# On death....



## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

So...has there ever been a thread on death? I mean DEATH death, not fake-o, Halloween death as we show it. 
There's nothing like going to a nursing home, or intensive care unit to get the whiff of death along with cafeteria food to get one pondering the end of life. I currently have a few family members who might be meeting Grim soon (hey- *I* may meet him soon, for all I know) and it's got me thinking about all of us, & our Halloween/death/skeletons thing...and fate... and "good" death vs. a "not" good one.
I am just wondering if there is some commonality in thinking about it with us here. After all, why do we "do" Halloween in the first place?? Sure sure- we all had great H'ween experiences as a kid, and want to keep that going for the people we entertain, but about ol' Grim? Is there a connection between our love of H'ween and some issue we may have with death? Are we afraid of it? Are we more comfortable with it than is the norm? I don't have any issue with death per se; I have issue with the long drawn out, tortuous process it sometimes takes to get to that release...(sigh). 

Any thoughts? 
(Perhaps this doesn't even belong here...if so, Moderator, please feel free to delete this without rancor. )


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

My direct experiences with death are varied. When I was 19, I went to pick my grandmother up in her apt. to do some Xmas shopping. She didn't answer her door so ultimately I ended up kicking in the door (couldn't get in touch with the super) and found her dead in bed, having slept peacefully away.My father died rather quickly after being diagnosed with lung cancer and his last couple of months were excruciating to watch. His death, while saddening, was a relief. My brother committed suicide and I was called to identify his body in the hospital ER. When my mom died a few years later, I was with her in the final hours and held her hand as she drew her last breath. Very peaceful, not at all uncomfortable, nor was it spiritual. As I approach 51, I'm hoping Grim is busy with others and that I have a long time to go yet, but the reality is that I see people my age dying routinely from various health problems, accidents, etc, so it does provoke some anxiety. Am I afraid to die? Not really. I have a lot I'd like to do before the big day arrives, but I guess things would be taken care of if it happened tomorrow. I don't really believe much in an afterlife so the associated guilt and fear of "being good or you'll go to hell" doesn't really come into play, at least as much as it did when I was younger. I never really connected my love of Halloween with any perception of death, although admittedly I think there has been some desensitization involved over the years. My biggest fear would be to have, as stated, a long drawn out painful illness, for which little relief was available. This is also very hard on the remaining loved ones. Other than that, I'm not preoccupied with it or really fearful. Interesting topic.:xbones:


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