It was a freak set of circumstances. Not the ones that led to Marcus Aurelius being emperor—although, as we've talked about, they were surreal—but that he even made it to adulthood, beating very steep odds.
Infant mortality rates in ancient Rome were extremely high (estimates range from about 25-30%). The average lifespan was somewhere between 20 to 30 years old. Marcus could have been assassinated by some rival. He could have died of a cut on his finger. And what are the chances that he would be born at all?
We are all miracles—freak occurrences, trillion to one chances. How is life even possible on a rock spinning in space?
The lesson from all this, big and small, is that we should not take this gift for granted. We should not just live, but live bravely, live boldly. As the Gang of Youth song puts it,
Do not let this thing you got go to waste Do not let your heart be dismayed It's here by some random disclosure of grace From some vascular, great thing Get the fuck out of your head if it says "Stay cold and be deathly afraid" Do not let your spirit wane Do not let your spirit wane
The whole future is uncertain, Seneca reminds us. Live virtuously, of course, but also live immediately. Don't wait for the perfect moment to arrive. Don't waste time chasing certainty or comfort. You are here—impossibly, improbably, miraculously here. That is reason enough to act. To love. To show up. To do what matters while you still can.
Because as fleeting and fragile as this life is, it's also full of meaning—if you choose to fill it with meaning.
So don't let your spirit wane. Let it burn. Right here, right now.
P.S. We all know we're going to die…but we forget. We let our spirits wane.
That's why we need reminders. Tangible, daily reminders.
That's what our Memento Mori medallion is—a tangible reminder to burn bright, to live immediately, to keep your spirit strong.
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