Lessons from Gilgamesh: On Health, Meaning, and What We’re Really Chasing

Our house has been filled with myth lately.

My six-year-old son Manny is in the thick of Greeking Out, a National Geographic podcast that brings Greek mythology to life.

Dinner conversations now bounce between Heracles, Poseidon, and real-world parallels. Last week, we joked that Elon Musk might actually be Zeus – both four-letter names, hurling lightning bolts from above (or rather, Teslas, rockets, and Starlink satellites), and fathering more children than they seem to keep track of.

(That last parellel came from Manny, still not sure how he knows so much about Elon’s progeny.)

What strikes me is how easily mythology slips into everyday life and how relevant it still feels. These ancient stories stick around for a reason: they carry timeless morals wrapped in unforgettable characters.

The Epic of Gilgamesh

Lately, I’ve found myself thinking about The Epic of Gilgamesh.

It’s not Greek – it predates Homer by over a thousand years – but it might be the most timeless myth of all.

It’s the oldest written story we know of, chiseled into clay tablets over 4,000 years ago. And at its heart is a question we’re still struggling with:

How do we live, knowing we will die?

The First Longevity Seeker

Gilgamesh, a king that was two-thirds god and one-third man, fell into a spiral after losing one of his closest friends Enkidu. He realized: If Enkidu can die… so can I.

Like Jeff Bezos or Peter Thiel – powerful billionaires pouring massive sums of money into anti-aging and life extension – Gilgamesh began his own equally ambitious quest.

He traveled to the ends of the earth seeking the secret to eternal life. He found a plant said to restore youth. And then, just as quickly, he lost it to a serpent.

He returns home. Still mortal. Still aging. But now, deeply changed.

In the final lines of the story, Gilgamesh surveys the towering walls of Uruk – his city, his creation – and finds a different kind of peace. He can’t live forever, but what he builds might.

Sound familiar?

Chasing Immortality

We may not be kings or demigods, but we’re still wrestling with the same problem.

We chase youth. We track our biometrics. We debate the latest fad diets, supplements, and miracle protocols. The biohacking movement is essentially Gilgamesh with a Whoop strap and Huberman Lab playing at 1.5x speed.

And I get it. I’m more or less describing myself.

I’m all for stacking the odds in our favor. But the longer I sit with Gilgamesh’s story, the more I wonder: 

Are we focusing on the right kind of immortality?

Healthspan: What We’re Really After

Most people I speak with – even at the Don’t Die Summit – don’t want to live forever. What they want is to feel alive, longer.

They want to:

  • stay sharp, strong, and engaged
  • be able to play with their grandchildren
  • climb mountains in their 70s
  • keep their independence and dignity intact
  • live with vitality, not just survive

That’s healthspan. That’s what matters. Not how many years you live, but how many of them you’re truly here for.

Prioritizing The Right Investments

In my work – at the intersection of finance and longevity – I’ve seen firsthand how tightly wealth and health are intertwined.

I’ve seen how quickly a health crisis can derail a seemingly solid portfolio.

I’ve seen people with millions in the bank and no energy to enjoy it.

And I’ve seen people of modest means living incredibly rich lives because they’ve prioritized the things that matter.

The Wall of Uruk Is Built Daily

The truth is, longevity isn’t found in a single breakthrough. It’s built the same way Gilgamesh’s walls of Uruk were: brick by brick, day by day.

It looks like:

  • Carrying groceries with ease at 80 because you took strength training seriously – year after year.
  • Getting restorative sleep because you protected your circadian rhythm instead of your Netflix streak.
  • Eating real, whole food because you knew it nourishes your body in ways processed food never can.
  • Staying curious because you didn’t let age define what you could still learn or do.
  • Nurturing meaningful relationships because connection buffers stress, boosts health, and makes life worth showing up for.

The people who age well – the ones who really seem to live – aren’t the ones who figured out how to freeze time. They’re the ones who made better use of it.

What I Hope My Children Learn

One day I hope that Manny (and Q!) understands what the Gilgamesh story is really about.

It’s not about escaping death. It’s about living in a way that death doesn’t get the final word.

