Sources of Mortality

Source: New England Journal of Medicine

Keep this chart in mind when you decide what to worry about. A life style that reduces the risk of cancer and heart disease is quite important; other risks may not be so great.

Of course, while you are driving, if you choose the drive fast under dangerous conditions, your risk of dying soon from an accident becomes much greater than if you are at home asleep in bed; if you are facing an unusual high risk, guard against it!

A couple of caveats in interpretation of the chart. One is that death from some causes, such as accidents, will take many more years of life from the average victim than would deaths from say Alheimer's Disease. The other is that the ease of risk aversion will differ greatly from cause to cause.

But I suppose the bottom line is "don't sweat the small stuff; focus on what really counts"!

Incidentally, are you not glad of the progress made in public health and medicine since 1900!