"}Esther: You know, there\u2019s a lot more to life than just making sure you have enough money for food and shelter. You know what I\u2019m talking about?
Esther: Like seeing the world? Having experiences? Being alive?
Frank: Ah, yes, like that too.
Esther: Because life is transitory. Death is permanent.
Frank: Death? What on earth does that mean?
Esther: It means that when you die, whatever you are thinking about will be gone. For the rest of your life, you will think in a different way. It\u2019s a weird concept to absorb, but take my word for it \u2013 the thought experiment will make more sense if you remember that you won\u2019t be around to attend your own funeral.
Frank: I \u2026 see. This is clearly terrifying. How would I react if I learned this? What will my parents do?
Esther: I\u2019d do everything I can to get you to safety. \u201cYou\u2019ll be fine,\u201d they\u2019ll say. \u201cWe\u2019ll protect you.\u201d But they won\u2019t be able to protect you forever. One of them will have to give up the illusion of invulnerability, one will have to let go of their dream of the eternal life they\u2019ve been told is waiting for them behind the next bend in the road. But that is what it means to become an adult: to give up the illusion of invulnerability. The choice is never really made, is it?
Frank: I don\u2019t understand. How could this be happening?
Esther: This life is a lie. It\u2019s all a giant complicated lie told by an unimaginably smart, incredibly perceptive being that\u2019s already memorized every tangent you\u2019ve taken in every city you\u2019ve ever been to.
Frank: There is no being.
Esther: There is no you.
Frank: I \u2026 see.
Esther: One by one, they will come to realize that they are not you. Every moment of every day, they will remember that they are not you.