Recently I became aware of a few websites that, for some, are real downers. They don't tell a story that is intrinsically sad, they don't preach, they don't argue. They simply present facts about the shortness of our time on this earth in solid, numerical form.

"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."
- Steve Jobs

How many months do you have left to live your dreams?

The first is http://liveconsciously.me/, a website that simply calculates how many months you have left to accomplish your dreams, on average, before you pass away. It asks you for your date of birth, then presents you with some simple numbers about the total time and some milestones along the way.

How many more times will you get to see your parents?

This is the one that really got people worked up. It's called See Your Folks and it calculates how many more times in your adult life you'll have a chance to see one or both of your parents before they pass away based on how often you visit your parents now and average life expectancy rates

My parents live in Minnesota, so I only get to visit at most one time a year. It's really shocking to see such a small number (27), and I guess that's the point.

On their website they say why they built it:

We believe that increasing awareness of death can help us to make the most of our lives. The right kind of reminders can help us to focus on what matters, and perhaps make us better people.

Maybe I need to call my mom to say hi more often.

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