My biggest bully isn’t some jerk from high school or a boss I once told off. It’s the voice in my own head. The one that heckles me when I step on the scale, mocks me when I work out, and reminds me that my brand-new implants still feel like chewing gravel. That critic never shuts up. The punchline, though, is that if anyone else talked to me the way I talk to myself, I’d cut them out of my life in a heartbeat. But since it’s me, I let it slide. And that’s the trap; mistaking cruelty for honesty.

They’ll keep you alive, sure. Hook you up to machines, load you with meds, and celebrate your 85th birthday in a hospital gown. But what about actually living? This isn’t about more years on the calendar. It’s about better ones. Health-span is the decade most folks lose before the grave — and the system’s not built to stop it. Prevention doesn’t pay, so you don’t get it. You want real answers, not another prescription? You’re gonna have to fight for them. Read this before your next doctor visit. Because staying alive isn’t enough anymore. Not if you’re not living.