RE: Death and Dying - personal musings on how we deal with it and how that affects our lives
@thecryptofiend - I think this is one of the more important posts I've read since coming to Steemit. My "background" in death comes from personally dealing with loss (father, aunt, brothers-in-law). I was also an obituarist for a daily newspaper for 7 years. I was also a funeral singer. One of my best friends is a hospice nurse.
When my father was dying, it was my experience that allowed me the strength to have a conversation with him about his final wishes. We talked about how he wanted his remains to be dealt with, to how he wanted his obituary written, to how to access all of his accounts so I could help mom.
I once took the age when my immediate relatives died. The average age of mortality in my family (both sides) is 60. And while I look at that number and think, GEE, I might only have 15 more years left, it's not my goal to die in 15 years. LOL But the end result is the same -- My time will eventually expire here.
Maybe that attributes slightly to my manic-depression. I want to fill so much into a short amount of time...and some times I'm helpless to do anything. Such is life.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I can imagine that your experiences and the figure of 60 have had a strong impact - it may not feel like it but having that in your life may actually mean that you make more of the time you have whether it is 60 years or 120 years! I think living to be 100 and coming to the end with regrets and the feeling you wasted your time is worse than living life to the full and dying young.
Who knows? It is unlikely to be the only factor but it may well contribute to it. With most mental illness the belief is that it is part genetic and part environmental factors. Having that "expiry" date on your mind is a pretty strong environmental factor/pressure for getting on with things and that may well exacerbate an underlying genetic tendency.
Thank you for such a great response.