I don't know about convictions but loving life and living life fully makes death no terror. That'd be my experience at 65 after at least three life-threatening incidents (a heart-attack, a near drowning and a long, vertical fall in a cave). Then there are several written-off cars in my background and some interesting moments at sea.

And that'd be how I personally understand Jesus teachings about eternal life: as the abundance of life that comes from trying to live well, to live fully and to live FOR things that are good and important. Loving life seems to make letting go of it less of an issue.

I really don't "get" the afterlife stuff with its heavens and hells (dualisms like that contradict pretty much everything else in my experience of the universe) and reincarnational ideas: I find having a sense of life as a one-shot deal sharpens the morality and compassion of anyone who seriously thinks about ways to live well: love, whole-hearted friendships, living for others and well as with and among others, and testing one's own capacities, gifts and abilities, these opportunities certainly amplify one's experience of life as a whole. I've known people with daunting disabilities who've found full lives by embracing life regardless and with courage (one of my profs at university, a very badly battered second world war veteran, was a case in point).

I suspect it takes a bit of ego and a sense of life "wasted" to really whip up a terror of death. But this planet, and the gift of consciousness to engage with it as passionately as Homo sapiens sapiens can... THAT is an amazing, extraordinary and thrilling privilege. Eternal life — living forever — would diminish that as surely as living this life with injustice, as many do; or living on the proceeds of injustice, as many do. It is not the prospect of death, but things like racism, greed and cruelty that diminish life... for everyone.

Mike. As interesting as your 'profile'. For both, thanks.

I believe in an afterlife and some kind of heaven.  I'm not exactly sure if I fear death . . . I've never had any near death experiences or fought possibly fatal illnesses.  I think my fears of death center on those I would leave behind, especially someone very near and dear to me who has some disabilities and depends very much on me (and my hubby) for certain things in her life.

When I view death I think of it mainly in terms of a rebirth to another place.  It is not that I am afraid to die, it would be more a fear of the unknown . . . how will it happen, will it be painful, where will I go, who/what will I be . . . etc.

I never feared death until I had kids. Now I can't bear the thought of how they will be cared for if I'm not around. 

I'm not fearful of death , i see it as freedom form the confines and forms of this world, I do however feel pain that i would leave my loved ones, my kids

I don't think I fear death - I just want to live.   I love life.  I'm living it to my fullest.  I don't want it to stop.  I want to see my daughter well and happy again.  I want to see my grandchildren grow up, graduate from high school, start university, get married.  Gee, it would be nice to hold a great grandchild in my arms (both my sisters are great-grandmothers).  I want to keep on bowling with my spouse and my friends.  I'm sorry I had to give up biking and cross-country skiing.  I want to travel some more.  I want to finish the novel I'm working on and see it published and made into a movie (ha, ha).  I want to feel the morning sun on my face before it gets too hot.  It might even be nice to go trout fishing again.   God, maybe sometime I'll be ready, but not now!

Seriously, maybe I'll feel differently in a few years.  My husband is older than me.  What if something happens to him?  And my friends go?  What if my vision goes?  My hearing?   What if my Parkinsons, that right now seems limited to a tremor in my left arm, gets worse?  What if I develop dementia?    The time may come when I will welcome death.  And I don't think I will fear it.

Death happens. It's part of a natural cycle of existence. All things must pass and all that.

As a consequence, I don't fear death, or at least don't think about it much.

I talked last year about the funeral of a friend my age. He was a big s-f fan with big s-f dreams, such as visiting another star. When my best friend gave the eulogy (an atheist, BTW) he pointed out that someday in the far flung future atoms or particles that were once a part of our late friend may well end up reaching another star so, in a way, he will get there. That's as much of an afterlife as I want or need.

Mendalla

I personally do not fear death itself but I do not want to die just yet.  I have a beautiful granddaughter that I would love to see mature into a young woman.  I do not believe in a place called heaven.  I do believe we create our own heaven and hell right here on earth.  It is not an individual phenomena but a communal due to the type of energetic presence we as humans put out there.  On some level we are all responsible as to what is happening to our earth.  We are energetic beings and energy does not die it continues in some form what that form is I do not know but I know that energetically I will continue and perhaps return.  Live life to the fullest be compassionate and and support one another.  

