Question on Mortality. How many would rather know when they will die?

[Smithhound]

A post in another area of the forum got me to wondering about this.
Would you prefer to know the time you are to fade to black, or not?
My Wife and I have talked about this several times, She does not want to know. Me personally, I would like to.
Here are my reasons behind it:

1)To find peace with my maker
2)To ask forgiveness from those I've wronged.
3)To give forgiveness to those who have wronged me.
4)To do somethings I've put off, both good and bad
5)To give away my possesions to those I love, explain to them why i had them, what they meant to me, what they are truely worth and why/what it means to me to give those items to those particular people.

How about you all?
Know, or not know?
Why your decision?

I know this is a dark subject, but I've always been curious how others felt about this, maybe I'm getting to the point in life where all Men and Women start thinking about the mark they have or have not made on life, maybe just in a melencholy mood.
How about it?
RD

 

[moosedog]

It would certainly help me decide when to start taking my social security.

Seriously, I don't want to know. At least not at this point in my life.

 

[armenius]

Woody Allen was right-he wasn't afraid to die,he just didn't want to be there when it happened.It seems it catches most by surprise.
After living a life with a lot of dangerous activity I never anticipated old age.My friends started dying and I found younger friends as I didn't want to associate with a bunch of old folks.I pl
aned how at the right time I would call some of the young guys together and pass out my prized guns and a few memories.Now I lost my closest younger friend and its worse than ever.Only God knows when

 

[walter o]

Smith hound


In reply to your question's
1 i try to make peace with my maker each night before i retire
2 I try not to do wrong to others i am sure i have, but not intentionally 3This is something that is hard to do ,but i do not forget a wrong just my makeup
4 At my age i can't afford to put off things i want to do or say
5 I have told my children to take what they want and dispose of anything else so that my wife is taken care of .
I don't think that i want to know when ,ware or how just live and enjoy every day the best i can

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

Just thinking.....you really don't need to know when you are going to die to do 1-4, and regarding # 5, make a list.
Me personally, I would rather be like that deer in the meadow, eating some grass on a beautiful fall day not a care in the world and then BAM! Course my luck, I'll get gut shot
Regarding "making peace" with God, I have come to the realization that God doesn't play "gotcha". Do your best, make your peace as often ay you feel the need and get busy living. The journey is not so much how many tmes to screw up, but rather how many times to try to set it straight, ask forgiveness and move on all the while trying your hardest not to screw up again. Get busy living or Get busy dying!!!

 

[84CJ]

Just thinking.....you really don't need to know when you are going to die to do 1-4, and regarding # 5, make a list.
Me personally, I would rather be like that deer in the meadow, eating some grass on a beautiful fall day not a care in the world and then BAM! Course my luck, I'll get gut shot
Regarding "making peace" with God, I have come to the realization that God doesn't play "gotcha". Do your best, make your peace as often ay you feel the need and get busy living. The journey is not so much how many tmes to screw up, but rather how many times to try to set it straight, ask forgiveness and move on all the while trying your hardest not to screw up again. Get busy living or Get busy dying!!!

I'll go along with this. so +1

 

[Ohio Outdoorsman]

Been there, Doing it now. Steve calls it dotting his I's and crossing his t's. He views it as a challenge, one that he is actually enjoying undertaking. We have had extensive talks over the last few weeks and he says he cannot imagine the stress and grief placed upon a family trying to make difficult decisions in a moment of chaos and crisis. The peace of mind it gives him knowing that we have had the time to address each of the subject matters you have asked about is a tremendous relief for him. To the best of our knowledge all of our I's have been dotted and the t's have been crossed. Yes, for some this is a dark challenge. It is something you do not have to like but once you know it, it is something you have to not only accept but embrace.

Charlene & Steve

 

[Out West]

The fact that life could be over before our next breath should motivate us to live to the fullest. But in my own experience, I can reason that it is just as likely that there will be many more breaths. Consequently, the uncertainty of when that moment will arrive does not support any real urgency to make greater demands out of my life. A certain knowledge of when that moment was coming would generate greater urgency. Maybe even enough to get my lazy butt moving.

