What Comes To Us All

The Daily Stoic for December 18th, “What Comes To Us All”.

“Both Alexander the Great and his mule-keeper were both brought to the same place by death—they were either received into the all-generative reason, or scattered among the atoms.”

—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 6.24

I was discussing today with my partner how our society is becoming more and more unequal. We were at the “rich neighbor” and stopped by a café. There was this family there having breakfast. The father, over the phone with someone, discussing the new hotel they have acquired. The mother, talking to the child, was explaining to him that it was better to learn to manage a company than going to college. The kid was 7, probably 8.

I couldn’t help but think how different the conversations with my parents were back in my childhood.

This is not about the old “rich vs poor” discussion. We are talking about two different worlds here.

What Comes To Us All

There’s the world of people who have to work every day for the rest of their lives, living in a miserable flat and struggling to make ends meet, while their brains are numbed with songs such as “in order to be successful, study, get a good degree and enter a good company” or “renting is throwing money away, buy”, or “you need more stuff to be happier“.

Then there’s the world of those who have grown up in families where your father or mother is the owner of two companies and a hotel. They teach you how to make businesses instead of encouraging you to go to college. They know having a degree is insignificant compared to having 300 employees.

Regardless of that, it’s true that we all will die in the end. The rich and the poor, you and I. However, when I’m dead, nothing else will matter to me, so as far as I know, my goal is trying to enjoy life, with more or less luck, with more or less money, with more or fewer properties. Just being able to enjoy a little bit every day is enough for me.

That said, I still fight to grow my business and reach complete financial independence. Because what matters is now. We are alive now.

Conclusion

Today’s Daily Stoic, “What Comes To Us All”, discusses how all of us will eventually die. The rich and the poor, the lucky ones and the cursed, the handsome and the ugly… We’ll all face the same destiny.