“Is our death ours alone to own?”
EXCERPTS
I never got to say goodbye to Danny and don’t fully understand why he felt he had to go.
His death raises profound questions: How did the world’s leading authority on decision-making make the ultimate decision? How closely did he follow his own precepts on how to make good choices? How does his decision fit into the growing debate over the downsides of extreme longevity? How much control do we, and should we, have over our own death?
Life was certainly precious to him. Kahneman and his Jewish family had spent much of his childhood hiding from the Nazis in southern France during the Holocaust. “We were hunted like rabbits,” he said.
One of his most treasured principles was the importance of reconsidering. “Most people hate changing their minds,” he said, “but I like to change my mind. It means I’ve learned something.”
Is our death ours alone to own?
Danny taught me the importance of saying “I don’t know.” And I don’t know the answers to those questions. I do know the final words of his final email sound right, yet somehow feel wrong:
Thank you for helping make my life a good one.
SOURCE
WHAT SAY YOU?
As always, I look forward to hearing from in any of our myriad of ways and I hope to see you back here tomorrow.
joescheets 