I don't really fear death and its inevitability. What I really fear is being trapped in a barely functioning body for decades. I fear becoming too weak and becoming "that old guy"

Work out hard and eat healthy. Your prize is that you get to die slower.

What's so great about being alive anyway?


29 comments
  1. Statistically you’re more likely to find out you have cancer and be dead in 3 months or just drop dead off a heart attack.

    Watching your loved ones pass way is worse i think. Thinking about my wife being left alone after 50 years of marriage. The thought alone hurts me

  2. blowing loads

    eating good food

    having fun with others

    thrill-seeking

    travelling and seeing the world

    accomplishing something difficult

    being in reciprocal love

    lots of good stuff

  3. You transition from living well to dying well. As long as I die at home and not in hospice, I’ll be happy.

  4. I just fear the old part, lingering in pain for a decade. The dying part I am at peace with. We all die, and for most it is an end to suffering and an end to pain.

    I only hope that my wife does what will bring her the most peace, when it comes to my remains. I’d prefer a cremation or aquamation but I truly don’t care. I hope she does what brings her some peace even if it isn’t what she thinks I want. I really don’t care. Just get me some killer flowers.

  5. The crazy moment between birth and death. Existence is pretty tight, IMO. I eat healthy (enough, ish), and workout (mostly) so im not falling apart early[er] than I already am.

  6. Absolutely. I don’t think I’m making it to 40, and I can’t even imagine life past 50, and I’m better off for it. I’m far, far more terrified of growing old, infirm and even less able to take care of myself than I can now, especially since I’m going to be alone for the rest of my life. My long history of suicidal ideation aside, I just don’t *want* to live to old age – I don’t enjoy being alive, and will enjoy it even less as age and disease take an even larger toll on me. No thanks.

  7. Not really. Getting older seems pretty chill compared to being 30 and still figuring things out. Can’t wait to relive my rebel years when I’m old af with nothing to worry about. Accept death now, because some people never can. I have lived many years embracing that I could die at any moment – hopefully in an instance. And I still enjoy life, it’s just being realistic about what life is. Fear of death is natural, but shouldn’t be consuming your mind.

  8. In the last six months, I’ve gone from having a wonky skeleton to a wonky gut. The skeleton produces amusing creaks and pops, the gut produces other things without little warning.

    It’s the loss of dignity as I age, that’s what I fear. “…sans eyes, sans teeth, sans everything”.

  9. “Being trapped in a barely functioning body for decades?”

    You must be either rich or be living in some kind of luxurious environment then. In many places in this world people in real poverty and danger to their lives don’t even have the time or motivation to think about such a thought. If they stopped struggling and grinding hard every day nature would discard them in no time. So here’s your solution. Go move to one of those places and struggle until you decide to stop. If you stop you won’t have to worry about getting old in those places.

  10. Please don’t let fear take roots in your thoughts and life, it will grow the more you feed it and psychologically eat at you. Stay on top of your physical health and be as fit as possible and you will live with strength and stamina.

    One of my favourite anecdotal stories is that of Antigonus the One Eyed, one of Alexander the Great’s generals who ruled his own kingdom after Alexander’s death, fighting multiple wars with his rivals for decades, personally fighting in battles and winning all of them until his very last one where he died fighting in the Battle of Ipsus at the age of 81.

  11. Death doesn’t bother me. It happens to everyone, without exception.

    What scares me is a stroke, dementia/Alzheimer’s, or other debilitating disease. Or just plain outliving your usefulness. I don’t want anyone taking care of me during my last years of existence.

  12. For me I am afraid genetically inherited conditions could pop up. It’s something that no one has clearly tested for, don’t know the inheritance pattern, but all of my aunts and uncles have had to have similar vascular and heart surgeries.

    I worry that even with diet and exercise I might be fucked.

  13. Me, watched my dad’s health problems put him in the ground. Don’t want to relive that personally

  14. Yeah, hold that thought until you are 60. Then you will sing a different tune. You will also be either grateful you took care of your health or not. When I was young I did a bunch of home remodeling, windows and roofing are a common things I did. Sometimes I really feel climbing those ladders and working on my knees. The damage you do to your body stays with you the remaining years of your life and the health issues that come with them seem to compound. Any old man will tell you.

  15. A lot of great suggestions in this thread. 

    The worst part is knowing when you’re going to die, and there isn’t anything you can do about it. 

    You get to watch in real time how all the people you love react. Lots of denial. 

  16. When I was younger maybe… at 41 I am more concerned with what I leave behind. Will I see my son grow.up, fall in love and get married? Will I see him turn into me and be a great father? Will I be around when he needs my shoulder to lean on…

    I worry more about what I wont be around for more then actually dying.

  17. My fear is dying before I am done teaching my kids the basics of how to navigate life.

  18. I’ve seen dementia patients go from normal functioning people to people scared barely verbal and playing with their own poop .if it’s severe dementia but living to 90 or heart attack at 79 Ngl I’d choose the heart attack.

  19. Plenty of great things about being alive. And potentially many awful things. One way to look at it is that we have the chance to minimize the suffering of others if we can.

  20. This is a pretty negative outlook.

    “What’s so great about being alive anyway?”

    The alternative is not being alive. There will be plenty of people along the way who don’t make it. Don’t waste your life, make the most of it and honour those people.

  21. My brother died last fall at 46, and it didn’t scare me about death. I’ve seen lots of death in my life, but what did scare me, was the fact that i might not have as long to live as I thought.

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