I just want to add that I do not think there need be any single “right” way to view this, nor—as LJ put it—that fear of dying might not be well-grounded.

I watched my father die of cancer at just two years older than I am now. He was a theist with strong deist tendencies, and I think he had some—well, belief is probably too strong a word for his view, as I reflect on it: I think he thought there was likely some sort of continuation, but by no means a sure thing. He didn’t talk about that in his final few months (he died within just a few months of the diagnosis). But the two senses I got from him during that time were (1) that he wanted to conduct himself with some stoical dignity to the end, and (2) he was immeasurably and deeply sad about the whole thing (though he never uttered any complaint).

I have always been reminded of that whenever I hear Neil Diamond’s lyrics:

And each one there:
there’s one thing shared—

They have all sweated beneath the same sun,
looked up in wonder at the same moon,

and wept when it was all done
for bein’ done too soon, for bein’ done too soon.

____________________________________

I think that all our perspectives on this are, and will remain, deeply personal, colored by our own experiences in living.

Originally posted by vistesd
I just want to add that I do not think there need be any single “right” way to view this, nor—as LJ put it—that fear of dying might not be well-grounded.

Originally posted by LemonJello

dottewell: I have something now; I know now that I will not have it at some point in the future.

"I am alive, but I know now that such will not always be the case" (this is how I would prefer to put it.)