Re:Don't Waste the Good Days
by staticassertion on Saturday January 01, 2022 @06:38AM
(#29757504)
I agree. There's also a difference between happiness, fulfillment, and "a good life" for many people.
I can be happy playing video games and relaxing, but maybe not fulfilled. I can work hard on interesting problems and feel fulfilled, but if that's all there is in my life I wouldn't say I lived well.
Confronted with death we look to our past for comfort. We're about to experience a total loss of everything and so, naturally, we search for meaning - "it can't have all been for nothing".
That's why the "death bed" thought experiment is interesting but also probably not the right way to frame things. It forces you to question life's intrinsic meaning and value but you should also think about how you feel right now, regardless of death or meaning or value.
I can be happy playing video games and relaxing, but maybe not fulfilled. I can work hard on interesting problems and feel fulfilled, but if that's all there is in my life I wouldn't say I lived well.
Confronted with death we look to our past for comfort. We're about to experience a total loss of everything and so, naturally, we search for meaning - "it can't have all been for nothing".
That's why the "death bed" thought experiment is interesting but also probably not the right way to frame things. It forces you to question life's intrinsic meaning and value but you should also think about how you feel right now, regardless of death or meaning or value.