You afraid to die?

[Brother John]

BTW: Jenna...


I Like your avatar there: It looks like your angel needs to potty though.

;-)

Your Brother
John

 

[Jenna]

BTW: Jenna...


I Like your avatar there: It looks like your angel needs to potty though.

;-)

Your Brother
John

Hey now someone's Brother John Thank you for your above thoughts... And sadly I have to get a bit shouty with you for mocking you just leave my angel alone you mister! And I see you looking at her through the eyes of a father and not a lover but even still you might be able to discern she is an angel and thus sworn to temperence and sobriety and abstinence from appetites and she is finding herself a little more um... pent up frustrated in.... OTHER ways if you follow. Now you can close your mind again and return to mundane thoughts, ha!

Yr most obdt hmble srvt,
Jenna

 

[Jenna]

Fair enough...:asian:

Anyone else want to take a shot at separating the concept of "I don't want to die" from a "fear of death."

In my opinion, it seems as if one naturally flows into another, as I have stated above.

Another point I would like to make is that I think that humans are pretty darn good about rationalizing their fear so they can get on with their lives. Sometimes, however, we go to far and get ourselves into trouble. Most people call this "bad judgement" although sometimes it can just be an "accident."

Hey John thank you for your contribution to this thread. I am afraid I can only make a conjecture on the disctinction being made between the two concepts and that is that people see the admission of the first as natural due to enjoyment and desire to prolong life whereas admission of the second seems to be akin to wearing a tshirt that says COWARD.

I think there is a big problem with people admitting genuine fear and this is not news or anything revelationary but for those in particular who can lay NO great claim to utmost faith in their hereafter, for those people to NOT admit they are afraid to die is a FEAR in itself and in not admitting they are afraid to die such folk are actually admitting their fear BY PROXY and this is merely my thoughts on the matter. I hope this makes some sense and does not sound overly condescending. Fear is natural and nothing to be ashamed of. I have admitted mine and you yours and I cannot help but imagine the world would be a COMPLETELY different place if so many people GENUINELY had no fear of their deaths and surely SO MANY things would be turned on their head if people really were free from the fearful shackles of dying, no??

I do not buy into this talk for a minute but at the same time I have respect for the views of everyone who has posted their thoughts and for the inviolable right for them to hold such views. Thank you

Yr most obdt hmble srvt,
Jenna

 

[Brother John]

I'll take my chastizement.....

I DO also like your tag at the bottom of your posts.
Ahimsa Pratisthayam Tat Samnidhau Vaira Tyagah
"For the one who is established in non-violence, all hostilities cease in the presence of that one."

The ultimate in 'self-defense'.
:asian:

Your Brother (everyone's brother)
John

 

[Carol]

I'll take my chastizement.....

I DO also like your tag at the bottom of your posts.
Ahimsa Pratisthayam Tat Samnidhau Vaira Tyagah
"For the one who is established in non-violence, all hostilities cease in the presence of that one."

The ultimate in 'self-defense'.
:asian:

Your Brother (everyone's brother)
John

Brother John,

Where the HECK have you been?????????????

You have been MISSED!!!!

I do hope you stay around and post more often. Your insight and knowledge is fantastic. Please stick around...wouldya? Please?

Your sister in Kenpo,
Carol

 

[Brother John]

Namaste sister...
thank you.

It's good to be missed by good people.
I've still been doing my martial arts, but I've taken more time to continue other studies and practices as well... plus to spend a GREATER amount of time with my wife and children!!!

Thank you for noticing my absence
That's probably the best compliment I've had in a long time.

Your Brother
John

 

[Laeticia]

Hi Jenna, thanks for the interesting topic!

I certainly don't want to die. I don't fear death "actively", as in think about it every day and night, but I certainly try to minimize all possibilities of it happening.

