10 Things I Would Do if There Was No One Else Alive

A spin-off of the James Altucher/Susan Cain discussion.

Doing this exercise feels a lot to me like the "What would you do if you had a billion dollars?" question.

The real question is: Why can't I do all of these things right now? I mean, minus the walking around nude part.

1. Write.

Primarily I would journal to work through my thoughts and emotions, as I do every day now. Perhaps continue with daily idea lists. Like James, though, I would struggle to write much beyond that, as the rest of my writing is typically for someone else.

2. Read.

Granted, if there is no one else alive, the only things I could read would be my own writings. So maybe we assume there used to be people alive, books were written, and now everyone else is gone. The point is that I would want to continue to read and nourish my mind every day.

3. Borrow, not own.

With no one else alive, and presumably direct access to anything in my vicinity, would there be any reason for me to 'horde' items in one location? Wouldn't it make sense to just take what I need, when I need it, and leave it behind when I'm done?

4. Play music.

I would experiment with different instruments and styles to see what I like. The most important thing would be the ability to express myself in any way without judgment.

5. Listen to great music.

Again, like with reading, we have to assume people used to be here to have made music recordings and now they're gone.

6. Run.

Through the mountains, through streams, and anywhere else I wanted.

7. Walk around nude.

I mean, why not?

8. Sleep under the stars.

Otherwise known as camping now. If there were no threats from predators or inclement weather, I would sleep under the stars every night. How amazing would that be?

9. Travel.

Again, operating under the assumption people used to be alive and therefore modes of travel are at my disposal (bicycle, motorcycle, automobiles) then I would relentlessly travel, visiting as many natural wonders as possible.

10. Smell all the roses.

We rarely have time to stop and smell the roses, do we? Imagine if there were zero societal pressures on our time. Could we stop, linger, and appreciate every beautiful flower, rock formation, and stream we come across?

Bill Bergeman