I'm not at all fearful of death - which has come rather as a surprise to me. I have no visions of walking on clouds or standing up when God enters the room. Nor do I have any belief in hell.

I have instructions that my funeral is to be as much as possible a celebration preceded by a cremation with no money to be wasted on anything, not even a vase for the ashes.  I'm quite comfortable that neither my body nor my separate personality is likely to continue to exist. My guess is that I become a part, with all others, of some greater spirit.

I once had a dream of death. I sort of floated into the side of a mountain, and then into the centre of it. I recall it vividly because of the profound sense of contentment.

Mind you, there are a lot of things I'd like to do before I die. But if I don't get them done, it won't matter because I won't care any more anyway.

I think that all us know about death already. As a believer in reincarnation I can honestly say that we've all died thousands if not millions of times before. As man or a woman, as a master or a servant, our soul continues on it's journey of rounding out it's experience in this earthly plane. Death is an experience as natural as birth.

For us, death is inevitable. Everything that has a beginning in time must have an end in time. Our lives, like the days and night of the soul, appear and disappear from earthly view.

And in this particular life of ours today, we die daily. The death experience is nothing new to us. Each night we withdrawal our consciousness to the inner realms of the soul. Each night we die from this world and awaken to the next. It's only when both the silver thread of consciousness is loosened and the golden bowl is broken that we don't wake up the next morning.

Life and death is but a focussing and a refocusing of the soul, like the magnetic pull of the tides. 

When the soul breathes outward, the form stands nearby. When the soul breathes inward, the form dissipates. 

I don't fear death as much as I fear going through a painful death or a lonely one. If I die and I didn't know it was coming...there's nothing to worry about. If I am in pain and alone and I know it's coming...that's what I'm scared of I think...all the what if's....and the sadness of knowing I'd be leaving people behind. If I were to die a long drawn out and painful death from cancer...to me that is more scary than just dropping dead of an aneurysm or something I didn't see coming..can't do anything to stop that if that's your fate anyway, right?...but I feel there's more good I can do here...so God willing, that won't happen for awhile. I have questions about what's on the other side...but I won't know until it happens so there's no point in worrying about it...I just live the best I can here and now..and I have faith that whatever happens is for the best..

Everything about illness, bone breakage, twisted ankles,  aging, death, and tooth decay really annoys me.  I still haven't really gotten over discovering that we couldn't just run around on the prairie, collect buttercups, watch for pussywillows, and roll down hills indefinitely.

I mean, oh man, the  only alternatives we have found to the above are Cher, Trump and Kevin O'Leary. 

dismal dismal dismal

I fear a painful death, nasty.  I had a near drowning as an infant and am subsequently  claustrophobic and fear suffocation though fortunately, I am an excellent swimmer ( but will not scuba dive).  

I am philosophical about death but similar to others, want to be around for many years to help my kids adjust to adulthood.

I hope to be around for many years to enjoy the sunshine and trees and flowers and art and music and good people in my life and help others whenever I can...I want to be around to see the world become a nicer  place  and do what I can and help it get there for the generations after me. I don't have kids, but I would like to leave the world a nicer place ...for kids in general..

When folks say they don't fear death - I think "are you for real?"

I've reached a stage in life where serious illness and death of those I love (and myself) are the only things that I seriously fear.

Just because folks say they don't fear death, doesn't mean they don't.

When it comes to denial - that's often a biggie.

Just as well we age, get aches and pains.

If we stayed forever young (and know what we know now - youth is wasted on the young) - it's my belief that nobody would welcome death.

Think about it.

Why do we value doctors so highly? Why do a lot of religions promise either an afterlife or reincarnation?

Maybe it's because we humans fear death. (Let's face it, it's not much fun being a species that knows about it's own mortality).

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, this is a good motivator for life. (Mmm, let's see - three score years and ten - just time to get in a few more trips overseas.........)

Fear?   Pilgrim, somehow I think your definition of 'fear' and mine might be quite different.  