Funny thing is, others (esp. my elder relatives) fear me dying much more than I do myself. Every spring when it's time to take my bike out my granpa reminds me that it could stay in his garage all the summer, he wouldn't mind, or even asks me if I have been thinking about selling it. My aunt gave me some clippings from a medical journal speaking about lead poisonings gotten from badly ventilated indoor shooting ranges. Still, I continue to drive my bike and shoot, I just try to minimize risks of me getting hurt while doing these things. On the other hand, I'm terribly afraid of water. I don't like it, and I can't swim even though I've learned to do it several times. My relatives don't try to stop me from going near water, on the contrary they try to get me to swim. I try to limit the situations where I might have to immerse myself in water (how many credible reasons can you come up with for the PE teacher to not to have to swim in junior high when normally you have swimming at least 4 times a year?).

I do fear death of my loved ones, though. I feared my grandpa could die before I get back to Finland to see him again. Nothing wrong with him or anything, but he IS getting older every day and he acknowledged it himself when we parted. I fear for my boyfriend when he's skydiving (although he hasn't done it but once or twice/year these 2-3 years we've been togheter), I trust his skill but stuff can happen. I managed to scare him once quite good as I was half hour late from practise and he knew I should've come with my bike (bike didn't want to start so I had to take the bus..).

IMO, the reason I don't fear my own death but do fear swimming is that having to swim is more probable than dying. I know I can't live forever, but being young and all I just don't KNOW it. Having never been faced with it too radically, having no one die in front of my eyes, I can't say I've ever faced it really. So I guess I fear it, but as something that's still far away. The death of others is much easier to "see", esp if they are more prone to it due to age or hobbies.

Sorry for the rambling, having to speak french daily kills my ability to think in english...

Cheers,
Laeticia

 

[fireman00]

Hey mister fireman00
Man! So you are another one out there risking your neck for all of us. That makes you something special and I think it is just WAY too easy to overlook guys like you out there with no greater thought than preserving life. This is amazing and thank you for making me think about what you are doing.

I would love to not be afraid of dying but find that an incredibly difficult one to grasp. I wonder how you have managed to do that yourself? But yes there are many gruesome and horrible ways to die between accidents criminality and disease so much to choose from huh? But this I would wish to make us think on the here and the now and stop wasting time and words....

I wish God speed you home to your wife and the old pilots' adage is true about any landing you walk away from... I wonder do pilots really have that belief or with all their technology and reliability is it just lipservice? As you are in extreme situations I guess quite a lot do you have a similar "any landing..." viewpoint? Thank you!

Yr most obdt hmble srvt,
Jenna

Jenna - Thanks for the kind words, when we get toned out I always make sure to give my wife a hug and quick kiss then utter the fireman's prayer - "dear God, please don't let me ***** up".

There is SO much that can go wrong in a structure fire thanks to illegal renovations that divide up rooms into sub-rooms so what looks like an easy house to clear is now a rats maze, houses can be filled with garbage that can make it VERY difficult to search for vicitims , floor collapses, roof collapses, facade collapses - but being careful and training with 40 GREAT guys makes it a somewhat safer.

Being a vollie is an excellent way to give back to the community and there's a spot for all shapes, sizes, ages and both sexes on a fire department; from driving the apparatus, filling air bottles, passing out water bottles/ cold towels, helping direct traffic, manning the radio room, helping out with fund raising - there is always a need for more man/ woman power.

Not to go way off topic, but today (Saturday) after running through a rehersal for our black belt banquet my fire dept was paged out to assist with a water rescue - a young child fell into the Delaware River (good sized and fast running in spots). The child was last seen thrashing around in the water and then went under. I grab my gear bag, jump into my X , turn on my 4 ways and blue light and started the 5 mile drive from town X to my town. Through one major intersection I must have gotten the finger from at least 4 people who refused to yield ( with one fine individual offering both of his middle fingers ) to the point of jamming the intersection and I was pleased to hear a number of 4 letter words of encouragement from at least two of these fine folks Once I managed to get through the intersection and to the station we geared up and started off to the scene with two boats - thank God that the child was pulled out of the river by some canoers a couple hundred yards down stream and we were cancelled while enroute, the child (so we hear) will be fine.

