I have what may be a unique perspective here. I have a brain tumor, glioma, diagnosed August 2023. I was told I had 1-3 years to live with a 99% chance. As it turns out, I have a rare slow-growing type (oligodendroglioma) with the right mutations. I got treatment and now I still have the tumor but I have a prognosis to live for a long time.

So what did I learn? Not much, mostly cliches. But have the drink, laugh with people, enjoy the day. There is no magic revelation. Enjoy the day. If you don’t enjoy the day, learn from that and fix it.

I’d type more but there’s not much more to put. I spent time making a will, ensuring my affairs were in order. I was gonn quit my job and travel, but it turned out I need the insurance. Luckily for me I like my job and my company. Everything is ethereal.

I’d spend time with loved ones and look forward to not having to deal with gestures vaguely at the world this bullshit ever again.

If I had one year left without slowly feeling worse because of some sickness I think I would just continue what I’m doing already but with an extreme deadline.

• make sure I make the best with my family
• finish my dissertation, a year is doable
• organize my archival/datahoarding material to be accessible to family and backed up
• make my will very clear
• maybe the biggest change I would make would be to divorce my partner so I can max out my credit cards traveling with them to see family and friends in three countries.
• maybe try to take more seriously meditation, an hour a day
• I’m not sure I would want to do anything that could hurt my family, their opinion of me, or separate me from them during that year.

Five years is such a significant amount of time I really don’t know if that could change anything. The deadlines would feel so far away.

A month would feel crazy fast. This might cause me to make more radical changes.

I already know it will soon be over, that’s one surety in life.

Would you spend your remaining time differently than you do now? If so, why aren’t you already doing it

I’d go on a big trip around the world. I love traveling but my budget is limited, and also that thing called a job, even tho I have a lot of PTO it’s not easy to take more than a couple of weeks at a time

Imagine suddenly you no longer exist, poof, from one day to the next there is no more you.

On the last day I’d throw a big party. Then as my time approached I’d say: “Attention everyone! There’s something I never told you. My real name is Sergius of Proxima Centauri! I come from another planet! And it is now time for me to beam up to my spaceship. Somebody film this please…” Then I’d sit in a full-lotus position til I disappeared.

No, seriously, I’d just double-check my will and give away most my personal stuff, then go on living like always.

I’d put everything on credit cards that I’m responsible for. No co signer. So when I die there’s nothing they can do. Then travel the world. Also would withdraw my 401k and have fun. That’s if I’m dead in a year. By the time they figure it out, I’m dead (that is if I’m smart about how I do it).

What are they doing to do? Dig me up and put me in jail?

Would you spend your remaining time differently than you do now? If so, why aren’t you already doing it?

Others have said it in the thread, but this is simple. When your time is short (or shorter), the length of time you need to deal with the consequences of your actions disappears or diminishes significantly.

So the real question is actually, what would you do if you didn’t have to deal with the consequences? And I think asking it any other way is disingenuous.

Sure. No need to save up or plan for a future that never comes, so I’d stop saving up money and probably stop working depending on how far in the future it is. Then try to cram as many things that I always wanted to do as possible into my remaining time.

Oh fuck yeah. Id hop on that website showing all dots for kiddie diddlers, and start reducing the number of dots one by one.

If I wouldn’t see my next paycheck, I’d stop working. No need to do so then.

There is no way to know whether changing the way you live would still kill on that death date. You wouldn’t know whether because of the changes you make, you die on that day. Also you wouldn’t know if not making a change kills you earlier.

If I knew there was nothing after next week, I’d keep doing what I do, but harder.

I’d probably carry on life as normal, but start peppering my conversations with things like “I’m finally looking forward to spending time with my family,” and “I just nailed a huge promotion,” and “I finally just had an offer accepted on a house,” and “I just beat cancer, so we’re finally going to get married!”

If I see my death coming and there’s nothing I can do about it, I want it to seem like the most unfortunate, tragically timed event possible.

Would you spend your remaining time differently than you do now?

If so, why aren’t you already doing it?

Probably not as I am already stuck.

I am not aware of what I would do differently, where I would go, how I would reliably get there, and I don’t have much money. Also I don’t really have much contact with anyone.

And y’know, things aren’t looking great with the news but that’s all I’ll say.