We Have So Much In Common

In a very short period around 2003, the musician Rosanne Cash lost her sister, her step mother, her father , and her mother. It was a series of blows that rocked her, even as stoic and strong as she was. She would write later in her wonderful memoir, Composed, that rather than harden her--though these losses were quite hard on her--they helped her forge a deeper understanding and connection to other people. As she wrote, “You begin to realize that everyone has a tragedy and that if he doesn’t, he will. You recognize how much is hidden behind the small courtesies and civilities of everyday existence. Deep sorrow and traces of great loss run through everyone’s lives, and yet they let others step into the elevator first, wave them ahead in a line of traffic, smile and greet their children and and inquire about their lives, and never let on for a second that they, too, have lain awake at night in longing and regret, that they, too, have cried until it seemed impossible that one person could hold so many tears, that they, too, keep a picture of someone locked in their heart and bring it out in quiet, solitary moments to caress and remember.”The reason we do this Memento Mori work is not just to remind ourselves of the fleeting nature of life and to protect us from the shock of loss and pain. We do it also to connect with something that makes us fundamentally human. We do it to help us cherish and understand the people around us. There is a stoic camaraderie that exists in the cancer ward, for this very reason. But why should that be limited only to hospitals? Why should goodness and compassion be limited to the Make a Wish Foundation and other such charities?“Loss,” Rosanne Cash wrote, “is the great unifier, the terrible club to which we all eventually belong.” The truth is, we are already in that club. We were inducted at birth. We are all facing terminal diagnoses. We are all losing loved ones and family members. Everyone is going through something, just like we are--and always will be. We should let that connect us, we should allow that to bring us together. And let’s do it now, today, before it’s too late. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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  Welcome to The Daily Stoic, where each day we read a short passage designed to help you cultivate the strength, insight, wisdom necessary for living the good life. Each one of these passages is based on the 2,000-year-old philosophy that has guided some of history's greatest men and women. For more, you can visit us at dailystoic.com. We have so much in common. In a very short period, around 2003, the musician Rosanne Cash lost her sister, her stepmother, her father, and her mother. It was a series of blows that rocked her, even as stoic and strong as she was. She would write later

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  in her wonderful memoir, Composed, that rather than harden her, though these losses were quite hard on her, they helped her forge a deeper understanding and connection to other people. As she wrote, "You begin to realize that everyone has a tragedy, and that if he doesn't, he will. You recognize how much is hidden behind the small courtesies and civilities of everyday existence. Deep sorrow and traces of great loss run through everyone's lives. And yet, they let others step into the elevator first, wave them ahead in a line of traffic, smile and greet their children, and inquire about their lives, and never let on for a second that they too have lain awake at night in longing and regret, that

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  they too have cried until it seemed impossible that one person could hold so many tears, that they too keep a picture of someone locked in their heart and bring it out in quiet, solitary moments to caress and remember." The reason we do this memento mori work is not just to remind ourselves of the fleeting nature of life and to protect us from the shock of loss and pain. We do it also to connect with something that makes us fundamentally human. We do it to help us cherish and understand the people around us. There is a stoic camaraderie that exists in the cancer ward for this very reason. But why should that be limited only to hospitals?

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  Why should goodness and compassion be limited to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and other such charities? Loss, Roseanne Cash, wrote, "Is the great unifier the terrible club to which we all eventually belong?" The truth is, we are already in that club. We were inducted at birth. We are all facing terminal diagnoses. We are all losing loved ones and family members. Everyone is going through something just like we are and always will be. We should let that connect us. We should allow that to bring us together. And let's do it now, before it's too late. If you like the podcast that we do here and you want to get it via email every morning, you can sign up at dailystoic.com/email.