Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Divulge The Reason They're Not Afraid Of Death

People Divulge The Reason They're Not Afraid Of Death
Getty Images

"What do we say to the God of Death?"

"Not today."

Sorry. couldn't resist. Yes, we know life isn't a Game of Thrones episode (and if Season 8 taught us anything, it's that we are so lucky that it's not), but the prospect of death and dying has scared the living daylights out of most everyone throughout the course of human civilization.

Those who have reconciled with this weighed in after Redditor johnnycross asked the online community: "To those whom this applies to, why are you not afraid of death?"


"I like the idea..."

I like the idea of finality. Everything must end including me. Also I feel like I've lived my life in a way I'm satisfied. I may not be rich or successful, but I'm nice to people, and I know the people in my life love me, and that's all I could hope for.

jbooxie

"Being okay..."

Being okay with death is the only way you can truly enjoy living. Death is hard to come to terms with, but it ill come eventually and it is impossible to know when. This is exactly why we need to be more mindful about being present and just enjoy what we have around. Forgive yourself and enjoy the small things. I truly recommend reading "Tuesdays with Morrie," it gives very interesting points of view about death and how to embrace it.

DeadClutch

"Depression really altered my mind..."

Depression really altered my mind into this mentality, I realize it is not a healthy way of thinking. I'm not suicidal anymore, but I really don't care if I die. Say if I do, I won't have college, work, taxes, you name it. I'm going to die alone regardless so it really doesn't matter to me. However as long as I'm alive, I'll make the most of it, I have videogames, a loving family and a few really good friends, so I'm hanging in there.

AksisDeeNied

"I was in a state..."

I was in a state of non existence for one eternity already. Then I was born. One day I will go back to not existing for another eternity. I may as well make the time in between long and enjoyable.

I find it fascinating that people are so afraid of death and can't comprehend no longer existing especially when all of time before they were born was just like that.

BaconConnoisseuir

"My dad and I..."

My dad and I went on a white water rafting trip to celebrate my acceptance to my first-choice university. On day 3, we went sideways through a curler. The boat flipped and my dad was launched from his seat while I was stuck inside. The second I hit the water I reflexively emptied my lungs.

After struggling and failing to pull my way out from underneath, I accepted that I was going to die. Then I remembered that my dad was with me, and I knew that he would blame himself if I died. I had to fight the buoyancy of my life jacket, but I managed to swim under the gunnel and resurface on the other side.

I spent the rest of the day in an existential crisis and came to the decision that I was going to justify my survival through my studies, and eventually, my career.

After having faced death, I no longer fear it. In a sense I'm playing with the house's money, and I'm making the best of it.

TheFOCTOR

"Death is a natural part..."

Death is a natural part of our existence. You can't do anything to prevent it, and sometimes it may come quite early and unexpectedly, and since I only get one life I've decided to do whatever I want with it and enjoy the ride while it lasts.

spoonlord15

"When I was a teen..."

When I was a teen, I was diagnosed with epilepsy, in the form of both grand mal and absence seizures. It took quite awhile to get them under control, and my identity changed in the process. I grieved, both for the change in my future life, and for the loss of who I had been. I came to terms with the changes.

I've already seized in the shower and been hung in the loop of the showerhead like a noose. I've already seized and fallen down a set of concrete steps and hit my head. I've seized and hit my head on a countertop and ripped my back open on a baseboard.

I live with the possibility of dying every day. Death will come sooner or later, and it's useless to fight it. I don't know the day or the minute, but when the time comes, I will greet Death as a friend, and hope my family doesn't grieve overmuch for me.

BforBubbles

"The thing I actually do..."

I look around and see the atrocities that go on in this world. I see how people die or are murdered, often brutally, for doing nothing. Babies, children, women, and men alike, all killed in the name of someone else's god or other beliefs, or often for no reason at all. Just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

How can death be so scary when it not only is inevitable, but it happens to people like that all the time?

Not to mention the rest of the animal kingdom. Animals die in vast quantities we can't even comprehend. Some species even commit suicide as part of their natural life cycle, for one reason or another. There are just so many reasons to believe death is not such a big deal that I've decided to stop fearing it.