But I can't get over how angry these 4 people were; the ones who refused to yield - was 30 seconds of their time that important? I would offer that these would be the same folks who would scream to the papers that it took the fire department or rescue squad way to long to respond when THEY were the folks in trouble and needed assistance. These same folks would most likely not even think about volunteering to help out.

Sorry to vent but I feel better now

 

[Ceicei]

I think there is a big problem with people admitting genuine fear and this is not news or anything revelationary but for those in particular who can lay NO great claim to utmost faith in their hereafter, for those people to NOT admit they are afraid to die is a FEAR in itself and in not admitting they are afraid to die such folk are actually admitting their fear BY PROXY and this is merely my thoughts on the matter. I hope this makes some sense and does not sound overly condescending. Fear is natural and nothing to be ashamed of. I have admitted mine and you yours and I cannot help but imagine the world would be a COMPLETELY different place if so many people GENUINELY had no fear of their deaths and surely SO MANY things would be turned on their head if people really were free from the fearful shackles of dying, no??

I do not buy into this talk for a minute but at the same time I have respect for the views of everyone who has posted their thoughts and for the inviolable right for them to hold such views. Thank you

Yr most obdt hmble srvt,
Jenna

There are quite a lot of things that I do fear. The martial arts have taught me much how to handle many of these fears, and for that, I have become stronger.

Now related to your comment and the topic, It is not death itself that I fear, but rather, the *process* of some ways of dying.

- Ceicei

 

[Jenna]

Hi Jenna, thanks for the interesting topic!

I certainly don't want to die. I don't fear death "actively", as in think about it every day and night, but I certainly try to minimize all possibilities of it happening.

Funny thing is, others (esp. my elder relatives) fear me dying much more than I do myself. Every spring when it's time to take my bike out my granpa reminds me that it could stay in his garage all the summer, he wouldn't mind, or even asks me if I have been thinking about selling it. My aunt gave me some clippings from a medical journal speaking about lead poisonings gotten from badly ventilated indoor shooting ranges. Still, I continue to drive my bike and shoot, I just try to minimize risks of me getting hurt while doing these things. On the other hand, I'm terribly afraid of water. I don't like it, and I can't swim even though I've learned to do it several times. My relatives don't try to stop me from going near water, on the contrary they try to get me to swim. I try to limit the situations where I might have to immerse myself in water (how many credible reasons can you come up with for the PE teacher to not to have to swim in junior high when normally you have swimming at least 4 times a year?).

I do fear death of my loved ones, though. I feared my grandpa could die before I get back to Finland to see him again. Nothing wrong with him or anything, but he IS getting older every day and he acknowledged it himself when we parted. I fear for my boyfriend when he's skydiving (although he hasn't done it but once or twice/year these 2-3 years we've been togheter), I trust his skill but stuff can happen. I managed to scare him once quite good as I was half hour late from practise and he knew I should've come with my bike (bike didn't want to start so I had to take the bus..).

IMO, the reason I don't fear my own death but do fear swimming is that having to swim is more probable than dying. I know I can't live forever, but being young and all I just don't KNOW it. Having never been faced with it too radically, having no one die in front of my eyes, I can't say I've ever faced it really. So I guess I fear it, but as something that's still far away. The death of others is much easier to "see", esp if they are more prone to it due to age or hobbies.

Sorry for the rambling, having to speak french daily kills my ability to think in english...

Cheers,
Laeticia

Hey Laeticia wow what a gorgeous name and thank you for making these points it is good to get your view!

Yes I completely understand what you are saying here and one thing you said in particular has me thinking.... You say "The death of others is much easier to "see", esp if they are more prone to it due to age or hobbies" ...
And I think that is a wonderful observation that we may not fear our own deaths because we do not always see that we are making a path towards that eventuality. Thank you for giving me something else to think on!

