stoics and epicureans shared a great deal of their…
Page 110 stoics and epicureans shared a great deal of their theory too. They thought that the ability to enjoy life is thwarted by two big weaknesses: lack of control of emotions, and a tendency to pay too little attention to the present. If one could only get these two things right - - - controlling and paying attention - - - most other problems would take care of themselves. The catch is that both are almost impossible to do. So difficult are they that one cannot approach them head on. It is necessary to sidel in from lateral angles and trick oneself into achieving them. One of these methods was for example to imagine that today is the last day of your life. Are you ready to face death? Imagine, even, that this very moment right now is the last moment of your existence what are you feeling? Do you have regrets? Are there things you wish you had done differently? Are you really alive at this point, or are you consumed with panic, denial and remorse? This experiment opens your eyes to what is important to you and reminds you of how time runs constantly through your fingers.
— from The Landing (Death) · How to Live by Sarah Bakewell
In the book
Ask the morning question. Borrow Jobs's mirror, or our own tradition's habit of taking honest stock at the start and the close of each day, and ask whether the way you are about to spend this day is the way you would want to have spent it. Keep your judgment clear of your appetites. The Stoics warned that our capacity to enjoy what we are actually given is wrecked by two faults — letting our emotions run loose, and paying too little attention to what is right in front of us. Both are correctable with practice. — The Landing (Death)