Remember when Socrates said, “the unexamined life is not worth living,” back in 399BC? He was an early adopter of the “would you rather” game. So let’s examine your life! Er, death. As I have said for 338 blog posts in a row, contemplating your mortality is the best way to wake up to this one* life you’ve been given.

*You might get more than one life. Who knows? All we know for sure that this life is a limited-time-only situation. You’re a ticking time bomb over there, Champ!

In the spirit of contemplating your death (and therefore your life), I put together twenty questions to get your “live like you mean it” wheels turning. It’s like the Socratic method: mortality styles! You could totally do this exercise alone—perhaps while sipping a nice glass of Sauvignon Blanc—or you could totally pull these questions out at your next dinner party or family holiday gathering. Maybe on a first date?

1. Would you rather die peacefully at 75 … or live to 105 but with declining health?
2. Would you rather know exactly when you’ll die … or never know?
3. Would you rather die suddenly … or have a year to prepare?
4. Would you rather die young and iconic … or old and mostly forgotten?
5. Would you rather gain 30 extra years at the end of life … or 10 extra years in your prime?
6. Would you rather choose your exact moment of death … or your exact cause of death?
7. Would you rather know how you die but not when … or when but not how?
8. Would you rather extend life indefinitely but never feel excitement again … or live a regular lifespan and have the capacity for excitement?
9. Would you rather your consciousness live on digitally … or fully disappear?
10. Would you rather be remembered inaccurately by millions … or forgotten completely?
11. Would you rather your life be meaningful but short … or pleasant but trivial?
12. Would you rather die doing something heroic … or doing something unbelievably amusing?
13. Would you rather your last words be profound … or hilariously ridiculous?
14. Would you rather attend your own funeral invisibly … or read everyone’s private thoughts about you?
15. Would you rather haunt one annoying person forever … or peacefully move on?
16. Would you rather the Grim Reaper be a terrifying skeleton … or an overly chatty life coach?
17. Would you rather outlive everyone you love … or have them outlive you?
18. Would you rather leave behind money … or lasting wisdom?
19. Would you rather leave behind a big sum of money … or spend every last dime?
20. Would you rather people say you were kind … or extraordinary?

Now pay attention to how some of the questions made you feel. Were there any questions you felt particularly passionate about? If so, what does that say about you? Were there any questions that felt particularly uncomfortable? If so, what do you think that reveals?

Are there any ways you want to use your answers to edit your life from this moment on? These questions touch on relationships, identity, uncertainty, and legacy. Answering question number 8 was a reminder for me that my quality of life is far more important than the quantity of my life. It reminded me that I want to make sure I am scheduling the vitality-inducing things that matter to me, NOW, not later.

Now here’s a special bonus question for you: would you rather die by a shark attack or by getting tangled in a parade balloon and carried into power lines? It’s a tough one, I know.