Ever think about your own mortality, or when you might die?

I told my mum last week that i never want to be a vegetable....i then changed it to "If i can't drive....pull the plug" lol


I believe that if its your time to go, its your time to go




Having said that, i'm fairly sure when i get my GSXR600 next summer, my chance of dying will increase hugely

 

It's the one thing money can't buy. And yes, absolutely...I think about more with time.

I remember thinking when I was a younger child "Wow, I'm only 10. I have only lived maybe 1/8th of my life, and even if I only live to my 30's, I still have 2/3s of my life to go!"

Here I am approaching my 30's. I had an uncle die at 36 of cancer and a few other close relatives die in their 30's of cancer. One was a smoker one was not. That is my dad's side. On my mother's side we have youth and longevity. My grandpa was a pitcher in the 1958 world series and when I was 16 and he was 65...he could beat me in a sprint with ease and out jog me. He is 76 now and is still in great health. His parents lived into their 90s with his dad living to 98.

Your a victim genetics, luck, how well you take care of your body, and most of all time.

It is all sobering and as I get older I think about it more, definitely. Lately though, I have taken comfort in it. What really does it matter if we die at 50 or 70? Our existence is but a speck on the grand time scale.

I find it comforting because with it in mind, I find myself more driven and more excited to accomplish the things in life that I want to accomplish...as soon as possible...because there is a chance that I could leave here and this could be my last post(hopefully you guys won't be that lucky) or my last breath.

I think it has also treated me to be kinder to people around me and try to make peoples very few short days here on earth a little more comfortable. There are so many people out there that will never know the life that I live and vice versa...there are people out there living some very harsh lives without freedom, knowledge, travel, or even a simple feeling of contentness or happiness. Sad.

It also forces you to think about things that are uncomfortable to think about. When we die...where do we go? Is it an endless dreamless sleep? Or is there more? What is our purpose for existing at all? Is there a God? There must be...or is there? Why is there a universe? Why life, why anything? In the end we are all the same and everyone will live and die just as I have.

I've gotten to a point where I don't think about it anymore because death will happen and it will happen sooner than later and i is just as much a part of my existence as my life is. It's coming but oh well...I'm not going to spend any time dwelling on the inevitable...I'm going to live.

And yeah, some are luckier than others. Taking care of yourself might give you a few years, it might not. My great grandpa lived till he was 98 and drank and smoked everyday of his life. My other grandpa is 80 and has diabetes and weights 400 pounds. We, as humans have been able to prolong our deaths with medicine and that gives us a few years but ultimately we all go the same way...so enjoy it

Unexpected deaths where you see the person one day and then a few days later you hear of their death - are definitely the toughest to cope with for me. "I just saw that guy at the family reunion and he looked so great!" Strangely it is sometimes people I don't know well that also hit me hard. Someone in their early 20's. Get hit with a car. They were supposed to be someone...they were going to go to college, get married, have children, be a great mother or father. They were supposed to have a lot more laughs and a lot more fun. They wanted to see the world. Then it ends like a candle being blown out. Sad to think about also...although I don't think wherever they are - even care or are concious of caring.

I think about it too in my own life. I was lucky to have a number of really good girlfriends and for whatever reason they never worked out...but what if they had? What would my life be like? Would I be happy? Happier? What if that girl from New Zealand and I could have some how made it work? What if I had gone to a different college? Would my career be somewhere else would I be closer to my family? Happier? Miserable?
All things to think about.

As for becoming a fatalist? I think that's okay as long as it is a positive view. Taking comfort in our own mortality is a gift that few possess.

All of it makes you think.

 

I've pondered death & my mortality ever since I can remember. Never tempt fate.

 

Yep. I dont really mind, i am much more afraid of losing those i love than going.

 

In regards to weight, I've noticed the problem for MOST people with weight is not excess gain. It is a simple matter of time and consistancy. I was gaining 5 pounds a year. Doesn't seem like a lot to myself or anyone? But you do that every year that you are out of college...you are 50 pounds overweight in a matter of 10 years and that is when it becomes a lot of weight.

And I think you are right...genetics are perhaps the most powerful force for humanity knows. Balding, addiction, weight, looks, how well you age are all controlled by genetics and if weight and how old you age is as strongly controlled by genetics as balding and looks for some people...makes everything look like a crapshoot and realize there isn't much we can do about a lot of it.

