What He Learned Watching People Passing Away

8 Nov 2025 · 1 min

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1:15

In this interview excerpt, the host (Speaker A) asks what lessons can be drawn from witnessing people face death. Speaker B shares a stark perspective: at the moment of dying, material possessions, status, and ego fall away, leaving only truth and a sense that life is larger than the self. He notes that people in the Longevity Health community seem happier despite having less, suggesting a shift away from ego-driven values. Speaker C provides a concise biography of Dr. Vaz, co‑founder and chief medical officer of Longevity Health, highlighting his emergency medicine training, work with the Peace Corps and WHO, transition to functional and regenerative medicine, and his passion for extreme sports such as Brazilian jiu‑jitsu, climbing, and kayaking. The conversation ties these observations to ancient wisdom traditions that use contemplation of death to remind practitioners of their smallness and to foster humility.

Chapters

As someone who has witnessed a lot of people facing their mortality, yeah, what lessons can you pass to us?
It's not your net worth, it's not the car you're driving, it's, it's— and, um, sorry, I don't know if I'm getting, um, emotional, but when, when people are dying, they don't have time for the BS that the rest of us, that all of us fill with most of the time. They speak truth.
Dr. Vaz is the co-founder and chief medical officer of Longevity Health, board-certified in emergency medicine and trained at Cornell University Medical College and the University of Colorado. After serving in the Peace Corps and working with the WHO, he spent over a decade in traditional healthcare before shifting to functional and regenerative medicine to focus on prevention, optimization, and longevity. Originally from Westchester, New York, he balances his medical mission with a lifelong passion for grappling, winning national and world titles in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, as well as rock and ice climbing and whitewater kayaking.
The people there are so much happier than we are, and with so much less. I felt like a sponge. That had been wrung completely dry. There's more to life than us. There's more than our egos.
This is exactly the thread I wanted to pull on because, I mean, there's a reason a lot of the ancient wisdom traditions, part of the practice is facing death, because death has a way of reminding us how small we are.
Yeah, the people who live the longest have a sense of purpose and a sense of connection. The things that really matter, you can't buy with money. And what are those things? I think it's— that's what people regret on their deathbeds.