A lot of big, tragic and important things have happened to this wonderful country of ours since April 2014. None of which I have covered. I was too busy writing about hungover parenting, ancient philosophy and my dog Colin.
Out of the 536 columns I have written, 27 were about that guy. Far too few. He is such a good boy, he deserves an article a week.
Today is the end of an era for me, and whenever these final events pop up in our lives, we can’t help but think about the ultimate end.
Everything we do, we will one day do for the last time. That’s why you have to enjoy things while they are around. It’s not just big events like leaving a job, house or loved one either. Whatever moment you happen to be in now, you will never get it back, and you don’t know how many more you have.
Everything we do in life, from eating pizza to spending time with the people we love, to driving, writing, drinking or breathing, we will one day experience for the final time. It might happen tomorrow. This can be either a depressing or an inspiring thought, depending on how you look at it.
A few years back in this column, I interviewed professor of philosophy William B Irvine, of Wright State University, Ohio, on this very topic. He put it this way on a Zoom call: “Recognition of the impermanence of everything in life can invest the things we do with a significance and intensity that would otherwise be absent. The only way we can be truly alive is if we make it our business periodically to entertain thoughts of the end.”
Today’s column is very meaningful to me because it is my last. Like the last night with a lover before she goes overseas. And just like a lover, there have been some half-arsed efforts put in from me over the years. Last week, for example, I spent 750 words moaning about how bad my cricket team is. But the truth is that any of my columns could have been the final. If I had reminded myself every week for the past 10 years that the end is inevitable, I may have been more grateful for having a column and appreciated writing them all as much as I am this one.
While everything we do could have more meaning with a focus on finitude, some things are inherently more worthwhile than others. There is no doubt my column “The pros and cons of wearing Speedos” from November 2022 was less meaningful than most things in this world. That was a waste of everyone’s time. So, if we only have so much time, how do we pick the best things to do?
Well, Oliver Burkeman, the author of Four Thousand Weeks – Time Management For Mortals, suggested this to me in a 2022 column: “Ask yourself, does this choice enlarge me? You usually know on some unspoken level if it does. That’s a good way to distinguish between options.”
With that in mind, I don’t feel great about my 2018 article on “New Zealand’s best hole”. That didn’t enlarge anyone.
There will be people reading this column right now who have loved my writing in the Herald and are sad to see it end. Others will have hated it and are glad to see me go. Many won’t have any opinion at all. But for those in the first camp, I have good news. I have a book coming out on May 28 called A Life Less Punishing – 13 Ways To Love The Life You Got (Allen and Unwin Book Publishers). It’s a deep dive into the history, philosophy and science of not wasting our time lost in anger, loneliness, humiliation, stress, fear, boredom and all the other ways we find to not enjoy perfectly good lives. It’s available for pre-order right now (google it if you’re interested).
A Life Less Punishing took me two years to write and is equivalent in words to 100 of these columns. Which would be a complete nightmare for those in the hate camp, but as I say, great news for those who want more.
Anyway, thanks to the Herald for having me, thanks to the lovely people who make an effort to say nice things to me about my column nearly every day and thanks to the universe for every single second we get.
Bless!
Mysterious plane found in the sea – Navy goes speechless when they look inside
Recently enlisted in the Navy, Jack oversaw a routine naval mission that took an unexpected turn when a submerged aircraft—first thought to be significant historically—unveiled a deadly and dark truth.
The team who discovered the airplane was intrigued by the enigmatic collection of objects they discovered, and the aircraft garnered a lot of attention.
Further investigation revealed that the plane’s last known location coincided with where it is currently resting beneath the waves. With this discovery, the group came up with a calculated plan to pull the airplane out of its watery tomb.
Years of training and experience allowed a team of divers to maneuver around the aircraft, but it was made obvious that entering the plane in its present location was not conceivable. This called for the implementation of a backup plan: the use of a huge crane that was already positioned on the ship’s deck and ready to take on the enormous task of raising the aircraft to the surface.
Jack and the rest of his team felt a tangible feeling of wonder when the aircraft finally rose above the ocean’s depths and into the light. However, they were surprised to find something unexpected when they looked inside the aircraft.
The inside displayed a startling assortment of objects rather than what they had anticipated, adding to the mystery surrounding the airplane. A small hint caught Jack’s attention, setting off a chain of events that would reveal an extraordinary criminal plot.
There was not a single piece of information that would have indicated the presence of passengers or personnel on the aircraft. Normally alive with the pilot’s actions, the cockpit was oddly quiet and deserted, raising many concerns about what might have happened before the jet crashed into the ocean.
There were hints of tinkering with the emergency exit door, which fueled rumors about what would happen to possible occupants. The mystery was further compounded by the absence of possible passengers’ personal goods, leaving Jack and his colleagues with more questions than answers.
Watch the video below to find out more.
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