top | item 36140147

(no title)

q845712 | 2 years ago

Just sharing my own experience, but the more time I've spent contemplating death the easier time I've had with it: Every beginning implies an end. Every birth and growth implies a decline and death. All coming-together results in eventual separation. Etc.

IMO there's nothing wrong with finding the beginnings more fun and enjoying the fun parts, but part of what prevents us from moving towards utopia is a blindness to the whole cycle, an unwillingness to engage in the difficulties of endings and change. This isn't to say we need to celebrate "the end" either, but just that in some sense, contentment _is_ utopia, and contentment requires making peace with both beginnings and ends.

discuss

order

candiddevmike|2 years ago

This is a big part of stoicism. If you're interested in learning more about this, checkout the book Meditations.

q845712|2 years ago

:) it is also a big part of buddhism. IMO the intersections between several systems are very interesting as they tend to be the most fruitful even if pursued without the context of the rest of the system (ie if you think you can cherry-pick the good parts out of a religion or philosophical system, start by looking at where many of them agree)