Your Own Death

[arwalden]

Poll question: Your Own Death

Would you want to know in advance the exact date, time, and cause of your death? Or would you prefer it to be a surprise?

If you knew when you were going to die, would that motivate you to enjoy life to the fullest in the time you have remaining? Or that knowledge be so distressing that every one of your remaining days would be ruined because of worry and dread?

[Brucey]

1. What?

You mean I'm alive?

[prolesunited]

2. What?!

You mean I'm not immortal?

[REP]

3. I Already Know Approximately When

And no, it's not so distressing that my days are ruined. Most days.

[thom1102]

4. I think that I would like to know the year that I would die...

not the actual date and time. That way I could make sure I did all the important stuff before I go, but I am not living in dread, waiting for a specifc date and time. BTW, Oscar Wilde wasn't a bad looking guy, was he? That is Oscar, isn't it?

[arwalden]

12. Yes, That's Oscar Wilde. --- Interesting Compromise You Suggested...

... knowing only the YEAR might not be so dreadful... counting down the days, hours, and minutes.

But knowing the year would indeed allow you to do all the fun and important stuff.

AND... AND... you would know whether you should be SAVING LIKE CRAZY for your long life's retirement, or if you should crack open your little nest egg and spend it like crazy.

-- Allen

P.S. I watched the most interesting movie about Oscar Wilde the other week on Sundance. It starred Stephen Fry and Jude Law. He had an amazing life.

[Rowdyboy]

5. I don't think

I want to know....Every day here is Christmas anyway so I think I'll pass.

[HawkerHurricane]

6. I don't mind dying,

I just don't want to be there when it happens. - Woody Allen

I'm going to live forever or die in the attempt.

Death is nature's way of saying slow down.

[Tyler Durden]

8. It is impossible to experience one's own death objectively...

...and still carry a tune. another good one from Woody Allen

That guy's death phobia likely rivals mine, and that's saying something.

[catzies]

15. I plan to live forever.

So far, so good.

Every day above dirt is a good say, so says my 83 y/o boss.

Yes, if I knew when I was scheduled to shed this mortal coil, I would crack open the nest egg and spend my daughter's inheritance in South Florida with Raul my personal Cabana Boy fetching me daiquiris and rubbing me down. And no, it wouldn't boether me one bit knowing.

[MuseRider]

7. Having been through this

with so many people I don't want to know cause people don't always handle it well. A rough estimate would be nice so I could clean my closet but ya gotta try to live wonderfully everyday.

[soleft]

9. If I knew I was going to die?

Um, I think we're all going to die, aren'e we?

[Dead_Parrot]

10. That's ancient history...

I died 5 years ago (Death by Chocolate), never stopped me voting republican, though. But I don't get as many girls as I used to.

[Az]

11. Either that wallpaper goes

Or I do. - Oscar Wilde

Had to.

[AlienGirl]

13. I want to know!

I have a specific thing I need to do before I die, but it involves spending quite a bit of money, so if I'm not dying I don't feel I can justify the expense.

Tucker

[Richardo]

19. Now it's over I'm dead and I haven't done anything that I want or...

:D

[Richardo]

26. ...I'm still alive and there's nothing I want to do.

(Couldn't leave that hanging)

[TrogL]

14. I already know

There's two scenarios. Either:

• Freak car accident. Oncoming truck loses it load of 2" steel pipe which comes through the windshield.
  
• I lose my job and jump off a tall building.
  

[amazona]

16. it would be better to know for a number of reasons

It would certainly make financial planning infinitely easier. Greedy financial planners are telling people to plan as if they will live to be 90. Well, you are not likely to live to be 90, and if you do, based on the experience of the people I know who have money left at that age, it just means that the planner ends up stealing your money. Be that as it may, there is a real difference between dying at 17 (as one friend did) or 54 (as two friends did recently) or at 100 (as a relative did). If you know you are going to die young, you need not waste any time with retirement planning, 401(k)s etc. You can just backpack around the world and enjoy. I've always been haunted by a student at my university who was killed in an accident the day after he received his master's degree...he had never had the opportunity to live or enjoy at all...his entire life was devoted to being educated for a future that never came.

You are going to die whether you know the date or not, so I don't see how knowing the date is a bad thing. It can really make budgets and finance easier, that is for sure. I guess on the negative side, if you know you are going to live to be 100, you have to spend a lot more time trying to pile up stacks of money --- which the con artists will steal from you anyway when Alzheimer's and the rest kick in.

[Richardo]

17. "I'm going to allow you to choose how you are going to die, Mr Smart..."

Smart: How about old age?

One of my faves from "Get Smart". :D

[SOteric]

18. I looked death in the face in my teenage years.

He doesn't frighten me so much any more. But there is now the certain realisation that he comes for us all...sooner or later. I already live my life in the moment but for one or two oft-battled fears.

I wouldn't mind knowing the exact hour of my demise. I could wrap up the messy details of my life and plan for the people I most love to be there to support me and for us to comfort one another. (Providing it wasn't something gruesome and likely to kill us all). I could at least ensure that no quarrelsome words were left hanging between me and those I love. If you know you're going to die at noon today, maybe this is not the time to pick a fight about the toothpaste tube and fuss about depositing soiled towels in the hamper.

[CO Liberal]

20. "I'm Not Afraid of Death - I Just Don't Want to Be There When It Happens"

One of my favorite Woody Allen quotes.

[Shanty Oilish]

21. I'd want to know, definitely

To be in a state of awareness---state of grace---same thing by my reckoning. OTOH I already think about mortality every hour or so, and I'm not even sick. Life is sort of "on loan" and it's hard to forget a debt.

[Nikia]

22. I want to know

When I was a teenager, I feared my eventual death but believed that I was incapable of dying anytime in the near future. Now that I became an adult, I have begun to fear that I might die at any moment. I think that this fear began around the time of my wedding. My mom's brother's wife and a close friend of my dad's died within a week, both of sudden, severe heart attacks that killed them within minutes. I would be relieved if it were a long way off. If it were to be soon, I would want to do the things that I want to do before I die.

[BritishHuman]

23. Do not go gentle into that good night

rage, rage against the dying of the light.

I'd want to know, just to avoid it.

[SoCalDem]

24. I would like to know, so I could clean my house

Would not want people traipsing through my place and rummaging through my stuff.. I would like to personally give the things away..:)

and I would like to arrange my passing.. I do not want a funeral or memorial service, and I would like to make sure thaqt everyone I know, got a personal good-bye, so they would not feel the need for a "mass grieve-a-thon"..

[Vitruvius]

25. I'd like to know HOW even more than WHEN --

so I could get any medical treatment to avoid it or postpone it or -- if it's not of natural causes -- do what's necessary to avoid it...

[Rabrrrrrr]

27. By not knowing, we are hopefully compelled to live better

"Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die."

Live every day as though it were your last, and you will have no wasted moments.

[wyldwolf]

28. WOW! Did I missread THIS post..

...it was just above the "favorite pop star" thread and I read:

"Your Own Deathstar"!!

[HawkerHurricane]

29. I want my own Death Star!

Then, when my son hits 18, we could rule the Galaxy together! We can end this chaos and bring order!

[arwalden]

30. LOL! ROFLMAO!

I want one too!