Babbling

[Purrrrrrr]

Working in hospitals for the past 10 years, I dealt a lot with death.  People passed away and their families dealt with their grief right outside my door for years.  Some knew death was coming for their loved loves and were saddened, but relieved the person's pain was over.  Many were shocked that their loved ones' time had eneded, too soon.  People raged and screamed.  Cried in each other's arms.  Got on the phone to tell others so-and-so had died. 

When you are confronted with the death of a loved one, a friend, a neighbor, how do you respond?  How do you feel about their passing?  About the prospect of your own mortality? 

[CHRlSTIANITY]

It's just a ride.

[Meateor]

it happens
eat tacos and fuuuuuudge hos
feel good
die
circle of life

[Scrotum_Punch]

I'm kind of indifferent about it. Maybe because I never had a really close family member die on me. Or maybe because I'm weird like that.

My first experience with death was when some school mate hang himself, second few weeks later, a pretty close class mate did as well. I never cried though, I guess cause maybe there was a reason why they offed themselves. It was in 4th or 5th grade.

After moving to US, sometime in 7th grade there was a fight between a group of kids in my class, and one hit the other in the head with a metal pipe and the kid died few days later. We had a group counseling and majority of people cried. I remember when it was my time to speak about it, I was more afraid of saying something stupid or starting to laugh, rather than shed a tear. I remember I said something like that it's sad, not only for the family of the dead kid, but for all parties for ruining their future over $20. I was relieved when my teacher took my point and went on to discuss stupid confrontations.

Never had another death in my life... of that I know of. Oh yeah, Markoff Chaney's brother, but it must affect him a million times more than me, as I only hang out with him a few times many years ago.

[olmoldy]

I guess it really depends on the situation.

 Case in point, My mothers death came in a Tragic way , due  to my Father falling asleep at the wheel and Crashing the Car

 while they where on vacation, she went through the windshield, he walked away. I was Young at the Time, and had never

 really been exposed to a close family members death. I was Devastated! And My Father took Out his Pain, and Rage on Me!

 We didn't Speak to each other for 15 years. Yet, when his time Came, We saw it coming, called in Hospice, I was by his bedside,

 Took his final Confession, and watched as he "Crossed Over" on his 86th Birthday! He came into & left on the same day!

 and I was Relieved that the Years of Suffering were now Over.

[SmilezDavis]

i have a fairly large family. previous generations took that whole "be fruitful and multiply" thing to heart, so i have (had) lots of cousins, aunts, uncles, great aunts, and great uncles. as a result, i've lost a number of relatives. how i deal with death varies. when my grandmother's brothers died, it was easy to accept. they were in their 70s. two simply succumbed to age. one had cancer. in each case, i knew it was coming, so it didn't hurt despite being fairly close.

the hardest death to deal with was the death of my great aunt diana. she was the glue. everyone went to her house for holidays. everyone could count on her. she baby sat for everyone even when her health began to fail. she was just a special person. i knew that she had little time left, but when she died, i felt like part of me had died. i'm not a religious person at all, but the only solace that i could take was that she was. she believe that she'd be going to a better place, and i took some comfort in that. so, yea. i deal with death differently depending on who it is, but, honestly, the idea of death scares the shit out of me. the uncertainty. the possibility that there is nothing else. it all scares the shit out of me.

[ChrisCBX]

It's hard at first, but eventually the pain subsides. You never forget though.

[blue_disaster]

honestly, the idea of death scares the #### out of me. the uncertainty. the possibility that there is nothing else. it all scares the #### out of me.

---

ditto

[Saddy]

i can't die. if i die, there's no one to take care of my son. i need to find a dracula.

[GinaSzanboti]

---

blue_disaster wrote:

honestly, the idea of death scares the #### out of me. the uncertainty. the possibility that there is nothing else. it all scares the #### out of me.

---

ditto

---

Why does it scare you that there might be nothing else?  If you ceased to exist in any form, there would be no you to be afraid. 

To sleep--perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub,

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,

Must give us pause.

...

For who would bear the whips and scorns of time...

But that the dread of something after death,

The undiscovered country, from whose bourn

No traveller returns, puzzles the will,

And makes us rather bear those ills we have

Than fly to others that we know not of?

[Zerstiren]

We are the soul, the force which animates the body, and eventually departs. But I still feel bad for those who pass away in unfortunate circumstances.

[covered_in_sponges]

I don't know, I think I've kind of gotten used to it as an eventuality of life.

I mean, growing up I had two younger cousins, two uncles, and a friend die...

I saw a dog get hit by a car when I was six, watched it cough out it's last blood filled gasps...

Then of course there was that time that I died.

I've pretty much always been surrounded by death, like I said, I've gotten used to it.

