Do you ever think about death, and what do you think about it?
Posted by Murky_Ad_1028@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 164 comments
I'm asking this to Ask UK because people have culturally very different responses to death, and I'm interested in what fellow Brits think.
I was recently in hospital and, while there was nothing seriously wrong with me, it made me think about death. I'm in my thirties, and to be honest the idea of death is pretty frightening to me. I'm not particularly fussed about what happens after death, spiritually or otherwise. I mean the knowledge of (a) being taken away from this life, and all the people you know, whether you like it or not, and (b) the fact that the majority of ways you could die are scary and painful, and it's upsetting to think of your final moments being filled with panic and pain.
What do you think? Do you think about death?
I'm interested to know what elderly people in particularly think of death, when you've had longer to face up to the reality of it, and when perhaps tiredness and aches and pains might make death seem more welcome?
thecasualwatcher@reddit
I'm scared of it. It scares me that we will go back to nothing, and Nothing being Forever this time. It makes my heart clench in fear just thinking about it.
I get panic attacks at night about it - but I just say out loud "We are not doing this right now" and just keep putting off the actual time to deal with it.
Neither_Process_7847@reddit
Just remember that you've already been nothing for the entire history of the universe until your birth - did it seem that bad at the time? We find meaning during the time that we have here, but at the end we will not be less than we already have been.
Tenstone@reddit
Yeah but before I existed I couldn’t be scared of my existence ending.
I_have_one_comment@reddit
No offence but this sentiment is beyond useless for people who feel that way. Not picking on you specifically
Neither_Process_7847@reddit
Helped me when I felt that way, so felt I'd share. But each to their own.
therealijc@reddit
I do this too. I have to get out of bed and literally shake my head then Go get a drink or something. I can watch a cartoon and it will dawn on me that eventually I won’t exist. Where do my thoughts go? My consciousness? My mind can’t fathom that it won’t be able to think.
Crack398@reddit
Well i used to be this way. I had a radical spiritual experience and persued Jesus. And realised that so long as you trust Jesus you will never die. You live forever.
therealijc@reddit
I’m a microbiologist. Religion is a no go for me. I’m always looking out for new physics discoveries int he hope there’s something on the other side of life
pennydogsmum@reddit
I'm not religious at all either and really liked this take on death.
SignificantIsopod797@reddit
Sorry, just wanted to add, is being a microbiologist the reason religion is a no go for you?
therealijc@reddit
I’ve never been religious. I’ve always been adamant there is not any god at all. There’s no evidence of it. But working in science just adds to the fact
SignificantIsopod797@reddit
That’s fair enough! I’m a scientist myself and I’ve always felt science and religion occupy different spheres. I can’t think of much in science that disproves the existence of a god. Thanks for your reply!
therealijc@reddit
You can’t prove a negative though can you? Science is nearly always evidence based. There’s no evidence of god
SignificantIsopod797@reddit
I would disagree with you and say there definitely is evidence for the existence of a god. There is also definitely evidence against the existence of a god.
SignificantIsopod797@reddit
I’ve been listening to Uncanny, it’s a really good podcast, well researched, with some very very strange experiences that definitely give hope
random_username_96@reddit
Yeah. I'm the same. It's comforting to know I'm not alone. I truly don't understand how blasé most people seem to be about it all. I've felt this way ever since I was a kid, I never grew out of it, and think about death regularly.
I'm not religious. I know that once I'm actually dead there will be nothing. And yet...the whole "well you don't remember anything before you were alive or when you're asleep, and death is just like that so it's fine" doesn't work on me. I didn't exist then, I wasn't capable of conscious thought, of acknowledging my own life and so the fact that one day I will not be here. So it is not the same. I do also get scared to fall asleep sometimes, in case I don't wake up.
It's almost like...the exact opposite of being suicidal I guess? I love being alive, I relish it. I love my life and the people in it, so much, and I don't want that to go away. Not any time soon, and not before I'm ready.
I am scared that I will not live to an old enough age at which I feel ready to go. I am scared that I will reach that age and still not feel ready - time speeds up every year, and everyone always talks about how short life is. I am scared that I will not live a life well lived, largely for reasons out-with my control - namely the fact our capitalistic society mandates spending most of our small, blip of time on this planet fucking...working? Because...money? What bullshit. What a waste.
So yeah. I get that at a certain point, death can feel like a relief. I don't want to suffer a prolonged death. And I get that, once I'm gone, I won't exist anymore and so I won't be able to care. But the me that exists right now? I cling to my existence, perhaps to an unhealthy degree.
Yorkshire_Roast@reddit
Awww sweety. My take on it is that we are what we leave behind. If we make some sort of impact on the world, even if it isn't huge, then we will never fade into "nothingness." Even the smallest actions can have the biggest impact. There are people who have improved my life, simply by the fact that they've said or done something that has resonated. This in turn, has inspired me to do other things and just be a better version of myself.
Booismental@reddit
This was me from the age of 7 when i first really learned about death all the way up to my mid twenties, when I lost my 3 year old son (he had a severe heart condition but it was a chest infection that caused complications). I would sit in my bed every night, thinking about death, about being nothing, but being aware, alone etc. I would imagine my body rotting too. The panic would surge until i leapt out of bed screaming my head off. This happened many times a week up until my teen years, it then became less often, usually 2 or 3 times a month. After my son was born and they didn't expect him to live more than a week I gradually found that living with the thought he could die at anytime strangely made me less scared. However, I still got the panics and if not screaming more jumping up suddenly. My husband (who had had a NDE) would try and comfort me - he told me he'd been there and that he didnt experience anything scary at all. But it was after my son died in my arms - we were in hospital, his last words were 'cuddle me mum' (I so did) and he smiled. At that moment I felt the presence of 2 beings - i dont know what they were and i couldn't really see them, the air where they were was just a bit sparkle-y, like tiny gold motes swirling. I felt surrounded by warmth and love. My son looked towards the 'things' and he smiled and closed his eyes. I turned to the monitor and saw his oxygen and heart rate decreasing, so i called to the nurse (we were right by the nurses station) and doctor and they took him and rushed him to resus. I couldn't go, I couldn't see them working on him. And part of me knew that he had already said goodbye. I ran to the loos sobbing my heart out a pleaded with whatever god or powers there might be to bring him back, but all the long i knew it was of no use.
40 minutes later the doctor came back. He was only a bit older than I was at the time. He was crying and he couldn't get the words out. I told him it was ok. I knew they'd tried everything.
After that I still got the same thoughts about death, but then i would think of my sons lack of fear. The feeling of love and warmth. And i think, if my baby could go through that and not be afraid then what right do I have. And it has helped me many times since then, whenever those fears threaten to resurface.
