“Getting too deeply into statistics is like trying to quench a thirst with salty water. The angst of facing mortality has no remedy in probability.”
-Paul Kalanithi, When Breath Becomes Air
Lately, many of us have been watching The Pitt. It’s a great show - layered, challenging, full of moral and even political tension, complex characters, and tough questions that linger after the episode ends. Personally, if I’m going to invest my time in TV, I want it to make me think - to stir something deeper rather than just distract.
It’s probably why I’ve re-read When Breath Becomes Air a few times. Paul Kalanithi’s memoir isn’t an easy read, but it’s beautiful and deeply human. A neurosurgeon suddenly becomes a patient facing stage IV lung cancer. For 22 months, he and his wife Lucy lived with an acute awareness of mortality - but also a fierce commitment to living fully while asking a ton of questions.
That passage above, from the book, sticks with me. No number, percentage, or prognosis can comfort the fear of what’s coming. We don’t want data - we want meaning. But, we know data is important and vital.
Watching The Pitt, I’m reminded that every story worth telling is really about what happens when people meet uncertainty with courage. No matter what the circumstance, we can decide to be present, grateful, and awake in the time we have.
Onward, together. And, truly .. if you don’t watch The Pitt, do it.