Is it the year 2026 already?

Is it 2026 already?

Why didn’t somebody tell me?  I have got to buckle down and get cracking.  I haven’t started on a great American novel or a hit play or a best-selling memoir.  I am getting further over the hill each day and if I am not careful, I am going to stop breathing without any of my great work done.

I just asked Google “How many people have expired without their great works even begun?”  I got this answer:

It is impossible to provide an exact number, but historians and researchers estimate that roughly 102 billion to 105 billion people have lived and died throughout human history without their "great works" ever being realized. [1, 2]

This concept traces back to a famous quote by physician and author Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.: "[Alas for those that never sing, / But die with all their music in them!]"(http://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/owh/vless.html). Spiritual teacher and author Dr. Wayne Dyer famously popularized this idea as, "Don't die with your music still in you."(https://www.drwaynedyer.com/video/dont-die-with-your-music-still-in-you-wayne-dyer-and-daughter-serena/). [1, 2, 3]

Here is how researchers and analysts break down this loss of human potential:

• The Historical Toll: Out of the estimated 110 billion humans who have ever been born, the overwhelming majority lived in eras dominated by war, disease, and the basic, grueling struggle for survival. Their "great works" were either completely lost to time or never had a chance to be conceptualized due to circumstances beyond their control. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

• The Modern Equivalent: In the modern era, analysts (such as those at the Wealth Research Group) estimate that up to 92% to 98% of people ultimately pass away without ever achieving their goals and dreams. [1, 2]

• The Reasons: This staggering percentage is rarely due to a lack of talent or ambition. Instead, sociological studies suggest people most often defer their potential due to the fear of failure, societal pressures, or putting off what they want to do for "someday" until time simply runs out. [1, 2, 3]