Cape of Good Hope, South Africa

The Cape of Good Hope in South Africa is where Mark Manson faces the intellectual, emotional, and physical reality of his own death by stepping to the edge of a very high cliff and sitting there for a time overlooking the horizon. The Cape of Good Hope was once believed to be the southernmost point in the world and is historically a center of trade and commerce. The weather there is full of storms and treacherous waters, perhaps partly contributing to the Portuguese expression: "He's rounding the Cape of Good Hope" which ironically means that "the person's life is in its final phase, that he's incapable of accomplishing anything more" (201). This historical symbolism, combined with the extreme environmental conditions and Manson's position atop the cliff make it a perfect place, both literary and figuratively, for the author to meditate on the reality...