k_Kahneman

See also https://btv-open.dreamhosters.com/45310/blogg-topic-prefer-well-published-stories/

Q: If you were Robin Williams or a family member, would you prefer your friend to BB) die a quick, painless death soon after the accident, or AA) live the 10Y longer life that Reeve lived?

For many outsiders, we would choose BB… A short but glorious life like the NUS professor Lee Loo Hay. As Kahneman pointed out, PeakEndRule and DurationNeglect.

For Reeve’s children who were born before the accident, and his wife, the choice is clear. Kids need the father.

If I am the parent of a victim like Reeve, I would prefer AA unless my son is stuck in a comma. I would cheer him up (just as Robin did) and encourage his fighting spirit. For a fighter, there’s nothing to loose, and there’s so much to gain. The pain and suffering will subside over time, as Buddha observed.

Clearly, Reeve himself preferred AA. He fought for years to live longer, after he came to terms with this chronic condition.

— U-index .. (defined in this bpost) His U-index was probably no worse than ordinary people. This U-index is hard to comprehend because we outsiders always compare.. compare such a “limited” life with our normal lives. However, Reeve probably doesn’t live in that comparison. The comparison with his own past was probably not a constant backdrop. He had jobs to do, including parenting, film production, writing.

If you stay busy and focused on goals, then you probably end up comparing less. I assume those comparisons have a net negative impact on xpSelf’s wellbeing, and rmSelf’s wellbeing.

— side question: Is the disaster a white swan or a misstep? Not exclusively, but a combination.

My prediction — the more we perceive it as our own misstep, the less we attribute it to back luck or other people’s mistakes, the earlier we would come to terms with it, and take responsibility to rebuild our life.