Almost everything is BS. This isn’t my opinion, this is the opinion of people who are dying.
It is really fascinating to read the last words and thoughts of people who are dying. It shows you that many things that we value are garbage. One of those I see on LinkedIn in and others extolls the virtue of hard work. Almost universally people regret working so hard and not being more emotional and having more friends.
One of the interesting things in life is that we can either make mistakes ourselves or learn from those who made mistakes. Me, I would rather learn from those who made mistakes. I shared that as a kid I volunteered to work with dying patients in long-term care with my grandmother. I learned from them many things. I learned that what most people value is rubbish and that life is more about understanding the illusions of things than anything else.
There is an illusion that many people have that if they work hard and smart they will be secure in life. It isn’t true. Many smart hardworking people lost their jobs, and possessions through no fault of their own. Does this mean we shouldn’t do our best? Of course not. You can do your best but don’t have the belief that by doing so, your life will be free from discomfort or misfortune.
What about people who are lucky and don’t suffer? We don’t see what others’ lives are, so I would be very cautious to label anyone as lucky in life. Many times those difficult experiences help us to be more empathic and kind to others, and that isn’t a negative thing, is it? So then why get anxious when you have misfortune? You can better identify with others.
Learn from those who have lived life, what is important in life. Not from children/adults who think they understand it.