My husband died 9 years later. That was nearly 30 years ago now. I miss them both so much. Wherever they are I am happy to go to. But until its my time I have to stay here for my daughter and other loved ones.
Sorry for the novel, i hope it helps in some way.
BeanOnAJourney@reddit
100% the same. It absolutely terrifies me, the knowledge that i'm eventually going to be nothing for the rest of eternity. Even typing it is making my heart rate rise and my hands and feet tingle. I have to literally smack myself out of the spiral of panic sometimes and distract myself.
NegKDRatio@reddit
I think of what it was like before I was born. Death will be the same
TepacheLoco@reddit
And when you go to sleep and you're not dreaming! We deal with 'the void' pretty often
NewCoach0@reddit
Yeah, this is exactly what I think too. What did we remember from before birth? Nada. It's much more comforting to see it that way.
Vast-Relative-6016@reddit
I'm literally the same
Old_Introduction_395@reddit
I was 15 when my dad died from a heart attack. No prior warning.
I felt that once you acknowledge that everyone dies, it becomes easier to accept.
I had cancer aged 43, 19 years ago. I thought about death a lot.
It is the dying that is scary, not death.
MissingScore777@reddit
I believe death is the absolute end and is therefore the worst thing imaginable.
I believe no amount of pain or suffering is worse than death.
This opinion is very unpopular and I expect to get lots of downvotes and replies about how 'wrong' I am.
But this is my deepest and truest held belief. I can't change what I believe and feel on this matter.
SignificantIsopod797@reddit
I’m not trying to be a bible basher, and everyone in this thread who has ever raised the point of religion has been downvoted to shit, but if that is how you feel have you thought about exploring the possibility death isn’t the end? I’m a liberal agnostic Christian who has no interest in converting people, but feel you might benefit from exploring some element of spirituality, whether that be Sikh, Christian, Paganism etc.
MissingScore777@reddit
Oh I would actually love to believe in some version of an afterlife. I'm incredibly jealous of religious people for that.
But I don't believe at all and belief is not a choice. At least belief or not in anything is not a choice for me and I assume everyone else's brains work like that? Choosing to believe something is a complete impossibility.
SignificantIsopod797@reddit
You’re absolutely right: belief is not a choice, and I am flabbergasted at some of the tenuous reasons people believe in god.
I’m not here to convert, I promise! But what I can recommend is to explore, talk to spiritualist people, get a sense of what they believe and why. It may not change your beliefs, or lack thereof, but it gives more worldview.
DeadBallDescendant@reddit
Not really, until recently. I'm a pretty old bloke and have somehow ended up in the situation where one of the best friends I've ever had is a someone in her mid-20s at work. It's entirely platonic, but it makes me sad that we'll only be friends for a small portion of my life.
sniffing_dog@reddit
I was eating a nice chicken madras from my favourite Indian restaurant when some naan bread got stuck in my throat and I couldn't breathe. I panicked, stood up and started pacing around the room. I suddenly came face to face with death. It wasn't pleasant and it made me realise that my final moments could be full of fear, panic and sadness. Then again I might just slip away in my sleep. I recently turned 50, which made me think about death, I reckon I've got 20 years left. That's so little time. Summary: chew your food.
ElusiveCrab@reddit
It terrifies me more than i could ever express. But i cant do anything about it so i just dont think about it as much as possible.
Select-Bumblebee6622@reddit
I'm not afraid of death itself, more of the process of passing away. And feeling sad about leaving all the amazing things in this life. I used to be more scared about death and struggled to imagine not existing anymore. I'm a Christian, so I do know that when I die, it won't be the end of my existence. So that gives me hope and confidence.
djw2011@reddit
My take is similar to yours. My only experience is mum, uncles and one grandparent dying and I'm still in my 30s.
I try not to think about it too much, I have no beliefs that would give me comfort in the idea of what happens after death nor am I seeking any.
With no close calls or feeling of it being close, fortunately at this point. I'm just trying to live my life, be a good person where I can and will face it if and when it's my time.
I look at it similar to before you're born I will be entirely unaware I cease to exist, so just hope it's quick and painless more than anything.
BarefootJenna@reddit
I hope you don't mind me responding, I've been in the UK almost 15 years now.
My dad died from colorectal cancer when I was 21, my grandfather the following year from congested heart failure, my mum died last year from a collapsed lung (on top of her preexisting pulmonary fibrosis and a litany of other health issues) and my grandmother (who was like a second mum to me) passed away the year before.
I would definitely say I think about death a bit. It feels looming sometimes, as I'm getting older and realise I really need to clean up my diet and exercise more. I'm not anxious about it anymore, but it does cause me to make different choices for the future. I watched my mum lose the house after my dad died, so when my husband and I bought our first house, the first thing that I did was get life insurance to make sure the surviving spouse would have a roof over their head and a year to grieve.
I save for the future but, realising it's not guaranteed, I don't go overboard. We take holidays, I don't wait longer than necessary to do the things I love and I'm currently saving up to take a dream roadtrip around Germany next year.
The last year before my grandmother died (at nearly 90), she was sick and tired of being alive and told us as much. She took amazingly good care of herself, but age happens to us all and her last few years she became increasingly tired and annoyed at what she couldn't do anymore. The last year she, too, was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, started having falls, just a huge downhill. The last six months were not pretty and I'm very grateful for her that it didn't drag out any longer.
BarefootJenna@reddit
I forgot to add another way death has shaped my life. Since having kids, I regularly think about what memories of myself I'm leaving for them. I want them to remember how much I love them, that I went out of my way to be there when they needed me, that they felt secure. Basically, what kind of legacy am I leaving to my loved ones of who I am. The idea of death can be scary, especially watching so many people close to me die in very uncomfortable ways, but if our lives flash before our eyes when we die, I want a beautiful life to look back on.
Nice_Economics4465@reddit
Very rarely think about it. I have no fear of death whatsoever.
evilswazzer@reddit
Having come from a point in my life where being alive was worse than death, my priorities changed and I complete agree with you on this.
HollyGoLately@reddit
Yes I think about it, I have good life insurance so other than the emotional side of things I don’t need to worry about my most loved ones. I just want the end to be quick. I have a reasonably dangerous lifestyle so fingers crossed. I’d like to see my kids to adulthood first but we can’t decide when it’s our time.
DogtasticLife@reddit
I don’t believe in heaven, God or anything like that but I like to think if I have a moment when the time comes I can visualise my dogs on the rainbow bridge
RaisinHorror1440@reddit
I've long since come to terms with death. I've been close a couple of times. I don't believe in the after life and all that nonsense. Once you're dead you're dead.
smellyfeet25@reddit
it is the unknown and the fact that it's final . I suppose it is comforting to think we all face it . it is just scary to think one day it will be our last . The fact the will be a day we never finish
ClarifyingMe@reddit
Every day. Hope it's in my sleep and after I've cleared all the shit from my room.
