This week's exercise:
Every morning think about this question. What would you need (if anything) to change about your life to be okay with dying today?
I would not be okay if I knew I was going to die today. I feel like I have not truly lived yet. I have not fulfilled my own personal goals in life at 21 years old. I guess if I was going to die today I could accept it because I feel like I have led a good life. I feel like I've treated people well, loved unconditionally, and helped others along the way. Most importantly I have faith in God, so I know I would be okay. So, yes, I could accept it, but on the other hand I would not want to die at 21. I would of liked to become a physician, get married, and have children first. I also would not want to leave my family.
I am in the exact same boat with Lydia. If I were to die today and knew it, I would say my goodbyes, etc. and I would be able to accept it. I think this is because I identify with the Epicurean position on death not necessarily being a bad thing, as outlined in chapter four of the text. After I die, I will no longer be able to experience any kind of deprivation, because I will be experientially blank and cease to exist or because my soul will live on in some other form (in which case I think that the argument of whether death is good or bad is moot). Thus, I cannot be worried, bereft, grieved, etc., because I will no longer be able to sense anything at all. In short, then, I would be able to accept having to die young.
HOWEVER, given a choice, I would definitely want to continue living. I'm only 18 and I would definitely not want to live(hopefully) 60+ more years. Because I am still alive, I can sense what I would be deprived of if I died right now and therefore would not want to die. What is more, I like to think that, if I should pass on today, it would grieve those around me--and even if I would not ever be aware of grief--and this is a disconcerting thought to me now (while alive).
In short, therefore, I agree. I could accept if I had to die, BUT I do no want it, because I want to live on and experience all of the joys of life.
I agree with Lydia when it comes to not being okay if I knew I was going to die today. Like she said, I'm so young and I feel like I haven't even experienced life yet. I want to reach 21 and finally be able to drink legally. I also want to finish college and get a good job. Then after all that I want to get married and have kids some day. So far in my life, I've strived to work to get to those main goals, and if my life were to end today, I would be so pissed! However, I'm not afraid of death. It happens to everyone and it comes in different forms. Life could end at any moment, and if I knew I was dying today, I could at least say that I had great family, great friends, and I lived my life in the way I wanted, but still very pissed!
I will be the third to agree, I would not be ok if I died today. I feel as though I just have not done enough, experienced enough, or be the best person that I could be yet. I have not accomplished enough in my life yet. I want to be a better person and I feel that I have not lived up to my expectations of myself yet. For me to be ok with me dying today then I would have to play some serious catch up and do everything that I can to make things right with people, to donate more, to be just be an all around nicer person. I am not a mean person I just feel that with everything that is going on in my life I lose track of everything else that is going on with the world and the people around me. I need to take more time and care more about other people other than myself. Another thing that I would have to do in order for me to be ok with dying today would be that I would have to make sure my family would be ok.
I think that if I knew that I were going to die today, that yes I would be upset in the fact that I haven't really lived yet, but that I would be more worried about the people that I would leaving and how they would feel. If I were to die I know that my mother would not be able to handle it. With the recent death of both her mother and her sister, she would probably lose it. I feel that my other family members and friends would also be very upset and I would feel horrible knowing that I was going to cause them so much pain. This question is something that I have thought about for many years because when I was in grade school my older sister was suicidal and had several close calls. Being exposed to this as a child makes you start to think about these things that a child normally wouldn't. I feel that my feelings about me dying today come from how I felt thinking about my sister dying then. I worried about how my mom would handle it because she was struggling trying find help for my sister and I knew that if my sister died how upset I would be as well. In knowing how upsetting her death would be to me, makes me think about how I do not want invoke that kind of emotional pain on anyone else. If I were to die today, I would be able to handle the fact that I haven't really lived life yet, but I could not handle the impact my death would make on the people around me.