That said, I think you can curb some of this by taking care of your body.

On the other other other hand...maybe you can't? Maybe my dad and great grandpa would have died early without the alcohol and smoking? Maybe in some weird odd way we don't know about - their addiction or something in the substance kept/keeps them alive? *shrug*

 

I figure I'll die in my early 60s from a massive heart attack like the rest of the men in my family. So should I even bother saving for retirement?!

 

Very Odd ! I thought of posting this exact theme thread just last night.....it spooked me when I read it....I am getting closer and closer to 50....Whoa!
slow this tread mill down......What were months are now weeks...a day goes by in a flash..........when I was younger a day took so long...now monday to friday is like one day....commuting to work used to feel like an eternity, now it takes longer but doesnt even register as time...Its like the little blue download graph bar...its filling in , 40 %....50%......60%......50 years of age is more than 80% of the average mans lifespan....where did it go, how can I get more time, who is responsible for this...................................how will it play out..............A nursing home, a heart attack, an accident.
Our own mortality is a game of chance..........Every day above ground is a blessing from God...look at all who came before and how rich or poor thier lives were....Non could escape the wraith of time though....it is written before you live it...what will become your Destiny....

 

No need to wonder. This will tell you: http://www.deathclock.com/ Live it up!

 

im only 20 and i think about it every night, when i go to bed i lay there for atleast an hour every night thinking about if i dont wake up tommorow will i be happy with what ive done? and the answer is no everytime so that keeps me going.

 

Both my parents died in their early 50s... but they both led extremely unhealthy lifestyles. Their parents on the other hand lived to their early 80s ... figure Im somewhere in between.

As I have no children nor significant other the thought of death really doesnt bother me...Ive lived an amazing life and experienced so much more than the average person so Im fine with dying.

What Im NOT fine with is a debilitating illness that causes me to suffer for a prolonged period of time... which is why I am very much for assisted suicide ( not trying to start a political discussion ).

 

I used to think about death all the time when I was a kid. As I got older, I concluded that you can't control it. When it's your time, it's your time; there's no stopping it. When I was 13 or 14, I was run over by a Pontiac. When I turned 18, I couldn't believe I'd made it that far. I don't think about death that much anymore - which allows me to tempt fate (all the time!) with a clearer head. I won't let life pass me by; and when it's time to punch out, I'll know I made the most of my time here. Don't spend too much time thinking about the unavoidable; instead go to the window and look outside. There's a whole world waiting for you.

 

You bet I think about it.

At almost age 58, I have 2 known surviving peer-group friends out of a group of maybe 20 loosely-associated in 1968, year of HS graduation, and one of those 2 is an alcoholic. The longterm effects of the 60's did a lot of them in short order, others over a long period, though a few did die early of killer diseases. Now people my age are getting cancer and having serious heart problems, etc.

I gave up tobacco 23 yrs ago, meat 22 yrs ago, and booze for good 8 yrs ago. Never was a weed smoker, other than briefly in early college. About 20 lbs chronically overweight now and exercise has been neglected for last 5 yrs. Health indicators are good but need to get back on exercise, for sure.

 

I am right there with you. I turned 39 last month and it's on my mid every day (death). My health is as well. I quit smoking last October and have been in the gym almost religiously since March. I cannot seem to lose weight, though. My mom is diabetic.

Anyway, I have my very first physical exam in 22 years tomorrow morning. I have a list of things I want him to check out.

RMX

 

Even though I may be young to chime in, ALOT of my family member have passed away lately, Like my cousen's grandfather in-law died on wensday night, so I do think sometimes about how i would die, and then I would get usually paranoid for no odd reason. I do also sometimes feel that since I am getting older and more exposed to the world, I feel like I could get a heart attack at the age of 26 due to me eating fast food 4-6 times a week. I dont even know what to expect after I get out of high school because I want to be successful and live a life to 80 or 90. Its just hard to grasp how life could be for me, could I be obese or mobitaly obese or super strong and healthy because my metabalism is high for my age and I hope it should stay that way. I feel so vulnerable to diabetes or cancer or something that would change my life at a young age and kill me.
Just my 2 cents.