Of course I fear the death of a loved one - but it is not the fear of death itself, or of what might happen afterwards, its the deep regret that a life might be cut short, that the person will be missing out on so much - as well as my grief at having to lose them and my sympathy for those others who will have to go on living without them.

As for my own death - as stated above - I don't think I will fear it.  I don't fear thinking about it now.  But I don't want it to come.  I want to go on living.   I don't want this life to end.  I love life.  I don't equate that with fearing death.

Fear of death?

For the fundamentalists who say the bible is literal ... yet deny it states no less than 366 times ... "have no fear!"

Leaving our legacy? Perhaps our greatest error is not teaching them that they have the ability to make the world a better place for living. What! real world as a learning curve ... warped space?

Alas creation gave us the power of delusion ... and we really make us of it ... so we can deny a future for the leftovers of our emotional outburst. Perhaps there is another cheek to this delusion ... that other side of imagination ... like an alternate side of our mind? Then there are those deny the mind and the extension of learning ... creations greatest joke for the A'Muse meant of the subliminal ... like me just outa sight in the real word ... that few men sah will understand! It is a unique stand ... mostly alone with ... the unknown to real men .. psyche ... our best friend as burry'd in myth?

It is said the story goes on and gets worse unless we can bounce back ... look past ... that's ancient eh? Alternate old personae ... in the Shadow as distributed? Sort of rings of Nickolas of Cusa ... all-that-is being everywhere and no end tuit ... except for the mortal pool by definition ... sort of the fallout in the initial verse of the larger myth: In the beginning two halves heaven and the dirt on the foresaid ... lead in to a following? Light Eros ... bringing a point to the Shadow ... de athe as the Hebrew stated ... ultimate wisdom that a new soul must be eased into as a child through a painful experience? There's a bit of that genre in each of us ... though we may chose by willies not to know Ur ... for God's aches don't go there!

Pilgrims, I think you are spot on. Everyone fears death, it's an inborn instinct that keeps us alive. I suppose that that fear may allay as we reach the end of our years, but until then there would have to be extraordinary reasons to not fear death. Being caught up in the passion of war, I would think, could be one of those reasons, but we still would possess a strong urge for self preservation. Suicide is another reason but then again many have found it very difficult to go through with this act because of fear. The fear of death is an instinctual mechanism that's been part of us for millions of years.

But then again, as many have said above, many it's a case of the fear of dying and not so much the fear of death. As a society maybe we need to learn the art of dying.

Neo - do you really think that a love of life equates with fear of dying?   We cling to life because we don't want to lose it - not because we fear what might be ahead.

But yes, we may need to learn the art of dying.  How would you define it?  What does a 'good death' look like?

For me, I think it might mean having lived a good rich life, realizing that my time has come, saying 'goodby' to my loved ones, having those closest to me nearby, and quietly closing my eyes and slowing my breathing until it ceases and I am 'gone'.   Where I'm gone to - well, I'll know then. 

Scares me shitless.

The idea that deaths door only swings one way and that there is no choice involved, could become fearful if I dwell on it. I could easily get carried away trying to imagine myself becoming non existent as I know it.

Love the honesty! What part scares you? The unknown, leaving those behind, both?

Even as a Christian, though I don't really fear death, I wonder about how I'll feel and what I will experience during the change.  I've heard it explained that it is kind of like taking off a glove.  I believe that.  This body is not who I am - it is just my covering while I am here.  I also think most people - even those who claim not to believe they are eternal beings - believe deep down that they are.  At least they question whether they are or not. 

Hi Happy Genius,

I believe that Jesus is the resurrection and the life and that even though I die I will not perish and ultimately, I will live again.

I know I will die.  I do not know how nor do I know when.  I spend no time thinking about the where, when or how.

I will meet death, whenever and wherever it finds me and I hope that I will meet it as I meet most of the challenges that come my way.  With grace, dignity and a sense of humour.  Though I suspect that if I fail in that most will be forgiving.

By all accounts I've had enough near misses that I'm well into borrowed time.  The law of averages suggests that the more close shaves I have the closer I come to getting nicked but good.

However my number comes up I have no intention to go peacefully or quietly.  I may not provide death with much of a fight, there is no way I'm just handing my life over.

Like Robert Frost stopping by woods on a snowy evening I too have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep.

