Stoicism Felt Different Standing in Rome

Equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius in Rome photographed during a visit to the Capitoline Hill.

What changed when ideas I had studied for years suddenly had a place, a history, and a human scale. Stoicism Felt Different Standing in Rome I had read Marcus Aurelius for years before I stood in Rome looking at his equestrian statue. I knew the history, had seen photographs of the statue, and had spent […]

Memento Mori For Leaders

Leading today, like time is limited Most leaders act like they have unlimited time. Unlimited quarters. Unlimited chances to repair trust after a sloppy decision. I don’t think that’s true, and not just in the obvious sense. Your credibility has a lifespan. Your team’s patience has a lifespan. Your culture has a lifespan. Memento mori […]

What Death Can Teach Us About Life

Have you ever wondered why we don’t talk about death as much as the Stoics did? It’s funny, isn’t it? In a world where life is often viewed as more fragile than we care to admit, we don’t think about dying every day. In fact, we try to avoid the conversation altogether. The funny thing is, in the times of the Stoics, life was way more uncertain. People died from simple illnesses, infections, or even a small cut. Children died at birth, and you could be taken out by something as unpredictable as it seemed from something as little as a random sneeze.

Yet, it was the Stoics, who felt the need to remind themselves about death — every day.