You are the universe, because every decision you make shapes the plastic universe. Every decision, from the subliminal thoughts you have to the way you hold your toothbrush shapes the ever changing universe.

You are the universe's way of experiencing itself. Even if one may die tomorrow/day after/70 years from now, you are a sentient being that experiences a small portion of the timeline of the Universe.

possibly irrelevant, but I will still quote Elon Musk here,
"...it's funny, the universe appears to be 13.8 billion years old.
Earth is like four and half billion years old.
You know, in another half billion years or so, the sun will expand and probably evaporate the oceans and make life impossible on earth.
Which means that if it had taken consciousness 10% longer to evolve, it would never have evolved at all.
Just 10% longer. And I wonder, I wonder how many dead one planet civilizations there are, out there in the cosmos.
That never made it to the other planet and ultimately extinguish themselves or destroyed by external factors..."

I can perceive that I am dedicating my life to a goal. I can perceive that I have a plan to achieve that goal, I perceive following that plan to achieve that goal, and finally I can perceive accomplishing that goal. Whenever this sequence of events takes place, whether it is for a lifetime ( long term purpose) or for a moment, ( a short term purpose), an accurate purpose of my life existed, at least uniquely in my mind. — A Ree Zen

It is important to find meaning in one's life. Whether that is through religion/knowledge/hobbies, a life with a goal (short term/long term) provides direction in this rocky ship we call life.

it truly doesn't exist outside of being a concept, as the dead would be and stay dead forever — Augustusea

This reminds me of a quote,
“There are three deaths. The first is when the body ceases to function. The second is when the body is consigned to the grave. The third is that moment, sometime in the future, when your name is spoken for the last time.”

― David M. Eagleman

I have to agree with yours and @Outlander's points about honorable death.

the differences between one who lives to avoid death and one who dies to avoid life are infinitesimal at best — Outlander

What differences are you referring to? I really like this quote.

last I checked I was still alive so it's clearly a biased answer. — Outlander

Yes, I can see why you'd say that. The dead do not speak, and hence their argument is unheard.