Quitting time comes when quitting time comes.

Grace and peace to you.

John

I think that when someone (at least when I) says they don't "fear death", they aren't referring to this kind of survival oriented fear. Obviously, if a bus is heading for me, I'm getting the heck out of the way. What they are referring to is the fact that they don't let the inevitability of the end of their cycle of existence govern their lives. It's an important distinction, because there are people who let that inevitability and their fear of it take control, whether it's a hedonist who says "WTF, I'm going to die anyhow" before plunging into unrestrained pleasure or the person who simply withdraws and tries to avoid encountering anything that might cause or remind them of that inevitability. For me, "not fearing death" is about accepting that inevitability and staying focussed on the present and on the relationships around me while still being aware that it is all going to end and doing what I can to prepare for that end.

This . As others have said, I'm not afraid of death but the process of dying is another matter, although working for a company that is involved in palliative care has helped in that department. There is plenty out there on how to die with dignity and how to care for the dying (I've been  to a workshop on the subject myself), but I don't think much of it makes its way into the day-to-day lives. Our service on Sunday is on the subject but I don't know if I'm going or not.

Mendalla

Maybe it's the mood I'm in of late, but I'm sceptical whenever I see folks intellectualising about the fear of death.

To me, intellectualising our emotions is an attempt (often unconscious) to distance oneself from the emotion.

From my experience this intellectualising seems to disappear when one is actually facing the prospect of death of oneself or a loved one.

Then it's, as has been said, scared shitless time. 

That's not to say that as, with the passing of time and the event now part of history, we can resume our "thinking" rather than "feeling" about death.

It's then we truly understand what a wonderful gift life is - and enjoy it with a renewed appreciation. 

Very honest and to the point! I would have to agree. I am nowhere near ready for it. Let's keep on living!

Am I ready for it? No. It's way too early for me to shuffle off this mortal coil.

If I drop dead tomorrow, will I be satisfied with the life I leave behind? Sure. I didn't do everything I could, but I also did some things I never even dreamed of in my misspent youth.

Do I fear death? On some levels, sure, but it's not a dominating force in my life and I don't spend a lot of time thinking about it.

The Greek philosopher Epicurus taught that death is the final release from suffering because it's the end of life and sensation, so why fear or worry about it?

My perspective may be coloured a bit by my family history. I've now outlived my maternal uncle and maternal grandfather. My mother also died young. So, while my health is pretty good and all indications at the moment are that I've taking after Dad's family health-wise (he's well into his seventies and Grandad made it to 81) , I have to assume I may be carrying a genetic time bomb and that I may well not live to a ripe old age. So, I've largely adopted the Epicurean view of death and even, to some extent, of life.*

Mendalla

* Epicurus was not a hedonist in the conventional sense in spite of how his name is often used today. While he did talk about pleasure as the highest good, he also defined it as being achieved through freedom from physical and mental suffering, not indulgence in physical pleasures. In fact, he lived a ascetic existence and held, quite correctly, that indulgence leads to suffering in many cases and should be avoided. Learning as a means of relieving the mind of anxiety about things like death was held to be a source of pleasure.

I believe we are alive for a reason. That we live to be, on average, 70+, for a reason. We all have an expiry date on this earth...and thanks to modern medicine we have been able to ward it off to some extent. I do not think that pining for the end of this life and the end of this planet is the way to go...as it seems some do....otherwise, why were we put here in the first place? God isn't a guy in the sky playing games with us...there's a purpose for each and every one of us. Could it be, that our purpose is to get it together and bring about a new peaceful earth...not by destroying each other and the planet, but by putting down the swords and building bridges in Jesus' name? It seems to me that the "ways of this world" that we ought not to love are the ways of greed and hatred.. the love for other human beings who are different from us and the creatures that inhabit the earth--those aren't the predominant ways of our current world. Once those ways of greed and hatred are put away...it willl be a new earth.

Greed and hatred bring death...that's my opinion about death in overall terms.

I don't really fear death quite honestly.  Really, it just pisses me off, it is a total waste of time, it is limiting, it is mean and sometimes it really hurts the person dying and generally it will hurt the ones left behind -even as it unifies them.   Many people love funerals because death is so twisted in all its ramifications, it is an event, it is thorough, it is interesting in its communal message.