I woke up today and remembered I wrote a reminder to think of this prompt on a posted note when I woke up. And my first thought was, "I can't die today, I have stuff to do," which I feel is sort of the common reaction from everybody so far. But then I looked at the question again and it asks if I will be okay. That answer is yes. If I knew I were going to die today, it would totally suck. It would be too easy to think of all the things I would be leaving behind and everything I won't get to do in my life. But if I were just living and going through my day and WAM! - dead- I wouldn't be devastated, I'd be dead... just kidding... but seriously,once you're dead there's on going back, you know, death is pretty irreversible. If I were to die today, what would I think of my life? Would I look at it as empty because I was so young and didn't get to experience what life is all about? Not at all. Yes I'm young and haven't experienced a whole lot, but I have lived. Once I've accepted and gotten over the shock I guess of no longer being alive, I'd be fine. Like my grandma says, we are put on this earth to do good, and I believe I'm doing the best I can everyday. Of the life I've lived so far, I've done alright. Yes I have regrets and things I would do differently, and I'm not fully content with my life, but I'm not concerned that I haven't lived yet. There would not be any other way I'd live because I'm young and learning. Yeah, maybe I haven't figured what life is all about yet, but at least I got to experience it. I've experienced love and being loved and laughter. Really, what greater things are there? People may grieve when I'm gone (or at least I like to think I'll be missed) and it is sad to think of. I will be leaving making a future and a family with my best friend behind. I don't want to leave them, but I am comforted that they will remember me. I was apart of their life as much as they were apart of mine. And even if they don't, who cares, I'll never know.
Of course I wouldn't be okay with dying today!!! I'm only 7,300 days old! (roughly, and yes I used a calculator) But I'm also not okay with getting out of bed before the sun rises, but I accept it and it happens. If I HAD to die today there would be no other alternative but to accept it. I'd like to think that I would accept my death smoothly and not be a basket case, but I'll never know. I do know that I would be headed to the nearest sky diving place though! I guess, as a culture, we are always taught that we are working today for a better tomorrow. Today there is sacrifice and tomorrow will be reward, but tomorrow never really comes for a lot of people I think. Some people spend their whole life working at something for tomorrows benefit. Then poof! Bang! Dead! All that work essentially wasted for the dead guy! He has no more tomorrow's! He probably didn't get to where he wanted in life. That is a generalization and doesn't apply to everyone. In some countries the average life expectancy can be around 40 years old. Merely thinking that I have lived exactly half my life is a scary thought! Now, I'm not saying I don't like the life I have lived thus far, but I guess I was just planning on more. More time. More tomorrow's. In the morning when I wake up I think about my goals for the FUTURE. The little goals for the day and the huge goals I want to reach in my life. Unfortunately, I don't wake up and think "MAN! I am breathing! I am alive and kickin'! I am so grateful!" Don't get me wrong, I am grateful that I woke up this morning, but I don't consciously think about it. My goal now is to wake up with a little more gratitude and a little less planning of my day. I think it will make the world a little sweeter to stop and smell those roses everyone is talking about!
I would have to agree with everyone else that I wouldn't be too thrilled about dying if it were tomorrow. I feel like in a few years my answer may change, after I accomplish some things in my life, make some sort of meaningful impact, or do something really worthwhile. I just feel like right now being 18 years old, there is so much out there for me to do, try, and experience in my lifetime that it would be too soon to die tomorrow.
In order to be ok with dying today I would defiantly want to spend the day with all the people that I love and are close to me. I would want to end all of my relationships with everyone on a good note. If I knew that I would die today I would not waste my time at school or work because the future no longer matters. I do not need to worry about graduating college and landing a great job or saving my money. None of that stuff matters, the only things that do matter are the people I love. Thinking about this topic now makes me realize that I do not get to spend as much time with the people that mean the most to me because I am so busy with school and work it is hard to fit them in. This is very sad because if today was my last day and I did not know it, I wouldn’t have been able to say goodbye. I would have to be ok with dying and accept it because I do not have a choice or say when it occurs. When it happens it’s over and done with and you can’t change it. However, I defiantly would not like to die at age 19. I want to get married and have children before I die and be able to make many more memories.
It scares me to even think about this question. I can't imagine leaving my 2 year old son behind to grow up without me. At his age, he wouldn't even remember me. When my sister passed away, she left he 11 year old son and newborn son behind. It makes me want to cry that they have to grow up without their real mother. Even though my Brother-in Law remarried, my oldest nephew still remembers my sister and longs for her. The course of events in my life have not gone as planned and I have unfinished business I must attend to before I die. I want to finish college with my BSN, see my son graduate high school, college, then get married and have a family. I can't imagine leaving my parents and family members at such a yound age. My mom already lost her older daughter, I don't think she could handle losing the only child she has left.