Calorinesm1fff@reddit
I'm fine with it, it's going to be the longest lie in.
TepacheLoco@reddit
Despite being able to think of a lot of ways someone can die being scary and painful, the majority of people that do die are not scared or in pain. They're either asleep or have already faded in to a state where they are not aware of what is going on. Very often people who are near or in the process of dying are calm and peaceful. A commonly reported experience is being like the feeling of being very exhausted like when unwell. That isn't necessarily scary or painful, just, ready for some sleep.
Whenever I do find myself having a bit of a difficult thought about death, the one thing that generally helps me lay it to rest or cope with it is recognising that thought is one of the unifying features of every human that has lived throughout civilisation: We all have to contend with it one day, whether we're in a cave, building a pyramid, or walking on the moon.
skloop@reddit
Many more things have died than are currently alive, so if everyone's doing it, can't be that bad 🤷♀️
CouchKakapo@reddit
I appreciate this comment
hoganpaul@reddit
Death is an old friend. He has taken many people I have loved. When it's my turn I won't try to avoid him.
skloop@reddit
My grandma always said not to fear death, you've more to fear from the living.
After having my cat die in my arms just yesterday (euthanasia, FIV) something in the wind told me she was right
Listen to the wyrd 🪬
Kat8844@reddit
As someone that’s suffered from depression, and lost people I love deeply, I’ve thought about it a lot more than is healthy in the past, for a long time I found the idea of it comforting, even peaceful. Now?, I find it terrifying, not because I’m scared of being dead but because it would mean I’d not be there for my children, to love and support them any more and that terrifies me.
Commercial-Emu6363@reddit
My nan died on Sunday after a long cancer battle and it’s made me realise that I don’t fear death, but I fear dying. Although we got many more months with her than was expected, she was in pain, extremely tired and confused and I don’t know that those extra months were worth it for anyone. There’s no good way to go, but I hope it’s quick
Glad_Feeling_4030@reddit
My mum died from cancer a few years ago. She wasn't doing very well for a long time, and watching her deteriorate was awful. She became so thin and she lost all of her hair... it hurt to look at her in that state and knowing I couldn't help her. She got to come home for a few days at one point, and I think of that as the universe allowing me to spend some time with her before it got even worse.
She ended up back in the hospital pretty quickly, unfortunately I was also in the hospital so I couldn't see her even though I really wanted to. I had family members moving between seeing me and her just so neither of us would be alone. During my stay in the hospital, I was only allowed to leave and visit her once because she didn't have long left and they wanted to let me see her, but when I was there she was so out of it, she didn't even remember my name. I just remember wanting to cry the entire way back.
I had a surgery planned very soon after that so I could hopefully leave the hospital and see her again before she passed, but it was too late. I never told anyone, but I was awake when my grandad (who was staying with me at the time) got the call about my mum. I didn't hear what they said to him, but I knew exactly what had happened and it felt like my world had just imploded.
Losing a parent no matter what age is difficult, but i think it's especially difficult when you're a kid or a teenager because you were supposed to have so much more time with them and they were supposed to watch you grow up. I want to think of death as something peaceful, so she could be at peace after suffering for so long, but I'm so afraid of the actual process of dying and whether I'll end up like that too.
bluepizzabooks@reddit
I told my grandfather that it was ok for him to go and that we would all look after Nanny. He passed a few hours later. Sorry for your loss.
MrMotorcycle94@reddit
Sorry for your loss. I had the same November last year when my nan passed away from Cancer. I went around hers with my mum a few days before she passed and my nan told my mum she was ready to go and wanted to die so she would stop suffering. After she passed I went over and saw her lifeless body in bed and my fear of death lifted because it was obvious that all that was left was my nans body but my Nan herself was no longer with us.
Gullflyinghigh@reddit
Sorry to hear about your loss, I hope you're ok.
I had a similar experience when my dad passed away a few years ago, he was expected/projected to see out one more week but went downhill remarkably quickly once he knew that everything that needed to be signed or arranged had been, everything that he needed to say had been said and, most poignantly for me, that the present he'd got in advance for one of mum's landmark birthdays was safely tucked away with me ready to give to her when it was time (it was two years away, he wanted to make sure she had something from him). The look of relief on his face after I'd got the present was immense, he was gone just over a day after that.
LayingInBracken@reddit
I read that too: either when told it is OK to go, or when family steps out the room for just a couple of minutes. My grandma passed in the 5 or so minutes her kids had stepped out the room.
cannontd@reddit
In a similar position. The transaction to death is worse than the death itself.
A friends father passed away after no illness at 80 in his sleep. Was a terrible shock but his funeral was a celebration. With our other relative, we’ve had 6 years of constant hospital treatment and now we are in the stage where there is no treatment. You want as much time as you can get but I’ve got to say, the most dangerous thing you can ever do is go to hospital. If you don’t have someone as an advocate for you, hospitals and the health service in general is a very dangerous place to be.
Mdl8922@reddit
I think about it all the time, I'm pretty much consumed by it.
I hope it comes soon, but I've not got the bottle to DIY.
I have a really good life, my wife is amazing & my children are the best kids a dad could wish for, I live in a nice house in a nice area, I have really close relationships with my siblings, parents, cousins etc, and life couldn't really be better.
Still, dying is all I ever think about.
Fellattio_Nelson@reddit
We are here by total fluke. Just enjoy!
..and don't work to hard. Not worth it.
Hot-Sign-249@reddit
It scares me but then if it happened to me then whatever
SOULSTEALERX91@reddit
I fear the pain of death but not death itself. Its always brought me a strange sense of calm like an emergency exit, if life gets too difficult and I cant handle it I can always escape.
Familiar-Woodpecker5@reddit
My only wish is that I don’t die until my children are settled adults, that’s the only thing I think about death. I worked in end of life care for years so have seen death many times but I’m not scared, I hope that death leads to something better.
CommercialPizza434@reddit
I don’t think about my death cause honestly I’m not arsed about me. But I care a lot about my relatives and my mom and dad are nearly 70 so I’ve been thinking about what happens if they die and honestly I’ll just start crying.
medphysfem@reddit
Same. I'm not ready for my parents to go. It doesn't help they had me quite late, so I simply don't feel old enough/prepared enough for that. It weighs on my mind a lot too as because I simply don't feel I have enough time to spend with them, but equally can't stop my life/put it on pause to spend that time with them, because the time I'd like to spend with them to learn about their lives before me and their opinions and what they've learnt/wished they did/wished they didn't is near infinite.
