Why You Should Learn To Talk To The Dead

Zeno of Citium, the legendary founder of Stoicism, shared the same question people still face today: “What do I do with my life?”

He decided to visit the Oracle of Delphi, as Greeks used to do then, to find out the plan Gods laid down for him.

Their response baffled him.

“Learn how to talk to the dead,” the Oracle responded.

Only after careful consideration did Zeno understand this riddle-like response…

Reading books is a way of communicating with the dead.

But not all books are created equal.

“I don’t care that you read. Show me what you read,” Epictetus used to tell his students.

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius was written two millennia ago.

But that doesn’t stop you from having a lifelong conversation with him by picking up his book.

You can even set up imaginary conversations in your head.

“A teacher affects eternity”, said Henry Adams, “and he can never tell where his influence will stop.”

And for the Stoics, this was certainly the case.

We still read their masterpieces and imagine what a difference they would make in our lives if they were still alive.

PS. Reply to this email with your best Stoic book of all time. Most people say it’s Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.

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