Let's imagine there are two dream jobs I have. I would like to be either a musician or a writer. I will be perfectly happy being a full-time musician. I won't mind in that case not becoming a writer. And vice-versa. On the other hand, a job as a computer scientist would not satisfy me.
Now, say I announce to be a writer. It would be odd to receive feedback along the lines of "but imagine how much you could achieve as a musician, how can you sacrifice that?"
Now, let's take it up an existential notch.
There are things I want to achieve. Pursuing them may well count as the titular reasons. And I also have a deathwish.
And the symmetry is there. If I accomplished certain goals pertaining to being alive, I wouldn't be upset about not fulfilling the drive to death. Corollary: I honestly couldn't care less about accomplishing anything in real life, if I chose to die (and the fact the dead can't care at all seems to strengthen my point). Those are two absolutely incompatible goals. I want to get better. I want to die. And I'm willing to act on either. It is that meek staying alive that is the absolute worst.
Up yours, Matt Haig.
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