SeoulGalmegi@reddit
As somebody with elderly parents (the age where if someone were to here of their passing it wouldn't even be that the age sounds 'normal' but that they had a particularly good innings) it's a phone call I'm bracing myself for. It might be next week, or in a few years, or even more than a decade away..... but it's coming.
infinitude_@reddit
As a kid I was scared of it - I don’t really think about it now
But when I do - I think it’s interesting.
I think maybe my being homeless at a point gave me an acceptance of it.
Apparantley the brain releases chemicals so it’s quite peaceful and you really do get memories flash before your eyes- I thought that was just a movie thing.
Anyone commenting here now could be gone tomorrow.
To the me in the future that’s about to close his eyes : I hope we had fun !
TheDaemonette@reddit
The only thought I pay it is that my purpose in life is to live long enough to extract as much pension money as possible from the schemes I have paid into. I will absolutely not be letting them off with more of my money than I paid in. Thieving bastards!
11Kram@reddit
I got life insurance many years ago that expires at age 75. I need to die before then obviously.
browneyedgal1512@reddit
I have had many brushes with death. I'm in my md 50s now but have been chronically ill since I was 22. From the age of 34 and my first heart attack, I have suffered from encephalitis and was put into a medically induced coma for 3 months. The hallucinations were amazing and so vivid. I recall talking about them as being told to shut up (strict religious parents). Since then I have averaged 3 times a year in high dependency units due to respiratory failure averaging about 3 weeks in hospital with an oxygen tank. Last year, I was hospitalised 3 times with pneumonia.
I don't fear Dr
Internet-Superhero@reddit
I want to die as soon as possible.
31 years old.
CouchKakapo@reddit
Why do you think this is?
kittiestkitty@reddit
I think of death constantly, and not in a suicidal sense. It’s more I’m conscious of how finite my time is and life to me kind of feels like the ultimate waiting room. Plus, not knowing how it’s going to go down is really difficult for me.
Kind of shocked how many people here don’t think about it that much.
CouchKakapo@reddit
Going through pregnancy and childbirth made me feel very mortal. I'm now very aware that if I die, my child loses their parent.
I'm also a bit morbid and naturally fascinated by death customs, cultures and anthropology anyway, so I look at it with a view that all living things have to die some point. I'd just rather my own was not yet, mainly because I have a child to watch grow.
I support the idea that everyone should get to live, and therefore die, how they want to (as long as no harm is done to others) so I am in support for assisted dying and the like, as long as it is very carefully safeguarded.
__Severus__Snape__@reddit
Back in 2013, I was suicidal and made an attempt on my life. When I came round from that, I realised I had made peace with my mortality.
However, when my estranged dad died in 2024, that hit me like a freight train, in that, although id come to terms with my own death, id never considered the death of the people I love. I spent nearly 12 months in a spiral cos I was terrified of everyone I love dying. It still terrifies me, but isn't consuming me like it was for a lot of 2025. Im glad I see a therapist every week though, there's a good chance I might not have lived to see 2026.
Dnny10bns@reddit
Nearly 50. Yes.
Persona_Insomnia@reddit
I think more about the deaths of older loved ones. It upsets me and I'm not sure I'd be ready for it when it happens. It's also a part of life, I realise that. Doesn't make it easier to come to terms with.
Every-Inevitable-140@reddit
I’m afraid of death because my memories, all the people I’ve known, and everything I’ve lived through, both the good and the bad will completely disappear. Even though I believe in reincarnation, and that our souls and bodies will take on new forms in other living beings.
GillzZ_22@reddit
I dont fear death. I lost my dad at as a kid and the pain of not having him around for all of the amazing things that have happened in my life has been hard and because of that I am afraid for my family that I'll leave behind when I die. Will they be ok? That is what I'm most scared about.
Brave_Assumption6@reddit
I do. After all it's inevitable. Sometimes it makes me a better person because I think what if I die tomorrow? It makes me not want to lose my temper at someone or be mean for no reason because I don't want to out like that.
It also encourages me to do more fun things in life instead of 'delaying' and keeping it for later. It makes me use my time to the best of my ability and enjoy life while I still can. Again because I may die early.
Also as a religious person I believe that I'll die one day and be judged by God for my deeds. That thought also helps with encouraging me to do good deeds and a decent person in this world.
Crazyh@reddit
Death annoys me, I like being alive and am already half way through my life and feels like it shouldn't even be a tenth of the way through.
I use to think as you got older you kind of accept it and some people clearly do, but others don't.
My mum used to do end of life care for the very old and she has terrible stories of people in their late 90s/early hundreds living their last few days in misery as they were not ready to die yet and there was nothing that could be done about it, I kind of fear I will be one of these people.
HauntingTheVoid@reddit
Dying worries me. Death not at all.
repair-it@reddit
As I get older, I think more about how messed up this world is, and what we humans are doing to the planet and it's other inhabitants.
Sad_Cardiologist5388@reddit
It's the lead up for me. Ive had close relatives devolve, lose their dignity, personality, ability to speak and think.
I'd like to be able to press the power off button when I need to. Death itself doesnt bother me, its inevitable.
InkedDoll1@reddit
I work in cancer care and all my patients are palliative, so it's my every day. Doing this job has made me think about my own death, especially as I get older, but I don't think I'm scared of it. My patients are all amazing people living mostly pretty ordinary lives but in the knowledge they don't have very long left, and it's made me see it differently.
Alternative-Sea-6238@reddit
I think too often the thought process is how to avoid or delay death, and not often enough is the burden on quality of life worth it.
I see it frequently at work (hospital) all the time. Patients are put through so much imvestigation, diahnosis, treatment and often because the goal is to extend life length (patient choice, family pressure, blinkered clinician perspective). If more awareness on how quality of life is affected by such processes was made available to people, and without the pressures of time and clinical urgency, I think a lot of people would rethink their choices.
E.g. 79 year old.gets admitted to hospital with gall bladder sepsis. They don't respond to antibiotics, oxygen and fluids. The only option for active treatment is an operation. They have previous had a heart attack, they have emphysema, they struggle going up a flight of stairs. Yet they, or the family, or the clinical team feel like they have to go through with the operation. They might change their mind if they are told that they may not.recover from the operation, and if they do they could be left in considerable, and possibly never be able to look after themselves again. Possibly bed bound. And if they do decide that don't want to go through with it, and the subject of not doing CPR is brought up, so many patients/families are vehemently insisting that they should get CPR. Despite that they have decided against definition treatment, and the fact it would be horrendously damaging,and futile.
Usual-Journalist-292@reddit
My own death? Not really.
It'll happen when it happens, and when it does, I won't be around to worry about it anymore. So why waste time worrying about it now?