Oh and I know ABSOLUTELY what you mean about speaking french after having spent almos every weekend for the last 18 months there trying to escape London reality I find it difficult --and sometimes do not even wish to TRY to get myself out of the way and back to english and even typing I hear myself as though in french and this is weird but the language is so flowing and soft and well.... romantic and so different from the lilting passionate italian or fiery and staccato spanish or angry german let alone the humdrum english. Are you in France teaching can I ask?? I em envious of you being there and where are you can I ask without seeming nosey??? Thank you

Yr most obdt hmble srvt,
Jenna

 

[Swordlady]

Q: are you afraid to die, afraid of the WAY you might die, afraid of the what after?

Those are some deep questions you asked. I don't think about death often, but when I do, I'd like to think that I'm not afraid to look at death squarely in the face. But...I haven't really been in a situation (yet) where death was literally knocking on my door, so I don't know how I would actually react if/when that day comes.

One of my fears of dying is that it may be a painful death. Or one that is slowly debilitating. That is one of the things I do fear about getting old. I fear losing my memory and facilities. I worked with older Americans in a previous job. Some were healthy, and others were stricken with a number of ailments, many of them due to advanced age. I wondered sometimes how I will age. Will I remain healthy, or will I suffer the sometimes adverse affects of aging? I'm not going to remain young forever.

I have to admit, a great part of me wants my death connected to a noble ends (e.g., sacrificing my life to save another). But would I necessarily want to forfeit my own life so prematurely? I probably wouldn't know without facing such a situation.

I do believe in a heaven and a hell. Sometimes I worry if I'm going to end up in the right place. I worry that my life isn't "good enough" in the eyes of God. The only thing I can do is to move full speed ahead with my life, and try to be the best I can be. Hopefully, that will be good enough.

 

[Laeticia]

Are you in France teaching can I ask?? I em envious of you being there and where are you can I ask without seeming nosey???

Not nosey at all!

I'm actually here studying japanese as a Erasmus exchange student. I'll live in Paris until end of June, so if you plan on escaping here and fancy a cup of coffee etc. give me a nudge ok? I promise to speak a horrible english and even more horrible french with my lovely nordic accent.

And back to the thread...

Cheers,
Laeticia

 

[MA-Caver]

Long winded answer ... fair warning, because I put off replying a tad longer than I intended because I wanted to read each post and then reflect my views on them.
Fear of dying is the subject then.

Often times I've contemplated or meditated about my own death, which as with all living things, must come.
Is it that God calls us? Or is it fate, destiny or sheer chance that one happens to be where they are when they die?

From Dune: "When God wants a creature to die in a particular place he causeth that creatures wants to driect them to that place... "

You're driving home on the freeway from work, the dojo, or just visiting with friends and a drunk driver collides with your vehicle head-on killing you. Is that God calling, or just plain bad luck?

I've more near-death experiences than I care to count myself; guns pointed at my face and cocked, knives thrust into my body, my own innards spilling out on to the floor when, as a child I fell upon a broken glass bottle, large rocks crashing inches from me when deep inside my beloved caves, car accidents, attacked by the scum of the earth (muggers) armed with knives and pistols, climbing up a 300 foot deep pit on a rope and finding it's beginning to fray as I reach the edge, and so forth.

Was this God calling me home and I just failed to answer the phone? Did I spit in death's face and told him to go take someone else for I am not ready to die today?
Or was God's hand in there somewhere sparing me each time, for a work I've yet to start or complete? A work that I may (or may not) be aware of? Who knows? God does I guess.

Being afraid of leaving things yet un-done is something that shouldn't (IMO) concern us if our faith(s) in whatever God(s) we choose to believe (or not believe in) to take care of such things after we die, if our faith is strong enough. If it's there and you truly do believe then you can die in peace, trusting Him who is also sometimes known as the Almighty.
For those who do not (choose) to believe in such things, then it really doesn't matter does it. For when you die; that's it, nothing more, knowing nothing, feeling and thinking ... nothing... so it doesn't matter... right?

