Dying in Pieces, part 2

I didn't expect to make another post with the same name so soon.

Earlier today I learned my father is suffering cognitive decline. He builds houses and hires a lot of sub-contractors, and apparently now he will sometimes get confused, and order or approve work he didn't really want or need. He won't remember doing it later, and will get upset about it.

I fear for him. He's proud, and he's never taken advice well. As this continues, it will become easy for evil people to take advantage of his growing confusion, and he won't accept help lightly.

I really despise myself, for not having a better relationship with him. He was hard to have a relationship with as a kid, he was very authoritarian and stereotypically reserved. As I grew older and lost my Polish proficiency, the language barrier became a problem. Now it's hard to relate, there is such a gulf between us. I know it's not too late yet, but I fear I won't cross it before his mind really starts to fragment. I've never known my dad, and maybe I never will.

I'm also afraid for myself, which is selfish, but there it is. He's about 25 years older than me. That's a lot of time, but it's also not a lot of time. If I quit accounting and focus on writing, that's time to get out 25 books or so. I've been a rationalist for 12 years... I have twice as much time left in the movement as I've already put in, to help create something greater, and I don't know if that's enough. I've done so little in the past 12. Anti-aging tech hasn't come far enough in my lifetime that I can say with confidence it'll reach a place that can prevent my own brain decline within 25 years.

I hate that I've destroyed every relationship I've had that would've afforded me someone's shoulder to cry on tonight.

Maybe I've got more of my mom's genes. Maybe he's just extraordinarily unlucky. Maybe it isn't as bad as I'm thinking it is... I haven't noticed any changes in our interactions, personally. But would I, seeing as I don't even know him that well?

He's done well for himself, and for us. He came to a foreign country with almost nothing, and is now very comfortable. I can't complain. It feels so unjust this should happen to him now, after he's finally done all the work and gotten to the restful part of life. I want to say it's not fair, but that's stupid and childish, nothing is fair. But... fuck. Fuck death, and fuck aging. I feel I have failed utterly, and I didn't realize this was the test. Now it's too late to go back and study.