I agree, it scares me too to think about if I died today. I don't have any children so I am not sure how it would feel to leave them behind, but I do have a 3 year old nephew that I could not imagine how he would be without me. He is a terrific nephew and I can't even think of it would be if I left him behind or even his mom (my sister).
I find myself unable to answer this question. Every morning I wake up I'm focused on all the things I need to acomplish throughout the day, which that alone is nothing compared to the bigger long time goals I wish to acomplish in my life time. The biggest thing that scares me about dying is not only being forced to face the unknown but having to face all the time i'll lose. What things I'll never get to see or do or say. I haven't even made my mark on the world yet and I know how much stored potential I have to really become something amazing. It would seem like such a waste to cut it short. Maybe it's just because I don't possess a true mature personality, but even if I lived for the day and did everything I ever wanted to do, tomorrow will come and new adventures and experiences that I never thought I would have will arise. I don't think we're ever truly done with life, I just think we grow tired over so much time and decide that it would be okay to take a break from this world and let someone have a chance to create lasting memories for awhile.
im agreeing with mostly everyone else that im not even a little bit okay with dying today. im too young and there are so many things that i want to do and i want to see. if i was given a time limit on my life it would be difficult for me to handle. i wont be able to see the things that will happen later in my life like seeing my siblings graduate, seeing them getting married and having kids. i honestly dont even want to think about not being alive for those moments in their lives. i know i dont have a true mature personality and im 100% okay with that, im too young to want to think about death. i also like to plan for the future and i wouldnt want my life cut short and me not to accoplmish what i want. until i have seen my family grow up and experience what they want to see and until i go to ireland and england i will never be okay with dying. ever.
I completly agree with you, Kristin. There is so much that I want to do in life and so many goals that I have set for myself that I want to accomplish before I die. I want to make so many more memories with the people I love and attend my brothers graduation. Also, I would not be ok to leave my family behind. I'm not sure if my parents could handle it nor do I want to put my grandparents and brothers through that either.
I think that I would be okay with dying today because I feel like God has a plan for everyone. Also I know that I have a lot more that I would like to do in this world, but at the end of the day I know that If I knew that I was going to die today I have a good enough relationship with all the important people in my life. The only thing that would not make me okay with dying would be seeing my family suffer other than that I would be okay with dying.
There is no way that I would be ok if I was going to die today. I do not know what anyone close to me would do; I don't know what I would do if I lost someone close to me around my age either. I also have so much in my life that I still want to accomplish from getting a "real" job, helping others, getting married, having children, having grandchildren, watch my children grow old, etc. I also feel like I owe too much to other people and if I were to die I would not be able to give back what others may deserve. There are also many things that I still hope to do someday (such as travel to Ireland). I also know that my family would not be ok if I died today. They would not be able to handle another death/young person dying. My family has had many experiences with death so it is not something we necessarily want. If I knew I was going to die I would spend the day differently and be sure to tell those who mean the most or those who have had a huge impact on me how much they really mean to me. I would be very upset if I knew I was going to die because I am not ready to leave this world and everything I have.
I also know many of us are saying we are too young to die (which we are) so I cannot even imagine how the families who have lost their children at such young age feel. I have a heavy heart for those who have lost a young child.
I'm not sure if I would be ok with dying today or not. If it is going to happen then it will happen no matter what I do or say. I have thought about this over the last week and like everyone else, I'm not ready to die. I have had four different people die on me since the end of December, I think I have had enough death to start off the year. I wouldn't want to leave my friends and family behind, I wouldn't ever get the chance to see what the world is like and what working in a hospital is like. I have meaning to this life but we all could drop dead at any given time- we are not the ones who have control over when and where we're going to die. I would like to live to be old enough to be a nuisance to my children/grand children (haha) but I want to see what my children will look like, what my grand children will look like! To see what my life still has store for me. I'm not ready to leave this world and go on to the afterlife, but if I had to die today... It would suck, but who am I to cheat death?