The last thing that you do before you die. Ah yes, all of us wish to be in the midst of doing something noble and good for our fellow man. Like the police/firemen in the North and South towers of the WTC, or to die fighting as your plane crashes into a previously unknown field somewhere in Pennslyvania. Much more preferable than sitting at your desk when your world erupts in a ball of flaming vaporizing jet fuel before you even had a chance to look up form your computer terminal to see what's coming. Or to be one of those who sat helplessly in their seats as the plane hurtled towards one of the buildings. But since we know not the hour of our impending deaths we go on with our lives best as we may and as we see fit.

We rarely choose the method of our deaths, save for suicides whether they be noble or selfish. We would like to think that we can choose them and go out peacefully, quietly or in a blaze of glory... or at least somewhere in between. We would like to think that we would appreciate the knowledge of the hour of our deaths. Yet there are many of us who would've been just as happy to remain ignorant. Cancer, diabetes, aids, lukemia and a dozen other diseases that would eventually bring us down should we the misfortune of getting them.

You're quite correct fear serves no purpose whether in a fight or when facing death. Fear however; has a way of breaking any fences you might put up to keep it under control don't you think?

Yes, in one way but fear does sometimes throws up those same fences that will get you to run out (or in) that burning house or turn the steering wheel in time to avoid a collision, or to fight back and use your training to (try) knock the gun/knife out of an assailant's hand... it's a double edged sword; fear is.
Dying bravely or dying in fear, IMO death is indifferent to either. When it comes, it's finished. We can fight it or plead with it, it won't matter. Death has a schedule to keep and won't be thwarted by those resisting or begging for a few more moments of life.

I'm not really afraid of my own death, but I am concerned that in the confusion of such a life ending event, and that because around 110 people die a minute, that someone else's God might accidently take me home with her/Him/it.

Heh, you make me think of a quote from Alfred Hitchcock who spoke upon the differences between Horror and Terror. He explained:

"Terror is when you're in a crowded room and know that there's a bomb about to go off and there's no way out. Horror is after the bomb goes off and you're the only one left alive."

The things that I do certianly seem like I court danger and death everytime I do them, but I'm really not. I am doing them as safely as possible as my training and common sense makes me. I make sure that I and all those with me (for I never do it alone), are being as safe likewise because knowing that even their failings can suddenly terminate the whole trip for me, and them. But I do them because the rewards at the end are well worth the risks taken. Same with scuba diving, rock climbing, sky-diving, and so forth. I want to live doing what I enjoy. If I die while doing so... then at least I will have died doing what I love. There may be a few moments of terror (such as the rope breaking and falling or hearing a large rock falling towards me and I've no where to go (been there done that... whew), but I will at least have died enjoying my life at that moment.

I'm afraid to die. My fear of death puts my seat belt around my lap. My fear of death makes me put a helmet on when I ski or ride a bike. My fear of death makes me put my PFD on when I am canoeing.
I'm afraid of the regret everyone in my life would fel. I'm afraid of the "thought of the pain they would feel. My hope is that when I die, I will be old enough that people will expect it and the parting will not be so bitter.
I think that everyone, at some level, is afraid to die. It's a natural instinct that preserves life. Would our species lasted this long without this inborn fear? Probably not. And I think that humans know this instinctually. Think about how we view people who don't fear death. Nuts. Crackpots. Crazies. Psychos. You name it.
Is it possible to over-ride this instinct? Yes. But even then, people are still afraid and only their conditioning allows them to over come that fear.

