This is a continuation of 2024 Retrospective - Accepting Death.

I’ve had occasions to attend funerals twice within two weeks. Once for a relative, once for a friend’s father. These days, I find myself participating in mourning more often.

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The first death I witnessed was my maternal grandfather’s. His death was actually expected. Our family had been preparing for the goodbye since his health had noticeably deteriorated.

And for a while, I had no occasion to attend funerals. Perhaps because of this, I didn’t viscerally understand that death comes suddenly. For a while.

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The next funeral was five years later, for an acquaintance I knew. A completely unexpected accidental death. Only then did I start thinking about the randomness of death.

There is no predictable death. I began to think about what I can do in the midst of uncertainty.

Steve Jobs reportedly asked himself in front of the mirror, “If I were to die today, would what I’m about to do today be worthwhile?”

Is the problem I want to solve truly valuable to all of humanity?

Do I simply want to be famous? Or do I want to become famous for the problems I’ve solved?

What should I do during this entropic time?