Heart as compass

  2 min read

There are some things too ubiquitous to ignore.

Take tattoos for example. There are a lot of people who get three simple letters inked on them, “MOM.” And a surprisingly large amount choose to get tatted up with the Harley Davidson logo.

Same with music. “I Want To Dance with Somebody” dominated the late 1980s in the U.S. and – with the help of the Sopranos – “Don’t Stop Believin’” took over the late 00’s.

If you’re looking on the simpler level, you might say that we should all buy our moms Harleys while we dance with a stranger. But on a deeper level, it says something more about what’s important to us. And apparently that’s love, family, and brand loyalty¹.

There’s something similar with the things people say Open external link as they’re on their deathbeds: living life free of expectations, valuing family over work, expressing feelings, and spending time with friends. It’s pretty repetitive stuff.

We’d argue that’s because death – really even the thought of it – has a clarifying power. It immediately strips the important from the frivolous, the wheat from the chaff.

Throughout this course, we’ll refer to these values as “your heart”, your compass that guides you through all your decisions around death and dying.