Thanks for sharing. I didn't know Ross has a substack!
“How much time you got left?” I asked.
“Four years.”
“That’s not bad. How old are you?”
“I’m 22.”
This hit me. I am currently thinking a lot about how I am old and young at the same time. This passage reminded me of how I felt when I was 22 and that me at 22 wouldn't have been able to imagine how different I would feel in just a few years. What Ross said after this is so true even though it's hard to believe when you're in it.
Additionally, this article reminded me of With the Old Breed. Reading that book made me very grateful that I didn't have to go through what Eugene went through. Reading this is similar since it also contains details of a very different life. They are often written in a mundane way but that's exactly what make them so special for me as the reader: the mundanity helps me to empathize. Examples are someone asking you to smuggle something or having to do suicide watch.