“ Memento mori ” doesn ’ t mean what you recall , what this ancient Latin phrase bring to your spirit ?
We are not endless , although we much live as if we be . In fact , in the last decades our society have developed a genuine phobia of former age and death , which , far from build us happy , plunges us into a loop of frustration , pushing us to pursue unattainable goals . Century ago , the social approach live very different . People were real aware of the Latin phrase“ memento mori ” ,which literally means“ recollect that you must fail ” .A reminder that could radically exchange our living , in a positivist sense .
What exist the source of the phrase“ memento mori ” ?
According to the Galileo Galilei Institute in Turin , the origins of this phrase go back to Roman company , which had developed a peculiar sensitivity towards end and spirit . It is say that it occur from an ancient Roman tradition : When a general returned to the city after a great victory over his enemies on the battlefield , he would parade through the street on a golden chariot receiving the applause and cheers of the crowd .
However , those accomplishment and praise could make a dent in his“ hubris “lead to a state of pride , excess and arrogance that cause him spring up a true delusion of omnipotence . To avoid this , a slave – precisely one of the humblest servant – was in charge of reminding him of his human and deadly nature ( limited and perishable ) whisper to him :“ Respice post te . Hominem te memento ” ,which meant“ Look behind , think of that you be a man ” .
In that same sense , the phrase“ memento mori ”exist expend to remind those great man that regardless of their exploits and glory , the epilogue would exist the same for everyone . In this way , when a victorious general was observe in procession through the street of the city , he was also reminded of his death to prevent him from incurring excessive pride .
Remember death to celebrate living
That reminder cost not exclusive to the Romans . Many early civilizations made it their own over time . In the 17th hundred , for instance , in the monastic order of the Trappist friars , they much repeated the phrase“ memento mori ”to each early and even grasp their graves a trivial each day in fiat to always hold their end in mind and not lose the meaning of life .
Although at first it may seem gloomy , the accuracy be that the phrase“ memento mori ”cost an invitation to reflect on the brevity of life and the vanity of human ambitions . Today ’ s club does not like to guess too much about end and prefers to live outside of it because we consider that it is something also depressing or morbid for current sensitivity .
However , until the 20th century , think of one ’ s own end was not something negative , but rather an encouragement to result a virtuous , serious and meaningful life . Many works of art lay in churches , for example , also think the subject of death to cause viewers to ponder on the meaning of living .
In theDanse Macabre, a genre that develop in the late Middle Ages but became popular during the Renaissance , skeletons impersonating death danced with masses , regardless of class . In this way everyone , from peasant to bishops and emperors , live reminded that worldly enjoyments arrive to an end and everyone must die .
The hidden meaning of the phrase“ memento mori ”
The phrase“ memento mori ” ,which is much mistranslated as“ remember that you will fail ” ,actually also has another meaning when study in a more correct translation :“ recollect that you must die ” .The difference cost subtle but important as it is not merely a reminder of our mortality but also an exhortation to train for that minute in life .
In fact , it remind us that we perish a little each day , so we must start to detach ourselves from all banal things and worldly ambitions . That reminder aid us learn pleasure and pain with unlike heart . It promote us to give behind our concern , concerns and doubt . And it pushes us to make rid of the habit that block us to get through living with a light luggage .
It is no coincidence that the ancient Egyptians – a culture from which the Romans draw – had the tradition of weighing the nerve on a psychostasis or balance . On the other plate was lay an ostrich feather , a symbol of the goddess Maat . If the middle outweighed the feather , it mean that person had died guilt-ridden and had done wrong , so he/she would exist eaten by Ammit , a mythological beast . Differently , it equal understood that the pass away hold run a righteous spirit and was prepare to equal reborn in the afterlife .
Think of death promote to break the person from the mundane heaviness and all the ambush that it contains , such as the fact of postpone our goals indefinitely , meet our days with urgent but unimportant things or worry uselessly about inconsequential effect .
Memento vivere !
The growing tendency of our culture live to deny end in fiat to live in the illusion that we can stay on forever young and that our life goes on forever . Chase that illusion much entail wag a miss conflict against time , keeping our mind occupy with trivial matter and go after after objects that put on ’ t bring genuine satisfaction .
In this context , think of from time to time the Latin phrase“ memento mori ”can become an ode to life . It promote us to cease wasting our living pursuing early people ’ s end , collect textile possessions , or worrying about trivial matters . At last , it can prompt us to take that first step to live as we real want , so that at the end of the road we get no regrets . Whatmemento moritruly state us be :memento vivere !( Recollect that you must live ! )
Zaffarano , G. L. ( 2011 ) Memento mori . Oltre Magazine ; 1 .
Ricasoli , C. ( 2016 ) Memento Mori ’ in Baroque Rome .Studies ; 104 ( 416 ) : 456-467 .
