Why people tend to look back when they are close to death?

[Someone here]

Recently I came upon several memoirs  that were written by people who had terminal (or potentially terminal) illnesses. This made me think "why people tend to look back when they are close to death?". And the real question rose when I thought about it from another perspective; Why people wait till death without looking back when they have enough of their lifetimes to become better (well, if necessary)?

We seem to need some kind of nudge to push us into that kind of introspection

Why is that? 

[Tyler Robinson]

Because it's the only time when you can actually look back. 

All other times life wantonly  keeps you busy.

 

[Breakingthewall]

the same thing happens to old people. they have spent their lives looking to the future, and when they see that they have no future they look to the past. anything but staying in the present, since for the ego the present does not exist. for the ego only ideas exist, and past and future are ideas. 

the present is ungraspable by the mind, therefore, non-existent