I would want death to find me doing something truly human — something helpful, good for everyone, and noble. But if I can't be doing something that great, I'd at least want to be doing what no one can stop me from doing. Things I'm always allowed to do: working on myself, training my mind to handle whatever happens, staying calm and untroubled, and treating the people in my life with respect. If I manage that much, maybe I'll even make progress on the hardest part — judging things correctly. If death catches me working on these things, that's enough. I can raise my hands to God and say:
I, for my part, would wish to be found doing something which belongs to a man, beneficent, suitable to the general interest, noble. But if I cannot be found doing things so great, I would be found doing at least that which I cannot be hindered from doing, that which is permitted me to do, correcting myself, cultivating the faculty which makes use of appearances, laboring at freedom from the affects (laboring at tranquillity of mind); rendering to the relations of life their due. If I succeed so far, also (I would be found) touching on (advancing to) the third topic (or head) safety in forming judgments about things. If death surprises me when I am busy about these things, it is enough for me if I can stretch out my hands to God and say: