Philosophical: We're all come and go. Only those, who accept this fact, are "free", for real.

[Trenchfriend]

And how "free" are you?

 

[belfastboy]

Let me add an aspect, we are all Sisiphus with our own version of the rock. Until we come to terms with that and from that begin to form our own sense of meaning we are trapped.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Pretty much. The day we come screaming into the world we're terminal. And the day will come when every single evidence that we ever existed at all will be dust. Never let you head get so big that it obscures this brutal bit of reality.

 

[Harp]

Let me add an aspect, we are all Sisiphus with our own version of the rock. Until we come to terms with that and from that begin to form our own sense of meaning we are trapped.

Prometheus sometimes.

 

[sheeplady]

I think that it's all well and good to think you've made your peace with being mortal... until the doctor looks you in the eye and says "you've got months." Then it's quite a different story.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

In native American cultures, dying isn't a big deal but dying well, is. If we can accept & embrace death as we do life then we are indeed liberated. Not being bloated by my own self-importance & being anchored more in the natural world than that of man, I'm OK with the idea of my passing. I've had a couple of close calls in the past & I was pretty serene about it. I have already taken the decision that should I develope cancer (which is highly probable since prostate cancer is common on my father's side) I won't be seeking treatment & when things get too bad, I will choose, when, where & how it will all end for me.
Death is just a form of oblivion, we didn't worry about it before we were conceived, so why should we worry about it after our demise. Life it's self is meaningless & it's only the importance we put on that meaningless that counts.

 

[Tiki Tom]

By coincidence, I just read a magazine article on this very topic. (Link below.) I think one of the take-aways of the article –that I agree with—is that, thanks to our knowledge of death, a certain sweetness and preciousness is added to life that we might not otherwise have; i.e.—if we knew we were condemned to live forever, life wouldn’t seem so valuable and special. The problem only comes when we take this gift and become overly obsessed with it. To quote the article: “The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche called "the certain prospect of death a precious, fragrant drop of frivolity" that made life worthwhile, spoiled only when we "singular druggist souls" poison the idea of death and make "the whole of life hideous."

At my age, I’ve seen people die with dignity, maintaining their calm and grace, even with a little self-deprecating humour. I have also seen people die less serenely, their last conscious hours consumed by fear. I hope I have developed a calm and philosophical view of death. After all, billions have passed that way before us. But I guess we can never know how we will really react until our time arrives. I like the Woody Allen quote: “I’m not afraid of death, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.”

http://theweek.com/articles/611273/how-closest-friends-taught-how-die

 

[Bolero]

"Freedom is just another word for Nothing left to lose..."

or

"We are all just prisoners here, of our own device"
Last thing I remember was
Running for the door.
I had to find the passage back
To the place I was before.
"Relax, " said the night man,
"We are programmed to receive.
You can check-out any time you like,
But you can never leave! "

 

[Bolero]

"Freedom is the Mental game of Thinking for Yourself with no Encumbrance..."
Bolero

Or

Wearing your favorite Fedora ...

 

[philosophygirl78]

Is it the action of coming and / or going that allows freedom? Or is it the realization of the action?

Or perhaps the realization, that the action is not as we see it....

 

[Feraud]

I think that it's all well and good to think you've made your peace with being mortal... until the doctor looks you in the eye and says "you've got months." Then it's quite a different story.

Very true.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Is it the action of coming and / or going that allows freedom? Or is it the realization of the action?

Or perhaps the realization, that the action is not as we see it....

I think it's the realization that, whatever thing has you hopelessly nerved up at the moment, that thing will, eventually, be completely forgotten. To paraphrase one of the finest songs of the thirties, "Who's gonna know....a hundred years from today?"

 

[scotrace]

As was spoken to me a few weeks ago "remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

 

[Feraud]

I think it's the realization that, whatever thing has you hopelessly nerved up at the moment, that thing will, eventually, be completely forgotten. To paraphrase one of the finest songs of the thirties, "Who's gonna know....a hundred years from today?"

I try to impress this idea on my 22 year old son who is at the beginning of a life which may find him surrounded by foolish people.

 

[Harp]

“The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche called "the certain prospect of death a precious, fragrant drop of frivolity" that made life worthwhile, spoiled only when we "singular druggist souls" poison the idea of death...”

A sane insight though his cynicism always stings. When considered against the last century of European philosophy his thrown gauntlet remains unchallenged.

 

[sheeplady]

So, I thought about this a little bit and if I wanted to share this story or not, but I decided, what the hell.

Shortly after being diagonosed with "late stage aggressive" cancer I was sent to an oncology therapist because I was having anxiety over what I was sure to be my death. (She was an idiot, you are about to read one of 3 reasons why.)

I went to her and described how out of control my life was. Her advice to me was, "no one is promised tomorrow. They (people without cancer) live in fantasy because they make plans for the future. You live in reality. The reality is that you can't plan on living to see your daughter turn one or see Christmas... Blah blah blah.... "

At this point I dragged up the last of my defense mechanisms, said, "I'm leaving" and walked out.

The truth is, unless you're terminal, facing a very poor prognosis, or in a "you know this is it" situation, you have *no idea* of the security you have. You are wrapped jn a huge, warm, cuddly security blanket called, "I can think about the future. I can plan. I can think I'll see this person again."

It's not reality to think you're guaranteed another Christmas, but I'd damn well bet that almost everybody reading this is making plans for something, because the vast majority of people have their cuddly little blanket, without realizing it. If someone had told me about this before having cancer, I'd probably be all arrogant and think, "well I KNOW I'm going to die." Now I'm more like, "honey, you're damned naive."

 

[Zombie_61]

...Shortly after being diagonosed with "late stage aggressive" cancer I was sent to an oncology therapist because I was having anxiety over what I was sure to be my death. (She was an idiot, you are about to read one of 3 reasons why.)...

Some doctor's aren't all they're cracked up to be, especially when it comes to dealing with "terminally ill" patients.

When my wife and I got married in August of 1981 her mother attended even though she wasn't feeling well. She couldn't really describe her symptoms, except to say that something felt "off". Soon after, she was diagnosed with a malignant tumor in her brain and two in her left lung, all inoperable, and they told us she would likely be with us for only a few days more because her cancer was so advanced. They were surprised when she not only survived those few days, but showed a remarkable improvement in her condition. During her first meeting with an oncologist we inquired about possible treatments, and his rather apathetic attitude essentially conveyed the message, "You're going to die very soon no matter what we do, so what's the point?" Her second meeting, with a different oncologist, was far more positive. He reiterated there wasn't much hope for a full recovery, but fully supported her desire for treatment and outlined a course of action with a far more positive attitude. She underwent the recommended treatments and, even though she never completely recovered, she maintained a positive attitude about her illness and lived another 4-1/2 years, dying at the age of 66. We're convinced we wouldn't have had those 4-1/2 years to spend with her if we hadn't switched oncologists when we did.

 

[MisterCairo]

Recall that your doctor is nothing more than someone who got slightly higher marks in science than you did.

 

[Trenchfriend]

I think, today, in times of DSL-connected "single-society" and sitting on the computer, until early in the morning, many many people should start to think of good old "healthy sleep", which they surely got, decades ago.

So, after filling your belly, wait three or four hours, before go to bed! If you can combine it with exhaustive sex, even better.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

" If your time ain't up yet, even a doctor can't kill you "