June 19, 2025

Fear of Death? Listen to This (Meditations 4.5)

25 minutes

In this episode, I reflect on Meditations 4.5 and Marcus Aurelius’ effort to habituate acceptance of death as a natural and necessary part of life. Drawing from Marcus' experiences leading Rome through war and plague, I explore how his preoccupation with death wasn’t morbid, but practical—an attempt to remain aligned with Nature and his duty within the Cosmopolis. Death, like birth, is part of the universal order, and Stoicism teaches us that fearing it contradicts the very reason and nature we’re trying to live in accordance with.

I also answer a listener question about the tension between patience and passivity. When someone wrongs us repeatedly, how do we maintain Stoic endurance without becoming doormats? I break down how context and role-based duties shape what it means to act justly, and I offer practical strategies for staying true to Stoic principles while setting boundaries that honor both ourselves and others.

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Meditations 4.5

Death is such as generation is, a mystery of nature… not a thing of which any man should be ashamed, for it is not contrary to the nature of a reasonable animal, and not contrary to the reason of our constitution.

THREE TAKEAWAYS

— Death is neither good nor bad—it’s a natural process necessary to life itself.

— Stoic practice requires continual habituation, especially around fear and mortality.

— Setting boundaries is not un-Stoic when done with reason and care for all parties involved.

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