Your Death......

[Jethro!]

This may be a fairly macabre topic but one that I find interesting.
Recently I have been ruminating quite a lot on my own death and, death in general.
More specifically the process of dying and how I will react. Firstly fighting for those last few breaths, feeling your body shut down. The experience of knowing you are going to lose consciousness one last time and then it's all over, will I be in panic or at peace?
How will I go? For some, death is the most faithful mistress. The only one that can promise an eternal end to pain. I hopefully get to live for quite a few decades yet but am unsure if I would want to know a time frame or not.

What is your relationship with death? How do you think you will go? How long do you think you will live? Do you think about the process of dying? Do you think there's anything after? Would you like to know when your time is up?

 

[Octavia]

I would hate to know when my times up. I think we all just hope it happens as quick and as smooth as possible. In relation to afterlife no I don't believe it, we are all just a minute cog in the scheme of things.

 

[rayven]

There's some people who deal with past life trauma. If their not loopy, I suppose that answers most of your questions.

 

[A Swallow]

I think about death quite a lot. Probably too much. I tend to wonder the impact I will have had on people around me when I go though, as opposed to what will happen to me personally. How I will be remembered, that sort of thing. I think it's healthy to consider it now and then (probably not as often as I do though), keeps things in perspective and makes you want to be a better person.
As for what will happen in my final moments, well I would like to think that the way I live my life will make me feel "ready", if that's at all possible. I am definitely someone who works hard and is dedicated to whatever it is I'm doing, but I'm also the one always f*cking around and being happy in spite of any bullshit going on in life - trying to make others happy, so I'd like to think that this attitude will make me comfortable if I know my time is almost up.

 

[timtamWB]

Being suicidal and almost offing myself, I already went through my rough patch with death Now I tend not to think about it at all. I'm one of those guys that wants to go painlessly in my sleep with my friends and family around me.

 

[Zach Package]

never really contemplated it until Jim Stynes brought it up.

went to his Reach foundation on a school excursion, was a really bizarre day. made us close our eyes and picture our own funerals, some of the girls cried. I was just really perplexed by the whole thing.

outside of that, genuinely one of the nicest people i've met that are in the public sphere, had time for absolutely everyone

 

[Catfish Alley]

I'm fairly sure I'll go from a big heart attack. My pop and my uncle both passed away that way and my Dad recently had a heart attack himself. I'm still pretty young (early 30s) but I probably should start doing more to combat it. I'm ok with going that way. A sharp pain and then nothing. There are a lot worse ways to go.

I hope I live to a good age but I don't think I'd want to be in my 90s and really frail without enjoying life. I'd be happy live to the average of 77 or whatever it is. I'm fairly certain that I'll go before my wife. I simply hope to have lived a fulfilling life and I hope to give my wife and son the best that they deserve.

 

[YearOfTheDog]

It's something I think about everyday. I'm 30 and a few years ago my Dad died from throat cancer. It obviously had a huge impact on me and my family and now I'm furiously checking for lumps and bumps, thinking it's cancer, etc. It's no way to live and I certainly have anxiety about it.

The advantage of all this is that I live my life now so differently and appreciate every small thing. I also try to be a great person and nice to everybody because at the end of the day, you don't take any money or possessions with you, you just leave people with their memories of you.

 

[Silent Alarm]

went to his Reach foundation on a school excursion, was a really bizarre day. made us close our eyes and picture our own funerals, some of the girls cried. I was just really perplexed by the whole thing.

That's a pretty odd thing to do to a bunch of school kids.

I used to think about death a lot, then I just think I overthought the topic. It's not particularly interesting once you spend every day, for a few months, coming to terms with finality and the act of dying. I think I'll get to a certain point where, if I've seen the people I care about die and have experienced a lot, I'll see not much point in continuing to live – I might actually become really curious about death and almost want to experience that, just as another thing I've felt and done.

The most emotional thing for me is realising that your family and the people you love are just here for the same 40-odd years as you. It's not long. They're both good people and I'll just miss talking to them a lot.

 

[SugarShane]

I think about death a lot. I think it's because all my life i've never been used to being happy, there always seemed to be something around the corner to chop it down. Sort of an "if it's too good to be true it probably is," kind of thing. These days i'm super happy. Got a house, a good job, the perfect wife. Every time i think about how lucky i am, i invariably move on to death. What if my wife dies? What if I die? It's always in the back of my mind for some reason.

As for how i'll go? My money's on car crash. Other than that, my mum has had a variety of ailments; heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer. One of those will kill me if a car crash doesn't.

