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Buy my new book HOW TO DIE (AND OTHER STORIES)!!

Mike Monteiro · 24 Jul 2026

Read the piece on buttondown.com ↗

2 korrents from this piece ↓

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Every claim below was made in this piece, quoted word for word and numbered in the order the piece makes them, so you can read it there rather than take our word for it. The sentence above each quote is our reading of the claim, not their wording. Each quote was checked against a stored copy of the page at build time; where the two differ, the quote is the fact.

  1. Our reading

    Being useful to others can serve as a mental health tool that provides a sense of purpose and necessity.

    Their wordsThe thing about being useful is that it's a two way street. You figure out something that you can do to help your friends, your family, your community, and that's great. But being useful is also an amazing mental health trick. It makes you feel necessary. It gives you purpose.

  2. Our reading

    The best way to deal with the feeling of being adrift is to focus on what others need rather than what one needs.

    Their wordsAnd over the years (along with much therapy) I've found that the best way to deal with this feeling, which can be incredibly lonely, is not to ask myself what I need, but to ask myself what others need. How can I be useful?

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