After thinking about this question every morning (and even throughout the day) I have decided that I would not be "ok" if I died. I am constantly creating projects and "mini goals" for myself to complete throughout the day and throughout the week. It is hard for me to accept death when I do not feel a sense of completion from day to day. I feel that if I were to die I would have a huge burden of regret for all the things I have yet to complete or yet to plan. I constantly get this feeling that something better needs to be done. I also feel that I would not be ok if I died today because of any unresolved issues. For instance, I got into an argument with my sister on Saturday morning and we stayed mad at each other until Sunday. Looking back now I realize it was a stupid argument but the hard reality about death is that you never know the exact moment. So in order for me to be "ok" with death I must take advantage of the time and life I have been given so as to not regret what I have not been given.
For this exercise, I can honestly say that I would be content with dying each morning because I have a grasp on the idea of death. I honestly don't know what happens after death which complicates things. I do not know if there is an afterlife, a God, or I turn into a tree after I go. Do I believe in a God? No. But I believe that if he is as forgiving about everything that people tell me, I will be in purgatory and then I will believe and be let into heaven. Is this dumb for me to believe? Nobody can ever know what will happen to them until it actually happens so we have to just wait until it happens I guess, while doing the very best we can while we are here. There are some things that I would like to do and possibly some things I needed to say to some people. I went to another country, I play soccer any chance I get, I don't take my job to seriously, and I coach kid's soccer teams. What it really comes down to it that I would not be a bad person when I died. I would hate to leave behind my mother and my sister but they know that I want everyone to be laughing at my funeral or whatever I would have (more of a party, as I picture it). I never made peace with my dad and have not seen him since he walked out of my life in high school. So one thing I requested was that he not be invited to my funeral party. Other than that, let's do it, bring it on.
I think at first it would be hard to come to terms if I knew I was going to die today. I would be sad that I had not met all of my goals in life like completing my nursing degree, getting married, or having children. Also, to think that I would be leaving so many friends and family behind and that it would then effect their lives. However, I believe that I would then accept it knowing that I have lived a good life to this day and that God has a plan for me. In the end I would live my last day to the fullest.
Would I be ok if I died today? There is always going to be something I have to do, There is always going to be something I want to live for. I want to finish college. I want to help people. I love my dogs and I want to stay with them and my family. I haven't started a family yet. Fifty years from now it will be something about grandchildren. Even though there are still a lot of things I haven't got to do, and a lot of things I would leave behind. There are a lot of things in my life I am proud of and have accomplished. I love the people I am around now. Its hard to say, I wouldn't necessarily want to die right now, but if it happened theres not much I could do about it either.
I am not ready to die...there are many of things that I would like to accomplish before my death. I want to be able to enjoy life with my family and friends. I am ready to be adventurous, start a career, and start a family. I look forward to my life ahead of me. I am not ready but if it happened today I would just need to do a few simple yet most important things....even though my family, friends, and fiance already know, I want to tell them how much they mean to me and how much I love them.
This entry may be a little delayed, however I feel too strongly to just skip over without a response (plus I think Dr. Cate would frown upon that).
Surprisingly, I feel as if I am ready to die. However, I do not want to. But I also see a lot of death in my clinicals unfortunately. Just this month I've had 5 patients of mine die right before my eyes. I also understand how precious life is and how it can change in a split second. Of course with my young age I want to be selfish; I want to live longer so I can experience all kinds of other things. I want to live long enough to see my degree be complete, get married, have a family, a good job, etc. Yet, on the other hand, I also understand that biologically all life will end. I see it all the time. I also have been raised with the mentality that sometimes life just ends, or it will wither away. I personally would rather die a quick or painless death, I would not want to live until I'm 130 years old and suffer through everything that is brought my way. I would be satisfied with dying today knowing that where I was 5 years ago was a terrible place and that I have turned my life around. I am happy with the progress I have made, the things I have done and the new talents I have discovered from inside myself. Death is just a phase of life; we're all heading in that direction, so why should we fear it?
If i really thought about it, I honestly would not be okay if I died today. I know it is inevitable and we all have to face death, but there are so many other things in life I want to do and accomplish before I die.
