CMU professor gives his last lesson on life

Better to live a day as a lion... you know the rest.

Maybe I'm not old enough, maybe it's because I don't have a family, but I'd rather do something few others have done than just lay around with my family until they send me off to the retirement home.

So, I disagree with your position 100%.

Anyone have a link to video of the guy who rides on top of the high speed train shortly before he dies of cancer?

I think many people are not terrified, or even particularly afraid. I certainly don't want to die (like, ever), but I can understand those who "are ready" to die, now. Ten years ago, I couldn't even understand that. It was incomprehensible to me.

Generalizing improperly from my own experience and that of people I know, it seems to me that it gets easier to accept the idea of death for many people as they age. Hopefully we'll crack the aging thing ASAP, but I wonder how many will die of old age even after aging is more-or-less optional.

Think of it this way: you don't have nearly as much to lose as you once thought. On the other hand, you'd better start living a good life now, because while you're alive is all you've got.

This guy is very inspiring. Such a great attitude!

I recently found a red mole on my wife's skin. It was just a fluke that I noticed it. I once designed pattern recognition software to help recognize skin cancer, so I knew what to watch out for. Anyway, she had it biopsied and it came back as malignant melanoma - the worst form of skin cancer. She had surgery to remove it and several of her lymph nodes two days after the diagnosis. She is cancer free now (PET scan), but it was quite a scare. She is young and had never had much sun exposure, so we were initially surprised with the diagnosis. It turns out that some skin cancers are predominantly genetic. And skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancer, especially among young people.

//PSA Portion of post//

Check your skin monthly to see if you have any unusual changes. As with most cancers, early detection is the key to higher survival rates. If you notice something unusual, go to a DERMATOLOGIST (not a GP.) Dermatologists have much better detection rates than regular docs. My wife had a GP and a surgeon tell her the red mole was nothing, and she only had it removed because I kept nagging her. Dermatologists measure size/penetration etc. with skin cancer to determine survival rates. My wife's survival rate was 85%, but .02mm deeper and it would have dropped significantly. My doctor had a patient with the same type of melanoma, for example, and she died within three weeks of noticing a new mole. She took a "wait and see" approach and it killed her. So don't wait!

A mnemonic for things to watch out for: ABCDE.

A=Asymmetry (Uneven Surface); B=Borders (Irregular mole borders); C=Color (Varied colors are bad. Reds and blacks are bad); D=Diameter (Larger than your pupil/a pencil eraser = bad); E=Evolving (Any changes, such as bleeding, crusting, etc.)

//End PSA//

Wow. My posts are too long.

I think Steve Jobs said it best:

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

Now I just need some courage.