I've reached the age where a goodly number of my friends and associates have died. In another five years, half my friends will have died.
I am seeing an interesting but unverifiable pattern. Many people seem to die when they no longer have a reason to live. That is most obvious in the case of couples who have been happily married for a long time and the surviving partner dies within a month of the first ones death.
I can add a story that reflects poorly on me. At the point where my father seemed ready to die, I desperately needed a vacation and was going to Tokyo as usual. I, half jokingly, asked my father to give me a week of vacation before he died. He did: exactly seven days. ( I flew back, refreshed and grateful.)
Several of my friends became depressed and tried many therapies and drugs to feel better. When nothing worked, they promptly died of various medical problems.
I watched two street people near my morning coffee shop, who degenerated over a year or so. In both cases, they just sat down, wouldn't respond to anyone bringing them food and coffee, and died.
I've know several people who retired from salaried work and died shortly thereafter.
It makes sense to me that having a reason or reasons to live is necessary to live. 'Reasons' seem to cover a large range. This suggests to me that living is a self generated existential issue. 'Authentic people' seem to live longer. So do people with a sense of humor and those who are embedded in a social network.
I have many reasons to live and always have. One reason to get up in the morning is this blog. I love writing it and I appreciate my readers. I really do.