Episode

#153: The Man Who Studied 1,000 Deaths to Learn How to Live
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1:49:50
Published: Wed Apr 13 2016
Description

At the end of our lives, what do we most wish for? And how can knowing this help you live better lives now? BJ Miller, MD (@zenhospice) knows. BJ is a palliative care physician at Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco, where he thinks deeply about how to create a dignified, graceful end of life for his patients. He is an expert in death, but he’s also learned how we can dramatically improve our own lives, often with very small changes. When you consider that he has guided or been involved with ~1,000 deaths, it’s not surprising that he’s spotted patterns we can all learn from. BJ is also a triple amputee, and his 2015 TED Talk, "Not Whether But How," is a moving reflection on his vision to make empathic end-of-life care available to all, ranked among the top-15 most viewed TED talks of the year. If you want to know what being around death can teach you about living, you'll want to listen to this. I LOVED this conversation, and I hope you do as well. Enjoy. Show notes and links for this episode can be found at www.fourhourworkweek.com/podcast. This podcast is brought to you by Wealthfront. Wealthfront is a massively disruptive (in a good way) set-it-and-forget-it investing service, led by technologists from places like Apple. It has exploded in popularity in the last two years and now has more than $2.5B under management. Why? Because you can get services previously limited to the ultra-wealthy and only pay pennies on the dollar for them, and it’s all through smarter software instead of retail locations and bloated sales teams. Check out wealthfront.com/tim, take their risk assessment quiz, which only takes 2-5 minutes, and they’ll show you—for free–exactly the portfolio they’d put you in. If you want to just take their advice and do it yourself, you can. Well worth a few minutes to explore: wealthfront.com/tim. This podcast is also brought to you by Boll & Branch. There is a lot of nonsense in the bedding business. For instance, did you know thread-count is not a good measurement of quality? It’s a total myth. The “Made in Italy” label? It isn’t something you should necessarily pay extra for because it generally means it’s just finished in Italy and woven in places like China. The general industry mark-up for bedding is 700 to 800 percent at most retailers. Boll & Branch creates incredibly high-quality bedding. They are the same sheets you’ll find at my home in San Francisco. The best part? You can try anything you order at home for 30 days. If you don’t love it, send it back and get a full refund. Go to Boll & Branch and use promo code “TIM” for 20% off your entire order. Whether sheets, towels, blankets, duvet covers, or anything else. Shipping is always free.***If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests. I also love reading the reviews!For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.blog/podcast.Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (“5-Bullet Friday”) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Visit tim.blog/sponsor and fill out the form.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chapters
Tim Ferriss introduces Five Bullet Friday, his own email newsletter which he sends out every Friday containing five bullet points of the coolest things he has discovered each week.
00:00 - 01:27 (01:27)
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Tim Ferriss
Summary

Tim Ferriss introduces Five Bullet Friday, his own email newsletter which he sends out every Friday containing five bullet points of the coolest things he has discovered each week.

Episode
#153: The Man Who Studied 1,000 Deaths to Learn How to Live
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
This podcast episode discusses the 2015 TED Talk, Not Weather But How, by a trample amputee who shares his vision for empathic end of life care, and also mentions Athletic Greens, a product that provides multivitamins, probiotics, and more in travel packets for on-the-go nutrition.
01:27 - 05:49 (04:22)
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healthcare
Summary

This podcast episode discusses the 2015 TED Talk, Not Weather But How, by a trample amputee who shares his vision for empathic end of life care, and also mentions Athletic Greens, a product that provides multivitamins, probiotics, and more in travel packets for on-the-go nutrition.

Episode
#153: The Man Who Studied 1,000 Deaths to Learn How to Live
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Palliative care is aimed at improving the quality of life for those suffering from illnesses, regardless of how long they have to live.
05:49 - 12:27 (06:38)
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Palliative Care
Summary

Palliative care is aimed at improving the quality of life for those suffering from illnesses, regardless of how long they have to live. It is not limited by time and can be combined with other types of care, including hospice.

Episode
#153: The Man Who Studied 1,000 Deaths to Learn How to Live
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Professionals who work in hospice and palliative care are aware of their finitude and often focus on what's most important to individuals they're caring for.
12:27 - 25:05 (12:37)
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Hospice and Palliative Care
Summary

Professionals who work in hospice and palliative care are aware of their finitude and often focus on what's most important to individuals they're caring for. They find this zone of life to be nurturing rather than morbid.

Episode
#153: The Man Who Studied 1,000 Deaths to Learn How to Live
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferriss discusses his struggles with holding grudges and the loops that reinforce them, using his daily commute on the Dinky train as an example of the absurdity of holding onto bitterness.
25:05 - 33:50 (08:44)
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Grudges
Summary

Tim Ferriss discusses his struggles with holding grudges and the loops that reinforce them, using his daily commute on the Dinky train as an example of the absurdity of holding onto bitterness.

