Montaigne returns to the fear of death with this essay and as should be clear by now, I’m not the biggest fan of these pieces. It’s not death that I worry about on a day to day basis, I’m much more concerned with morbidity.

Medical science has significantly stretched lifespans in recent decades and people have, for the most part, adjusted to the financial needs of a longer life — or are preparing for longer careers. But it’s one thing to live a couple decades longer than your ancestors, quite another to live them well.

So far so good for me on my physical condition, but I know very well that the next 20 years will be far more challenging than the last. If I want to remain a physically active person into my 80s, I’ll need to keep up my personal habits and perhaps even sharpen them.

But that’s about all I have to say on this subject — so say more would be to repeat what I’ve written many times before. This is a topic that interests Montaigne a great deal, but is one I’m comfortable handling in as short a manner as possible.