Just Another Day at the Office

A recent online chat I had with an insurance agent:

Patrick: I'm going to Haiti on Friday. I need insurance that would cover emergency medical expenses and life insurance if I'm kidnapped, killed, or harmed in any way.

Alan: Hello, my name is Alan, I'll be happy to help you with that.

Patrick: Great.

Alan: Well, we have products that can provide coverage for those events - but not all on one policy. For instance, kidnapping insurance will require an application that would need to be submitted to an underwriter for Lloyds of London. We also have accidental death insurance from the same company, but requires a different online application.

Patrick: Oh ok. Well, my main concern is if I'm hurt or killed in the event of a kidnapping that my family will be taken care of. Does accidental death cover that?

Alan: Accidental death would cover your family if you are accidentally killed - it does not cover kidnapping however.

Patrick: So if I'm kidnapped and killed, accidental death won't cover me?

Alan: Death by kidnappers is not accidental - it would be an intentional murder. And then there are coverages for medical expenses as well. Do you need coverage for war & terrorism for the medical expenses?

Patrick: Um, I believe I do need War and Terrorism for medical expenses. Would that cover me in the event that I'm injured as a result of a kidnapping (or something along those lines) and need medical attention?

Alan: How much medical coverage and accidental death coverage do you require?

Patrick: Maybe 20-30k? I don't know how much it costs to evacuate someone.

Alan: One moment please.

Alan: You might want to consider our Security First War Risk Long Term plan.

Alan: That can provide Accidental Death and Dismemberment coverage as well as $250,000 coverage for medical expenses and $100,000 emergency medical evac coverage - War & Terrorism is covered.

Patrick: Sounds great!

Alan: May I redirect your web browser to the page with that information? Would you like me to do that for you now?

Patrick: Yes.

Utopia = No Place

I love the fact that the Greek word "utopia" translates to "no place". I think about this often and it reminds me that there is no real destination in life. Or to put it another way, each moment in life is a destination. We're wired to always be in pursuit of something - of happiness or success maybe - and we often find it difficult to feel any satisfaction until we've obtained it. How different would things be if we found satisfaction now, even in the midst of great suffering? It might free us from anxiety about the future and perhaps we wouldn't be so inclined to shelve happiness for later enjoyment, but partake now and always.