As long as it's quick, my grandparents were ill for a long time and in their final weeks, all they'd talk about is just wanting to pass away in their sleep and for it to be over.
AutomaticInitiative@reddit
I went to my aunt's funeral yesterday who died from symptomless lung cancer, which has terrified us all. She was a very healthy gymgoer, never smoked, although cancer does run in her side of the family. She did not suffer, it was just very out of the blue for all of us. So death is currently on my mind a lot.
Also my mother died from genetically caused Motor Neurone Disease at the age of 53, and I inherited the gene that caused it. So I think about it every birthday I get that gets me closer to that.
It happens to us all. We all lose parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, sometimes even children, yet somehow we don't speak about it enough. Most of us carry grief with us, but it's not something in regular conversation. It's so strange.
Monkeytennis01@reddit
Don’t think I’ll know anything about it, just hope I go painlessly in my sleep. I’ve had a largely happy life.
Deep_Banana_6521@reddit
worrying about what happens after you die is pointless, you'll be dead and life will go on.
I do worry about the how it'll happen. I lost my father 5 years ago after a year long battle with cancer where I saw him waste away completely and thankfully I was sat by his side holding his hand when he passed. A friend of mine's dad died around the same time, but he was totally healthy, active and dropped dead from a heart attack in his garden with no prior warning. I wouldn't know which would be better, seeing it coming from a mile away and wasting away into nothing or it coming like a shot in the dark. The latter has more dignity but the former at least lets you say goodbye.
RaneBera@reddit
I recently started to think about it a lot as my ex-wife died at 43. We hadn't spoken for around 8 or 9 years so (without sounding like a heartless d..head) there wasn't any profound grief, but I did feel very sad for her given 43 is no age to go.
I'm coming up for 40 myself so it did make me think about appreciating life a lot more and not taking it for granted.
Upbeat_Branch_4231@reddit
Hmmmmm......I have suffered from severe depression for over 50 years and I long for death. Death doesn't scare me, nor concern me. The pain that may be associated does scare me. Yes I'm a coward, and I admit it ('cos no one here knows who I am).
Thi13een@reddit
It makes me really upset. I love my wife and kids so so so fucking much, that even the thought of not seeing them again really bothers me. Even now, as a 40yr old man, despite likely having a good while to go. For all I know I could die tonight somehow
Educational_Worth906@reddit
I’m not afraid of death, it’s the whole dying thing that I’m not so keen on. If it was just me to consider, instantaneous would be preferable, rather than long and drawn-out. I’m not sure what would be less upsetting for those around me though. For context, I have cancer. Not yet terminal, but incurable.
SymbolicBat@reddit
I’m 33. The thought of not one day being here is scary as shit.
My Dad died at 34. My uncle at 29. My Grandma at 56. I’ve been surrounded by it all my life.
I’ve had 9 years with my son, that my Dad didn’t have with me. I’ve got 4 years on my Uncle. I hope to be around well after my Grandmas death. But, at this current age, I’m not ready for it.
I’d like to hope that my perspective will change with age. I’ve got an 80 year old Grandad who’s just hanging on before he goes into a hospice with COPD. He’s so chill about it.
I want that by the time I’m due to go. Total acceptance. But who knows? It comes when it comes.
mizcello@reddit
I was thinking the other day how it's crazy it's really one thing we all have in common that we have to do alone, like we can be surrounded by people, but we're really going to have to die by ourselves. I think if you think about it too much it can feel overwhelming. Im not scared though, if anything it makes me appreciate this one life. I think we just stop existing and it's the same as before we were born, just nothing.
MattWillGrant@reddit
I feel bad for the 4/5 people close to me who would feel sad for a while, especially my 2 kids. Parental loss in my teens has left me fairly numb to death in general, it's inevitable and the world will carry on.
Maester_Magus@reddit
Same. If anything, it left me fairly pragmatic about the whole thing, because at a time when death was the furthest thing from the minds of my peers, I was going through the realisation that no matter what I do, the end of the story will be the same for me.
Now I'm in my late 30s, a few of my friends have had parents die and thoughts about mortality have begun to creep in for them. What they're going through now is what I experienced at such a young age, so I've had way more time to come to terms with it, in a way.
Funnily enough, it is 16 years to the day since Pete Steele of Type O Negative passed away. As he so eloquently put it: Everything Dies.
PerkeNdencen@reddit
Having had a major, major health scare quite young (when I was in my mid 20s), I feel like I have some perspective. I'm not worried about death per se. I am quite anxious about going before I've given all I've got to give. At one point, I was pretty sure I didn't have very long to live, and it was certain I was going to start declining rapidly sooner or later (which indeed I did).
I went kind of nuts productivity wise - like it was a race against time to actually put something in the world while I still could. I just did the things. I'm a composer, so it was all creative work and concerts and recordings and things. I didn't really let on beyond family just how unwell I was, so when I got better, the whole thing (in a very bittersweet way) eventually worked wonders for my career.
But that's not the point. I thought it was an interesting and maybe slightly neurotic reaction to my own mortality, and I'm not saying that in hindsight, I knew it at the time, but it was the only way I could alleviate this sense overwhelming anxiety about going before I had said everything I had to say.
Gullflyinghigh@reddit
I have no fear of being dead as I'll either be completely unaware of it or there'll be something of a surprise waiting for me.
Dying on the other hand, that fills me with dread. I've seen people that were effectively watching the clock tick down (not from old age I should add) whilst their quality of life declined and I really don't want it to happen to me. Knowing it's imminent and you're 'just' waiting for it...nah, I hope when I go it's swift and that I've no idea it's happening.
Also hope that whenever I go, my child is and adult and in a position where it doesn't impact them any more than it already would. The idea of leaving them whilst in formative years would break my heart.
Theallseer97@reddit
I'm not scared of death. But dying in any way that isn't instantaneous is scary. There's so many ways it could happen, each more horrific than the last. I truly hope that however I meet my end it's so quick that my brain doesn't even register it before it happens.
L-0-T-H-0-S@reddit
I don't have the slightest problem with death - I survived a full blown widowmaker about 14 years ago, about which weirdly I wasn't so much worried about dying as where I was supposed to get my next cigarette - true story, its why I actually gave up, my addiction at that point was literally insane.
You don't experience death, only dying. And that can either hurt like a bitch or you slip away peacefully in your sleep - the rules concerning that outside of palliative care are arbitrary at best - all I do know is death isn't the bad guy.
Living, that's generally what kills you.
mysteriousmistress66@reddit
I think about death a LOT. Mostly about how I'm afraid of it.
setokaiba22@reddit
It’s the not knowing that’s scary I think.
You either cease to be anything and you won’t even know it’s happened to be honest. Which is also terrifying and in a sense it’s a much a feeling of you have one life live it as it is well it all doesn’t matter does it..
