“The ancient Egyptians had a beautiful belief about death. When your soul got to heaven, the gods asked two questions, “Have you found joy in your life? Has your life brought joy to others?” – from the movie The Bucket List

Where do you stand on the “Great Bucket List Debate?”

Joe Queenan wrote a Wall Street Journal article titled It’s Time to Kick the Bucket List that’s triggered a passionate debate online.

Some of the thought-provoking nuggets in his essay include:

• “Nobody needs to go falconing in Mongolia or ride on the back of a nurse shark in Alaska for their life to be complete. They need to raise kids who won’t grow up to hate them. Or take care of their aging mother and make sure she gets a nice send-off.”

• “Bucket lists can become obsessive, expensive, painful. They create the impression that life is not so much something to be lived and enjoyed as a series of obligations to be checked off.”

• “Get to know where you live better. Forget Mount Fuji, Mount Everest, Mont Saint-Michel. If you live in New York but have never been to Rockaway Beach, Fire Island or the waterfalls in Patterson, N.J,. get cracking.”

• “A proper bucket list should be short and highly selective. It’s a bucket list, not a laundry list.”

When I asked people on my #LinkedIn page what they thought about bucket lists, I received fascinating responses.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/great-bucket-list-debate-sam-horn/?published=t

Some believe bucket lists are “abhorrent” because they’re “morbid and deathly.” One said “Bucket lists are for bucket heads.” Others say they’re a way to “start with the end in mind” and can be an incredibly motivating way to do what matters now so we prevent regrets.

What say you?

Do you have a bucket list?

Yes? Why?

No? Why not?

If you do, what’s on it?

What purpose does a bucket list serve in your life?

Other comments?

Let’s create a forum on this topic. Eager to hear what you think and explore the pro’s and con’s of whether bucket lists are worth having.