The End

If you ask everyone on their deathbeds about their regrets, you will hear the predictable whining:

I wish I hadn't worked so much and spent time with my family.

I wish I hadn't put my education ahead of my life experiences.

I wish I had put all my loved ones ahead of money, ambition, etc.

I wish I had listened to my loved ones.

The truth is, the ones who die with family and loved ones around their deathbeds are the ones who don't regret anything, for they obviously didn't put work, education, ambition, etc., ahead of their loved ones. And they listened when loved ones advised them on mid-course corrections.

Their loved ones had been with them the whole time...

...all the way to the very end. That's a life without regrets.

Do you want to count your money on your deathbed? Your sexual conquests? Your Rolexes? All those whom you bested? No, the only thing you want to count are the ones who wanted to be with you at the very end.

We should teach our children to live lives that make life worth living. That means incorporating the human factor into every relationship, every decision, and every journey. It means goodness doesn't have to profit us tangibly because goodness is its own reward.

Dying peacefully, alone, is not peaceful dying. Dying mattering to the ones you love is a great way to go. We should teach our children that the end justifies the means.