A great insight.
Nomad, putting on a seat-belt, wearing a helmet, putting on a PFD, securing a harness and double checking a rope anchor, and checking the air in your scuba tank, and ensuring your parachute is folded properly so that it'll open without a hitch and so on... it's all common sense that helps avoid the possibilty of death. If common sense is to be interpreted as a "fear of death" then by all means I think it sounds like a smart thing to have around.
For those who go out of their way or ignore or have an appalling lack of common sense go see www.darwinawards.com to find the best of these examples.
I do have to agree with you Nomad however; on your point that being afraid of death is pointless. It's going to happen whether you want it to or not, whether you know it or not, whether you expect it or not, whether you intend it to or not.

Fear is something IMO, multi-faceted like a diamond. There are so many ways to fear that it's difficult to pin down one type of fear for each situation, circumstance, person, incident, thing, occurrance and so on.
But I think you and upnorthkyosa need to stop and take a look at something both of you said before continuing on with your *ahem* debate... because they're exactly the same thing ... just said differently.

<snip> Is it possible to over-ride this instinct? Yes. But even then, people are still afraid and only their conditioning allows them to overcome that fear.

If you allow fear of anything (death, heights, dogs, etc.) to dictate your actions, then it rules you completely.

Sounds like to me you guys just agreed upon the same thing here :uhyeah:

Oh by the way Nomad I couldn't resist

A caver is exploring areas that most people will never get a chance to see, often a place with beautiful limestone sculptures and other features. You think his only motivation comes from the possibility of getting lost, falling or otherwise dying in the cave?

I can answer that with a definite "no" but admit that while there is a possibility, we (cavers) train long and hard to avoid those things happening... having personally been on several (real) rescues and numerous rescue trainings, I can affirm that it is an awful thing to have to have happened and it's a scary thing too (if it didn't kill you outright at first). Thus, fear definitely motivates me to learn what I can do to avoid these things from happening to me (or anyone else).

The short answer (finally ) to the main question; is simply "no, I am not afraid to die." I don't want to and will fight it, but death is not that terrible. I saw it on the face of my mother the morning I went to wake her up and found her gone so many years ago. The peace and serenity that was on her countenance told me that I had nothing to fear. I've lived that way ever since.

:asian:

 

[MartialIntent]

Yeah, I'm afraid to die... absolutely. I'm not religious and I often lose sight of why I'm here at all. I'd find it hard to believe that anyone in this position saying they weren't afraid to die wasn't talking out their ar$e.

Martial arts people are great at dismissing fear. But dismissing it and facing it down in a confrontation are not the same thing.

Well done to those previous who admit their fear. And to those that seemingly have no fear of anything even dying well, I'm undecided whether to congratulate you and try to glean your secret or to admonish self-deceit as the utmost vanity.

Either way... Respects!

 

[Nomad]

Hey mister Nomad
I am simply using these as a metric but if the analogy does not suit you then do not worry about dwelling on the literal interpretation. Let me instead invite you to step out of the question a little and allow me to ask you what is it that you ARE afraid of?

Thank you

Yr most obdt hmble srvt,
Jenna

OK, fair enough. I'm afraid of things happening to my daughters... that they could be abducted or seriously damaged while I was helpless to prevent it. I'm afraid that, as a parent, I could do something to alienate them, drive them away from me, spoil them severely, or otherwise have them end up in a position of hating me later in life.

As the son of an abusive alcoholic woman and as someone with an addictive personality, I am afraid of the misuse of drugs and alcohol, and the effects they could have on me (so I don't do drugs, rarely drink, and channel my addictions into Martial arts and other relatively benign forms).

As mentioned earlier in the thread, I am afraid of ending up as a burden on my loved ones (eg. brain-dead on life support). When I do go, I want to be remembered by those around me for how I lived, not how I died.

 

[OUMoose]

Q: are you afraid to die, afraid of the WAY you might die, afraid of the what after?

