There is a particular kind of postponement that sounds remarkably responsible: once things settle down, I will make more room for the people and experiences that matter.
The trouble is that life keeps happening while we wait for that opening.
In “Yes, You Should Be Afraid of Death,” psychiatrist and philosopher Neel Burton considers mortality through Thomas Nagel’s argument that death harms us by closing off possible life. Burton then asks what happens when fear consumes the time we still have. That question deserves a place in an ordinary day.
What are we saving our attention for?
What interests me here is the gap between what we say is precious and what receives our attention. We can care deeply about a friendship and still give it whatever time survives the inbox. We can love the place where we live and experience most of it through a windshield on the way somewhere else.
Remembering that our time is limited makes that gap harder to ignore. It also raises a gentler question than the familiar demand to make every moment count: what is already here that I would miss?
A familiar voice. A shared meal. The dog stopping to investigate something we cannot see. None of these needs to become an achievement to deserve our presence.
An ordinary day is enough to begin
I hesitate when mortality becomes another argument for a more ambitious calendar. A person can turn a bucket list into one more source of inadequacy. Rest, repetition, and quiet companionship belong in a worthwhile life, too.
My response to Burton’s essay is therefore modest: choose one small act of attention. Make the call without also checking email. Sit outside for a few minutes without documenting it. Ask someone a question and leave enough silence for a real answer.
These gestures cannot settle the philosophical problem of death. They can give a little more substance to the day in front of us.
What part of your ordinary life would you like to be more present for today?
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Read Neel Burton’s full essay at Psychology Today for his discussion of Nagel, Epicurus, and the fear of death. Updated September 11, 2026. The reflections above are my response to his argument.
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