I would not be okay if I knew I was going to die today. I feel like I have not truly lived yet. I have not fulfilled my own personal goals in life at 21 years old. I guess if I was going to die today I could accept it because I feel like I have led a good life. I feel like I've treated people well, loved unconditionally, and helped others along the way. Most importantly I have faith in God, so I know I would be okay. So, yes, I could accept it, but on the other hand I would not want to die at 21. I would of liked to become a physician, get married, and have children first. I also would not want to leave my family.
ReplyDeleteI am in the exact same boat with Lydia. If I were to die today and knew it, I would say my goodbyes, etc. and I would be able to accept it. I think this is because I identify with the Epicurean position on death not necessarily being a bad thing, as outlined in chapter four of the text. After I die, I will no longer be able to experience any kind of deprivation, because I will be experientially blank and cease to exist or because my soul will live on in some other form (in which case I think that the argument of whether death is good or bad is moot). Thus, I cannot be worried, bereft, grieved, etc., because I will no longer be able to sense anything at all. In short, then, I would be able to accept having to die young.
DeleteHOWEVER, given a choice, I would definitely want to continue living. I'm only 18 and I would definitely not want to live(hopefully) 60+ more years. Because I am still alive, I can sense what I would be deprived of if I died right now and therefore would not want to die. What is more, I like to think that, if I should pass on today, it would grieve those around me--and even if I would not ever be aware of grief--and this is a disconcerting thought to me now (while alive).
In short, therefore, I agree. I could accept if I had to die, BUT I do no want it, because I want to live on and experience all of the joys of life.
I agree with Lydia when it comes to not being okay if I knew I was going to die today. Like she said, I'm so young and I feel like I haven't even experienced life yet. I want to reach 21 and finally be able to drink legally. I also want to finish college and get a good job. Then after all that I want to get married and have kids some day. So far in my life, I've strived to work to get to those main goals, and if my life were to end today, I would be so pissed! However, I'm not afraid of death. It happens to everyone and it comes in different forms. Life could end at any moment, and if I knew I was dying today, I could at least say that I had great family, great friends, and I lived my life in the way I wanted, but still very pissed!
ReplyDeleteI will be the third to agree, I would not be ok if I died today. I feel as though I just have not done enough, experienced enough, or be the best person that I could be yet. I have not accomplished enough in my life yet. I want to be a better person and I feel that I have not lived up to my expectations of myself yet. For me to be ok with me dying today then I would have to play some serious catch up and do everything that I can to make things right with people, to donate more, to be just be an all around nicer person. I am not a mean person I just feel that with everything that is going on in my life I lose track of everything else that is going on with the world and the people around me. I need to take more time and care more about other people other than myself. Another thing that I would have to do in order for me to be ok with dying today would be that I would have to make sure my family would be ok.
ReplyDeleteI think that if I knew that I were going to die today, that yes I would be upset in the fact that I haven't really lived yet, but that I would be more worried about the people that I would leaving and how they would feel. If I were to die I know that my mother would not be able to handle it. With the recent death of both her mother and her sister, she would probably lose it. I feel that my other family members and friends would also be very upset and I would feel horrible knowing that I was going to cause them so much pain. This question is something that I have thought about for many years because when I was in grade school my older sister was suicidal and had several close calls. Being exposed to this as a child makes you start to think about these things that a child normally wouldn't. I feel that my feelings about me dying today come from how I felt thinking about my sister dying then. I worried about how my mom would handle it because she was struggling trying find help for my sister and I knew that if my sister died how upset I would be as well. In knowing how upsetting her death would be to me, makes me think about how I do not want invoke that kind of emotional pain on anyone else. If I were to die today, I would be able to handle the fact that I haven't really lived life yet, but I could not handle the impact my death would make on the people around me.
ReplyDeleteI woke up today and remembered I wrote a reminder to think of this prompt on a posted note when I woke up. And my first thought was, "I can't die today, I have stuff to do," which I feel is sort of the common reaction from everybody so far. But then I looked at the question again and it asks if I will be okay. That answer is yes. If I knew I were going to die today, it would totally suck. It would be too easy to think of all the things I would be leaving behind and everything I won't get to do in my life. But if I were just living and going through my day and WAM! - dead- I wouldn't be devastated, I'd be dead... just kidding... but seriously,once you're dead there's on going back, you know, death is pretty irreversible. If I were to die today, what would I think of my life? Would I look at it as empty because I was so young and didn't get to experience what life is all about? Not at all. Yes I'm young and haven't experienced a whole lot, but I have lived.