 

[I bleed Blue]

I think about death a lot. I think it's because all my life i've never been used to being happy, there always seemed to be something around the corner to chop it down. Sort of an "if it's too good to be true it probably is," kind of thing. These days i'm super happy. Got a house, a good job, the perfect wife. Every time i think about how lucky i am, i invariably move on to death. What if my wife dies? What if I die? It's always in the back of my mind for some reason.

As for how i'll go? My money's on car crash. Other than that, my mum has had a variety of ailments; heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer. One of those will kill me if a car crash doesn't.

For some reason I have always felt like I will die young. A car crash or some unexpected accident. I don't have a fear of driving or even a fear of dying, that is just a feeling I get.

Maybe I think I will die young because I have always struggled to picture my future. I have never been good at picturing my self in 20 years time, even in 3 years time I have no idea where I will be.

I hope to live a long happy life, but if I die suddenly I wouldn't have to worry about my impending death. My only worry about dying is how upset my family and friends would be.

 

[SugarShane]

I hope to live a long happy life, but if I die suddenly I wouldn't have to worry about my impending death. My only worry about dying is how upset my family and friends would be.

Same here. I hope it's sudden and unexpected. If i die tomorrow, it'll suck for my family and friends, but shit, i've done plenty already. There's more i want to do but i wouldn't be upset at what i've done so far. The only thing that would really piss me off is not being able to see what the next Star Wars film is like.

 

[A Swallow]

For some reason I have always felt like I will die young. A car crash or some unexpected accident. I don't have a fear of driving or even a fear of dying, that is just a feeling I get.

Maybe I think I will die young because I have always struggled to picture my future. I have never been good at picturing my self in 20 years time, even in 3 years time I have no idea where I will be.

I hope to live a long happy life, but if I die suddenly I wouldn't have to worry about my impending death. My only worry about dying is how upset my family and friends would be.

I've always felt I'll die young. I have no idea why. I've got a lot going on in my life and I'm nearly always happy so it wouldn't make much sense, but I've just always had that feeling. Strange.

 

[FootyJunkie]

Freeze me like Demolition Man, Ripley and Austin Powers and thaw me out later when you figured out how.

These days baby, you got to have the sequel.

 

[Gough]

I want to die as I came into this world, wet and naked.

 

[Catfish Alley]

I want to die as I came into this world, wet and naked.

That's kinda like the old, "I want to die peacefully in my sleep. Not screaming and horrified like the passengers in my car".

 

[blueboy25]

Never really thought about it but I will probably go from a viagra overdose when I am 85 surrounded by 3 or 4 playboy playmates

 

[Rooz90]

i wouldnt care when i died, i havent achieved accomplished anything in my life, nor do i think i will

 

[Tulip]

i wouldnt care when i died, i havent achieved accomplished anything in my life, nor do i think i will

FD??

 

[The_Reaper]

What ever age my old man makes take 5.

Will be some life style related death.

 

[woopedazz]

This may be a fairly macabre topic but one that I find interesting.
Recently I have been ruminating quite a lot on my own death and, death in general.
More specifically the process of dying and how I will react. Firstly fighting for those last few breaths, feeling your body shut down. The experience of knowing you are going to lose consciousness one last time and then it's all over, will I be in panic or at peace?
How will I go? For some, death is the most faithful mistress. The only one that can promise an eternal end to pain. I hopefully get to live for quite a few decades yet but am unsure if I would want to know a time frame or not.

What is your relationship with death? How do you think you will go? How long do you think you will live? Do you think about the process of dying? Do you think there's anything after? Would you like to know when your time is up?

Not sure if what I say will make you feel better or worse, but people who are dying generally don't realise they're coming to the end. I've seen my fair share and most of the time when you are too sick to live you are too sick to think straight. Some exceptions are younger people after trauma/burns/infection and whatnot, but even these guys are pretty much 100% out of it by the time they draw their final breath, the transition between alive, realising impending doom may not be far away and confused panic just happens closer to the event.

Death isn't something that occurs to your body while your mind is philosophising about the afterlife and whether or not you believe in it. When whatever organ is failing decides to kill you and you go in to your choice of shock your brain isn't normally doing very well in itself. Either there isn't enough blood to go around and you are drowsy and passing out; or your lungs are shutting down and your brain is running on bread and water; or your kidneys/liver/everything are kicking up a kerfuffle and you're delirious anyway; or your CNS is ravaged by dementia and you couldn't even tell me what day of the week it is let alone worry about death in any form deeper than an eternal drive willing you on from somewhere beyond the veil of confusion you have found yourself draped in.