Perhaps you become something else entirely (those odd videos of people who seem to remember mass details of a dead persons life - again.. I don’t believe this but read about this one kid who knew so much about his ‘past’ family it was uncanny.
There’s some sort of after life. I don’t necessarily think need to be religious to believe this, it feels better than the alternative that you just die to be honest. But what this is or entails again I don’t know and seems impossible: but then so do many things that can happen I guess
Yeahjockey@reddit
I'm more scared about my parents dying. Although I'm 40 years old, I'm not really an adult yet so that would make me a poor wee orphaned child.
My own death I'm not fussed about tbh. I don't think there's anything afterwards, and even if the actual dying part ends up being painful, when I'm dead even that won't bother me any more.
SuperDinkle406@reddit
All the time, I am older and can feel the effects of age, but don't think about it in a negative way. It helps me not procrastinate, be decisive and explore life more.
Statistically, I have 13 more years left, this focuses me, makes me want to do more and, importantly stay healthy to enjoy these years.
Rock on.
Any_Crazy_500@reddit
Most of the spiritual paths I have followed in my life have always been based on the path of life and the certainty in life of the inevitability of death. That includes my membership of Freemasonry.
This understanding has helped me deal with the idea of death and indeed the death of my father last year. I don’t fear death and although I miss him, I have not cried or mourned (in the traditional sense,) over his death as I know my Dad had a good life (although some might argue that,) and is in the place he is supposed to be.
LayingInBracken@reddit
I fear the process of dying; either the idea of suffering for months or years, or an extremely painful freak accident or something.
Death itself I am more than OK with. I don't mean that in a suicidal way. Just that once I'm done I'm done and that's OK. I'm not sure if I believe in an afterlife, so maybe there's nothing afterwards and that's fine. If there is, I hope I'll be reunited with my partner and our crazy household of cats. I also like the idea of the afterlife being like the end of The Good Place: you can do whatever your soul desires, visit whatever place, see whomever. If that is months or years or centuries, that's cool. And then finally when your soul is fulfilled and at peace, you let go and turn into stardust.
I stopped being afraid of death itself by reading Terry Pratchett. His Death character helped me overcome that.
Charl1edontsurf@reddit
I think about death pretty much every day. Life to me is like being invited to a party you didn’t really feel like going to.
I don’t fear death, the actual dying part will be just like going under anaesthetic - you return to the void from whence you came.
I do however, fear lack of autonomy, pain and suffering pre-death. So I really do look after myself and do everything I can so I can still manage to do things by myself.
I stay here because I have rescue dogs and one of my aims is to give them the most wonderful lives I can. I couldn’t leave them alone and scared without me.
You just have to figure out how best to use the limited time you have.
r_keel_esq@reddit
I'm quite matter of fact about it, and TBH get pissed off when people try to dance around it - "Passing" is what you do with wind and exams, when someone ceases to live, they Die.
Then again, I'm maybe an outlier. My Dad died 17 years ago and every Father's Day, I want to post his pic on social media with the caption "Still dead, bastard" ala Ade Edmonton. I loved my dad dearly, and miss him a lot, but he would have found that hilarious - my mum and brothers would too, buy the extended family maybe less so
Current_Mongoose_844@reddit
Scares the shit out of me. I don't want to miss the future.
I have my beliefs about what comes after, but that's not really important. Just hope I'm right.
Wearethedevil@reddit
My worry is about my son. He is disabled and can't live alone. We recently lost a family member who had a full life and was old, it was their time. My Son's reaction has become his "new" obsession, it's been nearly a year, He spends so much time in a day talking about them. Who is going to look after him when I'm gone? He has siblings but he won't be their responsibility unless they chose to take him on. So that's my fear when it comes to death.
thecasualwatcher@reddit
As a sibling of a sick child, it is naturally in us to want to care and provide for them, and we are already thinking ahead of how we will ensure that for when our parents pass away. My sibling has since passed away, but I would have happily looked after them for the rest of my life.
MrHlk2020@reddit
I'm not scared of dying, we're all going to die eventually. I often think about how I'll die, hopefully peacefully in my sleep.
I have an 8 year old son who is still getting over the death of his older brother,It's affected him massively. I hope I live until he's an adult and can hopefully deal with it a bit better.
Death may even be the best bit We put it off for as long as we can, but it might be better than living.
No-Door-3181@reddit
I hope it's not painful, but I do believe in life after death. I don't believe in nothingness just because I've never experienced it in my life. I think I'll probably wake up from a dream, and keep on living. Why not be delusional!
EnglishWolverine@reddit
I’m in my late 30’s and don’t fear my own death per se. I’ve drowned 3 times and had a number of other mishaps that probably should have finished me off over the years. The pain of a long drawn out illness that will then kill me I am terrified of though.
My dad died at 69 after battling cancer for 10 years. Watching him go through that killed me inside a little bit.
My mum turns 69 in 2 weeks and was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in February with an average life expectancy for that type to be 10-22 months. I know what she is going through and how that is going to develop over the next few months to disable, and then kill her. If I were in her shoes there is a point where I know I would prefer to be taken out back and dealt with than continue on in such pain and loss of dignity.
I’m terrified at the thought of having to go through something similar myself one day.
I-Am-The-Warlus@reddit
Sometimes.
A few weeks ago, the concept of death did get to me quite badly but it stopped when I listened to "Blackstar" by David Bowie
Low-Confidence-1401@reddit
Until I had kids I didn't think about it a lot. Now I worry occasionally that I won't be there to see them grow up.
GrumpyOldFart74@reddit
Occasionally - especially as I get older and losing people becomes more common (sometimes including, unfortunately, people much younger than me)
So, on the whole, I’d have to say I think I’m against it. Global overpopulation (and related issues) aside, I think it would be much better if we all hit our early 30s and just stayed there.
But - more sensibly - it doesn’t scare me so much now, as anger me at the things I will eventually miss. And the other people I’ll lose along the way - having seen it happen to a friend I would 100% rather die myself than have it happen to one of my kids.
So yeah, “angry” is probably my primary emotion when I think about it.
sipscofinestdirt@reddit
Ever since my dad died completely out of the blue at 48 I’ve thought about death everyday and it terrifies me that the people around me will all be gone one day
LithoidWarden@reddit
I'll be 38 this year. I studied and keep returning to philosophy. Over the years I keep returning to this thought. Everyone before us has lived and died, and given this the position i find myself in, firstly its an honour to have my turn on the ride, secondly I think how lucky I am in comparison to others that have lived.This overrules everything else I could think about it.
I watch the news, listen to historical podcasts, there's a lot inequity and injustice. I think about whats happening in the world, how unfair life can be, historically how monstrous life has been been for people, particularly poor disadvantaged people. A lot of people don't get to live a normal inconsequential life in good old Blighty.