ReplyDeleteOnce I've accepted and gotten over the shock I guess of no longer being alive, I'd be fine. Like my grandma says, we are put on this earth to do good, and I believe I'm doing the best I can everyday. Of the life I've lived so far, I've done alright. Yes I have regrets and things I would do differently, and I'm not fully content with my life, but I'm not concerned that I haven't lived yet. There would not be any other way I'd live because I'm young and learning. Yeah, maybe I haven't figured what life is all about yet, but at least I got to experience it. I've experienced love and being loved and laughter. Really, what greater things are there? People may grieve when I'm gone (or at least I like to think I'll be missed) and it is sad to think of. I will be leaving making a future and a family with my best friend behind. I don't want to leave them, but I am comforted that they will remember me. I was apart of their life as much as they were apart of mine. And even if they don't, who cares, I'll never know.
Of course I wouldn't be okay with dying today!!! I'm only 7,300 days old! (roughly, and yes I used a calculator) But I'm also not okay with getting out of bed before the sun rises, but I accept it and it happens. If I HAD to die today there would be no other alternative but to accept it. I'd like to think that I would accept my death smoothly and not be a basket case, but I'll never know. I do know that I would be headed to the nearest sky diving place though!
ReplyDeleteI guess, as a culture, we are always taught that we are working today for a better tomorrow. Today there is sacrifice and tomorrow will be reward, but tomorrow never really comes for a lot of people I think. Some people spend their whole life working at something for tomorrows benefit. Then poof! Bang! Dead! All that work essentially wasted for the dead guy! He has no more tomorrow's! He probably didn't get to where he wanted in life. That is a generalization and doesn't apply to everyone. In some countries the average life expectancy can be around 40 years old. Merely thinking that I have lived exactly half my life is a scary thought!
Now, I'm not saying I don't like the life I have lived thus far, but I guess I was just planning on more. More time. More tomorrow's.
In the morning when I wake up I think about my goals for the FUTURE. The little goals for the day and the huge goals I want to reach in my life. Unfortunately, I don't wake up and think "MAN! I am breathing! I am alive and kickin'! I am so grateful!"
Don't get me wrong, I am grateful that I woke up this morning, but I don't consciously think about it. My goal now is to wake up with a little more gratitude and a little less planning of my day. I think it will make the world a little sweeter to stop and smell those roses everyone is talking about!
I would have to agree with everyone else that I wouldn't be too thrilled about dying if it were tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI feel like in a few years my answer may change, after I accomplish some things in my life, make some sort of meaningful impact, or do something really worthwhile. I just feel like right now being 18 years old, there is so much out there for me to do, try, and experience in my lifetime that it would be too soon to die tomorrow.
In order to be ok with dying today I would defiantly want to spend the day with all the people that I love and are close to me. I would want to end all of my relationships with everyone on a good note. If I knew that I would die today I would not waste my time at school or work because the future no longer matters. I do not need to worry about graduating college and landing a great job or saving my money. None of that stuff matters, the only things that do matter are the people I love. Thinking about this topic now makes me realize that I do not get to spend as much time with the people that mean the most to me because I am so busy with school and work it is hard to fit them in. This is very sad because if today was my last day and I did not know it, I wouldn’t have been able to say goodbye. I would have to be ok with dying and accept it because I do not have a choice or say when it occurs. When it happens it’s over and done with and you can’t change it. However, I defiantly would not like to die at age 19. I want to get married and have children before I die and be able to make many more memories.
ReplyDeleteIt scares me to even think about this question. I can't imagine leaving my 2 year old son behind to grow up without me. At his age, he wouldn't even remember me. When my sister passed away, she left he 11 year old son and newborn son behind. It makes me want to cry that they have to grow up without their real mother. Even though my Brother-in Law remarried, my oldest nephew still remembers my sister and longs for her. The course of events in my life have not gone as planned and I have unfinished business I must attend to before I die. I want to finish college with my BSN, see my son graduate high school, college, then get married and have a family. I can't imagine leaving my parents and family members at such a yound age. My mom already lost her older daughter, I don't think she could handle losing the only child she has left.
