Time of death

[BTMurphy]

We had a small family get together yesterday and, as is often the case, few topics were off limits as discussions were all over the map. I don't recall what lead to this question, but I asked something like " If you could know the exact date and time of your demise, would you want to know"?

As you may imagine, responses were often funny, thoughtful and varied, if not sometimes disturbing. One interesting twist offered was "what if you knew the date but not the year".

I'm interested in the board's thoughts. What say you? (twisted/demented senses of humor always welcome)


(If any of you are on death row somewhere, please refrain from commenting. you have an unfair advantage)

 

[LionJim]

I'm not going to play this game, but will mention that dogs seem to recognize when their time is up. I've lost a dog, and he knew. My neighbor lost her lab Tano and when I asked her she replied, "He knew."

 

[BTMurphy]

thanks, ditto with my dogs. didn't mean for it to be a game or disturbing. Just found the many viewpoints/thoughts interesting. we all deal with such questions differently.

 

[Ten Thousan Marbles]

thanks, ditto with my dogs. didn't mean for it to be a game or disturbing. Just found the many viewpoints/thoughts interesting. we all deal with such questions differently.

I would require that anybody who wants to know the exact time of their death be required to hear how many centuries the world goes on after they die.

 

[Ceasar]

We had a small family get together yesterday and, as is often the case, few topics were off limits as discussions were all over the map. I don't recall what lead to this question, but I asked something like " If you could know the exact date and time of your demise, would you want to know"?

As you may imagine, responses were often funny, thoughtful and varied, if not sometimes disturbing. One interesting twist offered was "what if you knew the date but not the year".

I'm interested in the board's thoughts. What say you? (twisted/demented senses of humor always welcome)


(If any of you are on death row somewhere, please refrain from commenting. you have an unfair advantage)

death-clock.com can answer that question for you.

 

[NittPicker]

death-clock.com can answer that question for you.

Interesting site. It says I'll live to be 97 years old. That'll be great as long as it's a healthy 97.

 

[michnittlion]

I'm more interested in knowing the location of my death.

The passage of time - I can't avoid that, the clock always ticks on. But I can avoid a location!

 

[Frabjous]

I will be shot by a jealous boyfriend at age 90.

 

[Zenophile]

IMHO ignorance is bliss with regard to the OP question.

 

[psuro]

I will be shot by a jealous boyfriend at age 90.

Why would you date someone who can only get a 90 year old boyfriend?

 

[psualumni2002]

Kevin Kelly editor at Wired Magazine wondered the same thing. Here is an interesting blog post about what he found when he lived life as if he was going to die in 6 months.

http://oblations.blogspot.com/2009/09/kevin-kelly-dead-in-six-months.html

 

[Cruising Route 66]

Based on some of the things I read in this forum I think there are many here who are already dead but just don't know it.

 

[Phil's Rug]

[QUOTE="Cruising Route 66, post: 1672878, member: 314"]I think there are many who post in this forum that are already dead but just don't know it.[/QUOTE]

You only think what your BOT puppet masters tell you to think

 

[NedFromYork]

Yes. Everyone performs better when on the clock, or in this case, a DEADline.

 

[john4psu]

My father, born in December, died in December.

His brother, born in December, died in December.

I was born in December. I've only been in two car accidents in my life, neither of which were my fault. Both happened in December.

My favorite day of the year-New Year's Day. Not only for the NYD bowl games but knowing I'm good for another 11 months. Seeing Penn State play in a NYD bowl game my inspiration to get through every December.

 

[KnightSlayer]

Based on some of the things I read in this forum I think there are many here who are already dead but just don't know it.

Do you mean like you and your souless cronies who are dead on the inside?

 

[bmw199]

What would scarier knowing when you're going to die, or knowing you can't die at all? Whatever time we have here is certainly too little, but do you really want to be here forever?

 

[LionJim]

What would scarier knowing when you're going to die, or knowing you can't die at all? Whatever time we have here is certainly too little, but do you really want to be here forever?