Short answer: No, I'm not afraid to die.
Long'ish explanation: I came to the realization that everyone dies at some point in my travels. Being something of a paranormal junkie, there is the curiosity to find out what happens "after", but I'm in no rush to get there. Still got quite a few things on this plane of existance that need to be taken care of. Am I afraid of the way I might die? Not really. When it's time, it's time, and I will be full on kicking/punching/biting/ripping/etc hopefully. Guess I have a somewhat negative view on it, as I realize that everyone's road may be different, but the destination in the end is the same.

I think we, as martial artists, have a somewhat heightened understanding of mortality. Most of us quickly learn just how fragile we really are, and how a life can be snuffed out in the blink of an eye. It is in that small glimmer of enlightenment that we learn to live every day a bit more fully, IMO. We find moments to slow down and look at the scenery; to stop and smell the roses if you will. I have yet to meet a serious martial artist who didn't have a fundamental appreciation for life and all it's grandeur.

:asian:

 

[pstarr]

Some years ago, my eight-year old son was killed when he crossed a rural road and was struck by a car. Since that day, I have had no fear of death. I'm in no hurry - I have a lot of things I'd like to do before I shuffle off this mortal coil - but I know that the worst thing that can happen is that I'll be reunited with my boy. And I have no fear of that-

 

[elder999]

.... if you have ever performed that meditation or had a passing thought for your own death.... Q: are you afraid to die, afraid of the WAY you might die, afraid of the what after?

Short answer:no. May as well be afraid of the sun coming up tomorrow, for all the good it will do.:lol:

Of course, the question is more complex than that.

I was born with deficient, malformed lungs. I also developed aplastic anemia, and spent the better part of my childhood with doctors telling my parents and me that I had &#8220;2-3&#8221; years to live-it never got to be less than that, it just became part of my yearly physical, and each and every one of the many other trips to the doctor over the years. I also grew up in the age of &#8220;duck and cover&#8221;-a very special, government sponsored meditation on horrific death, just for children-at least, children who were intelligent enough to realize what a waste of time it was.
So, by the time my pediatrician sincerely asked me (at age 15) not to dance on his grave until his family left the cemetery, I was pretty unafraid of &#8220;death&#8221; itself, and had come to view it as the certainty that it is-it&#8217;s been my observation, for what it&#8217;s worth, that many of us live all our lives maintaining the illusion that we&#8217;re going to live forever.

I have no such illusions, and thus, no fear of death itself-whatever comes afterward is a mystery, and not to be feared by me, but met with a sense of wonder and awe.(Emptiness, heaven or reincarnation-it&#8217;s something elder999 hasn&#8217;t experienced in this life&#8230;..)

Some people say, though, that all fear is fear of death, and I have, in my lifetime, known fear. I&#8217;m more than a little claustrophobic, but with a lifetime of working in Level A HAZMAT suits, ordinance disposal suits, and actually operating in a foam filled containment tent wearing SCBA, I&#8217;ve obviously learned to control it&#8230;...isomewhat

And I also have, of course, a lifetime of working around stuff that could kill me, and everyone around me&#8230;&#8230;.

Ordinance disposal-or any work with devices-is another sort of &#8220;daily meditation on death.&#8221; Ditto a lot of other things I&#8217;ve done, pleasurable and not so pleasurable-I sailed a crippled trimaran through a (barely) tropical storm in the Caribbean when I was sixteen, and, while I was (quite sensibly) scared out of my friggin&#8217; mind, I wasn&#8217;t about to get off the boat, and I wasn&#8217;t about to die-consequently, the entire experience was almost too much fun! When you get right down to it, simply driving down a busy freeway could well rival such an experience, on any given day..


Fear of not living, though:not living life as though each day truly were my last would truly be worse than death.

 

[Bigshadow]

Some years ago, my eight-year old son was killed when he crossed a rural road and was struck by a car. Since that day, I have had no fear of death. I'm in no hurry - I have a lot of things I'd like to do before I shuffle off this mortal coil - but I know that the worst thing that can happen is that I'll be reunited with my boy. And I have no fear of that-

:asian: