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by guytv 2011 days ago
I think there's a lot of merit on dwelling on death. Death can put your current life in laser like focus and perspective. Is what you're doing now really important? Is that what you want to do if you only had 1 year to live? Are you spending enough time on the things that are really important to you? All of these questions became clearer to me once I started realising and contemplating death regularly.
2 comments

I appreciate what you're saying, but on the other hand, I wouldn't want to live in a world where everyone lived as if they had only one year to live. Most institutions are already waaaay too focused on short term profits.
To me, guytv’s perspectice is eye opening: live “as if” you only have one more year to live, with a hint that there’s probably more years to come.

It makes me feel like I need to be kind no matter what, not waste time (or at least, not tell myself that I’m wasting my time too many days in a row).

You do not need death, just discount rate preferring near experience to far. Thinking about what if you only had 1 year to live just encourages short-term gains to long-term ones.