How To Live Like You're Dying

It seems that underneath our modern and somewhat glamorized understanding of what it means to live like we’re dying, lie much more sober and pragmatic questions that we rarely ever take the time to ask ourselves. If you only had just one week left here on Earth, what would you cherish the most?

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[ivanhriljac]

Listening to this video, I find myself both grateful and quite sad. I was run over by a car many years ago, spent few months in a coma, replaced a few joints, replaced most of the skull, but eventually learned to speak, move, became a psychiatrist. Can't say I have much of a life, though. Thank you.

[ホタル-uo]

My sister experienced the very example you gave. They found a brain tumor in February 2020. She lived for 19 months after that. One last year. She knew that she was dying and all she wanted to do was sit with me for hours in the morning in the backyard. To go on a drive. Play video games. And she never wanted to be alone. She died in my arms. She was not totally at peace with dying, and her fear of death often overwhelmed her. But she was only 23. She felt like her life had had no meaning, but it did. Just her existence was one of the universe’s miracles, of life experiencing itself. My life with her was my purpose. Everything that has come after is just a bonus. This video was really hard to watch. I’m still figuring things out. Thank you for making this.

[thomasfholland]

After I was diagnosed with advanced 4 stage cancer I was told I wouldn’t have more than 3 months to live. Yeah that made it a lot easier to live each and every single day I got.
(Redacted: I live to spend every second, every minute, every hour and every day with my 3 daughters. That’s the most important thing you can do. Spend time with the people you love.)

[EnlightenedSchmuck]

I have quite frankly reached a point in life where I constantly fantasize about being told by a doctor that I only have one year left to live... the prospect of having to live through four or five more decades of ever increasing loneliness, hopelessness, bitterness and slow but steady mental & physical decline seems much more horrifying to me than that of a life being cut short by terminal illness.

[RGC_animation]

"Live every day like it's your last." sounds like a great advice and motivational, until you realize that most people probably won't be acting normal on the last day of their lives.

[modestynikka]

man, all the effort and time you put into this video is 100% worth it. I'm still young, I'm 14 years old, but because of this video, I thought a little about my friends and the environment I'm in and what I can change to be happier. I remembered some moments that I wish I hadn't done and I will try to learn from it. I will try to live as if I were dying.

[Dan-mcxg]

My wife was diagnosed with cancer at the end of last year. After chemotherapy and radiation, a month ago we were told that it has spread and it will be the cancer that ends her life.

We are in that exact situation... We are doing our best to make every moment special. Nothing matters more than my wife's happiness for the remainder of her life!

[angele]

This video hit me hard. I will continue to strive and live as true to myself as long as I possibly can

[MachiriReviews]

Aperture: "Hey babe, what do you want for dinner?"

Babe: "I dunno, you choose."

Aperture, a few weeks later: "Choice. It's something we'd like to think we all have. In any given situation, the ability to choose can...empower us. But choice can also cause us distress..."

[inchy_squeezums]

I just feel like I'm stuck living the same life every day because money is preventing me from living my full potential. I don't need to be rich, but every cent I earn goes to bills just to exist. I don't have money to travel, try new food, buy new books, or to buy camping gear.

Anyone else feel this way? Anyone have some real-life, useful advice? I'm starting to lose hope.

[RajorshiM]

I survived a stroke a month ago and I am still recovering. Thankfully I made it in time to the hospital and they were able to thrombolyse me. But during the interval when I made a call to the emergency services and was waiting for the ambulance to arrive I went into this state as the video describes.

I was brought face to face with my own mortality. I asked myself that if I the ambulance didn't arrive in time, was my life good enough? Whether I am happy with what I have achieved till this point in life?

I sort of ended up with two of the regrets mentioned in the video
1. I wish I didn't work so hard and took a break at times
2. I wish I lived my life as I wanted to and not how others wanted me to

I at least have realised these two things and will strive to ensure that these two regrets aren't there the next time I'm lying in that situation. I wish everyone else here to have the fortitude to deal with whatever is going on with them. Have a blessed life.

PS - I had my stroke the day after my 30th birthday. One day I'm dancing, the next day I'm in ICU. How fast the tables turn....

[roosi]

I can not imagine how painful it is to lose such a beautiful human being like Claire Wineland. Its just not fair.

[_shadow_]

I honestly think I would choose to go out on my own terms if I knew I had something like this. Of course I would say goodbye to everyone, but death would literally be all I would be thinking about and I wouldn't want to spend my last days with that deadline looming over everything I do.

[fanus]

Since last month, i can't stop thinking to myself "maybe tommorow i'll die.." Don't get me wrong, i'm not depressed or sad or suicidal, my life's been fun, it's just that i think i accept death if it comes knocking tommorow.

[raghu]

Life is beautiful and meaningful, because of death. Death implies new life, and begets change like dunes in a desert. There are no rules to life; just cherish existence in your terms during your time here. After all, we're just passing by.

[twisted]

I've been fighting my cancer for 7 years now, my cancer is called Multiple myeloma, it's a blood cancer that destroys your bones, and I feel my time is running out really fast, honestly I'm scared, I go to sleep at night thinking what will happen when my eyes finally close forever. 😢 it's then that you regret working so hard for so little, the time u lost with loved ones u can't get back. It's terrifying knowing the end is so close. I tell all of u. Enjoy life, put aside the petty things, call ur mom or dad, sister, brother, friend and tell them how much u love them, or just call them to hear there voice on the phone or better yet. Pay them a visit, give them a big hug and tell them how much u miss and love them, take a walk in the park or beach, go see a good movie with someone special. Buy yourself something nice, go for nice walks alone or again with someone close, do things that make you feel good, volunteer to help animals or other fighters like yourself. But stay away from all the petty stuff, dying is very scary. At least for me it is, but I can't stop it, I just hope I wake up again somewhere nice and peaceful, I hope that the other side there is good, not evil. I hope u all live your lives to the fullest as life goes by so so fast, it's almost unfair. Reach out to ur family, make that simple call to ur loved ones and tell them u love them, u will thank me for it. May god bless u all.😢

[dwightalexander]

This video hits me hard, since it reminds me of my mom who got afflicted by a degenerative brain disease. It took her body 5 years to slowly degenerate to the point where she can't even control her own body, being near on a vegetative state. But before she died she said something to me and my sibblings, and it may sound kinda cliche, " to enjoy our lives and do the things we want to do now while we're still able, so once we look back on our dying days, we won't have any regrerts"( tho it isn't really what she said word for word, but her point is there)...

[DavidHenryChamberlain]

My uncle died in November 2022 from brain cancer. Thanks for everything you told me all those years ago. 
~Vallabh Kudva, 11/26/2022

[Igami_No_Io]

I'm always trying to live like I'm dying.
But it's so hard to do it for some reason.
Even though I try so hard to think so, but to no avail.

[benjamina]

I think that I am at the point where I accept death, due to a high level of depression. I feel like if I were to somehow die right now, I think I would be happy with it because eternal nothingness is better than suffering like this. I hate that I think this way...