People do not like to think about death. It’s pretty scary for most people. The fear of the unknown and the reality that the people of this planet will continue forward without you around. Pretty depressing if one dwells on it in the wrong way. So will people be excited about a watch that actually counts down how much time you have remaining as a living being? It can be looked at in a positive way, but I am aware that many folks would rather ignore the fact that none of us are getting out of this thing alive.
The new Apple Watch that comes out on 4.24.2015 will let users change the face to suit their needs….within Apple’s all knowing parameters of course. One such face that will be possible in conjunction with the Life Clock app, will be a countdown to the wearer’s death. This obviously isn’t an exact science. The app just uses general data along with the user’s input to calculate the estimated time one has left to live. A constant reminder of our own impermanence will be just a glance away.
Life Clock is flexible with your death timer. It adds minutes or days when you do a healthy activity like walking two miles. The same holds true when you do something unhealthy like light up a cigarette. I’m not sure how the app deals with extreme activities like diving in shark infested waters or other extreme hobbies.
I like the concept of being reminded that I need to get to living since I may not be here tomorrow. I think we all need that so we can enjoy each moment that we are actually here instead of sleepwalking through our daily lives. Knowing that we may only live 25 years, two days, and 22 minutes might make us pursue more rewarding jobs and spend more time on family and fun. Seeing that we can increase our lifespan by exercising, eating healthy, and avoiding bad habits should motivate many people to get off that couch and start DOING instead of WATCHING others doing stuff.
Wearing a watch that tells us we have 40 years left to roam the planet won’t save us from freak events like car wrecks, sudden illness, or wacky but tragic accidents like a golf ball to the noggin. The world is a dangerous place and these things just happen. But I believe we can still all benefit from knowing we had best quit talking about all the stuff we are going to do someday and get after it! Someday is right now. The countdown is on. What will you do before your timer hits zero?
