To ask if you are not scared of death - what is your reason?

[Vilanelle]

For me, I am petrified of the idea. I wouldn't say it consumes me but if I do think about it, a wave of panic goes through me.

Do you think it is like birth - you don't know about it?

I had a dream last night that I was in a car accident and it felt like I could feel the life drawing out of me.

I can't wrap my head around the thought of not having any thoughts and just being nothing.

I would like to become more at peace with the though of dying, after all no one is getting out of here alive!

Tell me about your thoughts on death?

Not scared of it for me. Scared of leaving my DC behind.

I’m not scared of dying but I do feel a sense of getting old and running out of time. I always thought I’d achieve something but I haven’t, much less than most people achieve during their lives. I am worried that when I die I will feel nothing but regret but I guess it’ll be short lived because then I will be dead and it won’t matter.
If I start to get ill or confused I will probably just end it all while I’m still able - I don’t fancy a protracted death and don’t want to put my kids through the trauma of looking after me.

I'm not scared of my death. I want my death to be before either of my children's though. I'm somewhat scared of their premature deaths.

I am glad that I am living now and not in a future time because the planet is being smothered by plastic bottles and I don't think we are tackling the problem, so death will be an escape from a destroyed planet. Not so good for our children or their children and so on down the line.

esoteric so here goes: Everything in the universe is recycled - we are made from stardust & eventually will become so again & than new stars form, new planets & maybe new creatures & the bits that make up us will be part of them - there are also theories that the big bang that starts our universe is a continuous recycling process - but also when you look out at the stars you see the past - so who we are now (at least the light) will keep on traveling across the universe & someone/thing will see this in thousands & millions of years time

Life isn't all its cracked up to be, so not really much to miss. I am in the queue for death now, am almost bored waiting and want to get on with it all ready.

Have my exit plan sorted and dont have to worry about a slow agonising death. Want to leave all my money to my children so defined wont be wasting it on a nursing home. It makes me happy to know they will provided for.

All in all it is just something that is going to happen at some point, not that big a deal. Am more scared of heights.

One of the problems in our culture is that we are not brought up to embrace death as part of life. We hide it away, talk in hushed tones, dont talk to our children about it. I am 70 and on the count down getting organised, wills written, Last Pass password organised, all children aware wher the paperwork is , wishes etc. House decluttered and I am calm and not afriad of dying. Dont get me wrong I have no reason to believe it is imminent but if it was everything is in place. I have seen a lot of people die and the end is often very peaceful even when illnesses have not been. You can spoil your life fretting about the inevitable. Of course if you have young children its harder, but may years ago my sister and I arranged to take on each others children if the need arose. Other people have issues of responsibility that make it harder to think about I know. I just want to be sure to mend any fences and relationship difficulties first, no sulks arguments or broken contacts with people I should love. I am not afraid of it. I have had my time

I'm not afraid of death and just a little concerned about the how especially as I probably won't be here in five years time. I'm 65 and as a nurse (now retired) I have been with many dying patients.
My faith is pretty well gone, I don't believe in the afterlife especially after a convent education where Purgatory was rammed down your throat ad infinitum and as a 'non' Catholic you were pretty much regarded as beyond saving!
Luckily my DCs are grown up, so no worries there though, on the odd occasion I think about it, I will be sad to leave my DGS's.
It's inevitable so little point in worrying about something you cannot control or change (other than through euthanasia)

I'm terrified of dementia and losing independence. I'd much rather go before that happens so not scared of death at all.

I've always wondered if you had a painful death, would it matter anyway, because you wont be around to remember and look back on the pain? Is a painful death tougher on the people left behind, more so than the person it happened to?

AndNoneForGretchenWieners

More scared of something long drawn out and painful or years of disability/dependence (having seen DM survive a stroke and DF not) or dementia (strong familial history of this) TBH. In the event of any of these I expect death to be a merciful release.

I don't think there's an afterlife and I hope I'm right. Most versions sound exhausing and I want a damn good rest.

i'm afraid of the process - pain / feeling ill not so much what comes afterwards. although I am worried how my child with SEN will manage and who will advocate for him.

I do think its sad that my experiences/feelings/memories just disappear. Some of them are really quite good.

Not scared of death as such. Have come very close more than once and consider myself fortunate to still be here. I think once I really thought about what it meant, how fleeting all our lives are in the great scheme of things, how we're all made of stardust and how we'll return to dust it all makes sense. The natural order of things. I don't want my children to hurt but I obviously won't be here to see/feel it. I just don't want to waste away mentally, or have a long, lingering death when I'm ready to go. I think I have a pragmatic view of it

I 100% agree with Walkingdead.

I'm also a huge fan of voluntary euthanasia.

I'm more scared of life these days tbh

I'm not scared of it at all because having had a few surgeries & a really beautiful near death experience I agree with this from a PP

I too suspect it's like having a general anaesthetic. When you wake up after one of those you don't have any consciousness of what has happened or time passing like you have when you wake up from sleep - it's essentially just nothingness. So I reckon I won't know about anything and I definitely won't care

I had a medical emergency whilst conscious with a lot of A & E staff trying an escalating list of options. I remember thinking, quite calmly, ‘oh, so this it’ and feeling desperately sad about my daughters ( then teenage) but not about myself. It then all came right and the team melted away - and a huge sense of relief, and then my grey faced DH coming in, having been told to prepare himself for the worst.

Sounds a cliche, but really brought it home to me how fragile the line is between life and death and to make whatever time I have left count. I don’t sweat the small stuff, I don’t regret whatever I have and haven’t achieved - that’s only relative anyway.

So no, I don’t fear death.

If I live until I am old or become incredibly sick, I suspect death will be a relief more than anything.

I’m most frightened of dying over the next few years and leaving my DC without a Mother. My eldest three have a useless Father who lives in an awful area, awful city, awful cramped home. It kills me to think of them being dragged up by him and his girlfriend who is everything I detest... They would also undoubtedly be separated from my youngest DC and DP who they adore. The thought kills me so I basically do everything I can to make sure I’m healthy and safe.

I did almost die a couple of years ago during a missed miscarriage. I haemorrhaged and went into shock, a whole team of doctors surrounded me and DP was helplessly standing there terrified. I was dipping in and out of consciousness and I felt fairly calm tbh.

Because its the only thing in life you can count on happening.

I'm not scared of death. As a kid I thought people who died gave in and allowed it to happen. I watched my DM die three years ago - she was at the centre of my life and the toughest person I've ever known. She did not go gentle, put it that way.

I now know that you can die painlessly and without really knowing it's happening. That there is simply nothing after death. If the world can go on without the powerhouse that was my mum; if I can go on without her; then the world can go on without me in it.

The only thing I really love for is my DCs but eventually they'd cope. I'm not depressed but I don't really see a lot of point in this whole circus beyond my adoration for my children.

The other thing is I absolutely don't want to live with dementia or into very old age. If I live to 85 I'm off.

Having seen many people die ( in my working life ) I feel that death is nothing to be frightened of .
It's a passing to somewhere else , if you believe, or to a quiet restful place .
I'm not worried at all tbh.

I believe death will be the same as before we are born. Nothingness.

I look forward to meeting my father again.
I can't bear the thought of leaving my children, and my husband
I dont fear the process .