[blue_disaster]

Its more of taken care of the people I love... I just want to be around as long as possible to assure that I have done everything possible to give them the best .

[Purrrrrrr]

---

SmilezDavis wrote:
i have a fairly large family. previous generations took that whole "be fruitful and multiply" thing to heart, so i have (had) lots of cousins, aunts, uncles, great aunts, and great uncles. as a result, i've lost a number of relatives. how i deal with death varies. when my grandmother's brothers died, it was easy to accept. they were in their 70s. two simply succumbed to age. one had cancer. in each case, i knew it was coming, so it didn't hurt despite being fairly close.

the hardest death to deal with was the death of my great aunt diana. she was the glue. everyone went to her house for holidays. everyone could count on her. she baby sat for everyone even when her health began to fail. she was just a special person. i knew that she had little time left, but when she died, i felt like part of me had died. i'm not a religious person at all, but the only solace that i could take was that she was. she believe that she'd be going to a better place, and i took some comfort in that. so, yea. i deal with death differently depending on who it is, but, honestly, the idea of death scares the #### out of me. the uncertainty. the possibility that there is nothing else. it all scares the #### out of me.

---

I like your response.  I think the inevitibility of death is something we can understand in a philosophical way, but when it comes down to ourselves or someone we're really close to, then we have a harder time dealing with it. 

I'm pretty good at handling the loss of friends and relatives and even the prospect of my own death, but if something were to happen to my husband or child, there's no way I'd be able to deal.  That'd be it.  My grandfather passed away last year and I think the death of one of his sons was the reason.  He just didn't want to stay here anymore. 

[Purrrrrrr]

---

covered_in_sponges wrote:

Then of course there was that time that I died.

---

...elaborate...

[Purrrrrrr]

---

Saddy wrote:
i can't die. if i die, there's no one to take care of my son. i need to find a dracula.

---

You have people who will care for him.  Your hunny and your other kids.  They'll rise to the occasion.

[scoobdog]

---

GinaSzanboti wrote:

---

blue_disaster wrote:

honestly, the idea of death scares the #### out of me. the uncertainty. the possibility that there is nothing else. it all scares the #### out of me.

---

ditto

---

Why does it scare you that there might be nothing else?  If you ceased to exist in any form, there would be no you to be afraid. 

To sleep--perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub,

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,

Must give us pause.

...

For who would bear the whips and scorns of time...

But that the dread of something after death,

The undiscovered country, from whose bourn

No traveller returns, puzzles the will,

And makes us rather bear those ills we have

Than fly to others that we know not of?

---

Hamlet?  Always a nice touch.

To the OP:  I'm pretty ambivalent toward death, since I spend pretty much every waking moment worrying about my family and friends.  I don't necessarily have any relief when someone close to me dies, but it doesn't necessarily feel different either.

[SlitneyBoobston]

I cried at my grandfather's open coffin. I haven't shed a tear over any other deaths. But he was already withered much from when my mother was young.

And I'm not super-excited about dying, though it's something I've much contemplated taking into my own shaking hands.

[CharmingCriminal]

Well, there was shock, numbness, and emptiness. I felt nothing, nothing at all.

Then over time I began to feel relief. bittersweet relief.

To be completely honest, I have all the natural instincts that make me terrified of death. Rationally, I'm not afraid, what ever happens is going to happen. But deep down, in the more animal thought processes of my brain, I'm absolutely terrified.

[crapshot2]

the only time anyone real close to me had died I go into a sort of emotional dead zone. I don't cry, I don't even feel really bad, I'm just more in a sort of shock. I think it's a sort of defense mechanism I have because I get so emotional about everything that if everything hit me at once I would be miserable beyond comprehension.

that being said, I can't do open caskets. I can't stand seing dead people.

that being said, no one extreamly close has died except for my great grandparents(all of them are gone). besides that I've been relativly lucky in that regard. however the day will come and I just can't imagine it when someone real close will pass. I will have to have medication I think.

[Saddy]

i know. it's just... i worry about what will happen when me and blue are gone. so i can't die. he can't either. we need to live forever.

[crapshot2]

we will find you a dracula

[1938_Packard]

Eventually every person, living thing for that matter, will stroll out of the grand theater of life saying, "But... it all seemed so... real..."

Heaven and Hell are the same place.  What it is to you depends on both your attitude and level of preparedness uopn arrival.

[Saddy]

also, i handle death badly. i'm a very emotional person and the attachments i have with people close to me are very strong. when i lose someone i take it really hard.

[GroovyAtlas]

I'm pretty indifferent towards death.

I was little when my grandparents died, so I took it hard, but as I grew up I stopped really caring. Now, I don't mind it's just something that happens.