As Time Runs Out: Living with Purpose on the Edge of Collapse
Prioritize what truly matters before it's too late
Immortality is a curse. It robs you of life.
Scarcity gives life meaning, while abundance breeds complacency.
Knowing you have all the time in the world to enjoy life, you'll never do so. Pleasure is put off until the future. Time has no value when immortal.
The threat of death acts as an hourglass, reminding us to savor life. Yet, we often don't. We're too busy working, paying the mortgage, running errands to remember how short and fragile life really is. We've forgotten our mortality.
Once in a while, we're reminded.
This weekend I learned of someone who fell off a stepladder in their kitchen retrieving something from a high shelf. They broke their femur and bled out on their kitchen floor. Alone and unable to call for help. At work on Friday, dead before Monday.
I've had my own share of near-death experiences, the most profound of which partly inspired me to start this site.
Life is fleeting; death is always watching, waiting for you to make a mistake.
Whether you die tomorrow or in X years, life is short. I'm reminded of the book "The Top Five Regrets of the Dying" by Bronnie Ware, an Australian palliative care nurse. I'm sure you're familiar - the lessons from those regrets are memorable:
Live the life you want to live, not the one others expect.
Focus less on work.
Respect your feelings.
Don't forget about your friends.
Invest in your own happiness.
We all have death in common, but how and when it happens is unpredictable. The erosion of our life support system causes death to hover over our heads.
Collapse is coming, but nobody can say when or how. It could be a decades-long decline or a systemic break followed by immediate violence, death and destruction. With that said, you could trip down the stairs tomorrow and break your neck.
We recognize this to be true, yet this information is stored in the dusty corners of our brains. For good reason.
There is an evolutionary benefit to ignoring death. It allows us to focus on immediate survival and procreation. Moreover, those who ignore death take more risks when hunting, mating or exploring new territory. The mouse brave (or stupid) enough to sneak by the sleeping cat gets the cheese.
This is why, despite all the signs, we carry on as if civilization wasn't in its death throes. We live as if we were immortal, failing to appreciate the fleeting time we have.
How would your life change if you were given a terminal cancer diagnosis, with a few years to live? Well, the planet is indeed telling us to get our affairs in order.
Of course, when the end is uncertain one cannot completely wind down. We still have bills to pay. Despite this, we can still live with intent.
I've certainly changed my approach to life. Even moreso after my near-death experience underscored how everything can be taken away in a moment. Yes, I still have chores and tasks I'd rather not do. I still work full time. However, where I am able, I now prioritize my needs and wants. That means working the way I want to work. Doing the things that have meaning to me. Spending time with people I enjoy.
I no longer live to please others, although I constantly remind myself to not slip into the old habit.
If the countdown to collapse has indeed begun, we must truly experience the time we have left. Time is short, and gets even shorter when life is led by routine. Living with intent not only allows you to prioritize your needs, it slows down time.
Many of my readers already lead interesting and meaningful lives. I, on the other hand, find it challenging to take the necessary time to live meaningfully. So here are some suggestions that i follow:
Write down what's important to you. This could be a list of 4 or 5 things that you want to prioritize or enjoy. For example, my garden, family, physical fitness and knowledge are at the top of my list.
Start small. Pick one of your priorities to start today. You can add others as they become standard.
What are the things you'd rather not do? This helps me minimize the time spent on these.
Plan when you will do the things that are important to you. What days, what times, how long. If you don't fill your time with your priorities, life has a way of filling that time for you.
You may come up with your own method for spending your remaining time the way you want, and you might need to compromise. But when the end does come, you'll be glad you didn't waste your remaining time living a life you'll regret.
In 2019, I had a non-cancerous mass removed from my brain, certainly not something anyone wants to deal with. It was a fight for six months against the insurance system before I found a great facility and surgeon. For most of those months, I was out of bed at 3am, razor sharp and focused, full of energy, never tired. I wanted to hang onto that, but knew it was unlikely. That part was a great experience, operating at a higher level. It's pretty amazing what happens when we're put on that edge.
Thanks for the reminder