I think his comments appeal more to someone who doesn't believe there is anything to look forward to after death. So whatever you really want to do, you better do it before you die.

Thinking about life in the context of a certainty of death is something I started doing after I lived with my grandmom for a couple months as she struggled unsuccessfully with cancer. And I agree with him that it helps you clear out the superficiality that arises when you see life through a short sighted lens.

Other than what the two of you have said, I find an element of exposure in his speech. We feel vulnerable in the face of imminent death. Death exposes us.

 “All external expectations all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart”. Steve Jobs, 2005

 Death drags us out of our ‘self-importance’ cocoon which we built around us to protect and defend our ego. It makes us realize that we are nothing and there is nothing we can do about it. The ‘me’ begins to fade away and the ‘us’ starts to take precedence. We wish and hope for immortality through others.