Dear Alexander #034: Live As If I’m Going To Die Today, or Tomorrow?

How would I live if I was going to die in 6 months?

How would I live if I was going to die in 60 years?

The old adage that one should live as if they were going to die tomorrow is fundamentally wrong…for my life.

Option 1: Live As If You Were Going To Do Die Soon

If I knew I was going to die in the near future…

I wouldn’t work on those projects.

I wouldn’t check my emails.

I wouldn’t try to seek more knowledge.

I wouldn’t worry about falling asleep and waking up at a certain time.

I wouldn't care if exercise made me look good.

I would eat anything I desired.

I wouldn’t talk as much.

I wouldn’t do almost any of the thing’s I’m donig now to create a better future.

To live with the vigor that death is imminent is to forgo effort towards creating a more prosperous future for myself. Why would I care about working towards a future that I knew I wouldn't be here to live?

However, human life is not idiosyncratic, my efforts trickle down and affect others, it becomes systemic. To know I was going to die within a short time frame (<years) would cause a dramatic shift away from…