[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":59},["ShallowReactive",2],{"stoicism-article-12/06":3},{"path":4,"stem":5,"title":6,"description":7,"meta":8,"body":23},"/stoicism/12/06","stoicism/12/06","The Sword Dangles Over You","Meditation for December 6, 2021",{"quotes":9,"last_updated_at":15,"tags":16,"categories":19,"changeFreq":21,"backgroundImage":22},[10],{"quote":11},{"content":12,"author":13,"source":14},"Don't behave as if you are destined to live forever. What's fated hangs over you. As long as you live and while you can, become good now.","Marcus Aurelius","Meditations, 4.17","2021-12-06T13:23:00",[17,18],"stoicism","mortality",[20,17],"meditation","never","/IMG_3627.jpg",{"type":24,"value":25,"toc":53},"minimark",[26,39,42,45,50],[27,28,29,30,34,35,38],"p",{},"I had heard of ",[31,32,33],"em",{},"\"The Sword of Damocles\"",", but was not familiar with the actual story. Perhaps it is better I didn't\nlearn until now. My first thoughts on the story if I was a young man, would be that ",[31,36,37],{},"\"the grass is always greener on\nthe other side\"",".",[27,40,41],{},"Having read the story and learned of King Dionysius, I have a lot of questions. The sword hanging over your head by a\nsingle horses hair causing fear and anxiety at every moment is a great visualization of the perils of his rule. Why had\nKing Dionysius made so many enemies in his time? Why did he as a ruler, find it necessary to be a tyrant and rule with\ncruelty, suspicion and vindictiveness?",[27,43,44],{},"A similar sword hangs over our heads as well, as we realize our life can be taken at any moment. While death does\nnot disqualify us for being virtuous or a tyrant, life can. We know death will fall on us at some point, so why would\nyou spend your energy being a person who is hated?",[46,47,49],"h3",{"id":48},"conclusion","Conclusion",[27,51,52],{},"The longer we ignore our fate of death, we become more ignorant of life. We have a choice to leave this life with an\nexample for others on how to live. Is your life ripe with deceit, prejudice, and ignorance or an example of honesty,\nempathy and wisdom?",{"title":54,"searchDepth":55,"depth":55,"links":56},"",2,[57],{"id":48,"depth":58,"text":49},3,1793896159023]