Visit Your Deathbed

I don't think many people appreciate how beautiful and tragic life is. I think having a strong belief in the idea of an afterlife is actually a net negative. If people simply see this life as one big placement exam, to determine whether or not they deserve eternal happiness, well then they are probably going to take life pretty seriously. But is life on Earth supposed to be taken seriously? I think we should all cherish and respect each other, but besides that, nothing else is really mandatory in this life.

Recently, I have been applying the same mental model to nearly every important decision I have to make. When I'm considering something difficult, I just picture myself as an old man, about to take my last breaths on my hospital deathbed. What would that man tell me to do? As crazy as it seems this has actually given me a lot of clarity about what matters. If we want to stay on the path of least regret, we must constantly look at our decisions from third person.

We tend to get too concerned with chasing trivial pursuits. I'm not saying its a bad thing to have desires, but if we allow ourselves to open countless desire tabs in our heads, we won't truly have peace until each of them is closed. Each new desire you introduce will occupy your mind until it can be fulfilled. So why would you choose to squander your limited time on Earth by being worried about a bunch of nonsensical things?

I'd have to imagine that being a hospice nurse would be one of the most enriching professions you could have. If their minds haven't escaped them, it would be so eye-opening to get advice from a bunch of dying people all the time.

I don't like to think that death should dismiss us from all of our Earthly pursuits. Some people that think of death as much as I do probably develop a sense of nihilism that undermines their ability to have any real passions. In the healthiest way possible, you must welcome death. The thought of me dying one day and not taking anything with me, inspires me to do as many great things as possible in this world before I leave it.

I think a lot of unneeded anxiety stems from people's fear of dying. If you're smoking weed all day and drifting through life because "what's the point dude?" chances are you're going to regret it. Let the brevity of life nourish your decisions, not complicate them. I think the success of one's life has a negative correlation with the amount of regrets that person has. So if you want to live a successful life, visit your own deathbed.

"Desire is a contract you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want"

"The only thing worse than death is a regret filled coffin"