Are you afraid of dying ?

[Gillianren]

My apologies, I've said this before. We will probably all die. But our children may not. And our children's children almost certainly will not.

I really don't think this is true. In fact, I really don't think this is possible.

[danscope]

Why worry about our passing. Life truly is a gift we shall appreciate , share and when it is time, we shall step aside
as others press on. Our grace in living will be a remembrance to those after us. It is enough and we shall be content.

It is the way of things.

[tnjrp]

I really don't think this is true. In fact, I really don't think this is possible.

Indeed as I often say, in this universe much given to entropy, dark energy and whathavewe true immortality is (almost) certainly just a pipedream.

[HenrikOlsen]

My apologies, I've said this before. We will probably all die. But our children may not. And our children's children almost certainly will not.
Keep up that medical research.

You're not been keeping up with medical research if that's what you think. The low hanging fruit's been picked and the rate of new successful drugs have been dropping steadily for the last half century, with the total cost for developing each rising steadily as well.

ETA: Counting money used on researching drugs that fail, which is necessary to get the true cost of finding a new successful drug, the prize is on average 8 billion dollars and rising. Fast.

If this goes on, your grand children may live forever, but with dementia which is still untreatable.

[danscope]

Do we wonder at the costs of drugs ....what with the extraordinary amount of totaly useless advertising on television and radio and magazines. I surmise that it just lines the pockets of some people at our severe expense.

[R.A.F.]

...your grand children may live forever, but with dementia which is still untreatable.

That would be a living hell I most definitely would fear.

[HenrikOlsen]

Do we wonder at the costs of drugs ....what with the extraordinary amount of totaly useless advertising on television and radio and magazines. I surmise that it just lines the pockets of some people at our severe expense.

That's the cost of research including trials, not of marketing.

[megrfl]

Tuesday, March 20, 2012 was my Dad's 69th birthday! Tuesday, March 20, 2012 his 97 yr. old mother died.

Spring - birth - death. In a way, it is lovely, in a way, it is not.


I've been so sick, that I've wanted to die. I've been so happy/healthy, that I never wanted to die. Things change rapidly.

I know that when I am dying, literally dying, I'll want to die.

For now, I'm trying, that's all I can do.



"Death is but a door. Time is but a window. I'll be back." ~ Ghostbusters II

[mfumbesi]

......
I used to have this fantasy that at the age of 95 I would be shot to death by the jealous husband of a 20-yo. By mistake.

You, me and half of the male population share this fantasy.

[HenrikOlsen]

Except in my fantasy it's not by mistake.

[SeanF]

You, me and half of the male population share this fantasy.

Only half?

[Argos]

Ask and ye shall receive. Just click on the link.

LIKE

Cool, hehe.

[Argos]

That is only one "side of the coin". There will be lots of un-cool stuff happening too, and I don't regret missing any of that.

Well, yeah, you have a point.

[Swift]

A little bit of a derail...

Since this thread started, I've had a tickle in my brain about some appropriate quote having to do with busy living and busy dying, but I couldn't put it together. I finally did, from The Shawshank Redemption:

Andy Dufresne: Get busy living, or get busy dying.

[Tog]

I think it was actually Red that said it first.

[mike alexander]

I thought Red said, "Keep your stick on the ice."

[LaurelHS]

Quando omni flunkus moritati.

[Gillianren]

I think it was actually Red that said it first.

Yup. And then Andy repeated it after [major event in the story] to let him know that he was moving on with his life.

[danscope]

Borrowed and inspired by Bob Dylan .... " It's alright, Ma " .

" He that's not busy being born is busy dying. "

[swampyankee]

Only half?

The other half is doing the shooting.

[DonM435]

"Die? That is the last thing I shall do!"

[SkepticJ]

I really don't think this is true. In fact, I really don't think this is possible.

"Forever and ever" immortality, maybe not*. But this universe is, so far as we know, going to last forever--though eventually it'll be matter-less and with a locally uniform distribution of photons. For many billions of trillions of years, for as long as there are energy gradients and matter to make things with, life can exist.

*I'm not brave enough to say impossible. Theoretical physics suggests that it's possible to create other universes using particle accelerators. If it's possible to not only do this, but somehow transfer information from our universe down into them, and repeat the process in the new universe, over and over again, down, down, down, forever, then what is this, but immortality? This may not be possible, but it's way too early to dismiss it. We simply don't know.

As to the OP: no, not really. There was a time before I existed, and there will be a time after I'm gone. What's so scary about that? I'd like to live forever, being alive is pretty cool, but I may have been born too early for this. If so, when the Grim Reaper comes, I'll kindly salute him with my middle finger and cease metabolic processes.

[profloater]

As Woody said, I have no trouble about Dying I just don't don't want to be there when it happens.
However it does now colour my thoughts a lot of the time but I find not in a depressing way, it's more about the bucket list and trying to keep in contact with friends, not assuming they will always be there. Some of them are not there.

[Inclusa]

Probably I will refuse to commend YET; of course we can challenge aging, not to extend life span, but to promote quality of life.
I would say: To do researches on both regeneration medicines and body mechanics; if one day the mechanical body is superior to the biological body both in durability and functions, keeping the biological body seems beyond the point.

[Gillianren]

I went to a funeral today. The memorial service for an old teacher. If I can inspire half the wonderful memories Dave Hitchens did, that's enough.

[P Timmy]

Yes, I am extremely afraid of death; it is almost certainly my single greatest fear. It is the no-longer-existing that scares me the most. I have spent untold nights awake about it since I was in my early teens.

What do you imagine the worst thing about "no-longer-existing" could be.???

[profloater]

I agree it is hard to properly imagine the "completeness" of no longer existing even though sleep comes very close so we do get to know the absence of feeling etc. And while it is easy to talk about it, coming to terms is hard work. The wish for continuation underlies so many superstitions and religions which turn the fear of death into life dogmas. Surely the best plan is to be clear about what you want to do while you can.

[Noclevername]

Dying is the thing I am most afraid of. In a sense it's the only thing I'm afraid of. I've endured physical and emotional pain and mental illness, but when I started having suicidal urges it was the most frightening time in my life.

Death has taken away far too many friends, relatives and loved ones, and it's always there waiting for me and everyone else I know. I hate it and I wish it would go away.

[cran]

I can echo much of what has been said here already. Having come close to dying (the old "clinically dead" call) three times in my 50 plus years, I believe I can face the inevitable without fear - preferably, without pain.

My father died on December 31, 2011, peacefully and in the end willingly because his quality of life had deteriorated to complete dependence upon machines and nursing staff.

My mother died on March 10, 2012 - I've just returned home from the funeral and sorting out her personal effects. In her last conversation with me, only hours before the end, she said, "I am afraid of dying, but I do not want to continue living like this." She died in the same way, and from the same body-wasting cancer, as my Dad.

I hope to remember them as they were - when life filled them and laughter a part of their daily routine, and death was little more than an intellectual exercise; something we all knew was coming, but which was not yet on the horizon.

[banquo's_bumble_puppy]

yes and no....curious about what comes after though....hopefully I'll get a do-over...