The Rhythm of Life

I woke up from a strange dream around 3:30 this morning.

In this dream, I was living in a world where time didn’t exist—not in the way we know it. There were no clocks, no deadlines, no rush. Yet, everything felt perfectly synchronized. People moved with an unspoken rhythm, as if tuned into some natural flow of life.

Adults didn’t ask kids "what do you want to do when you grow up?” because the idea of growing up wasn’t tied to age. Growth wasn’t measured by years but by how deeply someone explored their passions and how they exchanged knowledge and experiences with others. Instead, they asked, “What’s fun for you right now? Who are you playing with, and what are you learning from them? What are you teaching them in return?” These questions nurtured a culture of curiosity and collaboration, where growth was seen as a shared journey and learning was a two-way exchange of experiences, fostering deeper connections and a shared sense of purpose.

And despite the absence of schedules or alarms, everything felt just on time—without time. It was a world that defied logic but felt profoundly right.

When I woke up, the vividness of the dream lingered, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was trying to tell me something. So, I grabbed my journal and started jotting down every detail I could remember. What would it mean to live without the constraints of time?

Would it free us to be more intentional, or would it overwhelm us with endless possibility?

Still lost in thought, I opened my phone and started scrolling through LinkedIn.

That’s when I saw Bryan Johnson’s post announcing that his documentary, Don’t Die, will premiere on Netflix on January 1.

Normally, I’d keep scrolling past the comments. But something about the timing (pun intended) stopped me. Here I was, fresh out of a dream about the absence of time, and Bryan’s post stared back at me—a call to rethink life, death, and everything in between.

I clicked. I read. And what I found made me pause.

As I read through the responses, I saw admiration, skepticism, humor, and dismissal all colliding in real time. Some comments praised Bryan’s discipline and vision. Others reduced his work to sensationalized headlines like “The Kardashian of Longevity” or “Tech millionaire spends $2 million a year to live forever.”

The mix of reactions made me think back to a conversation I had with Bryan last summer. For 30 minutes, we talked about the kind of life we want to live and the systems we’re building for the future. At one point, I asked him: Where do you see yourself in 100 years?

Here’s what I can share from that conversation: Bryan’s work isn’t about not dying. It’s about rethinking life—how we live it, the choices we make, and the systems we design to ensure that what we create today thrives tomorrow.

What struck me most wasn’t his answer, but the way he approached the question—with playfulness, curiosity, and an unshakable sense of responsibility. It wasn’t about cheating death; it was about imagining a world where we hold ourselves accountable for the ripple effects of our actions.

Time as a Defining Condition

Over the past decade, in different roles and capacities, I’ve had the privilege of working with people facing some of life’s most profound challenges:

• Individuals with terminal illnesses, navigating the fragility of life and the finite nature of their time.
• People trapped in severe addiction, caught in a relentless cycle of relapse and recovery, searching for meaning and purpose amidst their struggle.
• Parents of children with incurable conditions, grappling with the heartbreak of their child’s innocence and the limitations of what they can do to help.

Much of the time we spent together was focused on coping—finding peace in the philosophy of the mind, life, and death, and reconciling the unchangeable truths of their circumstances.

One thing became abundantly clear: regardless of their belief systems, backgrounds, or values, certain remark emerged repeatedly:

“If only I had more time...”

Time wasn’t just a neutral measurement for them. It became a defining condition—shaping their joys, regrets, accomplishments, and the things left undone.

From these deeply human moments, I learned some profound truths:

1. Time Shapes Philosophy: For many, time justifies their choices. They either find solace in the actions they’ve taken or regret the ones they didn’t, often saying, “If I had known I had more time, I would have done this differently.”
2. Time Defines Relationships: When time feels finite, relationships come into sharp focus. People begin to prioritize forgiveness, love, and connection over material goals.
3. Time Can Empower or Paralyze: Some are inspired to live fully within their remaining moments, while others are overcome by the weight of time slipping away.

I also realized another profound lesson: People often resist breakthroughs because embracing them means giving up their previous worldview—the framework through which they understood reality. To accept a new perspective is to admit that the foundation they’ve built their beliefs and actions on may no longer hold. These visionary claims can feel deeply threatening, as they challenge the comfort of the familiar and the security of the known in exchange for stepping into the uncertainty of the unknown.

