The Importance of Reflecting on Life

When Montaigne first started writing he wrote a fairly conventional page or two on various themes most of which he picked up from his favourite classical authors. He was already quite obsessed with death in what seems a rather morbid way today. One of those essays was focused on death which was a very poignant subject for him because he had a very near death experience. It also changed his focus perhaps more towards life and more towards philosophy and reflection.