We’re each just one link in the long chain of humanity. What we pass on – our love, our values, our example – is what makes the chain stronger for the next generation.

You don’t need to slay monsters or find magic plants to do that. You just need to take care of the body you’ve been given, use your time like it matters, and show up *fully* for the people you love.

That’s what I want for my children.

And for myself.

And for every client I work with.

Because the Gilgamesh problem isn’t really a problem at all:

It’s a prompt. A call to live. A reminder that we don’t need more time – just the wisdom to do more with the time we’ve already got.

This Time Is Different

“This time is different.”

It’s a phrase that echoes through every market downturn, every geopolitical shift, every new technological revolution. And lately, we’ve been hearing it a lot more – from headlines warning of the fall of the U.S. dollar, to debates about AI reshaping the workforce, to whispers of a global power shift.

And maybe… this time is different.

But here’s the truth that every long-term investor must confront: we don’t know.

We’ve never known.

And that’s why it’s so important to stay focused on what we can control.

A Longer View of History

The past 100 years have been, by most measures, a remarkable run – defined largely by U.S. supremacy in global finance, innovation, and military power.

But if we zoom out, history reminds us that this dominance is the exception, not the rule.

Global superpowers and their reserve currencies have come and gone:

  • The Dutch guilder reigned in the 1600s
  • The British pound sterling ruled the 1800s
  • And today, the U.S. dollar wears the crown

Empires rise. Empires fall. World orders change.

This isn’t doomsday talk – it’s just history.

Acknowledging that doesn’t mean running for the hills. It just means being humble enough to accept that we don’t control what comes next.

What we do control is how we prepare.

We’ve Been Here Before

Let’s take a walk through moments in history that felt existential to those living through them:

  • 1910s: World War I and the Spanish Flu pandemic
  • 1930s: The Great Depression: 25% unemployment, bank runs, bread lines
  • 1940s: World War II and the dawn of nuclear weapons
  • 1971: U.S. breaks from the gold standard; inflation fears spike
  • 1970s: Stagflation, oil shocks, energy rationing
  • Cold War era: Ongoing fear of global nuclear catastrophe
  • 1987: Black Monday: the market drops over 20% in a single day
  • 2000: Dot-com bubble bursts, wiping out trillions
  • 2008–09: The Global Financial Crisis topples the banking system

While we weren’t there to experience all of them, each of these moments likely felt like the beginning of a new, more dangerous era.

Each one carried the weight of “this time is different.”

And yet, over time, markets recovered. Innovation continued.
Long-term investors were rewarded, not for predicting the future, but for staying the course when it was hardest to do so.

What’s Different Now?

To be clear, the concerns today are valid:

  • China’s rise and shifts in geopolitical power
  • Climate change and ecological pressures threatening global stability
  • Artificial intelligence disrupting industries and labor
  • Aging populations and demographic imbalances across much of the developed world
  • Global debt loads reaching historic levels

There’s plenty to watch, and even more we don’t yet see.
But reacting out of fear rarely serves long-term goals. The better path is preparation, with intention and discipline.

Investor Playbook

When the world feels unpredictable, the best investors zoom in on what they can control:

  • Savings rate → Automate it. Prioritize flexibility and freedom.
  • Spending rate → Avoid lifestyle creep. Align money with values.
  • Portfolio structure → Globally diversified, low-cost, and boring (on purpose).
  • Taxes and fees → Reduce drag. Let compounding do its thing.
  • Behavior → Avoid emotional decisions masked as “gut instincts.”
  • Presence → Don’t defer life. Live now. Invest in your health, relationships, and personal growth.
Final Thoughts

Markets climb a wall of worry. Always have. Always will.

Yes, this time might be different – but not necessarily in the way we think.

The most dangerous idea isn’t that the world is changing… it’s that we assume we know how.

At wHealth Advisors, we help our clients live their wealthiest, healthiest, and happiest lives.

Because a plan rooted in what truly matters doesn’t need a crystal ball.

It simply needs clarity on where you’re going, discipline in controlling the controllable, and the intestinal fortitude to ride the never-ending wave of uncertainty.