A couple of hypothetical morbid questions for your Tuesday evening

[PotatoChip]

The only rule is that you cannot change the outcome whether you choose to know the answer or not


1) If you were given the opportunity to know the date of your death, would you want to know it?

2) If you were given the opportunity to know how you die, would you want to know that?

[Chan790]

1. Yes on both.

Ironically, I'm pretty sure I know the answer to one or both of those already and with the knowledge I'd be unable to NOT potentially change the outcomes.

[some guy]

1 - yes 2 no

I think it would be liberating and empowering to know when I am going to die.

It seems like it would make me obsessive if I were to know how I am going to die.

***

When I first read this, I thought in terms of knowing when and knowing how. If I separate the two questions, it would be absolutely awful to know how I am going to die, but not know when.

[PotatoChip]

4. Eew, I know what you mean.

I once read a book titled 'How We Die'. Something I picked up at a yard sale several yrs ago. It was written by a Yale Clinical professor and goes into great detail about the 'process' regarding some of out most common causes of death here in the US. Right down to how the patient is likely feeling in the hours and minutes leading up to it. Sometimes I think, it's best just not to know certain things.

But like you, I think I'd like to know when.

[some guy]

6. Did you enjoy the book?

I've never heard of it; I'm a wee bit curious now.

If we were really serious about wanting to know when we were going to die, we could pick a date and make it happen. But suicide can be tricky, and it's not really what I want to do anyway.

[PotatoChip]

7. Umm sort of, but not really

Hard to explain. It's a bit like watching a train wreck. Disturbing, yet at the same time, hard to avert your eyes. Oddly, things you would think would be horrible (I won't get too graphic here) are probably not as bad as you would imagine and vice-versa.

Here are some Amazon reviews (for what they are worth) and you can find out more about the book there too. Apparently there is some sort of updated version. http://www.amazon.com/How-We-Die-Reflections-Chapter/product-reviews/0679742441/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

[BlueJazz]

2. I'll take door number 1 and 2.

[madinmaryland]

3. No to both.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

5. no. no.

more interested in how I am living.

[Tikki]

12. Same..

Tikki

[applegrove]

8. I hope that they have legalized suicide when I am old and sick.

[femmocrat]

9. NO and NO.

Knowing would drive me crazy, trying to get everything done before I go.

[emilyg]

10. Me2

[Kaleva]

11. I read a comic book years ago that was somewhat similar.

A G.I. in WWII was given an amulet by an old gypsy who told him that as long as he wore it, he was destined to live a long life and die of old age. Thinking he was invincible and almost immortal, he went wild. He ended up in a basket, minus arms and legs and while he could hear, he could not see or speak. Thus he was destined to spend decades in that condition as his medical care tackers thought that wearing the amulet gave him some kind of comfort.

[PotatoChip]

13. Whoa, now THAT is a truly horrible story.

I hope the comic book wasn't being marketed to children. What an awful tale!

But on the other hand, now that I think of it, there were tons of childhood stories that are oddly scary/downright creepy. Ick, Hansel and Gretel were nearly cannibalized, Snow White was poisoned, The Big Bad Wolf ate Grandma, and on and on.

It's a wonder we all don't have PTSD from some of these childhood stories :scared:

[ScreamingMeemie]

14. 1) Yes and 2) Yes...

Because it's really just a waiting game for me anymore.