My Last Seven Minutes

Hello VALLEY! I guess I have been on a philosophical kick, because this week I am back with another article that is sure to leave you questioning. As I sat down this week at my desk to think of pitches for our Monday meeting, my mind went blank. After an hour of thinking and only bad pitches emerging, I decided to treat myself to a scroll on TikTok, because nothing is more “college” than a little bit of procrastination. As my scroll turned into an hour of avoiding homework, I stumbled upon a video that was my inspiration for this week’s article.

Your Last Seven Minutes

The video I came across had to do with the idea of death. Scientifically, once your body dies, your brain lives on for an extra seven minutes. Although not accurately proven, it is believed that during those seven minutes, your brain takes part in something called memory recall. Think of the Disney movie “Inside Out.” Joy and Sadness are running amok in your long-term memory, finding the colorful orbs that made you the happiest. They then send it up to headquarters, and these memories are what play for the final seven minutes of brain activity. Do we know for sure if this is true? No, but it makes you wonder.

My Last Seven Minutes

This TikTok REALLY sent me for a loop. What was originally a five-minute homework break turned into a borderline existential crisis, but it really got me thinking. What would play in my final seven minutes?

I started flipping through my brain trying to figure out what would play for my last seven minutes.

I know for sure my dad and I’s top-down convertible rides from the pandemic are making an appearance. We blasted the “Legally Blonde the Musical” soundtrack until our ears bled, and Spotify was sick of us. 

Maybe that one Thanksgiving will be there, where my grandma confidently mistook ‘Ciley Myrus’ for ‘Miley Cyrus’ and the room filled with cacophonous laughter.

How could I forget the time I was up with my roommate at 3 a.m., hysterically laughing at Italian brainrot because we were delirious from lack of sleep.

Our Last Seven Minutes

I’m grateful for the life I have. A loving family and amazing friends will always be in my corner. I’m not really sure what the point of this article is. I think I just really want to express how limited time is. Think about it– what are you doing right now? Is it something that will appear in your last seven minutes? Probably not, so get out there and make some freaking memories. 

This is absolutely cliché, and as a journalist, I don’t condone using platitudes, but my dad has always said it, and as I grow older, I’m realizing how wise a man he is. He quotes Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

What are your last seven minutes going to look like? Let us know @VALLEYmag on Instagram!

Related Articles