There's the myth of Tithonus, which I learned of by reading Tennyson's poem of the same name. Tithonus was a mortal who was in love with Eos, the Goddess of the Dawn. Zeus kind of screwed Eos over somehow and to make up for it told Eos that he'd grant her a wish. Eos asked Zeus to make Titohnus immortal, which Zeus did. Oopsie, Eos forgot to ask Zeus to at the same time give Tithonus eternal youth, so Tithonus gets older and older and older and can't die. Drives him nuts.

"Me only cruel immortality
Consumes: I wither slowly in thine arms,
Here at the quiet limit of the world,
A white-hair'd shadow roaming like a dream
The ever-silent spaces of the East,
Far-folded mists, and gleaming halls of morn."

It's a pretty good poem. It's not up to the level of Tennyson's "Ulysses," but it's damn fine nonetheless. Give it a chance.

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/174656

 

[Cruising Route 66]

Do you mean like you and your souless cronies who are dead on the inside?

Can't speak for friends and colleagues but as long as God is in my heart and soul I'll never be dead.

 

[Cruising Route 66]

[QUOTE="Cruising Route 66, post: 1672878, member: 314"]I think there are many who post in this forum that are already dead but just don't know it.

You only think what your BOT puppet masters tell you to think[/QUOTE]



Really? Have we ever met? Curious how you come to that conclusion.

 

[Tom McAndrew]

There's the myth of Tithonus, which I learned of by reading Tennyson's poem of the same name.

Now there's a myth that I hadn't thought of in years.

Very nice addition to the thread, LionJim.

 

[PSUriseANDfire]

I would probably rather actually just put a bullet in my head than open an envelope that had my exact date of death. That would seriously just be a mindF of a level that I would never want to know. I love living. I love not knowing some things too.

 

[bmw199]

I would probably rather actually just put a bullet in my head than open an envelope that had my exact date of death. That would seriously just be a mindF of a level that I would never want to know. I love living. I love not knowing some things too.

This is probably a cruel prank, but if I were one of your friends (IRL) and saw this I would just start mailing you a bunch of letters that contained nothing but future dates in them. lol

 

[Woodpecker]

I would probably rather actually just put a bullet in my head than open an envelope that had my exact date of death. That would seriously just be a mindF of a level that I would never want to know. I love living. I love not knowing some things too.

Whoa! You just blew my mind! The people who find your body will open the envelope and it will have the date you shot yourself. I wonder if the date inside the envelope would keep changing if you simply never opened it. You could never know if it does. Maybe we all have such an envelope.

 

[PSUriseANDfire]

This is probably a cruel prank, but if I were one of your friends and saw this I would just start mailing you a bunch of letters that contained nothing but future dates in them. lol

Some girl put a note with a black spot in my desk in third grade after Treasure Island. I still haven't recovered. We were always still good friends though. haha

 

[Ranger Dan]

I'm not going to play this game, but will mention that dogs seem to recognize when their time is up. I've lost a dog, and he knew. My neighbor lost her lab Tano and when I asked her she replied, "He knew."

Ugh... not that you intended this, but this hurts to hear. I put my first GSP down in 2008 due to congestive heart failure and I've never shaken the guilt. Now I hear that maybe the dog knew it wasn't his time, but I did it anyway. It would have been soon, I assume, but I regret not giving him another day, week, etc. Again, not your fault, Jim, but this just ruined my day.

 

[LionJim]

Sorry, Dan.

Here's my attempt to make up for it: I've posted it before, maybe you've seen it.
http://www.eoneill.com/texts/blemie/contents.htm

 

[mhentz]

Based on some of the things I read in this forum I think there are many here who are already dead but just don't know it.

Oh? Does that mean your associates "the boys from up north" have active contracts out on some members of the board?

 

[PSUriseANDfire]

Oh? Does that mean your associates "the boys from up north" have active contracts out on some members of the board?

Usually when he says something now it just means that an ass needed to let a fart loose. Or shart. Whatever.