Memento mori, “remember you will die.” From Greek and Roman philosophers to Christian ascetics and medieval monks, acknowledging that death comes for us all prompted contemplation about how to live a life of virtue and promote justice. But while many in the modern West complain about the state of our society, how often do we think about or discuss our pending deaths?
For most of human history, death was something people confronted in their daily lives. Deaths of infants, mothers in childbirth, friends and family from disease, the loss of a child or parent to war, and passing of elderly parents who lived with their children and grandchildren. Death was not something distant and ignored; rather, death was ever-present and a constant reminder of our mortality.
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