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Afraid of death

I find that most people who claim to not be afraid of death have dishonest concept of death and are consciously fooling themselves, you can't claim to not be afraid of my concept of death if you have a diffirent one, and we are not even having a conversation about the same thing.

Your way or the no way. Think you missed a few points about active discussion. It is not to prove a point, but to further knowledge, not thump the table and yell because one doesn't like the fact that they served peas instead of artichokes.
 
Hello @Ovan. I use to worry a lot about the future. I lived with anxiety and depression for many years. I am more than 3 times your age and never once actually worried or stressed over death. When I was your age, I was so busy living I thought I would never see thirty. When that arrived I thought it might be 50.

Well obviously that came and went. The thing is, if you are actually living there is little time to think about dying. I will be 76 in July and I have been near death three times in the last 10 years, two of those in the last three. That first one happened in hospital, recovering from a botched surgery. I had a TIA and was pronounced unresponsive, yet I am still here. The other two happened by way of seizures, the first of those while I was driving at 75 miles an hour on two lane blacktop. That should have killed me, as should the second which happened a mere 5 months later. I am still here!

I have always been too interested in what things or experiences may come my way to dwell on the end of everything. I have outlived my parents and all but one of my siblings and I am not so sure about him as we have not had any contact for over thirty years.

If you are constantly dwelling on the end, you never really start living and enjoying all the life around you. I used to pray for death when I was young while still doing my utmost to avoid it. Then I actually got out and started playing with the cards I was dealt and found ways to enjoy many things.

Now, at my age and with what I have been through you would think I am ready to move on, but that is not the case. I am still more worried about what I might miss if I were to die than the actual event. Perhaps that is all it takes!
 
I have always had an Anxiety Disorder and struggled with several fears over the course of time. Not death per se, but things like storms/tornados, crime, flying (which sucked because I was in the Air Force at the time :D ). But I noticed that even if you overcome a fear in one area, anxiety will find something new to worry about. Things improved when I sought some help and started getting treatment for the anxiety. Not perfect, but definitely much better.
 
I use to worry about everything. I was so busy worrying death didn't even make it on the list. I think now l worry more about the people l will never see. I guess l can worry about a concept of death or l can worry about experiences with people l really cared about. To worry about a concept which is so steeped in folklore and history, and religion seems pointless to me. There is nothing wrong with educating ourself on death. Worry involves a feeling of what for you? Do you worry about your death? The time and place and how? My worry is more will l see my family member who is close to me before l pass? Will l ever see a long-term love who is dear to me. Will l survive the man who l will be living again with?

I think it's fine to think about death, but to worry about death? Nothing is resolved by the act of worrying. Perhaps you could humor us by breaking down your deepest darkest fears of death so that you can understand why you worry.
 
Faith is not a thing with feathers for everyone. It is a phenomenon unique to the individual to be defined by the individual. For billions world wide, it is one of their greatest strengths and/or comforts when facing death.

There are those who greet fear, acknowledge it, and make peace with it. But making peace with fear does not negate the fact that the fear was felt and comprehended. Just that one more step was taken.
 
I find that most people who claim to not be afraid of death have dishonest concept of death and are consciously fooling themselves, you can't claim to not be afraid of my concept of death if you have a diffirent one, and we are not even having a conversation about the same thing.

Woody Allen: 'I'm not afraid of death; I just don't want to be there when it happens.'

Right now. I can honestly say I do not fear death. Fear is a state that is easily recognizable and distinct. I don't think about it , hardly ever, either. Okay, I'll think about it now. Thinking...Thinking...Thinking.... I mean it's sad, morbid, not very pleasant....but No emotion is generated. It's a nothing. A nada. Everything Dies. Everything that lives dies. This is natural and normal and it would be nonsensical to take issue with. To me it's a complete non issue. Only as a reminder to make good choices and conduct ourselves, how we want to live our lives. As a reminder that, Life is precarious. Doesn't matter what your concept is; optimistic/pessimistic/neutral (if that's possible???). Ultimately that's irrelevant, clearly it's not beneficial though, to be depressed and preoccupied with death, EVERY DAY. Not to you, or anybody else.
 
Honestly, I don't understand why most people choose to live every day. Even I don't understand why I keep doing it. The world is such a hot soupy mess with no hope whatsoever, and people hate every waking moment of it.
But with all the mass shootings lately, it looks like more people want to end *other* people's lives instead.
 
So, it is going to be just like it was before I was born. What is scary about that? While it is inevitable, I do not fear death, but have a healthy respect for my life as I have taken the time to develop the skills necessary to enjoy inherently risky activities.
 
