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Sunday, April 30, 2023

We ALL Die in the End

Another thought experiment. I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and I'm an "advocate" (INFJ, apparently). I'm here to help you, so please indulge me.

Imagine you have cancer. The doctor tells you you have a 90% chance of dying in the next five years. How will you live your life. How does your life change?

Imagine a different prognosis: You will die within the next five years. No bout a doubt it. It doesn't even need to be about cancer. Maybe a gypsy fortuneteller you really respect had a premonition or a fiery bush just suddenly began speaking to you saying you were going to be called to God's side, whatever. How will you live your life? Is it different than if you have that 10% chance of living past the five-year prognosis?

Imagine you have a year tops. Now how does your life change? Would it be different if you knew you had exactly one year, like knew you had exactly 365 days to get done whatever you were hoping to do? What would you have planned for that 365th day?

How about 30 days?

What about a single day? No time to prepare. I'm not talking about the 365th day of your last year or that the governor just denied your stay of execution, and the prison canteen is about to put out the last spicy Hawaiian pizza you will ever taste because they aren't going to fly it in from Colorado like you wanted. Nope. I mean you wake up and you just know that whatever you do today you will not wake up tomorrow. How do you spend it?

Now imagine the dying person isn't you but is your parent. They're very likely to be gone in the next five years. How do you spend that time? What if you only had a year left with them? How would your life change? Or would it? Thirty days? Their last day?

What if it were your spouse? You have less than five years left together. How much time will you spend with them? Will you go somewhere together, a big trip? Would you go so far as quitting your job? What about if it were for one year? Thirty days? Do you imagine your life would change more if it were your spouse who were dying and had just a month or if it were you? What about that final day?

What about a friend, someone who means a lot to you, has been special in your life, and you don't see too often now? They have five years. Do you make plans to see them more than you had in the previous five? What if it's only a year? Do you make a special trip to see them, knowing it will probably be the last? A month? At what point do you begin telling them how much their friendship has meant to you?

About 8000 people die every day in the United States. That's a little over 330 people per hour. Five and a half every minute. None of us gets out alive.

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