I recently loaded an app on my phone called WeCroak (http://www.wecroak.com). It sends me a notification, five times a day, reminding that I’m going to die. When the notifications come you can open the app to reveal a death-related quote. The creator of the app was inspired by a Bhutanese folk saying that: “To be a happy person, one must contemplate death five times daily.” The invitations come at random times and seemingly, at any moment, much like death. The app encourages you to take a moment to reflect on accepting your mortality. To many of you, this may seem like a morbid modern ideal (because I am a bit of a weirdo). In actuality, Memento Mori is an ancient practice. Allow me to explain.
All Hail the Conqueror?
Translated from Latin to English, “Memento Mori” means, “Remember you must die.” In Roman times, according to tradition, after a major military triumph, the victorious military generals were paraded through the streets in chariots drawn by four horses. Apparently, it was like, a really big deal. This celebration could last all day. Massive crowds would gather to cheer on the military leaders who were idolized and considered divine. Ego, much? However, riding in the same chariot, with the “hero” was an enslaved servant. It was their sole responsibility for the duration of the parade to continuously whisper in the general’s ear, “Respice post te. Hominem te esse memento. Memento mori!”
“Look behind. Remember thou art mortal. Remember you must die!”
These words served to remind the victor that despite the fervent adoration of the masses and, regardless of his military successes, that glory is a passing thing. Not even he could escape his mortality. Making him equal to the slave who was riding shotgun and the conquered people that he had a role in slaughtering. Cheerful.
My Memento Mori
I can’t currently justify putting someone on payroll to follow me around to whisper in my ear. So, I have found another way to express the same sentiment. My personal form of a Memento Mori reminder is permanently etched in ink on my upper left arm. It’s a beatific image of my mother in her youthful prime. She’s surrounded by a corona of light and anchored with two roses. This visual reminder allows me to keep the thought of death with me at all times. Perhaps, more importantly than reminding me I’m going to die, it provides me with an urgency to live the best damned life possible. That’s not to say that life doesn’t come with heartbreak and sorrow, because holy shit-it does. It encourages me not to waste time on trivial things and to embrace my fleeting mortality with joy and purpose.
Victorians were kinda weird, okay?
Permanent tattoos might not be your thing. Perhaps, Memento Mori artwork from the Victorian era is more up your alley. A fetching death mask to hang on your parlour wall might be more your style? Rings featuring skeletons and skulls were all the rage. Or, maybe I can interest you in post-mortem photography or a brooch fashioned out of the hair of your recently deceased? Plagues and wars aside, mortality rates were exceptionally high due to lack of vaccines to control illnesses so death was a part of daily life. I can’t help but feel an eerie sense of deja vu…
Death, a reminder to live?
Now, back to the app. Has reflecting on my own death made me a happier person? I don’t know, maybe? It has certainly given me laser-like focus on what is truly important to me, giving me permission to jettison unnecessary mental flotsam. I am exquisitely alive. So, what about you? Are you comfortable with the thought of your own demise? Or, do you prefer blissful ignorance and would rather avoid thinking about “end of life stuff”, thank you very much! Either way, let me know-What symbolic reminder of the inevitability of death speaks to you?
“The art of living well and the art of dying well are one.” Epicurus
Yours in All Things Sorted,
Kelly
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