I've had my share of health troubles - and it turns out healthcare is surprisingly good and surprisingly affordable in parts of the world where you wouldn't exp

I've had my share of health troubles - and it turns out healthcare is surprisingly good and surprisingly affordable in parts of the world where you wouldn't expect it. I had a laparoscopic cholecystectomy in Thailand for $250. In terms of the mysterious future - what's the point in preserving a half-life until the bitter end, an enfeebled and intubated shadow of a living thing? I know plenty of diligent planners who had their plans shattered by fate - I was one. If anything, dicing with my own mortality pushed me towards not worrying about a future that may never happen. If I one day get a serious health nasty, I will likely die. If it's treatable, it's treatable. That will be invariate whether in a hospital in the US, or in a hut in the Andes. I'd rather go out with a nice view. As a culture we seem to put an inordinate focus on our future selves, while neglecting our current selves. Then we wake up at 60 and realise that ahead of us is only arthritis and gout, and the good years are irrevocably gone. Talking to octagenerians is an excellent pastime - we young'n's can learn a lot from their experiences and perspective.