People get depressed and people feel guilty when the death of someone seems to solve their problems with that person. . . to the point where at least one can get her breath and think through the next step before being blind-sided by some kind of personal vendetta . . .

so, to die before being able to know your kids are prepared, is a pain in the butt.  It is sad, of course and that is a pain in the butt.

Really, death pisses me off more than I fear it.

That maybe in keeping with your feminism, jlin.

I have observed that feminists do being pissed off more readily than fear.

Interesting discussion. The older I get the more accepting I get. Don't seem to have any convictions. Will get there one way or another.

NEO,

That was grand expression ... confront death, have a discussion as I suggested James Hilton did in Lost Horizon. It is face on and not as end to ... sort of Ares or Eris in up ... ET (He.) ... catapult you in the face sort of thing ... with a hairy symbol of something to be revered ... psyche under your scalp. Of course there are some strange metaphors for this by those that would not like to meet their thoughts out there ... (as defined in alien intellect by Webster). Omega'd this is an odd dimension ... even funny from a thinking perspective.

Isn't that just the devil to a race that denies thought ... worships the emotions? Perhaps I am just too alien for here ... as fallout ... cracked or just flawed for the light to shine through as in Gideons Jared Story of a war that was far from brutal ... frothy exchanges of position? Can't you see the stoics spitting as they de bêtè the bull! They's upright ... and the Romantic edge saw tuit ... that we couldn't tell ... all the paradigm would fear listening to alien stories ... consider UFO's!

It also reminds me of Stu Hamblin (I believe) who sang a piece called Black Diamond (with the Wooly Black Hair), a very satyr-like, or metaphorical projection on the concept of a Love to die for (having your wits about you instead of too many emotions)? Some of us are exceptions to the rule ... thinking devils ... rare (Eire) cases? Just look around you at the role models in this dimension of the time machine!

The unrestrained soul does have an aspect of past and present and directing future events ... doesn't it? That is the cumulative of 'hole soul if we could get it together in a thinking space all broke up by ribald laughter at what's going on above in God's name ... Caesar? What happens when those high and mightier sorts find themselves up against low life humour ... satyr? Then the royalist sort never did understand complexity of a larger population (paradigm) as the soul of that creature does in ID's basic unknown character ... secret/quiet majority? They were told to be silent over the years! How many years does it take to unravel a soul that's been confined for the millineum effect? Takes thousands of year to age a good RIP'r so it could be hidden amongst commonly available script ... but don't tell anyone ... it is camuflaged as truth ... so God wouldn't know the devil who wrote it ... and we all know a man in a near state of pure love ... can't think!

What, never love a stranger, is that verifiably Christian? What a phoqah up in the scripted roué ... as decreed by the dirty sort ... real earthy people without celestial mother and fathers? I'm ruled not to use those words! Did you know that phoqah (He.) is core belle, central issue of the dead ringer? That's chi hoo gets it all started again ... how? That is classified intelligence down here ... in shamayim they sing .... they didn't know ...

You have to read a lot into the infinite story to unravel that much ... and I near goan ... of the thinking on the fly sort ... Shadowy like Dawes ... Black birds think out of sight! You can hear the chatter tho' ... they fear men and boy's ... no respect at all for the unknown ... as a metaphor of something far bigger ... St Nicolas of Cusas version of the heart is in there ... foul dead space, convoluted brae'n? Does have recesses ... carries?

Grim:

I've been thinking about the fear of death you described above. I don't know if this helps, but I wonder whether it makes a difference if, say, you reach 60, and you ponder that there have been around 21,915 days — 15  of them from leap years — on which you didn't die.

So at 60, you face weighing one incomplete, "bad" day on which you die against more than 21,000 survival days. At 65, I've had close to 2,000 more. By 70, if I get there, I'll be 25,600 days up.