I just want to get, by every inflection point on my statistical analysis of how long us humans live.
weird my stroke happened I passed through the 3rd standard deviation. Curious to see if I pass through the second. If I do not will not know it. If I do should be a nice birthday.
 

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I lost my Mom 20 years ago to breast cancer.
As family members, we all rallied around her as her doctor and her made a decision to put her into a coma in order to try a different approach.
We all said our goodbyes to her because we were all aware that she might not make it even with the attempt that turned out to be her last.
My pink warrior fought a valiant 7 year battle with it but never gave up hope, so we honored her decision based on how hard she fought.

She was put under on a Monday and we all stayed around the clock up until Wednesday when it appeared that she was on a rally to pull thru.
As a family, my other members were rejoicing that she was on a turn-around and decided that after sleeping in chairs that a trip home was in order. We stopped along the way to have a dinner together and a slight amount of celebration.
In the back of my mind, I knew that she wasn't on a rally to return to her mortal life, but had made peace with her maker and was ready to take her next step.
Thursday she went downhill really fast. By Friday, her medical team had admitted defeat.
On Friday afternoon, my family piled in cars to be by her side during her final moments.
I chose to stay behind to watch over the nieces and nephews with my girlfriend and her son.
We took them to Mingo Creek park and went to the pavilion where I had been formerly married which was one of the happiest days of my Mom's life.
I had already said my final goodbyes the day before and knew in my heart that what I did was very likely approved of by her.
She never knew what it was about me that made me different, but on the other hand, as her child, she embraced what it was that made me special.

At age 59, I was understandably concerned about my own morbidity but still not in fear if it because Mom passed at 60.
What? Am I next?
The day I turned 60, a wave of relief came over me because I passed her milestone.

In a nutshell, to fret over your own demise will likely bring it about sooner ;)
 
I was there when my Grandpa passed. He wasn't ill, just very ready to go. It was pretty easy to guess what he saw because he smiled and was gone. No hesitation. It was grace.
 
I’m not afraid of death. The process of dying has some possibility of being unpleasant, and I don’t like to think about the inevitable death of my loved ones, but death itself doesn’t scare me.

I can’t recall ever having been afraid of death. Working in healthcare and having to deal with death a lot definitely makes death even less scary to me. I have seen many people for whom death is release from pain and suffering, in the end. Death can be wholesome, even, bringing people together. So no, I don’t fear it.
 
Does anyone else feel scared of death almost everyday? How does a normal person go about life whilst not full of anxiety and sadness everyday about the fact we are all going to die? I don't understand how anyone can function knowing this.

Perhaps it may be an age thing,...not sure,...but I think I have become a bit more philosophical about it, in general. Keep in mind,...right now,...I'm too busy and have too many goals to be even thinking about death.:D As you get older, more and more people around you die,...sure, it crosses your mind. If you have children,...it crosses your mind,...people create Wills or other legal documents for the "just in case" scenario. However, you just cannot go about your day thinking on it. Now, if you truly have a terminal diagnosis and you have a "bucket list" of things you want to do and see,...I am sure death is more on your mind. I just think most people just move forward in life without it ever crossing their minds,...at least until they become quite elderly or ill.

Life is short,...so don't waste your mental energy thinking on it. Get out there and live your life to it's fullest. Most people would rather not go to a solemn funeral,...but would rather go to a "celebration of life". So,...make an impact on the people around you,...make them remember you,...LIVE.;)
 
the older you get the more frequent it gets, lost my parents, her parents, a significant number of our aunts and uncles, a few friends and a brother.
 
I fear it a lot. I fear it so much that if I think about it too much, it will cause panic. I know it's inevitable, and that's part of the problem. It's like seeing a train coming towards you and there's not one thing you can do about it. I'm a pastor's kid as well, so the ingrained fear of death without faith is strong. I'm not religious anymore, but I also fear being wrong.
 
Honestly, I hope to go all used up, like Hunter Thompson opined: "Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!"

Likely I will get that wish. I want to go like my Uncle who was the cleverest Jack of All Trades, I've ever seen, but who lived life to the fullest despite constant pain from injuries. He was a Teamster and would say: "God bless America and Jimmy Hoffa." Who, like his wife, my Aunt, went out on their own terms.
 
Not afraid. I know the score. The why of it and that it won't be forever. I trust in the Bible. As such I walk life unafraid. At peace.

Death is another part of life. One we all must take. Gandalf.
 

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