ReplyDeleteI agree, it scares me too to think about if I died today. I don't have any children so I am not sure how it would feel to leave them behind, but I do have a 3 year old nephew that I could not imagine how he would be without me. He is a terrific nephew and I can't even think of it would be if I left him behind or even his mom (my sister).
DeleteI find myself unable to answer this question. Every morning I wake up I'm focused on all the things I need to acomplish throughout the day, which that alone is nothing compared to the bigger long time goals I wish to acomplish in my life time. The biggest thing that scares me about dying is not only being forced to face the unknown but having to face all the time i'll lose. What things I'll never get to see or do or say. I haven't even made my mark on the world yet and I know how much stored potential I have to really become something amazing. It would seem like such a waste to cut it short. Maybe it's just because I don't possess a true mature personality, but even if I lived for the day and did everything I ever wanted to do, tomorrow will come and new adventures and experiences that I never thought I would have will arise. I don't think we're ever truly done with life, I just think we grow tired over so much time and decide that it would be okay to take a break from this world and let someone have a chance to create lasting memories for awhile.
ReplyDeleteim agreeing with mostly everyone else that im not even a little bit okay with dying today. im too young and there are so many things that i want to do and i want to see. if i was given a time limit on my life it would be difficult for me to handle. i wont be able to see the things that will happen later in my life like seeing my siblings graduate, seeing them getting married and having kids. i honestly dont even want to think about not being alive for those moments in their lives. i know i dont have a true mature personality and im 100% okay with that, im too young to want to think about death. i also like to plan for the future and i wouldnt want my life cut short and me not to accoplmish what i want. until i have seen my family grow up and experience what they want to see and until i go to ireland and england i will never be okay with dying. ever.
ReplyDeleteI completly agree with you, Kristin. There is so much that I want to do in life and so many goals that I have set for myself that I want to accomplish before I die. I want to make so many more memories with the people I love and attend my brothers graduation. Also, I would not be ok to leave my family behind. I'm not sure if my parents could handle it nor do I want to put my grandparents and brothers through that either.
DeleteI think that I would be okay with dying today because I feel like God has a plan for everyone. Also I know that I have a lot more that I would like to do in this world, but at the end of the day I know that If I knew that I was going to die today I have a good enough relationship with all the important people in my life. The only thing that would not make me okay with dying would be seeing my family suffer other than that I would be okay with dying.
ReplyDeleteThere is no way that I would be ok if I was going to die today. I do not know what anyone close to me would do; I don't know what I would do if I lost someone close to me around my age either. I also have so much in my life that I still want to accomplish from getting a "real" job, helping others, getting married, having children, having grandchildren, watch my children grow old, etc. I also feel like I owe too much to other people and if I were to die I would not be able to give back what others may deserve. There are also many things that I still hope to do someday (such as travel to Ireland). I also know that my family would not be ok if I died today. They would not be able to handle another death/young person dying. My family has had many experiences with death so it is not something we necessarily want. If I knew I was going to die I would spend the day differently and be sure to tell those who mean the most or those who have had a huge impact on me how much they really mean to me. I would be very upset if I knew I was going to die because I am not ready to leave this world and everything I have.
ReplyDeleteI also know many of us are saying we are too young to die (which we are) so I cannot even imagine how the families who have lost their children at such young age feel. I have a heavy heart for those who have lost a young child.
DeleteI'm not sure if I would be ok with dying today or not. If it is going to happen then it will happen no matter what I do or say. I have thought about this over the last week and like everyone else, I'm not ready to die. I have had four different people die on me since the end of December, I think I have had enough death to start off the year. I wouldn't want to leave my friends and family behind, I wouldn't ever get the chance to see what the world is like and what working in a hospital is like. I have meaning to this life but we all could drop dead at any given time- we are not the ones who have control over when and where we're going to die. I would like to live to be old enough to be a nuisance to my children/grand children (haha) but I want to see what my children will look like, what my grand children will look like! To see what my life still has store for me. I'm not ready to leave this world and go on to the afterlife, but if I had to die today... It would suck, but who am I to cheat death?
