farming, flattering, boasting, distrusting, plotting, hoping
others will die, complaining about their own lives, falling in
love, putting away money, seeking high office and power.
And that life they led is nowhere to be found.Or the age of Trajan. The exact same things. And that life
too—gone.
Survey the records of other eras. And see how many others
gave their all and soon died and decomposed into the
elements that formed them.
But most of all, run through the list of those you knew
yourself. Those who worked in vain, who failed to do what
they should have—what they should have remained fixed on
and found satisfaction in.
A key point to bear in mind: The value of attentiveness
varies in proportion to its object. You’re better off not giving
the small things more time than they deserve.
- Words once in common use now sound archaic. And the
names of the famous dead as well: Camillus, Caeso, Volesus,
Dentatus... Scipio and Cato... Augustus... Hadrian and
Antoninus, and...
Everything fades so quickly, turns into legend, and soon