Seneca was amazed that people guard their money fiercely but throw away their time, the one thing they can never get more of. We let hours be taken by things we don't care about, by other people's urgencies, by scrolling we won't remember. He wasn't telling us to grind every minute. He was saying notice where your life is actually going, because that's where your life actually is. Time spent is life spent. Choosing how you give your hours, even saying no to protect a quiet evening, is choosing how you live. You can always make more money. The afternoon, once gone, is simply gone.

Inspired by the old idea of memento mori. Written by Ugo Charles.