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Advice to the Living from People Who are Dying
What they regret most (it’s not what you think) and what they truly value, now that nothing else matters
“We all hit the ground in the end.”
— from the song Butterfly, by Montazona*
I’m ready to die. I mean, I’m not dying. Well, of course I am. But not now. At least not that I know of. But I’ve had a pretty good life so far. I’ve worked hard. Played hard. Accomplished some things. Failed a lot. Loved and been loved. So while I hope to hang around many more years, if I found out tomorrow that I was dying, I think I could be at peace with the idea.
That’s what I tell myself, anyway. Perhaps I’m full of it.
When people actually face their mortality for real, when they’re told their condition is terminal, outlooks on life can change. Shock, fear, anger and avoidance are common. Regrets surge forth like weeds fertilized by a shallow grave. But near the end, a lot of people find a surprisingly deep sense of peace and even joy — the sort of equanimity and happiness that would be nice to enjoy long before life’s final chapter.
It turns out we can all learn a lot from people who are dying. Especially once we dispense with common misconceptions about…
