What Really Matters at the End of Life?

A powerful message by BJ Miller

Have you ever think what really matters at the end of life?

I think most people have a negative answer. In my perspective, it is because of the lack of a broader vision of life, the low ambitions, and no targeted goal.

Yesterday, I came across the TED podcast “What really matters at the end of life by BJ Miller” which has stirred my mind. Miller’s words are so encouraging that I could not stop writing about his words. He has pointed out the lifesaving facts in his speech. He inspires us to think about the dynamics of life. Furthermore, he has not given any scientific speech but did inspire by his intellectual words.

Here are some important messages which I learned from Miller.

Reason for doing something:

You know what, I agree with Miller that every day we need a reason to wake up. Without reason — we might stay in bed for our whole life. It is the reason that is leading our life. From childhood to old being, we have a reason to wake up every day.

Children must go to school on time, and elders must perform duties. They have reasons to leave the bed before time. Their needs push them to work despite life circumstances. It is the reason that leads to a successful life. Your aims and goals are the reasons for doing work that creates yourself.

Design Thinking:

In modern life, we lack design thinking. Our only focus is to follow the steps and achieve the particular goal. In this way, we have structured our thought processes. Miller invites us to bring invention and creativity to thoughts.

Miller elaborates this point by explaining the design aim behind healthcare centers. He claims that healthcare centers are designed according to the disease, not according to people, such as heart care centers. If these are designed creatively, they might get a transaction. So there is a need for design thinking.

Death is suffering:

Thinking about death overshadows the design thinking about life. We consider death as suffering, but it is not. Death is a reality that no one can deny. So why are we spoiling our life by thinking about death?

In life, we suffer, but this suffering leads to the creation of self. Sufferings are necessary for life, without which we might not think about changing life. These bring proportionality to life.

We have to shift our perspective about death as suffering. We are gifted with the senses, enabling us to think about what matters in life. If you keep thinking about death, you will never achieve something.

Miller states, dying is a necessary part of life — we cannot solve death. So thinking about death matters nothing at the end of life. I think your behavior towards life matters a lot. How you decide to cope with things plays a crucial role in life.

Life depends on imagination, so imagination should have the creative power to design life. It should have the ability to find the best out of the worst. It enables us to live a life.

If you love such a moment ferociously, maybe we can learn to live well, not despite death but because of death — Miller.

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