Are You Afraid of Dying?

 Are you afraid to die?   During a recent hike I thought about this, and the notion has taken up residence in my head since then.  A trail my wife and I were on had a section that was quite hazardous with slick, moss-carpeted rocks and a steep downward slope on one side.  As happens often my imagination got the best of me, and I envisioned myself slipping on the rocks and dropping over the edge, my scream echoing off the surrounding mountains we'd been admiring only minutes earlier.

I imagined the pain my death would cause my wife and children, and the horror my wife would feel seeing me disappear, my screams most certainly haunting her for eternity.

I suppose I'm not afraid to die; the older I get, the more I think, "Well, when it's my time, it's my time."   I think what actually scares me is dying a painful death.  That makes me a sissy, sure, but there you have it.  The pain, and also- and this is probably ridiculous- the idiotic concern that the way I died might've been humiliating, could've been easily prevented, or was due to some stupidity on my part.  People would learn about my death and say things like, "He should've known better", or "Why was he doing (fill in the blank)", or, "He kind of deserved it".   For the record, this was not the first or only time I'd had these thoughts.

So, is it odd that I think this way?  I'm curious if I'm the only one who has such thoughts.  What about you?  Are you afraid of dying?

Comments

  1. Great article. Stay positive and always do good, worship, pray, and be grateful

    ReplyDelete
  2. We have to accept but it is tough to think about it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I don't care if I die. I'm not afraid or it, it happens to us all. Nothing we can do about it so when it happens I don't really care.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for stopping by the blog to say hi....Dying, since reaching 61. losing my mom a couple yrs ago and losing a bunch of friends in the last 2.5 yrs, I think about death and dying more then ever. Am I afraid, not so much of dying but more of not being around to watch grands grow and live their own life, not being there for them or my kids if they need me. That is my biggest of all fears.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, Pam, thinking about the kids and grands is right up there as well. Thanks.

      Delete
  5. It is something that I really don't enjoy pondering, because after all I really desire to LIVE!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As do I. However, we all think differently, don't we?

      Delete
  6. I'm not really afraid of dying. I live a life of positivity and gratitude so I concentrate more on living. Time is so short and I don't like to dwell on the inevitable. But I also hold some very strong spiritual beliefs and know that this life is just part of my journey in this universe! Having said that...NO...I don't want to die a painful death at all! Suffering is never something to look forward to!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hats off to your positivity, Rain. Thanks for stopping by and sharing.

      Delete
  7. I was just thinking about this the other day actually. My thought was that I hope I don't live so long that I'll long for death as a release from life in a nursing home.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your thinking about slipping and falling reminds me of myself when I was a young mother. I thought about dying a lot, probably because I was stressed and anxious about my children and what would happen to them if I died young.

    I'm a nurse and have cared for many dying patients, all of whom were not in pain when they died. Even if you were to die of a gunshot wound, it would hurt for a bit but then as you slipped away, nothing would hurt. Graphic, I know:)

    You're worried about dying in a humiliating way, I wonder if you were a cat in a previous life:) Cat's hate being humiliated.

    As for myself, if I am suffering, I plan on using medical assistance in dying. I have no desire to linger or suffer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, it's the suffering I'm actually afraid of. Sissy, I know.

      Delete
  9. Like you I'm not afraid of Dying, just of Dying horribly! I have Sleep Apnea and once a Doc told me I should have a CPAP Machine so I didn't Die in my Sleep and I'm like, Hell No, that's how I've asked to Go, so why would I mess that up?! He realized I was not joking! Ha ha ha

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

On Drama

Two Screwdrivers (Adult Content)

(Cruisin' on the) Beer B(l)oat