Summary: The best way to die is to enjoy life.
Commentary: I think you could broadly classify this essay as hedonistic, which really gets a bad rap today. When people think of hedonism today it's like, "do a shit ton of drugs, eat too much food, and scam people." But there's room for a more altruistic (helping people makes you feel good) or ambitious (accomplishing things, especially ones that're difficult, makes you feel good) strain. Montaigne even talks about the virtues a person should have to enjoy life and not freak out about death. Don't be afraid and run from it (especially by living a miserable long life of poor health) but be honest and accept it. His hedonism is forward thinking. Have feasts and enjoy yourself, but don't forget about the consequences of your actions.
Beyond that (I think I said this before) I'd like to read more Montaigne in a different translation. Florio's translation is almost satirically olde-fashioned, and even T5FSOB says it's not particularly accurate. I do enjoy the footnotes for words that aren't that hard to understand. Tracts=Course!
No comments:
Post a Comment