“Do you think I’ll live to be a hundred?” asked a patient who was very interested in his doctor. The doctor’s answer was both surprising and smart.
The doctor asked a lot of questions to get a feel for the patient’s way of life. “Do you smoke or drink?” “No, I’ve never done either,” the patient answered. The doctor asked, “Do you gamble, drive drunk, or have affairs with other people?” The patient said again, “No, none of those vices have ever tempted me.”
The doctor smiled in a sneaky way as he leaned back in his chair. “Well, then,” he told me, “what’s the point of living to be a hundred?” The patient’s cautious attitude to life had the doctor stumped.
At that time, the doctor brought up a very important truth: to live a long life, you need to do more than just avoid risks. You also need to welcome experiences. The patient’s very strict way of life had taken away the very things that make life worth living.
The patient thought about the value of a hundred years of boring life after hearing the doctor’s clever comment. Was being careful really worth the risk he took? The funny event served as a lesson to find a balance between caution and passion.
We are told that moderation is important as we go through life’s challenges. It might be amazing to live to be a hundred, but what really makes life worth living are the times we cherish, the risks we take, and the memories we make.
