The only thing you ever HAVE to do in life is die...

[GreenVoyage]

This is something my grandmother said to me as a child all the time when I was trying get her to buy me something . Thinking about it, she's right.

AIBU to think the only thing anyone ever HAS to do die? It's the one thing no one can change and is out of our control.

Well dying isn't technically part of life, it is the end of life (your life or others).

I understand what your grandmother was trying to say, but it's a bit of a weird thing to say to a child.

I heard a long time ago that we were all dying as soon as we were born. Cheery thought. I suppose death is a leveller. All those who play the big I am with their millions in the bank, they are going to die like everybody else.

I am not sure that I agree with your grandma. We do have to do other things.

And presumably, live.

You have to eat, breathe, drink, sleep...

Or you die ...

...or you die

cross post!

The one I heard was that the only consistent thing was that nothing stayed the same.

Life gets awkward if you don't pay taxes.

Great minds Bix

I do think you have to sleep though (not that my son seems to have got that memo!)

But you don't HAVE to eat or drink or even breathe. They can be controlled.

But you do HAVE to die at some point. It can be delayed but it's is something everyone has to do.

Yep! Death and taxes, the 2 things you can guarantee... (well, most of us)

I read a book once where no one died. I can’t remember what it is called.

Green, do tell me how I can avoid eating, drinking and breathing without dying?

There are plenty of people in intensive care doing none of those things :(

It's not about avoiding death. It's about the fact you don't HAVE to eat. You can choose not to. You can't choose not to one day die.

I suppose that’s a sort of suspended death and you are being fed and so on aren’t you? You’re just not eating yourself.

Does a child choose to be abused?

I thought the quote was something like, the only certainties are death and taxes. Ben Franklin, I think?

You are right, we are all just walking each other home

And yes, ysbu

*are

You don’t ‘have’ to eat/drink/breathe?
Maybe not at a specific instructed time but the same can be said about dying then.
If someone tells me I have to breathe then yeah, I can delay it (for a couple of minutes until I want to do it) but eventually I will have to take a breath or I’ll pass out.
So actually YABU to say the only thing you have to do is die. And dying isn’t often a purposeful act either.
I get the whole the only thing in life that’s certain are death and taxes thing. But to ‘have’ to do something- nah, i’d have argued the point a bit with grannie over that.

Ooh- try not blinking- you don’t ‘have’ to do it but I bet you can’t stop (without stapling your eyelids to your forehead and subsequently going blind )

Ooh- try not blinking- you don’t ‘have’ to do it but I bet you can’t stop (without stapling your eyelids to your forehead and subsequently going blind )

Eww, I bet your eyeballs would shrivel up.