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Old 05-29-2011, 07:19 PM   #1 (permalink)
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Content with life but ready to die?

Taken from someone's blog:

"Yah…you read it right. I’m ready to die. Now don’t go calling the cops and telling them you have a suicide on your hands…that’s not what I mean by “I’m ready to die”.

Here’s what I mean. I’m content. My life has been full. I’ve loved and lost and loved and lost and if I live long enough, I’ll love again.

I’ve not only been to the mountaintop of life…but I’ve gone storming down the other side…crashing through the canebrake, charging through the jungle until I’ve broken into the clearing and have watched the morning sun burn off the dew.

I’ve been falsely accused of things by people that thought they were “doing God’s will”. I’ve been pestered and bothered by people who never took the time to know the real me…only their perception of me.

I’ve seen Paris at midnight, watched the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, thrown coins into Trevi Fountain, and sat out a rainstorm at the amazing Angkor Wat Temple.

I’m 50 something years old, just had quadruple bypass surgery and now I’m looking to ride 1500 miles with the Fuller Center in the north to south bike run this summer. I’m gonna live until I die.

I can talk to anybody about anything. I’ve only been speechless three times in my life: 1) When I first held my baby daughter, 2) When I saw Becky walk down the aisle at our wedding 30+ years ago, and 3) Anytime Elizabeth smiles at me.

I’ve lived in community and I’ve learned to put other people’s thoughts, feelings, desires, hopes, fears and dreams before my own. I’ve learned that war is not the answer; we only have one spaceship Earth, so we’d better take better care of it and injustice to one anywhere is injustice to all everywhere.

I’m not a preppy type guy…never was, never will be. I’ll never be a wimpy attorney who hides behind a woman at the first sign of perceived danger. My outfits will probably never match and I’ll always look more like Grizzly Adams than Dobie Gillis.

But….

I’m ready to die tonight.

I can die happy and content. If Mark Twain was right, I can look back on my life without regrets. Good ol’ Mark said, “In twenty years it’s not the things that you did that you’ll regret…it’s the things you didn’t do”. I’ve done just about everything I’ve wanted to do. If it felt good, tasted good, or smelled good…hell, I probably did it twice."

Now I im 24 and I have not experienced all the stuff this man has but I am ready to die. Not that my life is is bad, as the title states I am content with life. I have great friends, wonderful family, decent health, etc. But thing is im just thinking...if I were to go then whats next? Im just curious to see if there really is a heaven/hell but thats religious talk so we will keep that outta of this. My point is do you think its normal to be content with life but not mind dying/be ready to die? Whats your feelings? Now this doesnt apply to the people who hate their lives and wanna die to "end it all", this is for the people who are content/happy but wouldnt mind dying. Ya know kinda like its time to leave this earth and its been a good run but now its time to see whats next? Discuss.
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Old 05-29-2011, 08:15 PM   #2 (permalink)
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As a quick reply: (to the OP)
Did you seek to ask the permission of posting the above blog entry, as the starting point to this discussion? I'm not playing the stickler today, but I'm none too sure that some others in higher places than I, might have an issue with using another member's immediate thoughts as a jumping-off point for a hypothetical in which any one of us has to analyse un-/foreseeable death, and how to handle it. I can easily infer and understand that this may be a truly sensitive thing to point out, as it could easily read as one person's "farewell" writtance, it doesn't inherently mean that [un]said person is in the wrong/right/insane. It may just mean you and I misinterpreted the key phrase being: "I'm ready to die tonight". This just sounds as though one is openly inviting death to come to them, instead of better phrasing their mind's thought of If I were to die tonight, I would die happy, without regrets, and in peace.
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Old 05-30-2011, 06:18 AM   #3 (permalink)
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I was ready to die when I was 30. Well, not ready, but it wouldn't have bothered me that much. Then came my kids. They are still young, and at home, and I simply cannot die. I have responsibilities that I absolutely must attend to. Dying holds little fear for me, but whereas it would have only been an inconvenience/annoyance when I was 30, now it is something I MUST avoid until I have made certain that my children can fend for themselves.

As for the blogger in the OP, I understand completely what he's saying, but I'm 10 years away from that point right now.
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Old 05-30-2011, 06:53 AM   #4 (permalink)
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I'll be 59 in a few months and completely understand this man's feelings. While I'm not ready to die but if death came for me I would not feel cheated, not one bit. Life is an experience or more accurately a collection of experiences, some so very personal that I wouldn't think of even sharing them here anonymously. By the time you reach reach your late 50s you realize the moments in your life that have given your life the most meaning have passed and due to age won't ever be repeated, mainly family. His speechless moments are all family related. So are mine and they come only during a period in your life that can't be recreated later on. There will be other significant moments yet to come but none will compare to what I experienced in the past 30. So when I look at my life, I don't feel cheated. If it were to end now, it's been full. Maybe when a person comes to that realization they are ready to die, not that I want to, but yeah, maybe I am ready.
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Old 05-30-2011, 07:18 AM   #5 (permalink)
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I'm not ready yet- every time I scratch something off my "bucket list", I add something else. I always want something to look forward to- it keeps me from getting stagnant.

So, in short I don't think I'll ever be ready. But that's just me.
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Old 05-31-2011, 09:39 AM   #6 (permalink)
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Jetee, I'm more than content to know you're not dead yet.
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Old 05-31-2011, 09:40 AM   #7 (permalink)
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I'm ready but if someone offered me ice cream I'd want to live a little longer.
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Old 05-31-2011, 10:10 AM   #8 (permalink)
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I thought I was ready when I was in my 20's. Every time I go someplace in the world, I'm awed by something new and exciting. I'm filled with many memories of places, faces, and flavors.

I try to believe that I'm ready everyday. Today is a good day to die. I just don't want today to be that day.

---------- Post added at 02:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:08 PM ----------

Here's the original blog link:

I’m Ready to Die JourneyAmerica
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Old 05-31-2011, 10:37 AM   #9 (permalink)
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Being ready to die includes getting over the delusion that we have ownership over our bodies. We don't. We are basically borrowing our physical existence, and we have to give it up when we're done with it, which, for most of us, is fewer than 80 or so years.

Another aspect of this is getting over our clinging to being, to experiences, to things. Being ready to die means letting go of a lot of things.

I don't know whether I've reached that point yet. I don't think so. I still have too much craving regarding things I think I should do, should have done, or things I want to do.

No, I don't think I'm ready. I still have some work to do.
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Old 05-31-2011, 12:53 PM   #10 (permalink)
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Honestly I feel most of my adult life I have been trudging through the motions.

I work at a job I like ok, but isnt exactly fulfilling. I come home from work and play video games or watch TV.

Since November when I moved, I dont have any friends were I live, most weekends I dont speak to anyone, or if I do its the guy in the local shop when I go and buy junk food rather than cook.

I dont really know how to get out of this rut, as I am not an outgoing person and I dont really know how to go about making new mates.

But to not go too far off subject, I have always been scared of death (I had to have counselling when I was 19 because I had anxiety attacks based on my fears) - the counseller at the time suggested it might be an expression of my discontent with how my life was... perhaps he was right, but 14 years later I havent figured it out much better.
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