But what does that MEAN?

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Article in Guardian Weekend with someone who had an unexpected Extreme Experience (as opposed to doing something extreme) and concluded that you need to live life as if each day were your last.

Which gave yr hedjog to think, so?

Some people, told that this was their last day, would probably spend it in getting all their paperwork in order, bills paid up-to-date, and making sure things were left tidy for anybody who had to undertake the aftermath.

And others would whoosh off, no expense spared, to swim with the dolphins somewhere while they still had the chance.

Permutate for a wide variety of different personal responses.

I like the saint (?Aelred, but can't remember except I think, medieval and English, but could well be wrong) who when asked what he would do if told that Judgement Day was tonight, replied that he would say the offices and get on with the gardening.

Was it EM Forster who said you should live each day as if you were immortal?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

fjm

I do both of those: I try to keep my life in order so someone mourning me would not have crap to deal with, and to do rash things. (my extreme experience was 1997, its legacy is still with me).

From:

houseboatonstyx

Adding a third factor -- ie trying to stay alive a couple more months (or is it weeks now?) -- here's a real life account by Jay Lake.

jaylake.livejournal.com/tag/cancer

From:

cloudsinvenice

I've never liked that "live as if you'll die tomorrow" thing. If I knew I were going to die tomorrow, I'd be curled in a ball either wibbling or unable to feel anything. That idea of living as if you're immortal is interesting - in some ways it's not practical (you can only do so much to your body before it'll protest, etc. etc.), but it can work in the sense of "what would I do if I weren't paralysed by fear of messing up my life"... then again, I'm very preoccupied with death, so putting that aside might matter to people like me in a way it wouldn't for people who don't have that feeling...

From:

kore

//squints That sounds familiar. Also who was it who said if the world ended tomorrow he would plant apple trees? Martin Luther?

From:

tree_and_leaf

I can't remember the saint, either, but the apple tree comment was definitely Luther.

From:

ironed_orchid

I think sometimes reminders of mortality can be a good incentive to do things like let people know they are important to us. But we can't spend every day sorting out paperwork and making sure there is someone to come and feed the pets.

If I did have warning, I would like to do some things in preparation, like write a goodbye post here, so people knew I hadn't just wandered off and abandoned the platform. I'm not sure how that would work in practice, maybe a private post someone else could unlock.

From:

nenya_kanadka

Having grown up in an environment that assumed The End Was Shortly Nigh, I must say that for me taking the advice to live as if each day or week were your last is counterproductive. It doesn't teach you to plan for the future, and then when you still *are* here in six months you're wandering around in a daze having frittered away your time because, hey, all plans are pointless anyway, the apocalypse/a metaphorical bus could come at any moment so what's the use?

Not very helpful for getting the most out of life, if you see what I mean.

"Do this now, you may not get another chance" can be helpful, but so can "We have time to develop this relationship properly, don't freak out if she doesn't say she loves you on the first date" or "If I don't get to do $thing today, maybe I will in the future" can also be. Depends what perspective you need, and I find the latter ones less stressful for someone prone to a lot of all-or-nothing thinking.