When Marcus considers his own little patch of that web, he often emphasizes the fleeting, ephemeral nature of his life and everything it contains. His remedy against feeling insulted is to remember the imminent death of everyone concerned, and that’s a typical thought. He applies it to fame and honor: why seek the approval of others, when they will soon enough be dead? He applies it to misfortunes and suffering: everything we undergo will be over soon, seen from the perspective of eternity. Of course, it takes a certain kind of person to take that amount of perspective on their own situation.
