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Robby
Is your own mortality something you regularly think about? How does it effect you if it is?

I've been listening to quite a bit of Lex Fridman's podcast lately (started because I wanted to listen to the John Carmack episode) and Lex asks his guests about this often. They usually seem to say that they regularly do think about their own mortality and that it's a motivating factor in their day to day life.

This is not at all the case for me; I almost never think about my own mortality unprompted, and it certainly doesn't feel like it's particularly motivating when I do. I'm curious how others generally think about this.
2 Sep 2022 at 20:00 | Open on zoinks.one
2 comments
~vidak

@robby i like epicurus on this topic.

he says (true, lasting) happiness and freedom comes from accepting your mortality and not being afraid of it.

i think around 2015 i got to that point: i would sacrifice myself for the revolution willingly. i would die for the revolution. i know it seems a little silly, but i care about everyone’s freedom and equality that much.

😅

2 Sep 2022 at 20:53 | Open on zoinks.one
Robby
@vidak I definitely agree on that relationship with happiness. I feel like I have accepted death as a part of life. It doesn't worry me, but it also doesn't motivate me. Within the context that this question rises in the podcast, death is usually considered a motivator because we only get "get one got at this wild ride". I don't know if I'm just wired differently, but in my day to day life I don't find motivation in that. I find motivation in simply just "I do X because I want to".

Also, I don't really think that motivation in regards to death is really about fearing death itself, but rather fearing not living your life to the fullest while you have the opportunity. I get the logic behind this, it's just not something I regularly consider during life, nor does choosing to think about this motivate me. It seems like many guests on the podcast say they do find this line of thinking to be motivating, and they consider it regularly or even constantly.

As for something I would die for - since my own mortality is something I don't think of often, I can't really think of what I would actually die for. To save someones life is the obvious answer to me. For any cause I could only imagine I would be more helpful alive than dead.
@vidak I definitely agree on that relationship with happiness. I feel like I have accepted death as a part of life. It doesn't worry me, but it also doesn't motivate me. Within the context that this question rises in the podcast, death is usually considered a motivator because we only get "get one got at this wild ride". I don't know if I'm just wired differently, but in my day to day life I don't find motivation in that. I find motivation in simply just "I do X because I want to".
2 Sep 2022 at 22:04 | Open on zoinks.one
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