The Tail End
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The Tail End
I find it's useful—philosophically, but also practically—to be reminded of my finitude.
And that's true in the momento mori sense of having little reminders of biological reality blended into my life, but also in having a numerical sense of how many (for instance) weeks I've got left, statistically, or how many Easters or Presidential elections or pizzas I'll experience before I die (again, statistically, based on the average lifespan of someone in my situation).
None of this is fate, things could change and my numbers could shift in meaningful ways that make all of this moot (I could be hit by a car tomorrow, or I could become practically immortal due to the advent of whizbang new technologies).
But it's still a useful train of thought for shaping my worldview and priorities, and for figuring out how to allocate my limited time, energy, and resources while I'm still around.
Here's a really wonderful (and illustrated) exploration of this concept: https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/12/the-tail-end.html
And here's a meaningful book on the topic: 4,000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
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