the mainstream of roman philosophy, such as the stoics, advocated contemplation and acceptance of the inevitability of death of all mortals. "it is necessary for some to stay and for others to go, all the while rejoicing with those who are with us, yet not grieving for those departing." to grieve bitterly is to fail to perceive and accept the nature of things. famously, epictetus encouraged contemplation of one's loved ones as a "jar" or "crystal cup" which might break and be remembered without troubling the spirit, since "you love a mortal, something not your own. it has been given to you for the present, not inseparably nor forever, but like a fig... at a fixed season of the year. if you yearn for it in the winter, you are a fool."