David Frum's terminal cancer diagnosis has led to fresh insights about life and death. He says there is no objective experience, all that we perceive and feel is colored by expectation, comparison, and circumstance. If someone had told him prior to his illness he would have said "Oh, what was me only five years to go?" But after being given the diagnosis of six to 18 months,. now I'm going, hooray, five years. That's a whole lot better than 18 months"
At age 59, neuroscientist David Linden received a startling diagnosis of heart cancer. Even in the face of a terminal illness, David is continuing to think like a scientist. He shares what he's learned from watching his mind grapple with his own mortality, and how the diagnosis has changed his experience of time. Maya and David also discuss the power of curiosity and how it can aid us in moments of profound suffering.
If you enjoyed this conversation, check out this episode from the archive: “The Life-Changing Diagnosis.”
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