But what if we lifted the condition of time entirely, even hypothetically? How would it transform the way we live, love, and act? Would we still take shortcuts, cling to grudges, or prioritize fleeting gains? Or would we become more intentional, choosing actions that align with deeper accountability and lasting harmony? And perhaps most importantly, would we be brave enough to let go of the old and embrace the new possibilities unfolding before us?

Bryan’s work invites us to think about this paradigm shift.

In Don’t Die, he writes:

The greatest experiment isn’t avoiding death—it’s creating a life so meaningful you want to keep living it.

This isn’t just about extending life; it’s about reimagining how we experience and value the time we already have.

What Time Teaches Us About Longevity

Time isn’t just something we measure in hours and years—it’s the lens through which we understand growth, connection, and impact. Bryan’s philosophy and my reflections on time challenge us to think about how we use it to shape the future, not just for ourselves, but for the systems we live in and for humanity as a whole.

Let’s dive into the three ways we can make the most of our time and potential:

1. From a Human for a Human

• Focus: The power of personal connections and the ripple effects of a single life.
• Example: Think Tony Robbins—someone who gets up on stage, looks you in the eye (okay, through a camera for most of us), and says, “You can change your life!” He helps people break through barriers, and they walk away ready to conquer the world.
• Role in the Future: Sparks self-belief and personal breakthroughs, building movements rooted in human growth.
• Pros: Emotionally impactful and incredibly relatable; it’s all about YOU.
• Cons: Limited scalability—Tony can’t be everywhere at once (as much as we’d love him to be).

2. From a Human for a System

• Focus: Creating structures that keep the wheels turning long after we’re gone.
• Example: Enter Sam Altman, steering OpenAI with intention for artificial intelligence doesn’t go rogue but instead works for the good of society. It’s about building systems that don’t just react to problems but anticipate and solve them.
• Role in the Future: Builds sustainable frameworks that keep progress moving forward.
• Pros: Long-lasting impact; these are the blueprints for how we innovate.
• Cons: Systems can feel cold and distant—hard to connect with emotionally.

3. From a Human for Humanity

• Focus: Thinking BIG. Like, REALLY big. Humanity-level big.
• Example: Elon Musk, whether you love him or side-eye him, you can’t deny his knack for making us think about what’s possible—like living on Mars. It’s about asking, “What’s next for all of us?”
• Role in the Future: Expands human potential and inspires global unity around visionary goals.
• Pros: Bold, inspiring, and game-changing.
• Cons: Feels a little out there sometimes—because, well, Mars.

Bryan’s work is an attempt to embody all three perspectives—starting at the personal level and extending outward to systems and humanity as a whole. He’s not just focused on longevity for himself; he’s using his journey to explore how individual choices, scalable systems, and bold visions can intersect to create a future that harmonizes humanity, technology, and nature.

His work challenges us to ask: how can we integrate personal accountability, systemic innovation, and humanity’s shared goals to build something enduring?

Changing How We Act When Time Is Limitless

If time is no longer a limiting factor, how do we shift our actions to reflect deeper accountability and harmony?

1. Redefine Success Move beyond short-term wins and focus on long-term impact. For example, prioritize relationships, sustainability, and legacy over fleeting milestones.
2. Model Better Interactions Remember, our behaviors—online and offline—teach AI systems how to interact. Respectful, thoughtful interactions today shape how AI models and future generations will approach collaboration and conflict resolution.
3. Support Visionaries Engage critically but respectfully with innovators who challenge our assumptions. Foster psychological safety for bold ideas to flourish.

Practical Application: A Framework for Living Intentionally

Bryan’s philosophy and the concept of time offer lessons we can apply in our own lives:

• For Individuals: Reflect on how your actions—big or small—shape your relationships, career, and environment. What legacy are you creating?
• For Communities: Build systems that model collaboration, respect, and sustainability.
• For Society: Balance urgent action with long-term vision. Support those pushing boundaries while holding them accountable for their impact.

What Does It Mean to Truly Live?

Bryan Johnson’s Don’t Die isn’t about avoiding death—it’s about creating systems and choices that honor life in its fullest sense.

His work challenges us to ask:

• How do we align our choices with long-term accountability?
• What lessons are we teaching the systems—human and artificial—that will shape our future?
• How do we harmonize individual needs, systemic efficiency, and humanity’s shared values?

Working with people at the end of their lives taught me how deeply time defines us. Bryan’s work takes that lesson a step further, asking us to imagine a world where time is no longer the condition we use to justify our actions.

As the documentary premieres, let’s reflect—not just on Bryan’s work but on our own.

If you had more time, how would you choose to live?