The story

Alan Alda almost died in 2003. He was in a remote area of Chile, doing an episode of "Scientific American Frontiers," and he developed an intestinal obstruction that came within hours of killing him. It was his good fortune that he survived the whole ordeal.

Some time later, after he'd returned to the United States and resumed his acting career, he started digging through his house for old speeches and memorabilia. Decades ago, the existentialist philosophers brooded about life's meaninglessness; Alda wanted to find some meaning.

"As a lot of people do who are given a second chance at life, I find myself thinking about things like this," he says in a phone interview from New York. "I notice a lot of people who go through that have a few more questions than they had before about their lives." Read full article »

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