@philosophyminis: In 1989, Stephen Covey suggested one simple exercise that we can all do to achieve what we want to achieve and become who we want to become. Imagine that you are dead, and surrounding your funeral casket, there are four people, each representing a different aspect of your life. There is a friend, a family member, a coworker, and a member of the community. What would you like these people to say about you? What eulogies would you like to hear from them? 'Oh, he was such a kind and generous person,' your colleague might say. Or, 'He was a present and loving father,' your child says, and so on. The eulogy exercise is intended to reverse engineer your life. By visualising your final chapter, you can take steps to ensure that your path now leads to where you want to go. But, of course, this meditation appears way before Stephen Covey. The Japanese samurai-turned-philosopher Suzuki Shōsan talked about a death energy. Shōsan argued that if you spend any time meditating on your death, thinking about that actual moment when you breathe your last, you are suddenly overcome, somewhat paradoxically, with renewed life. Your heart beats faster. You see the world differently. You have a death energy. Whether you call it a eulogy exercise, or death energy, or memento mori, the idea is the same. If you want to reach a certain point or to be remembered a certain way, you need to make sure that your life at the moment is on the right path.

Jonny Thomson

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Region: GB

Saturday 05 September 2026 14:15:00 GMT