Lets say everyone you personally knew died tomorrow; not everyone in the world, just the people you know personally; who would you visit before they die?
I would want to visit my two oldest siblings, as I haven't seen them in a number of years, as I would want to be able to say I had been able to be with them and know if they had a good life up to that point.
Since I moved to Australia I lost three relatives of which the only one I saw coming. The other two were healthy, they got sick and died in a matter of months. We like to think we're in control but things can change quickly.
I know a lot of people that there is no way I have the time and resources to make it in time for each of them. As it stands, I guess I'd consider going to my close family and friends and thank them personally for the growth and memories and explain the big impact that they had in my life and how much I treasure them but honestly, isn't that a bit jerkish of me? If they know I'll survive it is kind of like rubbing salt in their wounds.
Honestly it isn't. The most important questions we ask at that stage in our lives is did our lives matter and was the time well spent and it's a question everyone of us will ask assuming your life isn't cut short quickly like a sudden accident for example. Knowing that their lives made a positive impact in your life is the best gift you can give them as they face the end of their days of their life on Earth as it takes the burdens of wondering if their life mattered and will anything they did outlast them. The greatest burden to bear in life is believing you wasted your life and a life not spent enriching the lives of others is a wasted life.
