30,000 days…what am I going to do with them?

Based on the actuarial tables from the Social Security Administration, the average person will have less than 30,000 days to live.  Perhaps that is a little morbid.  My apologies.  However, I think it is interesting to think a little bit about that.  I think estimating a discrete number of days available to do our living and breathing changes the way we value each day.  Perhaps as a child, such a notion of finite days simply does not resonate. We cannot conceive of our own mortality.  However, as we progress in life, the reality of the brevity of life will set in at some point. I would contend that one way to live in a more cogitative way is to think about how we spend each precious day.

I, like many people, at least on some level, think I am above average and that I will beat the odds and have more days to live than the typical 30,000 or so days. Despite any belief in our own exceptionalism, the fact is our mortality is only within our control to a degree. We can make good life choices to be sure. However, the date and time of our passing on cannot be calculated, or pushed out because we want it to be, and so there is a real argument for why each day needs to be approached in a more cogitative way.

Getting a little more precise, a male child born today would have, on average, 27,777 days to live and a newborn female would have 29,543 days. So, imagine a year goes by that does not exemplify your values and how you would mindfully spend your time. That represents more than one percent of your life gone whether you are a male or female. I genuinely wish I could say that there have been no years in my life that were not in line with my ideals. However, I cannot. That is sobering. I could let this depress me and give up, or I could take this as a valuable lesson that provides the impetus for change. I choose the latter.

I am reminded of an open, honest (3 part) discussion that touched on this topic on Tim Ferriss’ podcast. Tim Ferriss and Kevin Kelly, of WIRED Magazine, had both come to a similar realization that time is short to do all that we want to do. Ferriss and Kelly’s conversation inspired me to get a sense of how much time I have left. I used an app called “Time Counter” to calculate my remaining days. I like to check in from time to time to recalibrate my sense of how time passes, and to be honest with myself on how well I am living up to my ideal way of life. It is not lost on me that this could be depressing; however, I think it is important to take care not to let this become a stick to beat oneself with, but rather fuel to maximize really living your life.

I am in the midst of trying to cogitatively clarify for myself how I want to spend my remaining days, so that they truly reflect my values and ideals. I would encourage you to cogitate on the same question. It would be a shame to waste a single precious day if we can avoid it!

P.S.

Another nice, philosophical approach to this topic is Maria Popova’s Brain Pickings piece, “The Shortness of Life”.