500+ AQI is extremely hazardous and requires precautions. But saying it is the end of the World, overstates the risk. Predicting rapid and inevitable long-term damage for everyone blurs important details. Duration, pollution composition, and individual health matter. Extreme warnings can cause fear and inaction instead of good risk management.

With the right steps, short necessary outdoor trips and daily life are possible. You can use masks, indoor air filters, and plan activities carefully. History shows places can survive and even improve under extreme pollution.

London is a clear example. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, London had severe air pollution from burning coal. The Great Smog of 1952 was especially bad. It caused thousands of deaths and visibility dropped to a few meters.

How London survived

Daily life continued. Commerce, work, and culture went on even with dirty air and sooty buildings. Public health responses grew. Doctors linked smoke to illness. Early laws tried to reduce chimney smoke.

Technology changed. The city shifted from coal to cleaner fuels like gas and electricity over time. Policy changed after crisis. The 1952 smog led to the 1956 Clean Air Act. This law created smoke control areas and promoted cleaner fuels.

The city recovered. Air quality improved over decades. London kept growing as a global economic and cultural centre.

This example is useful because;

It shows large populations can function under chronic heavy pollution for long periods. It proves catastrophic events can trigger major policy and technology shifts for improvement. It demonstrates survival and future thriving are possible with society-wide action.

Important points

“Survived” does not mean “without harm.” Historical pollution caused higher death rates and more disease. Improvement needed active government action and cleaner technology, not just people adapting alone or escaping to cleaner environments.

The lesson is that severe pollution is survivable short-term but harmful. To thrive long-term, societies must cut emissions and protect the vulnerable.

A better bottom line

500+ AQI is hazardous and needs strong mitigation.

Harm is not instant or universal for everyone. Key factors are exposure time, particle type, your personal health, and how well you control exposure.

Replace alarm with action. Filter indoor air. Seal leaks. Use a well-fitted N95 mask outside. Avoid heavy exercise during peak pollution. Prioritize protection for children, elderly, and those with health conditions.

In my earlier post, Closing 2025: Exits, Beginnings, and the Human Thread That Binds It All, I reflected on a year of profound transition—launching new foundations, reconnecting with old friends, and discovering universal truths across continents.

Yet, upon deeper reflection, I realized I had omitted two of the year’s most significant chapters. These were not about public ventures or global perspectives, but intimate, courageous acts of stewardship—concerning the resources I hold and the story I will leave behind.

1. The Initiation of Wealth Distribution: An Experiment in Present Joy

Inspired by two transformative books—The Cycle of the Gift by James E. Hughes and Die with Zero by Bill Perkins—I initiated a profound experiment: to begin distributing my wealth now, rather than bequeathing it later.

The rationale was simple, yet revolutionary: Money is most valuable when it can be actively enjoyed. A 40-year-old can ski the Alps or witness glacial melt in Antarctica with a vitality that a 70-year-old may not. I looked at my own age, my parents’ longevity, and realized my children would be approaching that threshold by the time a traditional inheritance might reach them. I felt I was already late.

After deep thought, I chose not to let assets sit idle in a future-tense will. Instead, I created trusts for my daughter, daughter-in-law, and wife. These are not mere funds; they are engines for meaningful living. Each month, they provide resources explicitly for experiences beyond routine expenses, with distributions designed to grow.

The purpose is crystallized in five pillars:

• Experiences & Personal Growth: For travel, stargazing, culinary tours, and heritage walks.
• Health & Well-being: For yoga retreats, mental wellness, and trekking adventures.
• Skill Development: For learning everything from pottery to coding.
• Relationships & Community: For strengthening bonds with family and friends.
• Charity & Contribution: For supporting local artisans, animal shelters, and environmental causes.

The experiment is working. I am witnessing not a transfer of wealth, but a multiplication of present-moment richness. This is the “Profit” in my Nexus3P philosophy, applied intimately: enabling capability, joy, and growth today.

2. My Last Wishes & Living Will: The Unburdening

The second act was more inward, a confrontation with life’s only true certainty. A book titled “My Last Wishes” by Joy Meredith finally gave me the framework to plunge into what I had deferred for 15 years.

We plan vacations, weddings, and careers with fervour, yet often spend zero time planning the conclusion of our own story. This year, I changed that. I completed my Living Will and a detailed “Letter of Wishes.”

This was not a morbid task, but one of profound love and liberation. As an atheist, my wishes reflect a belief in a natural end, celebrated through memory and shared love rather than ritual. The document specifies everything from immediate arrangements and the disposition of my body to the treatment of digital assets and personal messages to my family.

It took a fortnight of intense reflection—the most difficult writing I’ve done in decades. But when I finished on December 18, 2025, a huge burden lifted. I have now, to the best of my ability, relieved my family of the agony of guessing during a time of grief. I have made my values clear, my practical desires known, and in doing so, I have gifted myself a rare peace.

These two acts—giving wealth life now and giving death clarity in advance—are, I see now, two sides of the same coin. Both are about sovereignty over time. One seeks to infuse the present with greater possibility for those I love. The other seeks to protect their future from unnecessary pain.

2025, therefore, became the year I actively engaged with both the giving and the letting go. It has left me not with a sense of closure, but with a deeper, quieter capacity to enjoy whatever time remains—whether fifty days or fifty years—unburdened and truly present.

#LegacyPlanning #IntergenerationalWealth #DieWithZero #LivingWill #EstatePlanning #MindfulLiving #Family #2025Lessons #PeaceOfMind #WealthTransfer