222. Memento Vivere

Someday we must die. Remember that. Today we must live. Remember that.

Transcripts may not appear in their final version and are subject to change.

Death is inevitable. 

We know that.

And some of us fear that, the inevitability of the end.

To be reminded of this is not exactly a happy thing, but there are reminders everywhere: graveyards, funeral processions, road kill by the side of the highway…trees overturned by a storm.

You get the idea.

Anything alive cannot be alive forever. 

Most of us do not walk around thinking about this daily, I’m guessing. 

But some who do think of this inevitability as an inspiration. YOLO – the battle cry of a generation, at least for a minute there – is the reminder to make the most out of this one life of yours.

But before we had YOLO, we had memento mori. Latin for, remember you must die. Iconography of skulls, hourglasses, wilting flowers. Etched in stone, placed in paintings, worked into jewelry or headstones. 

And while this can seem dark, it is also a reminder of what unites us as people and living beings: sooner or later, no matter what, it ends. 

I have a post-it note on my computer. Lots of post-it notes on my computer. Probably too many post-it notes on my computer.

One of them says memento mori.

And memento vivere.

Remember you must die – so don’t worry about all the dumb little stuff you love to worry about!

And remember, you must live – so don’t woirry about all the dumb little stuff you love to worry about!

Both living and dying are inevitable. Both are meaningful. Both are holy opportunities, even if you are not at all religious. It’s a gift to be here, even on a day when it’s dark and cloudy, when all the horrible things that were happening in the world yesterday are still happening. Even when the floor beneath us seems shaky at best. 

If we are still here, what a gift we have. This day, as imperfect as it may be. I do not use YOLO to mean that we have to live to the fullest, at least not in the way that phrase implies. You do not need to climb mountains or jump from airplanes or have a six-pack. You do not need to be the best or do the best. We do not require perfection. You do not have to earn your place on this imperfect earth. To be here is a gift, yes, but you, too are a gift.

Someday, we must die.

Today, we must live.