What Would You Do If Mankind Had Only 180 Days Left to Live?

Let’s perform a dystopian thought experiment: Planet Earth gets destroyed by a colossal meteor in 180 days.

Roughly half a year. Six months. Twenty-six weeks. No one can escape from the disaster. No last-minute inventions that could save at least some of us. No one has a chance to move to Mars and start a new life. It is the first and last time in the history of humankind when every single creature is equal. Equally far gone.

You have just heard about the six-month notice in the news. Shock, denial, disbelief, pain, anger, bargaining, depression… Let’s skip all the stages of grief and say you accepted the fact that it is soon the very end of our existence. Now what?

What would be the first thought that goes through your mind? And the biggest desire you would want to fulfill? Would you give up on your dreams? What would you throw away from your life? What habits would you change?

Would achieving your main goals matter anymore? Goals you have been working towards all in your life? Would you still fight for human/civil/animal rights? Would you keep raising awareness on social and global issues?

Would you still strictly schedule your weeks? Or would you seize the day and start going with the flow? Would you stop saying yes just to satisfy others’ needs? Would you start truly focusing on yourself?

Would you break out of your bubble and support people in need? People who are suffering from serious illnesses? Those who might not even want to wait any longer…

What would you live for in the last 180 days? What would you regret? Who would you apologize to and for what? Would yo let go of grudges and forgive the person that hurt you the most? Would you reveal your deepest secrets?

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Mark Twain

Would you say fuck it! to everything? Would you become utterly and totally careless? Would you lose all the faith that kept you moving forward? Beliefs that helped you giving a sense of meaning in life? (Because as cruel as it sounds, the truth is that in a metaphysical sense our lives are pointless. Yes, it is up to us to fill it with meaning and purpose. Otherwise…) Or would you start believing in a supernatural, almighty being just to find answers to the greatest mysteries in your head?

What would be your most valuable realizations?

What if we had only 180 hours left until the end?

One week plus half a day.

Would you try to make up for cancelled visits to your loved ones? Postponed travels and fun time with family or friends? Would you try to settle your debts? With whom would you surround yourself? What would be your priorities? What would you teach your children? What would be the last games you play together?

What would be the last songs you listen? In what book would you find reassurance? What would be your last mission in life?

Would an unstoppable global anarchy develop that sweeps everything away before that deadly meteor crashes into the Earth?

And what would you do in the last 180 seconds of your life?

What would be your very last thoughts and sentences? And the best memories you bring up? What would be your last wish? Would you confess anything? How would you say good-bye to your fellow human beings? Do you ever think about these things? If so how does it make you feel?

Today we are able to hug our loved ones, but who knows what comes tomorrow?

Our time is limited — we forget that, and we do not even know how limited it can be. So we’d better remind ourselves to cherish every single moment, and use them wisely. As long as we can.

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