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Here’s what I found about “How Death Can Help You Make Up Your Mind” from Ask Death, published Sep 16, 2024:
🧠 Core Insight
Hansa Bergwall, writing as Death, invites readers to use the awareness of mortality as a decision-making compass. By asking, “What would I decide if I had only a short time left?” we tap into clarity, stripping away hesitation, social pressure, or procrastination. This framing helps reveal what truly matters in life (askdeath.substack.com, askdeath.substack.com).
🔍 Key Takeaways
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Mortality as a magnifier: Death isn’t just an end—it’s a lens that sharpens priorities.
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Contrast against long-term worry: Typical decisions are clouded by vague futures. But imagining a short remaining lifespan focuses you on what’s most meaningful now.
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Empowered clarity: When faced with your mortality, trivial concerns fall away, enabling confident action aligned with your values.
💡 Reflection Prompts
Bergwall suggests a few mental “what-if” scenarios:
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“If I had two weeks left, would I still stay in this job/relationship?”
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“Would I spend more time with loved ones instead?”
Such questions serve as mental tools to reveal inner truth.
🗣️ Why It Resonates
This approach taps into the ancient practice of memento mori—a reminder of death used since Stoicism and medieval traditions to provoke moral insight and purposeful living (en.wikipedia.org). It echoes thinkers like Seneca and Marcus Aurelius, who urged regular reflection on mortality to foster clarity and virtue.
✔️ Practical Application
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When stuck deciding, ask: “What would I do if I had only days left?”
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Notice which option aligns with that mindset.
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Act from that perspective—even if your actual timeline is much longer.
Would you like me to pull in direct quotes from the piece, or dive deeper into how this mindset ties into philosophical traditions like Stoicism or memento mori?
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