Out West

 

[Smithhound]

Good advice all, and thanks.
But here is the rub. I wasn't raised in a religious environment, basically left to find my own way. I understand and do my best to live life the way it should be lived, I've searched for that spark of 'spirituality' that some where ingrained with..just never found it.
Lately, I've been studying different paths, trying to decipher it all is confusing in the extreme. As I said, I try to live life (now) by the basic tenants of religious life, that is I try not to hurt others, don't go 'round killing, stealing etc. Basically follow the accepted norms of life as it should be.
But there was a time in my life where I did not. Never understood the concept of a 'concious'. Now I've found I do have one, it wakes me up most nights whispering in my ear.
That is something i am working thru, recent events in my life have made it clear that I have to make a move, so be it.
As for the part about -giving away possesions- as I mentioned in another's post, I want to physically give away what i have before I go, not just make a list. To me, the things I've gotten that way may as well have come from a stranger. The things that have meant most to me where those, no matter how simple, that where given freely, hand to hand. That means something, sitting in a room while some stuffed shirt reads off a list and dole's crap out, means nothing. I've refused to take part in many of those events.
Hard to explain, harder to understand.
I'll keep trying, keep reading and searching.
Thanks, Y'all.
RD

 

[44wheelman]

Tell me when... don't want to work any more than I need too. So if I kick the bucket in two or three years, I quit today.

 

[DJINCO]

A month ago I thought that my wife and I would live forever.

On February 1st she had a complete hysterectomy and the pathology report indicated ovarian and uterine cancer. Only 3% of women have two types of cancer.

She starts her chemo process tomorrow (Monday).

We have a positive attitude and we fully intend to beat this cancer. With the Lords guidance, the doctors and nurses will use the proper chemicals to eradicate the cancer cells.

We have heard numbers like two years, five years, etc...

A forum question becomes a hypothetical situation until cancer strikes and it becomes real.

 

[charlie sherrill]

My wife was taken away from my family very suddenly 25 years ago. There were many,many things I would have asked her if I had known she wasn't going to be here anymore. On paper we were prepared for it with wills and life insurance. Emotionally there's no way to prepare for it. Mrs. Outdoorsman, enjoy the time you have left and keep looking at those t's and i's because you'll keep finding one or two you forgot about. Our prayers are with you.

 

[Vulcan Bob]

I would rather not know. I want to be found with a surpised look on my face!

 

[DJINCO]

Been there, Doing it now. Steve calls it dotting his I's and crossing his t's. He views it as a challenge, one that he is actually enjoying undertaking. We have had extensive talks over the last few weeks and he says he cannot imagine the stress and grief placed upon a family trying to make difficult decisions in a moment of chaos and crisis. The peace of mind it gives him knowing that we have had the time to address each of the subject matters you have asked about is a tremendous relief for him. To the best of our knowledge all of our I's have been dotted and the t's have been crossed. Yes, for some this is a dark challenge. It is something you do not have to like but once you know it, it is something you have to not only accept but embrace.

Charlene & Steve

Charlene & Steve,

I think it is great that you are doing this now. My wife was going through a paper with her directives at 11PM the night before surgery.

Please understand that the night before major surgery is not when you want to be figuring out what will be spoken at your funeral.

 

[jag312]

I'm dealing with cancer right now. It is advanced, and it is aggressive. Although the doctors are doing their best to postpone the inevitable, I do know the end is coming. I would appreciate knowing my expiration date. I have made a will, but when the end is approaching, I will start distributing my things to those who I know and respect. I will give my Ferrari to one of my friends, and my two Jaguars go to another friend. That friend has been trying to buy my 1954 Jaguar from me for years, and I always told him he would get it over my dead body. My gun collection will be distributed to several people who will appreciate them and think of me when they hold them.

I have realized that I have done everything that I could and wanted to do. I always dreamed of racing a Ferrari at LeMans, but that never happened, and regardless of my health, it is not something that will ever happen.

 

[Ohio Outdoorsman]

DJINCO and Charlie Sherrill, I'm so sorry to hear these things. I don't know if I ever mentioned that Steve is only 58 years old. DJINCO, I will pray for your wife and Charlie, I spend every second that I can with him. Also, Charlie, we understand the perils of your job as well as, if not better than, most. Our eldest son is a Sgt. with a local Sheriff's Department and we live in angst every day.

Charlene & Steve

 

[Ohio Outdoorsman]

jag312, You will be in my prayers this night. May God bless and keep you.

Charlene

 

[The Big D]

Steve and jag, you are facing life head on. Please continue to be strong; my thoughts are with you with the hope you are at peace.

Be safe.

PS:

To Charlene, Steve is a lucky man. He knows exactly what I mean.

 

[Marshall 357]

that is a hard question,knowing might cause more harm than good.But it also might help you live a better life.Maybe that is why we dont know.If would be wierd to get up in the morning and be like,well I have 2 days,11 hours and 45 minutes left.How would you handle that? I would rather not know.

 

[rburg]

I'm thinking it would be way too stressful to know. I'm just hoping for a couple of more years. Health problems tend to awaken us to our problems and our own mortality. Worse, we seem to need to dwell upon them.