Ryan Holiday

We don't get to decide when we go, how we go.

There's a passage in Meditations where Mark Surilis is quoting Epictetus, and I think pertains here to the road, where he talks about, as you tuck your child in at night, he says, you should say to yourself, they might not make it till the morning.

And when he does this philosophical practice, I do not think he is

Detaching in advance.

I think he's he's reminding himself that tomorrow is not for certain, that every day is a lie.

No day is certain.

We are all dying every day, the Stokes would say.

And so to take moments for granted, to take people for granted, to put things off is arrogant and reckless, I think.

Yeah, there is something about, we're always rejecting this kind of present moment, either in anxiety of the future, like what if this terrible thing could happen, or we're neglecting the present because we're just assuming the future will be better.

And you do this as a parent a lot, you know, I can't wait till they walk.

I can't wait till they go off to school.

I can't wait till they drive.

I can't wait.

And then inevitably you will get to that benchmark.

and wish to be back where you are right now.

And so how long do you get to do this?

How long do any of us have?

Does the world have?

I think these are some of the haunting themes there of the book for sure.

That's funny.