The Only Thing that Matters

Finding Clarity in the Face of Death

In the early summer of 2018, the world tragically lost the American celebrity chef, author, and travel documentarian Anthony Bourdain. In the time since his baffling suicide, I have often brooded on how a man who seemingly had everything could feel so compelled to take his own life. In many ways, the late Anthony Bourdain was nothing short of the epitome of what globetrotters like myself aspire to be. I mean, who out there hasn’t dreamed of following in his trailblazing footsteps? Nevertheless, if a man of his accomplishments could be so unhappy as to put an end to his own existence, one must really pause to reflect on what the hell actually breeds contentment.

As I sit down to write this, I am currently at the famed Kitasato Hospital in Tokyo awaiting surgery to remove the metal implant supporting my clavicle. Honestly, I must say that the experience is more than a bit unnerving. While I am not at all afraid of being cut open by the surgeon’s knife, what terrifies me is actually the other patients here. Elderly and largely immobile, these venerable souls represent everything that I dread about my own mortality. After all, what is the point of continuing on if you’re bedridden and unable to partake in what makes life worth living? Frankly speaking, the only thing that I am more afraid of is losing my cognitive…