Eros & Thanatos

In Part 2, David Verdesi reflects on a formative experience that changed how he understood regret. The conversation connects Thanatos with Eros—the desire to live—and asks what can be left unlived while we are busy seeking more time.

My teacher sent me to a place called the House of the Dying, where people went to die. This became a very important experience in my life.

There, I learned something else.

I discovered that people facing the reality and imminence of death—unless they had committed a truly serious crime—did not regret what they had done. They regretted what they had not done.

We are led to believe that guilt about what we have done is what we are going to face—what we will have to reckon with.

Actually, that is not true, except for someone who has committed some truly unforgivable things. But that is not the reality for most people. It is the exception.

Most people do not carry that to the moment of reckoning. Most people carry the opposite: they reach the end of their days regretting what they did not do.

That was profound.

And that is how Thanatos is connected to Eros—to the libido, to the desire to live.

It is at the moment of death that you realise you did not live enough—that there were things you did not do.

What you did not do is what you regret, because there is no more time.

And so, rather than adding years to your life, it is always more important to add life to your years.

Part 1 considered impermanence and our relationship with life’s limits. Part 2 brings that awareness into the choices, experiences and conversations we keep postponing.

Extending life and living meaningfully are different questions. David’s reflection invites both into the same conversation: not only how many years we may have, but what we choose to give attention within them.

His account includes an exception about serious wrongdoing. It is not a claim that people never regret their actions, nor an invitation to disregard consequences.

What is one meaningful thing you keep postponing?

Consider one small, deliberate first step. No names or private details are needed.

Event

Sowing Vitality Retreat

Venue

Fasano Las Piedras · Punta del Este, Uruguay

Retreat dates

1–4 October 2026

David’s contribution formed part of the retreat’s programme of conversations about health, longevity and human development. The dates identify the retreat, not the precise time of this session or the video’s first publication.

Programme references: the official Fasano event listing and Forbes Brasil’s advance programme coverage. These document context, not an endorsement of David’s private offer or a particular outcome.

The question extends beyond health optimisation: what should additional time serve? For families, founders and longevity programmes, this can open a considered discussion about relationships, responsibility and the use of time. This describes relevance, not a verified guest list or endorsement.

1. Part 1 — Eros & Thanatos
2. Part 2 — What We Leave Unlived Current excerpt

David’s private work, Burn the Illusions, takes place through a one-year relationship with a teacher. It offers an ongoing dialogue around the actual life a person is living, rather than a standardised course or a promised result.