Do you actually fear death?

For me the idea of the pain and heightened stress before death e.g. struggling to breath as you drown scares me. However the concept of being dead does not. I think it's basically like a light switch going off.

Whats your thoughts on this? Does death scare you?

Sometimes I do, sometimes I just wish it would come swiftly. Sometimes I think about how incredible and how many sacrifices my mom has done for me, and how I feel that I'm just wasting away and I get really depressed; to think my family might go before I succeed or to see me fail altogether. Sometimes I wish I just went to sleep one night and never woke again.

Jesus.

Success is over rated dude. Focus on the little things.

Go to a bar alone and drink a shit tonne of whisky and listen to some rock and roll until an awkwardly attractive girl gives you the eye. Then do what you do. Always cheered me up a treat. Might not make your momma proud tho!

Yes.. I'm scared but I know I will be gone one day.. never wanna see that day.

I guess I am, yes. Mostly I'm afraid of the cause and the suffering it could bring. For example, having a heart disease or cancer.

I got only this to say ; I'd rather die like an honorable man than live as a worthless piece of scum.

Plus Master Live's last line : Sometimes I just wish I fell asleep, never to wake up to this damn life again.

As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. I don't fear death but I respect it.

I fear the way in which I might die, but like you, the idea of death itself, of being dead… I don't fear that much. Especially once I moved past my childhood religious brainwashing. I used to be terrified of eternity, and not hell so much. I was terrified of heaven as the only alternative to hell. Hell sounded awful, heaven sounded almost as bad. Boring and meaningless, spending eternity as a mindless drone with no free will robotically worshipping god for all time with no end. It's practically hell without the flames.

I stress more about how I will die, but I have come to peace with the idea of death. Plus I wouldn't want to live forever anyways.

Well, no, not at all. I'm not religious so I don't believe we go to some magical place when we're dead, I believe 'that's it' and we just cease to exist (exactly what it was like before we were born). Despite this, I'm fine with it and intend to just make the most of my life whilst I'm alive. I might fear the method in which I die (I hope its peaceful and quick!) but as for death itself, no way :)

Most people who say they don't fear death have never faced it, so of course it is easy for them to say that. They are still healthy and relatively young. But the day will come when this all changes. There is an old saying about foxholes and atheists. . .

One time an old professor asked our class if we feared death. Most of the class said no because we all die eventually and there is no point in being afraid and stuff like that. The professor then said "Well, that's because you all think you're going to live forever, you're all young and healthy and feel fine. But, one day it is going to hit you that you will die. And if that doesn't scare you, when you have children, the thought that one day they will be dead will horrify you."

I do afraid of it. The thing is that we don't think about it most of the time.

I'll welcome Mistress Death with open arms when she arrives.

I have a brain tumor that's recently changed grades to become more malignant. I've been dealing with this for over a decade. The tumor can be removed but ALWAYS returns probably due to chromosomal damage, but they really don't know. I'm having invasive surgery in about a month and there is a chance I will die on the operating table. I'm 34.

The average lifespan for a grade 3 oligodendroglioma is 3 years.

Anyone who says they don't fear death is either lying, insane, devoutly religious (even then I think most of them are deluding themselves), or extremely elderly (most people just want it to be over). It's one of our most primal fears that have been around since we were simple proto-humans. Most people if they were drowning with another person would push that person underwater to reach air because at that point they're no longer a reasoning individual but are acting solely on instinct.

For those who say they wouldn't fear it, wait until death is literally knocking on your door and then tell me you're ok with unlocking that door and embracing it. I guarantee most of you would panic, lock, and barricade that door. I have a brain tumor and know I would.

If I'm going I would want it to be on that operating table. No fear, no pain. But instead I will probably just slide into dementia due to fear of waking seizures and from having portions of my brain removed.

I think I will get my parents to buy me a PS4 after the surgery. When you're dying you can do shit like that.

Death is quite terrifying. The only thing good about it is that it only comes to you once. (That is if you go to heaven instead of hell of course). Now in my religion a good man should not fear dead but I keep thinking of all the opportunities that will be lost when I die. Besides I haven't been a committed person in the past three years so yeah I'm terrified.

I am scared of death. Lately though, it seems like for me there's more dread toward the thought of getting old than death.

Only when my life is not at risk, I'm not afraid. I am a macho guy in those circumstances.

But whenever I am in car driven by my brother, those times I know I'm afraid of dying (lol).

Death itself. No. But the manner of which I'm going to die in does.

well, i'd be terrified if i thought i was about to die because, you know, i like living. however, i know that it's very unlikely to happen any time soon so i'm never scared of it.

like i'd be terrified if i were just walking down the street and a tiger jumped out in front of me. i'm just not constantly terrified at the prospect of tigers because i know that's very unlikely to happen.

