On and on and on and on: How Is This Life of Yours Anything but Death?

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Photo credit, property of Universal Music Group, fair use

Contemplating the matter of life (the quality that distinguishes a vital and functional being from a dead body) and death (a permanent cessation of all vital functions), a neo soul song comes to mind. And while the artist to whom I’m referring isn’t of the hip hop genre, she influenced it!

On her debut studio album, Baduizm (1997), singer-songwriter Erykah Badu—from Texas, just like legendary music producer DJ Premier and talented lyricist the D.O.C.—released the song “On & On”. According to one source, it “features teachings of the Five-Percent Nation.”

Although I didn’t fully comprehend the Five-Percenter influence when purchasing the album, I liked how the chorus stated that life went “on and on and on and on,” as I juxtaposed this matter with lessons that I’d learned about death. Also, I found wisdom in the first verse, as it states:

Oh, my, my, my, I’m feeling high

My money’s gone, I’m all alone

Too much to see

The world keeps turning

Oh, what a day, what a day, what a day

Peace and blessings manifest with every lesson learned

If your knowledge were your wealth, then it would be well-earned

In the late ‘90s, I sought as much knowledge about life as I could, as the process of living went “on and on and on and on” until I eventually died. For me, to have died without well-earned knowledge would’ve been akin to having existed in a state of death, like an axiomatic zombie.

Thus, I also appreciated that Badu stated on the third verse of her song, “You rush into destruction, ‘cause you don’t have nothing left,” as this line led me to contemplate how the accumulation of knowledge could provide me with proverbial wealth.

Without wealth of this kind, I may as well have been rushing into the metaphorical destruction of ignorance (lack of knowledge, education, or awareness). For her contribution to my understanding of life, as well as hip hop, I remain grateful for Badu. Now, I turn toward a book.

As Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is informed by Stoic philosophy, this blog entry is part of an ongoing series regarding a book entitled The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman.

When considering my framing of “On & On”, I encourage you to consider that authors of The Daily Stoic quote ancient Stoic philosopher Seneca, who stated, “You are afraid of dying. But, come now, how is this life of yours anything but death?” (page 385).

For some people, life is perceived to simply go “on and on and on and on” without end. As an example, I recently saw a person post on social media, “[T]his is gonna sound ridiculous but it didn’t even occur to me that Dolly Parton could die,” regarding Parton’s death on 8/25/2026.

All organic life inescapably ends! Regarding this truth about reality—as I agree with Cicero’s famous line, “To philosophize is to learn how to die” (page 365)—I appreciate that Seneca asked, “[H]ow is this life of yours anything but death?” Of this, the authors state (page 385):

Seneca tells an amazing story about an obscenely wealthy Roman who was carried around by slaves on a litter. On one occasion, after being lifted out of a bath, the Roman asked, “Am I sitting down yet?”

Seneca’s point was essentially: What kind of sad pathetic life is it if you’re so disconnected from the world that you don’t even know whether you’re on the ground? How did the man know whether he was even alive at all?

That tale reminds me of the animated science fiction film WALL-E (2008). Specifically, in one scene, future advancement in technology renders humans as little more than overweight, largely useless consumers. To me, that sort of life isn’t worth living. The authors conclude (page 385):

Most of us are afraid of dying. But sometimes this fear begs the question: To protect what exactly? For a lot of people the answer is: hours of television, gossiping, gorging, wasting potential, reporting to a boring job, and on and on and on.

Except, in the strictest sense, is this actually a life? Is this worth gripping so tightly and being afraid of losing? It doesn’t sound like it.

Personally, envisioning how a life of mindless consumption will unavoidably come to an end isn’t something to fear at all. Likewise, being afraid of one’s inevitable death after a full life of mindfully contributing to purposeful and meaningful endeavors is pointless.

In either scenario, one will still die, though with irrational fear! Now, to you, I offer that life goes on and on and on and on, until it doesn’t. Truly, how is this life of yours anything but death, given that the other side of the axiomatic coin of life is death? Eventually, that coin will flip!

According to Badu, “If your knowledge were your wealth, then it would be well-earned.” Being that you most certainly will die, will you perish with proverbial wealth, or instead to the metaphorical destruction of ignorance? What will you choose?

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As the world’s foremost hip hop-influenced REBT psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

References:

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