And, looking back, I have to think hard to come up with one wholly, truly, totally bad day. There have been days on which I thought I was suffering but, in retrospect, it all turned out okay, and I was just being a snivelling ingrate, and there are days I've let slip by, poorly or incompletely entered into or valued as I should (my bad again)… but the overwhelming thoughts I have are of receiving a wonderful, blessed, often totally enchanted and enchanting gift, revealed day by day in ever-more delighting ways: an exciting work of art, all for me.

And it hardly seems I've tried. I have been indolent, unappreciative, more risk averse than I really had to be, I have been blind to beauty I should have seen and I have been incredibly ungrateful: a spoiled brat. I could have given more and been kinder and more patient; I could have thought more creatively about giving to others. But life keeps lifting regret from me by thrusting me into fresh discoveries of beauty and sources of fascination. "God" is very good at distracting me... and I'm losing what's left of my risk aversion.

So… one day I will die. Everyone around me will be able to get on with their lives; I hope no-one feels guilt, unforgiven or anything but thankful for their own lives. It may look to me like a "bad" day on the horizon but why should I worry? Horizons have always revealed good things to me.  And I'm going to feel or complain after all of my (so far) 23,000+ good days that I'm getting a raw deal?

I can't imagine a death, or a consequence of dying, that could possibly cancel out the joys I've been given. So death will come to me as the drawing together of it all, as the frame for all of the good things I know and have known... and it might then be too late to express the gratitude I feel, so I'm trying to express some of that now. That's my focus, as best I can manage it.

And, whatever comes or fails to come after death, I reckon it'll be something I can handle. It'll be interesting to find out... but I'm not looking for eternal life: I wouldn't want to submerge in some meaningless endlessness the joy I know, and that keeps growing, now. What, really, is there to be scared of? There's far, far more to be simply grateful for.

I have only skimmed the thread but a couple of thoughts come to mind.

Is there a difference between being afraid of death and afraid of dying?

On Monday I did the funeral of my sister's mother-in-law, a woman who simply dropped dead suddenly and unexpectedly last week.  As the family were all gathered for supper that night a long-time friend of the family commented how such a death is what so many of us often wish for--but for ourselves, not for those we love as being the one to mourn such a death is very differnent than having a chance to say good bye.

I think I can honestly say I'm not afraid of death; what lies beyond is apt to be pretty interesting and I've seen some mighty fine metaphors for it--like in The Five People You Will Meet in Heaven, or in The Shack--imaginative, colourful, warm and inviting, divinity welcoming us 'home.'  That part I don't fear.  The dying part--that I have a strong distaste for, although I have seen some folks manage it with excellent grace and dignity and faith.  I hope that by the time I'm seriously in the running, twenty or thirty years from now, I'll be able to choose some of the conditions, make some of the decisions. (I want to die like my friend Vangie, who was playing Scrabble, and just slumped in her chair, didn't even mess up her hair, she was gone in a wink and no suffering, no anxiety, just slipped away on the spot.)  I've seen some agonizingly painful and long dying, and that's no good for anyone--PUHLEEZE don't just 'keep me alive' for no good reason, let me go. Life is sacred, yes, but not being kept alive when all of nature is saying, this is over.  If I could choose, I'd be able to see that my life was basically over, and have as much of a party as I could manage with my family and friends, and then say goodnight and so long.  No cost to the medical system; no hand-wringing, furrowed-brow, cold-sweat weeks of waiting, just a sweet goodbye.

I have often wondered about the difference between fear of death and fear of dying.  Being dead doesn't scare me - though I'd rather stay alive, healthy and able to give and receive love.  It is the process of dying that scares me - the possibility of decline, pain, horrendous attempts at cures, major surgeries, loss of independence and so on.

I am surprised to be still alive and functioning reasonably well.  I have several 'ailments' that could kill me, sooner or later.  Some more dreadfully than others.  At the moment my activities are compromised but life is still good.  Two of the 'ailments' I have killed others within my family.  Maybe it is enough to enjoy what I can and try to not got freaked by the facts - I have outlived my parents, aunts, uncles, siblings, almost all my cousins, and many friends.

There doesn't seem to be any point in worrying about it as I don't know what will be my form of death or when it will happen.  I could die of a disease I already have, a disease I haven't yet developed, or have a fatal accident. 

