We know now that the five men aboard the Titan submersible perished shortly into their failed journey to witness the Titanic wreckage.

It was dangerous, to be sure.

Each man knew the danger.

Each signed a waiver, and each knew there was a chance they wouldn't return.

The keyboard warriors have been at it full-time over the last few days, passing judgment on these men and their choice to embark on such a journey.

But while their death was tragic, it was also inevitable.

All of us will die.

Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman Dawood, Stockton Rush, and Paul-Henri Nargeolet lost their lives aboard a journey that most can't begin to imagine.

These men were adventurers in the truest sense of the word, exploring the ocean's depths for the sake only of exploration.

Yes, they died an early death last Sunday.

But so did 330,000 other people worldwide that day; of those, about 8,000 were in the United States.

The real tragedy here is that so many died unhealthy and unhappy.

From heart disease.

Type II diabetes.

Stroke.

Kidney disease.

Fatty liver disease.

By the numbers, 3/4 of the people who died last Sunday were overweight or obese, a factor we know exacerbates and often causes these diseases and, combined, is the 2nd leading cause of preventable death in the US.

Only about half of them were satisfied with their jobs.

Only about half of them were free of consumer debt.

If "most" is over 50%, it's fair to say that most of the 330,00 other people who died Sunday were unhealthy, unhappy, and swimming in debt. Many were depressed, anxious, disaffected, bored, unfulfilled, or otherwise miserable.

Many died that day having led lives of regret.

Having never taken a chance.

Having settled for less than they were capable.

Meanwhile, those still with us prattle on how these five men died.

"The Pakistani billionaire should have never allowed his son aboard; that's inexcusable!"

"Those people must have been idiots!"

"Who rides a tin can to the bottom of the ocean anyway?"

Such comments range from relatively cautious to obtuse & insensitive.

"Damn rich people spending all this money; they should have known better!"

"They got what they deserve."

You may disagree, but were the Titan passengers given the opportunity to trade the life they lived with that of a typical American, I suspect none would take it.

Seconds before they died, these five men were living in the truest sense of the word, and they died a nearly instantaneous death.

Meanwhile, half of us are waiting around to die a slow, miserable death from a preventable disease that will have robbed us of the ability to live our final years meaningfully.

Call me crazy, but I'll take the former option any day.

Godspeed, gentlemen.

Your lives will serve as an inspiration to me. To remember that I, too, will die. To remember that I have a responsibility to live my life in a purposeful and meaningful way.

For that, I thank you.

May each of you rest in peace.