If I ended up dying tomorrow I can't argue that ive been incredibly fortunate. The fear of death becomes more shame that I havent been able to do more with my advantaged life to give something back that would make a difference for people.
Eventually most people get the experience of being beside someone on their death bed. Its a brutal heartbreaking experience to stand vigil as people spend their last times living but its an important, poignant thing to do. We all must surrender when our time has come. We've got to use death as a reminder of how precious life is and build more on our shared condition rather than our differences.
MidnightRambler87@reddit
Halfway through life with no kids, a wife and a very limited wider family.
Fully expecting no one except my wife to be at my funeral if I go first.
YodaShagsDarthVader@reddit
Never really bothers me. If anything sometimes lobbing myself in front of a train seems like a decent idea to get everything over with.
vegass67@reddit
Relatively new Father here. The thought of dying young terrifies me, but if you told me i’d get 80 years and get to watch my kids grow up and find stable and happy lives, id be at peace with going then.
Reasonable-Fail-1921@reddit
The only thing I think about my own death is how awful it would be for my Mum left behind, and that my cats wouldn’t understand why I hadn’t come back. Other than that I have no personal fear about dying itself - I’m 32 so it’s most likely a very long time away! Really my only concern would be having some kind of illness that caused it to be long and drawn out. When I do go, I’d like it to be quick.
Mozambleak@reddit
I get your points, but you're looking at it the wrong way. Those concerns and worries you have are as a living person considering death. If you're dead you won't know you're missing out. Sure, if you have a terminal illness or something then may approach a time when you know it will be ending soon. But that's just the shitty way it goes. No one and nothing gets to stay. You just got to take whatever you've got. Worrying, being concerned, or whatever won't change it.
escapingfromelba@reddit
I'm not sure that many people overly focus on the actually being dead part, it's how you get to that state that isn't great.
The old didn't wake up from a nap ending is going to be very rare vs pain or disease or a rough time in hospital or some accident. Having seen a few bad endings, I'm fully onboard with the assisted dying bill that the god botherers have managed to thwart.
AwkwardTie9427@reddit
I believe death is something peaceful, like sleep. We don't go anywhere after and hopefully I'll wake up in a beautiful future society of peace, unlike what we see today.
herwiththepurplehair@reddit
I've sat by the bedside of both parents as they passed away. Mum, it was hard and she fought it. Dad, he had a progressive illness that he knew was going to finish him off, he'd struggled for a long time and he was ready to go. He just stopped, like a clock. I'm in my late 50s, and I don't fear death, I just hope it's a painless one.
My daughter is your age, and I think now all her grandparents are gone and she's started to look at me and think "oh no you're next" kind of thing and it does freak her out a bit. I just hope my husband goes first otherwise she will be constantly driving over to our house to find stuff for him.......
Dry-Clock-8934@reddit
I hope it’s quick, ideally when I’m old in my sleep would be nice, I don’t want some long lingering hospital stay slowly going down hill. I often think about death, in particular I think about all the things we put time and worry into one day it won’t mean anything
BobDude65@reddit
The concept of being dead doesn’t scare me but the concept of dying absolutely terrifies me to my core. Any way I can think of that I might go out just sounds so painful and horrible. I’ve often debated just taking my own life so I can assure it won’t happen under painful and horrifying circumstances. It really, truly terrifies me.
barriedalenick@reddit
I have lost my parents, my wife's Dad and quite a few mates over the years, including one who died as I held his hand. So death is not abstract for me but I never dwell on it. I'm 61 and figure that every day now is one more chance to get out and do things I love. I don't fear it - I use it as a motivator.
notemark@reddit
I used to, death never frightened me as it's always been an inevitable part of life. My mother has been chronically ill since her 30's and grandparents started dying when I was very young so it's just been a normal process.
What terrifies me though is how I might die and also how I live (in terms of health) on the run up to death. I'm 40 now and would much rather go in my sleep at 50 or 60 than live to nearly 70 or 80 losing my sight or wasting away from a malignant disease or losing my mind from dementia.
For me life should not be a chore, I can already feel my joints starting to ache, wrists, knees, fingers and my sight has worsened slightly since my youth. I wish to enjoy life until the end with most of my faculties intact and if that means a shorter more fulfilling life then, in my view it is still a worthwhile one.
Being taken away from the people I care about does not scare me as I live with the view point you are remembered by what you do when you are alive, not by how long you live, be a good friend, family member, co-worker while you can rather than regret it at the end.
There are people who do live with long lasting ailments who may feel differently and I respect that, my mother has lived with mental illness most of her life, is mostly blind, mostly deaf, confined to a wheel chair and has arthritis in her hands, carpal tunnel in her wrists and urinates into a bag, yet the thought of death scares her and I would not for a second suggest to her that death would be better because it's not her view point.
elgrn1@reddit
I think about how I need to be better prepared and get my will written and an executor and make plans for my cats (and possibly children one day).
I also think about how I wouldn't want to live with a long drawn out or degenerative condition or illness and hope we finally give people the dignity of choosing the end of their lives on their terms.
I sometimes joke about the worry many other single people living alone have of dying, being found days later, having been eaten by my cats, and all the mess and upset that follows, but that's all really.
kittykat7931@reddit
My only hope is that when the time comes it is dignified and peaceful. I’ve had a lot of conversations with my mum about it recently as her physical health has not been great, especially around her wishes. My dad is completely shut down around it and it gets quite heated. My parents are both in their 80’s and last year a lot of people known to me with younger parents lost them and a couple of colleagues passed away so it has taken up more space in my brain than it should in recent months.
MaxMouseOCX@reddit
I have seen probably more than my fair share of death, as in the final, end process - the transition from alive to dead, and I've seen it in its various forms (cancer, age, sudden/known medical incident).
Some of them have been people already unconscious for whatever reason, and the outward struggle I saw with them was mostly reflex, their body doing what it can to preserve life for as long as possible - ultimately I hope they aren't aware of it, and they most probably aren't.
It's the journey THERE, the route we take to that life/death interface that frightens me, maybe it's cancer, maybe it's a heart attack, maybe it's sudden like a brain embolism or a massive car accident.
Whatever the case may be I'm forced to conclude that all of them are unpleasant at best, and existentially horrific at worst - it's not death you should be afraid of, or even the final act of crossing that life/death boundary - it's whatever happened that caused it.
I hope I'm one of the lucky few that somehow don't experience any/minimal pain and it's quick enough that I also don't incur too much existential pain and in a way I'm a bit torn there - on the one hand I prefer to see things coming, I intensely dislike surprises, so it would make sense that I'd rather see it coming (eg: cancer etc), so I could prepare myself, but also I acknowledge there is absolutely no way to prepare for that... It can't be done, everyone dies alone, no exceptions; so maybe the only surprise I want in life is a quick death that I didn't and couldn't see coming.