Episode
#153: The Man Who Studied 1,000 Deaths to Learn How to Live
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker shares his experience of removing medical lines and machines attached to him, and the relief he felt after decoupling from them.
33:50 - 39:35 (05:45)
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Medical Tech
Summary

The speaker shares his experience of removing medical lines and machines attached to him, and the relief he felt after decoupling from them.

Episode
#153: The Man Who Studied 1,000 Deaths to Learn How to Live
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker reminisces about their time at Princeton and how the experience of feeling snow melt on their burnt skin was a delightful contrast.
39:35 - 45:49 (06:13)
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Education
Summary

The speaker reminisces about their time at Princeton and how the experience of feeling snow melt on their burnt skin was a delightful contrast.

Episode
#153: The Man Who Studied 1,000 Deaths to Learn How to Live
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The significance of making art and the lack of emphasis on its purpose in traditional art history curriculum.
45:49 - 52:00 (06:11)
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Art
Summary

The significance of making art and the lack of emphasis on its purpose in traditional art history curriculum. The peculiar human ability to make art despite emotional injuries and the intrinsic uselessness of art.

Episode
#153: The Man Who Studied 1,000 Deaths to Learn How to Live
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Reflecting on the cosmic joke of life can help us find meaning and prevent us from taking ourselves too seriously, while also helping us focus on what's truly important when faced with our mortality.
52:00 - 1:04:28 (12:27)
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Philosophy
Summary

Reflecting on the cosmic joke of life can help us find meaning and prevent us from taking ourselves too seriously, while also helping us focus on what's truly important when faced with our mortality.

Episode
#153: The Man Who Studied 1,000 Deaths to Learn How to Live
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
In this podcast, a physician discusses his approach to prescribing people for their existential suffering by encouraging them to remember what they love and keep an eye out for aesthetic moments in their days.
1:04:30 - 1:14:32 (10:02)
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Palliative care
Summary

In this podcast, a physician discusses his approach to prescribing people for their existential suffering by encouraging them to remember what they love and keep an eye out for aesthetic moments in their days. He mentions the use of research studies with tools like fMRI to look at the specific effects of different types of psychedelics in addressing suffering.

Episode
#153: The Man Who Studied 1,000 Deaths to Learn How to Live
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The aesthetic domain is essential because it allows us to delight in things that don't necessarily have any meaning but feel good, and it prizes purposelessness, allowing us to exercise our sensory inputs.
1:14:34 - 1:20:24 (05:50)
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Aesthetic Domain
Summary

The aesthetic domain is essential because it allows us to delight in things that don't necessarily have any meaning but feel good, and it prizes purposelessness, allowing us to exercise our sensory inputs.

Episode
#153: The Man Who Studied 1,000 Deaths to Learn How to Live
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker discusses a documentary that explores the relationship between humans and nature, evoking a sense of poignancy and therapeutic experience.
1:20:24 - 1:24:56 (04:32)
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Nature
Summary

The speaker discusses a documentary that explores the relationship between humans and nature, evoking a sense of poignancy and therapeutic experience. The documentary also sheds light on the perspective of geologic time, making humans feel inconsequential.

Episode
#153: The Man Who Studied 1,000 Deaths to Learn How to Live
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The concept of success could be related to self-actualization, expanding beyond the boundaries of the self and feeling connected with the environment around us.
1:24:56 - 1:34:18 (09:21)
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Success
Summary

The concept of success could be related to self-actualization, expanding beyond the boundaries of the self and feeling connected with the environment around us. It includes realizing how small and insignificant we really are when faced with something like the vastness of the sky.

Episode
#153: The Man Who Studied 1,000 Deaths to Learn How to Live
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker reflects on how he coped with grief and loneliness by reminding himself not to believe everything he thinks and by staying connected with friends.
1:34:18 - 1:42:24 (08:05)
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Coping, Grief, Loneliness
Summary

The speaker reflects on how he coped with grief and loneliness by reminding himself not to believe everything he thinks and by staying connected with friends.

Episode
#153: The Man Who Studied 1,000 Deaths to Learn How to Live
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
BJ Miller discusses his work with the Zen Hospice Project, focusing on the importance of palliative care and dealing with mortality.
1:42:24 - 1:48:17 (05:53)
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Palliative Care
Summary

BJ Miller discusses his work with the Zen Hospice Project, focusing on the importance of palliative care and dealing with mortality.

Episode
#153: The Man Who Studied 1,000 Deaths to Learn How to Live
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferriss wraps up the show, thanks his guest and listeners, and provides information on how to access show notes and subscribe to his Five Bullet Friday newsletter.
1:48:17 - 1:49:46 (01:28)
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Podcasting
Summary

Tim Ferriss wraps up the show, thanks his guest and listeners, and provides information on how to access show notes and subscribe to his Five Bullet Friday newsletter.

Episode
#153: The Man Who Studied 1,000 Deaths to Learn How to Live
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show