if it might cause others to be displeased with you. The lessons from \u003cem data-start=\"940\" data-end=\"966\"\u003eOn the Shortness of Life\u003c\/em\u003e urge us to take stock of how we have lived so far, and to count the time that has been truly lived—as opposed to time merely filled with unworthy busyness and distractions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1143\" data-end=\"1436\"\u003eWhat you can start doing today is to \u003cstrong data-start=\"1180\" data-end=\"1220\"\u003epractice the Stoic art of journaling\u003c\/strong\u003e and start reflecting on how you spend each and every day. To borrow from Seneca, his favorite time to journal was in the evenings. When darkness had fallen and his wife had gone to sleep, he explained to a friend:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote data-start=\"1438\" data-end=\"1557\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1440\" data-end=\"1557\"\u003e“I examine my entire day and go back over what I’ve done and said, hiding nothing from myself, passing nothing by.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1559\" data-end=\"1669\"\u003eThen he would go to bed, finding that the sleep which followed this self-examination was particularly sweet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1671\" data-end=\"1949\"\u003eThe final lesson we should take away from Seneca’s work—and a theme that is constant for the Stoics in general—is that we need to \u003cstrong data-start=\"1801\" data-end=\"1845\"\u003eremember that we could die at any moment\u003c\/strong\u003e, and that barring some massive medical breakthrough, we have at most a few more decades left to live.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1951\" data-end=\"2235\"\u003eWe should find a way to remind ourselves every day that we are going to die—perhaps by placing sticky notes in places we will see daily. You might feel like you don’t forget that you’re going to die, but do you think about it on a regular basis? Does it inform your decision-making?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"2237\" data-end=\"2321\"\u003eMost people can’t say yes to that—so we must do a little work to make sure we can.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"JOHN WILEY \u0026 SONS SINGAPORE","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44238710898895,"sku":"9781907312540","price":22.84,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0574\/5662\/3823\/files\/download_c153a01c-e2b3-46df-8274-4ff0f0b52eb5.jpg?v=1759731292","url":"https:\/\/popular.baby\/products\/on-the-shortness-of-life-the-stoic-classic","provider":"Popular Book Company Pte Ltd","version":"1.0","type":"link"}