The thing that pisses me off has nothing to do with dying... it's the way that, over about 45 and certainly over 65, you get written off in this society as having nothing of worth to offer. It gets hard to give your skills and training away, let alone find a job.

That's far from the case in other societies. 

Life is truly amazing - no wonder I fear it's passing.

Mike, I share much of your enthusiasm and curiosity about life, BUT appealing to me via arithmetic just doesn't cut it.

I can accept the "glass half full" premise - but overcoming my fear of death by simply counting out the number of lived days??????

All the same, at least on the subject of fearing death, I do envy your ability to detach or create enough distance by thinking (as opposed to feeling) that you CAN see it as an intellectual proposition.

I think that when we say we fear death - we often mean fearing the knowledge of our death.

Thus, when we, or our loved ones, are healthy  - death is vague, distant. (Something to think about "later".)

But, when the prospect of death is more immediate, like awaiting medical test results for a potentially life threatening illness, that's when we become aware of our fear of death.

As someone that's been in that situation - the fear is gut wrenching, immediate, undeniable.

My husband was in that situation - and his fear was overwhelming.

As an engineer and a scientist he, when healthy, had often derided a "simplistic" belief in an afterlife. I'll never forget him saying to me when he knew he was dying, "I would give anything to have that simplistic faith now - but I just can't."

I learnt then and there that it was perhaps the final goal for us all - to accommodate this fear of death at least to the point of accepting, if not embracing it.

My sense is that it will be easier for some - depending on their personality.

Horace Walpole hinted as such.

"Life is a comedy for those that think, and a tragedy for those that feel."
 

Another day - Another mood for me. That is what is lovely about living.

Yup Crazyheart. I'm pretty moody too. It's called hormones for me...adds a whole new dimension to many conversations.

I hope you're in a great mood today, enjoying your birthday!

Look at it this way ... obviously I've had enough to eat, wear, sit under in the storm, learn how to get around the turkeys flying over head and avoid all the medical mistakes meant to make huge sums of money for the other? Is there anything else? Perhaps to teach the rest of the fallout how to follow a similar path? Couldn't be the same for greedy people can learn too ... doesn't mean they care for the outside rim!

That is why god is moving in another dimension, they don't know and don't wish to be caught in that condition ... until they catch up with the thinking devil that was cast out of church for avoiding certain laws ... like not making love to people you care for a big bunch. Some people never experienced such feelings ... only alien thoughts about what they could do to the unknown ... letting God out of the image. That's the way convolution of indeterminate space works ... tres vite ... like quantum particles on the shift ...

Did yah see IT?

I think death is something unknown and unknowable - until we're there, at which point we're unable to share our experiences in any way we'd understand as tangible back here. I'm not prepared to write off the idea of an afterlife ... not prepared to base my entire morality on it either; too scary and too much pressure to be perfect. I DO, however, believe without doubt in our impact on the world, on those who will remember and love us, and THAT's the 'afterlife' that shapes how I aim to interact with my world and the people in it. Sometimes I succeed ... sometimes I don't. Sometimes I try harder than others. But that's the work I think we're called to as Christians, and I think that's the 'Kingdom' Jesus speaks of - to do our best to do God's work and bring 'his' Kingdom vision to the world.

My own attitude toward death? Well, at nearly 30 with two young kids, I don't particularly look forward to it - it does in fact scare me (no particular reason beyond it is of course the unknown, whereas my life is quite familiar and content at the moment) and I'm not ashamed to admit it - but I trust, as the time nears, it is something I will make peace with. I trust the fact I haven't come to terms with it, means I have no need to come to terms with it yet. And if that's overconfidence - if I get hit by a bus as I walk out my front door tomorrow - well, I figure I'll have plenty of time to think about it then. Life as we know it, for me, right now, keeps me too busy to dwell on this topic a whole heck of a lot.

Well said Olivet_Sarah.

We should live each day if it's our last by living in the moment. The past is gone, the future is unclear, but the present is a gift.

I'm not sure I do understand WaterBuoy, but I do know this: for the most part, turkeys can't fly .

Could it mean missing the movement of God in places where institutional types are trained not to see God?

Yeah, the flying turkeys comment flew right over my head...an accidental metaphor or not?

sorry...double post