Adam McClard and I were talking last night about different topics. The subject of International Game Developers Association’s Memorials project came up. I remembered a quote from a game developer’s blog, a game developer who was undergoing cancer treatment several years ago.

One out of seven people will die of cancer. Only heart disease is more likely. Overall, seven out of seven people will die of something, eventually.

We’re all mortal. And yet a lot of us live like we’re immortal. Days come and go, and we assume they’ll keep on coming. There is no sense of urgency. We treat time like water; so cheap that we can pour it on the ground.

Most of us have a vague sense that we’ll eventually die, but it’s not something we tend to think about often. We assume that we’re entitled to our 75 years, which invariably seems like it’s a long way off, so we forget about it and go back to our day to day routine.

— John Reeves Hall

Back then, that quote kicked my ass into gear, set me on the right course in the right direction. We should all remember to not squander our most valuable asset.