But, for me, it's not the right question. Maybe the question would work better if the time frame were, let's say, six weeks-short enough to focus the mind, but long enough that there's still value in moderation and thoughtful consideration.

If I were going to die tomorrow I could pack a lot of pleasure into one day-but if a miracle treatment gave me one more day I'd probably make very different choices for that next 'last' day. If you're going to die before the negative consequences kick in, there's no need for limits. See, if I were going to die tomorrow, I'd probably do stupid stuff-the sort of fun stuff that I normally keep under strict limits because it has long-term negative consequences. Contrariwise, if you have vast amounts of time-enough to see a really big plan through to fruition-it frees you to think big. If you only had a little time left, hopefully you'd spend it doing the things that really matter-connecting with family and friends, perhaps. It's trying to get you to think about what's really important. I understand what the question is trying to get at. Sometimes it's, 'What would you do if you learned you were going to die tomorrow?' Other times it's 'What would you do if you knew you'd live a hundred years?' Some people try to pack the whole thing into one exhortation, 'Live like you were going to die tomorrow, plan like you'd live forever.' It's always bugged me. You've no doubt seen the question in many different forms.

Not gonna die high note version