ReplyDeleteAfter thinking about this question every morning (and even throughout the day) I have decided that I would not be "ok" if I died. I am constantly creating projects and "mini goals" for myself to complete throughout the day and throughout the week. It is hard for me to accept death when I do not feel a sense of completion from day to day. I feel that if I were to die I would have a huge burden of regret for all the things I have yet to complete or yet to plan. I constantly get this feeling that something better needs to be done.
ReplyDeleteI also feel that I would not be ok if I died today because of any unresolved issues. For instance, I got into an argument with my sister on Saturday morning and we stayed mad at each other until Sunday. Looking back now I realize it was a stupid argument but the hard reality about death is that you never know the exact moment. So in order for me to be "ok" with death I must take advantage of the time and life I have been given so as to not regret what I have not been given.
For this exercise, I can honestly say that I would be content with dying each morning because I have a grasp on the idea of death. I honestly don't know what happens after death which complicates things. I do not know if there is an afterlife, a God, or I turn into a tree after I go. Do I believe in a God? No. But I believe that if he is as forgiving about everything that people tell me, I will be in purgatory and then I will believe and be let into heaven. Is this dumb for me to believe? Nobody can ever know what will happen to them until it actually happens so we have to just wait until it happens I guess, while doing the very best we can while we are here. There are some things that I would like to do and possibly some things I needed to say to some people. I went to another country, I play soccer any chance I get, I don't take my job to seriously, and I coach kid's soccer teams. What it really comes down to it that I would not be a bad person when I died. I would hate to leave behind my mother and my sister but they know that I want everyone to be laughing at my funeral or whatever I would have (more of a party, as I picture it). I never made peace with my dad and have not seen him since he walked out of my life in high school. So one thing I requested was that he not be invited to my funeral party. Other than that, let's do it, bring it on.
ReplyDeleteI think at first it would be hard to come to terms if I knew I was going to die today. I would be sad that I had not met all of my goals in life like completing my nursing degree, getting married, or having children. Also, to think that I would be leaving so many friends and family behind and that it would then effect their lives. However, I believe that I would then accept it knowing that I have lived a good life to this day and that God has a plan for me. In the end I would live my last day to the fullest.
ReplyDeleteWould I be ok if I died today? There is always going to be something I have to do, There is always going to be something I want to live for. I want to finish college. I want to help people. I love my dogs and I want to stay with them and my family. I haven't started a family yet. Fifty years from now it will be something about grandchildren. Even though there are still a lot of things I haven't got to do, and a lot of things I would leave behind. There are a lot of things in my life I am proud of and have accomplished. I love the people I am around now. Its hard to say, I wouldn't necessarily want to die right now, but if it happened theres not much I could do about it either.
ReplyDeleteI am not ready to die...there are many of things that I would like to accomplish before my death. I want to be able to enjoy life with my family and friends. I am ready to be adventurous, start a career, and start a family. I look forward to my life ahead of me. I am not ready but if it happened today I would just need to do a few simple yet most important things....even though my family, friends, and fiance already know, I want to tell them how much they mean to me and how much I love them.
ReplyDeleteThis entry may be a little delayed, however I feel too strongly to just skip over without a response (plus I think Dr. Cate would frown upon that).
ReplyDeleteSurprisingly, I feel as if I am ready to die. However, I do not want to. But I also see a lot of death in my clinicals unfortunately. Just this month I've had 5 patients of mine die right before my eyes. I also understand how precious life is and how it can change in a split second. Of course with my young age I want to be selfish; I want to live longer so I can experience all kinds of other things. I want to live long enough to see my degree be complete, get married, have a family, a good job, etc.
Yet, on the other hand, I also understand that biologically all life will end. I see it all the time. I also have been raised with the mentality that sometimes life just ends, or it will wither away. I personally would rather die a quick or painless death, I would not want to live until I'm 130 years old and suffer through everything that is brought my way.
I would be satisfied with dying today knowing that where I was 5 years ago was a terrible place and that I have turned my life around. I am happy with the progress I have made, the things I have done and the new talents I have discovered from inside myself. Death is just a phase of life; we're all heading in that direction, so why should we fear it?
If i really thought about it, I honestly would not be okay if I died today. I know it is inevitable and we all have to face death, but there are so many other things in life I want to do and accomplish before I die.
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