Researchers at the University College London explored how much of a person's life can be shortened by smoking. "[It] works out to be almost seven hours of life lost per pack," says the study's lead author.
Explain these assholes who do hard drugs and ruin the lives of everyone around them, and eventually get off drugs but still smoke like freight trains into their 80s and even when finally on breathing machines.
Meanwhile some good people who never did much wrong nor tried to destroy their body just randomly die at 50-60 years old.
“All right,” said Susan. “I’m not stupid. You’re saying humans need… fantasies to make life bearable.”
REALLY? AS IF IT WAS SOME KIND OF PINK PILL? NO. HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.
“Tooth fairies? Hogfathers? Little—”
YES. AS PRACTICE. YOU HAVE TO START OUT LEARNING TO BELIEVE THE LITTLE LIES.
“So we can believe the big ones?”
YES. JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING.
“They’re not the same at all!”
YOU THINK SO? THEN TAKE THE UNIVERSE AND GRIND IT DOWN TO THE FINEST POWDER AND SIEVE IT THROUGH THE FINEST SIEVE AND THEN SHOW ME ONE ATOM OF JUSTICE, ONE MOLECULE OF MERCY. AND YET—Death waved a hand. AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME…SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED.
“Yes, but people have got to believe that, or what’s the point—”
Cognitive bias, for every hardcore drug addict/chain smoker who makes it into their 80’s, there are hundreds who have long since died.
But I think there might also be something to the whole, “too mean to die” thing. Some people seem to use the energy they get from spite and rage to continue fighting off death.
Nothing will fuck you half as hard as random chance. For every one of those people there are a lot of people who died young thanks to lifestyle choices.
Explain these assholes who do hard drugs and ruin the lives of everyone around them, and eventually get off drugs but still smoke like freight trains into their 80s and even when finally on breathing machines.
Meanwhile some good people who never did much wrong nor tried to destroy their body just randomly die at 50-60 years old.
Susan and Death talking:
― Terry Pratchett, Hogfather
Wish I could upvote this twice
I’ll let you claim my upvote as yours.
Happy belated Hogswatch!
Unfortunately morals and clean living are no indication of genetics.
Cognitive bias, for every hardcore drug addict/chain smoker who makes it into their 80’s, there are hundreds who have long since died.
But I think there might also be something to the whole, “too mean to die” thing. Some people seem to use the energy they get from spite and rage to continue fighting off death.
Nothing will fuck you half as hard as random chance. For every one of those people there are a lot of people who died young thanks to lifestyle choices.