What's the Difference Between the Dead and the Dead?

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If my dog passed away, he's about 12 years old. Now that could happen any day. I know that if I woke up in the morning and found him no longer with us, I would hold him close. But there is a fear of contact with death that makes us shrink from corpses. It has generally not been true in the great course of human history. The most traumatic for the living is when someone dies suddenly because we have no preparation.

Many listeners have written in expressing difficulty in accepting death and reframing it as the Stoics framed it. So, in today's episode, I speak with Professor of Classics at Bard University and author of "How to Die: An Ancient Guide to the End of Life" and "Dying Every Day, Seneca at the Court of Nero." During our conversation, James shares much about Seneca's life with me, and much about why overcoming death is critical to living a good life. We also discuss the concept of "dying well."

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