Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Life lessons from the death bed

isonomiaquarterly.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

71–80 of 196 posts

Re: Life lessons from the death bed

#71

Post by escapedmoose »

roenxi wrote: post #64
robviren wrote: post #28

I always struggle with balancing the advice given in pieces like this. The author suggested that they "eat their cake today" suggesting that putting off pleasure is a useless denial. Death could come for us at any moment, but I can't live like I'm dieing every day. There is just a mountain of nuance and self reflection between living some bohemian lifestyle where every moment must be filled with something and some st…

I don't think there is any advice as such to be taken from these sort of articles, but that is balanced by the fact that most people operate without any particular regard for the eventual certainty of death and if they reflect on it maybe they'll do something differently. Strategies and goals that make sense when rolled out to infinity do not always do so well over 100 years. Seeing what people value on their deathbe…

> There is no reason to perceive a dying person as having special insight

Have you ever had a near-death experience? Those often seem to be followed by a sense of clarity that inspires some people to live better. They seem to cut through the crud and reveal the unimportance of certain things, and highlight the value of other things

Re: Life lessons from the death bed

#72

Post by escapedmoose »

techdragon wrote: post #14

Touching stuff... It could be middle age tainting my perspective... but sometimes I feel this sort of... not visceral , but very close and undeniable ... experience with death is easier for people who are young. Death isn't real for most people at 17, no matter how much they have seen, many see the death of a grandparent, or two, or perhaps even four, before reaching 17, but most still enter their late teens, feeling…

Oh absolutely. I personally had legitimately 0 fear of death until 30. Then it began to creep up.

Re: Life lessons from the death bed

#73

Post by throw0101c »

dappermanneke wrote: post #7

woe to the ones who live their life in fear

> woe to the ones who live their life in fear

Per Aristotle, there is a difference between having fear and being a coward, and also between being brave and being a fool.

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicomachean_Ethics

Re: Life lessons from the death bed

#74

Post by hnfong »

cheschire wrote: post #41
robviren wrote: post #28

I always struggle with balancing the advice given in pieces like this. The author suggested that they "eat their cake today" suggesting that putting off pleasure is a useless denial. Death could come for us at any moment, but I can't live like I'm dieing every day. There is just a mountain of nuance and self reflection between living some bohemian lifestyle where every moment must be filled with something and some st…

I suspect this person does not write those words with the intent to drive people to fill every moment with pleasure. I suspect their intent is more along the traditional lines of encouraging readers to not put off something into the “long term goal” category that would just as easily fit in the “short term goal” category. If anything, I see it as complimentary to your thoughts because many folks will use momentary pl…

I think it's even simpler than that.

A lot of the treadmills that society places upon us are just bullshit. It's packaged as "long term goals" to make it sound more plausible (you'll either forget you were conned or get used to it in some kind of Stockholm syndrome). But in those cases there's actually no trading short for long, it's just purely bullshit. Like, the high school geometry assignment for the author. It is literally wasting her time if she didn't enjoy learning it.

I guess "bullshit" might be objectively too strong a word -- given that "one man's trash is another man's treasure", whether it's trash or treasure depends on who/what person you are. But subjectively, for the wrong person, a lot of stuff is just that.

Re: Life lessons from the death bed

#75

Post by fosstrack »

latexr wrote: post #29
taneq wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You need to balance risk and reward. Getting to the end and telling everyone to take more risks just because you personally have nothing to lose, or the risk worked out for you, is just lotto winners telling everyone to buy lotto tickets.

Exactly. We act as if people on their death beds have some unique insight on how to live a good life. They don’t. The same thoughts will reach you if you think enough about your death while you’re alive and healthy. Saying you can’t take you money with you (quote at the top) is a platitude. You can’t take anything with you, be it money, memories, good deeds, or consequences. You’ll be dead. You’ll lose everything equ…

I agree. Its not what they say on their deathbeds, but what brought them peace and acceptance ultimately (if at all).

In a way, you experience death every night when you go to sleep, and a new birth every morning. As I programmer - I need to remember to close my open connections every time, else my brain will run out of memory and crash.

Re: Life lessons from the death bed

#76

Post by BrandoElFollito »

techdragon wrote: post #14

Touching stuff... It could be middle age tainting my perspective... but sometimes I feel this sort of... not visceral , but very close and undeniable ... experience with death is easier for people who are young. Death isn't real for most people at 17, no matter how much they have seen, many see the death of a grandparent, or two, or perhaps even four, before reaching 17, but most still enter their late teens, feeling…

I was thinking about death occasionally until I got my first anesthesia (around 45).

I then realized what death is: a switch is flipped off and you are done. No memories, nothing. You just stop to exist.

From then on I do not worry anymore and stopped wondering about death altogether.

Re: Life lessons from the death bed

#77

Post by jdthedisciple »

gbil wrote: post #13

As I grow older, I realize that I what is important is to have a “good taste in your mouth” after any interaction, I will not say anything like “see only the positives” etc. but for sure don’t only see the negatives. At the end of the day, try to figure out what works for you before your death bed

This really describes it well and is some concise and valuable wisdom.

Re: Life lessons from the death bed

#78

Post by saiya-jin »

JofArnold wrote: post #35
techdragon wrote: post #14

Touching stuff... It could be middle age tainting my perspective... but sometimes I feel this sort of... not visceral , but very close and undeniable ... experience with death is easier for people who are young. Death isn't real for most people at 17, no matter how much they have seen, many see the death of a grandparent, or two, or perhaps even four, before reaching 17, but most still enter their late teens, feeling…

As someone of the same age I feel the same. Sometimes I'm enjoying myself or finding it especially easy to be stoical about mortality. But sometimes it makes me breathless with dread for a few minutes. The realisation I was probably born a bit too early for technology to give me immortality saddens me; I only have so many weekends left to do hobbies and even fewer blocks of a few thousand hours to master something ne…

I dont get this obsession with immortality, if its unleashed then it will be to enhance slavery. Dictators that dont die, potential dark ages.

Enjoy rather current times, we have it easy and pretty compared to whats coming

Re: Life lessons from the death bed

#80

Post by 2-718-281-828 »

robviren wrote: post #28

I always struggle with balancing the advice given in pieces like this. The author suggested that they "eat their cake today" suggesting that putting off pleasure is a useless denial. Death could come for us at any moment, but I can't live like I'm dieing every day. There is just a mountain of nuance and self reflection between living some bohemian lifestyle where every moment must be filled with something and some st…

you'll also get some sort of mental and spiritual diabetes from such an approach to life. my impression is that people who die don't have a better idea about living healthy and happy than those who are blessed with health. those recommendations from the death bed seem to be rather reflecting regret regarding what ever area of life that person used to neglect.
Post reply on HN