I try to avoid thinking about it in any more depth than this, because it's there... It's in my future, I can't avoid it, I can't stop or postpone it, it's going to happen and I am quietly frightened of it.
hide_in_plain_sight_@reddit
Bit dark but I do sometimes think about death as being the ultimate escape from the stress of worrying about money, cost of living etc. Sounds a bit extreme and I am by no means suicidal. But the thought does cross my mind casually that oh yeah death = no more stress on very basic, simplistic level.
soulsteela@reddit
Hope it don’t hurt too long.
Gullible_fool_99@reddit
Yes. I think about death a lot. I have for many many years. I have planned my own death in many different ways. I know what I want to happen after I am dead with regards my remains. I will welcome death when it comes.
coffeewalnut08@reddit
I do think about it fairly often, also because I’m writing about it, so…
I’m not afraid of death if it happens to me peacefully and in old age… I fear it more if it happens in a painful way or when I’m young.
iffyClyro@reddit
There have been three attempts on my life.
One thing I think about, I’m not ready to die because I have lots I still want to do. I don’t fear it though it will be my time eventually.
I’ve saved a few lives doing CPR/de-fib.
I’ve also watched people die despite my best efforts.
Ornery_Pipe_9243@reddit
Yeah I’d say quite often. I’m mid 30s. I do find it frightening, but it’s the idea of forever that terrifies me. And the sun eventually dying.. things like that 😂
en70uk@reddit
Occasionally think about it , but it will happen when it happens and there ain’t much you can do to stop it
Idiotic and dead are very similar , you don’t know you’re either but everyone around you knows
GlitterLippy@reddit
I’m 25 and don’t really think about it much.
I’m not religious or spiritual so my view is boringly pragmatic. I can’t do anything about it, one day it will happen so there’s little point being concerned for something that’s definitely out of my control.
I don’t remember missing everything before I was born, so in a way that’s at least comforting for the other end.
HellPigeon1912@reddit
Think about it all the time, it's the only thing I'm looking forward to
Mental_Body_5496@reddit
A nice rest !
Nice_Economics4465@reddit
😂
BillyJoeDubuluw@reddit
I’ve come to make my peace with death, so to speak.
Having a large family that literally consisted of a full of set of Great-Grandmothers as well as both sets of Grandparents and an army of Great-Aunts and Uncles, it was inevitable I would be witness to a number of deaths…
On top of this, I also lost my first partner to cancer…
It is an inevitable life stage that comes to us all regardless of spirituality or faith and it’s part of the cycle of life… I’m a lot more zen about it now, but it certainly took its time.
PhysicsForeign1634@reddit
"What's the point...Where would the foetus gestate?" springs to mind.
CountTruffula@reddit
Not keen to get it over with but not that fussed
Cultural_Tank_6947@reddit
I was recently diagnosed with a medical condition. It sounds scarier than it actually is, if I live a healthy lifestyle, I should in theory live to my normal life expectancy.
However it did prompt me to update our wills, make sure all our pension nominations are sound and make a list for my wife for the bank accounts, insurance policies and stuff.
I don't think about death on a routine basis though.
Macrihanishautomatic@reddit
I’d prefer not to be there when it happens.
justanoldwoman@reddit
I'm older so yes, but more in a making sure as much as the admin is prepped. Not scared of death but hope the dying part isn't too harrowing for either me or those who will have to witness it.
Typical-Newspaper409@reddit
I race in competitive motorsports so it's often at the back of my mind.
Sadly these things do happen in the sport - lad killed at Olivers mount over the weekend.
I see it as an inevitable conclusion to what I hope will have been an enjoyable life up until that point.
qqqqtip@reddit
people on my mum’s side of the family have a history of just dropping dead, so i think about it a lot and wonder if i’ll be next.
Manatsuu@reddit
To be honest I don’t think of death a lot. I do think a lot about mentally / physically deteriorating though. I’m 33 and I already feel a lot worse than I did when I was 20, and that has scared me a lot. I just wonder how I’ll feel when I’m 55 if I feel like this at 33.
This is my own fault due to a bad lifestyle and I’m trying hard to change that now, as when I’m in my 60s I’d love to be that guy who is still going hiking, climbing, and able to fully enjoy nature as they have great fitness and mobility.
But it did just wake me up to realising how finite my time is with this body. It’s just going to gradually deteriorate from here on out and so I realise I need to actually start treating my body with far better care if I ever want to be that fit guy in his 60s.
nonoanddefinitelyno@reddit
I think death is a lot more worrying for people who believe in life after death or heaven or whatever.
The rest of us? It's the same as the billions of years before I was born.
Anubis1958@reddit
Not all the time, but yes. Then I am an old boomer, so I am much closer to end than most. I don't fear death in the least. But I do fear the pain of dying.
morriganscorvids@reddit
yeah, i have been thinking about death consistently since i was 8 or 9.
at this point, i feel pretty neutrally about it. we are all borne from the Earth, we die go back into the Earth, and then born back again in various forms. thats just scientific, like food and water cycles. what interests me more is the death cycles of life.
but if you are interested in talking/listening more about death, try a death cafe in your area. https://deathcafe.com/
cheandbis@reddit
As a child, I used to think about it a lot. I think it was around the time I lost my first grandparent. I used to have these day dreams of trying to imagine what eternity felt like and it scared me a lot. Just thinking of how long "forever" is.
In some ways I wish I was spiritual or religious and believe in some kind of life after death as it must be a comfort.
Now I'm middle-aged, I'm not sure I've thought about it at all. Maybe now I've read this, I'll have a dream tonight about the endless eternity of nothing.
buginarugsnug@reddit
Late 20s here. I am worried about the ways in which I might die, but I'm not worried about death itself - if I could be guaranteed a quick death I wouldn't be bothered, I'm very scared of a slow death.
I do think about death sometimes, I think it's important to plan for your death (i.e. have a will, make sure a loved one knows of all your accounts and your final wishes) as it can happen at any point.
JustJoshwaa@reddit
I always think about who’d be at my funeral and what they’d say about me but not about actual dying
alphahydra@reddit
I like to think I think about death. But if I'm brutally honest with myself, most of the ways I think about death are really just ways of not properly confronting it.
TapeDeckSlick@reddit
Sometimes, I don't "fear" my own death though (I'd obviously like to lead a long, full life) I only fear death of those I know & love.
SignificanceHead9957@reddit
As one gets older the prospect of death seems less frightening. If I were you I would worry more about not living fully in the time you have.
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