The Bet, by Anton Chekhov
...estion. Which is worse, having to die and doing it in minutes, or having to die and doing it in years? The young man takes up a bet with a fellow banker stating that if he could live in solitude for 15 years, the banker would give him 2 million dollars. Those long 15 years are filled with depression, loneliness, and despair; but as the years wore on, the man made use of what little resources he had. He read volumes upon volumes of books, encyclopedias, poems and music. He taught himself to play the piano until he mastered the art and challenged himself to learn several new languages. He soon spoke six fluent languages. In the end on the very last day of his confinement, he escaped, freeing the banker of his debt and was never seen again. Over the course of those 15 years, the hostage learned so much for he had nothing else to do. In his own way he lived those years fuller than most. He was not really confined or locked up for 15 years; he just lived abnormally. He was allowed books and music, and he was allowed to exercise his capacity to learn. This was reality, it was an era of his life, and so he made the best of it. He decided that this whole learning experience was not for money or vengeance, it was a blessing in fate, one big learning experience that makes...