I'm interested in knowing what it feels like. In entertainment, we see characters always get that last sentence out before actually dying. I wonder what that feeling of knowing you aren't about be living anymore is or if it just kind of hits you and you're dead.

I think I'll embrace death when/if it happens.

Nope. i find solace in it actually.

As a child (from around 3yo) I had to fall asleep with the thought that it might be my last night...with severe asthma I would go from sleeping to passed out without even waking up...my mother always arrived in time but I knew I might run out of luck at a point...

I remember once she locked me in the house by mistake when she went to work and I had a really bad asthma attack; couldn't breathe, tried calling my mother's work but wasn't able to speak so I just sat on the couch and thought "this is it"...it was very peaceful and there was no drama there (I was 4yo, that's probably why =P We also didn't have any inhalers or nebulizers back then). Woke up in the hospital because my mother guessed it was me on the phone since nobody talked and caught a cab home and found me passed out on the floor.

So yeah, growing up like that I'm not really afraid of dying. I'm not afraid of getting into a car crash, getting broken beyond repair and dying, but I'm scared to think I might get into a car crash, get broken beyond repair and NOT die. I'm not afraid of dying but I'm afraid of ending up as a quadriplegic...

You forgot another category, those who have seen the other side and come back. Up to 2005, 95% of world cultures have been documented making some mention of near death experiences. Almost 3500 individual cases between 1975 and 2005 had been reviewed in one or another study.

Something I rarely mention to anyone is my own near death experience, I was kayaking in a quiet river when the kayak tipped over and I couldn't get it up (...he he!). Anyway long story short, I looked down on my kayak from above the river then saw a tunnel of light, felt warmth and a feeling of complete fulfilment. Then before I knew it I was clambering up the side of the bank still stuck inside the kayak, if it was just a hallucination like some claim then it's better than any illegal substance I've heard of. I thought if that's what dieing is like then I have nothing to worry about, I've only talked about that to a few close family members as I'm not interested in arguing about it with anyone.

Anyway best of luck for the upcoming surgery :)

Death doesn't scare me. I'm more sort of curious of it. But I'm not in a rush to go yet.

The after-life(if there is one) scares the crap out of me. Death itself is nothing, unless I have to suffer extreme pain to get there. I'm not a bad person, and haven't harmed anyone physically since high school(bullies need some retaliation), but it's pretty much a fear of the unknown.

“The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.”
― Mark Twain

Physically being dead seems like it would be a relief, but the actual process of dying seems scary, especially if there is physical pain or psychological stress involved, which is the case for the vast majority of deaths.

Yes it's scary. Maybe not so much after I finish my bucket list.

I don't like that saying although I do understand the point its trying to make.

I fear death at times somewhat as it's a frightening concept of ceasing to exist.The suffering pre death etc does not scare me as much as the end result of no longer existing.

I don't fear the concept of death or the process of dying. However, I may change my mind when I'm faced with the reality of it.

not really, no

You might want to get some help for that bro.....just sayin.

That's some real shit bro, best of luck to you man. Too young for this shit.

Uh, yeah. Better them than me.

Yes. I like living.

I dont fear death. Im just curious to see what happens after you die.

Death scares me, not the pain though, but the thought of not living a more fulfilling life does.

The crazy shit is I just graduated college as valedictorian of my class in November and moved back to my home state to learn about this shit. I figured it was going to remain a grade 2 forever and I was going to live another decade atleast. ****!!!!!!!

Before even learning this the funeral home (degree is in embalming/funeral directing) that swore up and down that they were going to hire me stabbed me in the back and turned me down due to "hospitalization concerns" on their insurance. The old men that run the fucking funeral home are too stupid to know how illegal that is, but I don't have the endurance for a legal battle anymore.

Ugh. Rant over.

My only fear is not being able to experience it (peacefully, ideally). Judging from near-death experience (and DMT) accounts it's not something I really want to miss out on.

With that said, I'm also in no rush.

Yeah. I'd rather not die any time soon.

I used to. But then I realized that fearing it or worrying about it is a waste of time/life. Especially after losing some very close...friends. Its inevitable and it will happen to everyone at some point. Fearing it isn't gonna change anything. My guess is, it will feel as it felt as before we were born.

@uninspiredcup: Scared of death? No. Scared of dying before I do everything I've set out to do. Terrified.

i fear God, not death

I was already dead before i was born so no.

I don't fear death itself, just how I would die and how much pain will be involved....

Quote from a line at the starting of the movie The Book Thief. "When the time comes don't panic, it doesn't seem to help!"