I think the only reason we naturally fear it is because it's in our DNA; we are programmed to avoid it at all costs in the interest of propagating ourselves into the future. Evolution made us fear it. If it didn't, we wouldn't have made it this far. (And by "we", I mean all living things).

So, I have come to believe it's not a big deal. It simply can't be, IMO. The alternative (if it really is as scary as I used to think it was), is that we are living in a literal hell.

The thing I actually do still fear is the method of my future death. I only hope that it won't be too drawn out or painful.

filthyflamingo

"I was diagnosed..."

I was diagnosed with leukemia 2 years ago. It started off as "wait and see" before the lymph node in by neck grew to the size of a softball and it was "chemo... now!"

I work as a medical malpractice attorney. Many of the Plaintiff's I have deposed are dying from stage IV cancer. Many die before we get to trial. For many people, I may be the last person that asks you questions about your entire life before you go back to family and friends and live your final days in peace. Meeting me may literally be the worst day of the rest of your life.

have seen many people staring in the face of death from cancer. Some are angry, some are sad, some are bitter, some are at peace. I always have to stay neutral and resist the urge to share any of their emotions. I don't want to argue with an angry cancer patient any more than I want to cry with a sad one. What I can say is that the people that have found peace with their diagnosis and still find time to joke and laugh at the deposition are my inspiration of who I want to be if I am ever looking at death.

So when I got my diagnosis I was never scared. The first doctor that told me thought I was in shock at how mellow I was with the news. I think I just knew what to expect. I did the chemo and I am now 1 year post-chemo and in remission 7 months with no evidence of disease. Fear of death never appealed to me.

Imalawyerkid

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Kate Gosselin
Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images

Kate Gosselin Shares The 'Lasting Effects' Of Having Sextuplets On Her Body—And We Can Only Imagine

TLC programming was a major part of Millennial and Gen-X culture, particularly shows like Teen Mom, Catfish, Jon & Kate Plus 8, and Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

If you were ever curious for a closer glimpse of Kate Gosselin, mother of twins and then sextuplets, and her life, now is your chance!

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshot of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris presidential debate
CNN

Video Of Kamala Warning Trump About Putin's Agenda Goes Viral After Russian Drones Enter Polish Airspace

One year ago, pundits and the press were analyzing the performances of Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris and former President and MAGA Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in the first and only debate between the pair before the 2024 presidential election.

During that face-off, it was noted that Trump refused to answer if he wanted United States ally Ukraine to win the war Russia began by invading their neighbor.

Keep ReadingShow less
An 87-year-old Gramercy Park man and his wife fought off a pair of watch thieves in a scam gone wrong.
Eyewitness News ABC7NY/YouTube

87-Year-Old Foils Watch Thieves

Who needs another season of Mr. and Mrs. Smith when Gramercy Park’s own Larry Schwartz and Joanna Cuccia are already serving action-comedy gold? At 87, Schwartz casually knocks out 240 reps a day and chases off watch thieves as if it were just another warm-up set.

And Larry Schwartz wasn’t about to let some Rolex-swapping grifter make him the punchline of a TikTok crime wave.

Keep ReadingShow less
Anna Wintour Reveals Her Honest Reaction To Seeing 'The Devil Wears Prada'—And It's Kind Of Iconic
Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images; 20th Century Fox

Anna Wintour Reveals Her Honest Reaction To Seeing 'The Devil Wears Prada'—And It's Kind Of Iconic

If you've ever wondered if legendary Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour has ever seen The Devil Wears Prada, the answer is yes, and she's finally shared her opinions on the film.

The movie, based on Lauren Weisberger's novel of the same name, centers around the trials and tribulations a young writer endures under a legendarily icy fashion editor named Miranda Priestley.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Colbert, and crowd giving standing ovation
CBS

Powerful Line From Sotomayor's Scathing Dissent After ICE Ruling Ignites Standing Ovation On 'Colbert'

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor received a standing ovation during her appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert after Colbert read a line from her powerful dissent following the Court's ruling that immigration agents can use racial profiling when conducting arrests.

The case was brought by several individuals detained during ICE raids. A federal district judge initially found the raids unconstitutional under the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable searches and seizures.

Keep ReadingShow less