 

I think about it too... I think when you are in your 30's, you start to think about it. In your 40's it becomes a concern, in your 50's you're hoping it doesn't happen to you, and in your 60's you're just glad you made it that far. The 70's you're waiting to go, 80's you're just happy to be alive, 90's you're wondering what the heck is taking so long, and 100's you just dont care anymore

My grandfather died of cancer at 82. Grandmother survived breast cancer in her 30's and at 89 is still sharp as a tack. They never lived particularly healthy lives - grandfather smoked for 40 years but it was lymphoma that got him. Grandmother still eats tons of red meat, no low-fat anything. My other grandmother drinks like a fish and smokes like a chimney. She is 78 and rarely ever gets sick. My other grandfather is old and slow but he's in his early 80's and no signs of croaking just yet.

Then I have a family friend who had a heart attack at 26. Another died of a heart attack and 49. All you can do is play the odds - enjoy your life, be a good person, try to be as healthy as you can. Most importantly *instill these values in your kids*. I have struggled with weight since I was a kid. I am 6'3" and when I am 200-230lbs I am pretty slim, but I've been up to 330lbs in my life. Its a daily battle to keep it off. I go to the gym and I am VERY careful what food I go near. Its like being an alcoholic, you must constantly watch yourself or you will slip up and get fat again. In my house growing up, my mom used to buy 5 Symphony bars every week (the huge chocolate ones), one for each of the family. She'd get 2 packs of Oreos, Frosted Flakes, chocolate milk, etc. My dad used to go to the donut shop every Satuday morning and get a bunch of donuts. We lived on Coke and Mountain Dew (went through 3-4 cases a week). It took years to get over those habits. Now my girlfriend and I are super careful about food. I just dont eat candy anymore, nor do I drink sugared soda. I took up activities like bicycle riding, hiking, and I lift weights to burn off carbs and keep fit. I really wish my parents had taught the kids differently when we were younger, and I intend to do different with mine.

Anyway, getting off on a tangent....

Nobody knows what is on the other side, so what can you do? Just live a happy life, don't screw people over or be greedy or mean to folks. Enjoy your family, enjoy your wife, your life, etc. And just hope you don't have a long painful death that takes years and leaves you a whisp of a man, but no car crashes either. Maybe a short but terminal illness that is uncurabe Maybe something with panache like ebola (or better yet, something genetic and unpreventable).

On a more serious note, when I was a kid, I used to really worry about getting cancer. But then I thought "sheesh, I'm 8 years old. In 50 years there will be a pill that cures it!". Well I dont have too many years left before that age range comes, so you docs better get to work on a cure

 

I couldn't agree more. I used to think about it, but just remember this after you wake up: The day that is about to pass will never come again.

P.S. I always used to worry about getting cancer as a kid, because my third grade teacher died from it, lol (no at the teacher death part.)

Worrying never helps!

 

I have been in a close-to-dying situation and at the time when it was close I felt so peaceful that I have no fear of it at all now. However, I do try to make the most of life and definately believe when you're time is up, that's it - you can't delay or hasten.

 

NEVER think about it. In my line of work, can happen at any time............and if it does, hopefully it will be when I least suspect it and it will be quick.

 

What are you a cop or something? or a VERY rich hitman

 

The great racing driver Tazio Nuvolari was once asked if he was afraid of death. He returned the question to the reporter - and asked him how HE expected to die!

The reporter replied that he hoped to die peacefully in his bed.

Tazio replied back - "then how do you find the courage to turn out the lights and go to sleep each night?"

BTW, Nuvolari himself survived decades of racing and finally died of lung disease in the early 1950s. It is suspected that the disease was brought on by inhaling the nitro-benzene fumes over years of racing formula one.

 

I am 47............never been sick or seen lots of family die (we all live into our 90's it seems) but 6 years ago I sorta had a realization that it's all gonna end some day.......and I kinda changed a lot of my priorities for a whole bunch of reasons at that age.......relative to those who usually go thru the same thing at 50-60.......

Interesting thread.........having accepted that you are born to die, makes you enjoy life even more........and you become intolerant towards those things which impair your enjoyment of life......

 

Not even close......on both counts!!