Whatever the event people tend to die without the foggiest idea of what is going on (when they are really close to the end). Only that they don't want to die. The most peaceful and elderly religious gentleman who has decided to go in peace might do so with relative control, but he probably will start gasping for breath and grip on to your hand for dear life when he approaches the end, even if he is unaware of his actions. A young girl might be struggling for air begging for her mother as some infection in the third world slowly suffocates her, or she might be just lying there gasping horribly, but relatively peaceful until finally her lungs let her give up and rest.

No amount of planning or philosophising or fear or contentedness will really be of use when your brain goes in to primal mode and greedily sucks at that last bit of air. Take comfort form the fact that when you are sick you either get better or you get confused - you don't often die "awake and alert."

Death is not always a bad thing. Sometimes it's just what is going to happen and it happens and that's that. Sometimes it's a bit of a shock and then it happens and that's that. Sometimes it is quite a happy time when the family can finally say goodbye and stop seeing their loved one in pain, sometimes it's just a few palliative care doctors at the end of some forgotten guys bed, sometimes its an army of doctors and nurses fighting for a patient who succumbs in the end.

Not good, not bad, just happens.

Personally I am petrified of it still.

 

[BILC]

For anyone with a spare hour, this is one of the best documentaries I've seen.

 

[Caesar]

Never really understood people being interested in, much less afraid of, their own death. It doesn't affect you in the slightest, because you don't have to live with the consequences.

 

[Jethro!]

I might actually become really curious about death and almost want to experience that, just as another thing I've felt and done.

I think this is where I am at the moment. Wanting to experience the process of death to know what it will be like when I die. Obviously not possible....
I had a cousin come back from death due to an ectopic pregnancy. Given it was obviously very traumatic for her I've been a bit cautious to ask what her brief experience of death was like.

 

[Jethro!]

Not sure if what I say will make you feel better or worse, but people who are dying generally don't realise they're coming to the end. I've seen my fair share and most of the time when you are too sick to live you are too sick to think straight. Some exceptions are younger people after trauma/burns/infection and whatnot, but even these guys are pretty much 100% out of it by the time they draw their final breath, the transition between alive, realising impending doom may not be far away and confused panic just happens closer to the event.

Death isn't something that occurs to your body while your mind is philosophising about the afterlife and whether or not you believe in it. When whatever organ is failing decides to kill you and you go in to your choice of shock your brain isn't normally doing very well in itself. Either there isn't enough blood to go around and you are drowsy and passing out; or your lungs are shutting down and your brain is running on bread and water; or your kidneys/liver/everything are kicking up a kerfuffle and you're delirious anyway; or your CNS is ravaged by dementia and you couldn't even tell me what day of the week it is let alone worry about death in any form deeper than an eternal drive willing you on from somewhere beyond the veil of confusion you have found yourself draped in.

Whatever the event people tend to die without the foggiest idea of what is going on (when they are really close to the end). Only that they don't want to die. The most peaceful and elderly religious gentleman who has decided to go in peace might do so with relative control, but he probably will start gasping for breath and grip on to your hand for dear life when he approaches the end, even if he is unaware of his actions. A young girl might be struggling for air begging for her mother as some infection in the third world slowly suffocates her, or she might be just lying there gasping horribly, but relatively peaceful until finally her lungs let her give up and rest.

No amount of planning or philosophising or fear or contentedness will really be of use when your brain goes in to primal mode and greedily sucks at that last bit of air. Take comfort form the fact that when you are sick you either get better or you get confused - you don't often die "awake and alert."

Death is not always a bad thing. Sometimes it's just what is going to happen and it happens and that's that. Sometimes it's a bit of a shock and then it happens and that's that. Sometimes it is quite a happy time when the family can finally say goodbye and stop seeing their loved one in pain, sometimes it's just a few palliative care doctors at the end of some forgotten guys bed, sometimes its an army of doctors and nurses fighting for a patient who succumbs in the end.

Not good, not bad, just happens.

Personally I am petrified of it still.

I agree that once you get to the absolute final stages the cortical levels of your brain are probably overwhelmed and you'd go into a dissociative state, but it's obviously a question no-one can completely answer. I don't think there is such thing as a 'peaceful' death. Dying is loud, people make all kinds of horrendous noises, I'm curious what, if anything, they are experiencing or thinking in those moments.
I am under no illusions that I will most likely leave this Earth having had zero impact and be forgotten within 2 generations at best and I'm okay with that.