Anyone who has read Tony Judt’s essays in the NY Review about living with advanced ALS, unable to even scratch an itch, would not even think of choosing 100 years of misery. It was clear that he was just praying for it to end. Fantastically beautiful essays, now in book form: http://www.amazon.com/Memory-Chalet-Tony-Judt/dp/1594202893
Happiness wins out over time in my book.