‘On the eve of brain surgery, Eric Markowitz felt “conscious” for the very first time — fully awake to the miracle and the absurdity of existence. During recovery Markowitz reflected on longevity — not as a passive state but as a choice, a practice, a philosophy. Consciousness, he came to believe, is not a function of neurons alone. It is also a function of care. Of love.…’ Eric Markowitz via Big Think