“Do everything with the knowledge that it might be the last time you do it,” said the sage, “so make it count.”

“What unbelievable pressure!” said the skeptic. “You will fall short in almost everything you do, and experiences are notorious for not living up to their potential. You may as well kill yourself now if you’re going to have the constant disappointment of not living up to such expectations.”

“And thus it is a self-fulfilling prophecy,” said the sage. “That’ll be 20 bucks, please.”