Stoicism teaches that we should live a life as a person of character through the choices that we make. Our mind is the most valuable thing we have to carry this through.

But what happens when the mind starts to become less able to make reasoned choices? As Marcus Aurelius writes that if we live longer there is no guarantee that our mind will likewise retain that power to comprehend and study the world.

This is an issues faced by many nations with an increasing elderly population. As people live longer conditions like dementia are also increasing.

Marcus Aurelius further writes that we must have a sense of urgency before our ability to pay proper attention fades before we do. Things like stress in our lives can harm conditions of the mind especially as we get older.  When we have our mind that is functional there are steps that can be taken to improve our condition as we get older.