Question Of The Day, Wednesday, October 2, 2019

[Mamanyt1953]

In a departure from my general craziness, I have a very serious question this time.

If someone handed you a sealed envelope with the date of your death inside, would you open it? Why or why not?

I'm pretty sure that I would. I LIKE to plan for contingencies, and death is about the biggest contingency there is. I want to know when I need to have my affairs in order. I MUST make arrangements for my cat. There are people I want to see, and I need to know my timetable. I'm not afraid of death in the least. Those of you who read my posts in the Crossing the Bridge thread kinda know how I feel about it...it is leaving one Adventure for the Next Great Adventure, but GOOD GRIEF! When you're going traveling, you like to know the departure date!

Now, if it had the MEANS of my death instead...That's another question, and I might let that one alone.

 

[Furballsmom]

Nope. I don't know if I can explain why not, but no.

 

[Kat0121]

Nope. It would go directly into the shredder. We're not supposed to know these things. Everything happens the way it's supposed to. I don't think that having this knowledge would benefit anyone in any way. As far as making arrangements, that's what wills are for. That's what life insurance is for. If the girls outlive me, they are going with DD.

 

[Mia6]

Kat0121

 

[weebeasties]

While I would not want to know, the practical part of my brain would force me to look. The sensible thing would be to tidy up any loose ends so that I didn't add any additional difficulties to the ones I leave behind. It definitely wouldn't be any fun to know, and I wouldn't share the information, but doing everything I can to make things easier and less complicated for my loved ones would be the most important thing for me.

 

[Lola3791]

I wouldn't look.

 

[jcat]

I wouldn't look, but it would probably induce me to put my affairs in better order.

 

[di and bob]

I would look. I have a need for my life to be orderly, and I would need to have everything in order, especially what I would do with my little ones. I would feel the need to live my life to the fullest I could with the time I had left, with no worries or cares because I knew when my time was up. That date would loom in my thoughts, but uncertainty about your future brings bigger anxieties then that.

 

[Winchester]

I'd probably look. And then deal with it.

 

[CatLover49]

NO...But as other members have said I would DEFINITELY make me think more into making sure my cat was taken care of n other affairs were in good order....

 

[Tik cat's mum]

I would look, Then Wish I hadn't. I'm too nosey not to

 

[muffy]

I would not look.

 

[Furballsmom]

It definitely wouldn't be any fun to know, and I wouldn't share the information,

this perspective reminds me of someone, she never said anything to anyone but there were, to me at least, distinct indications that she must have received a diagnosis of a terminal illness. I'll never know, and she was killed in a car wreck. Along with everything else with her passing, my dad was robbed of an amazing life partner.

uncertainty about your future brings bigger anxieties then that.

good point lol

 

[foxxycat]

I am nosey and yes I would read it...it's one of those things in life, once walked through the door, you can't close that door...I would want to know..cause I want to know what the future holds.

 

[susanm9006]

Yes, I would look. I have in the last year or two started planning and preparing some things so I don’t leave my son anything to struggle with and knowing would let me have even more things wrapped up. I was 59 when I adopted Willow and my son agreed to be her godfather in the event I passed before her.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

... a very serious question this time.

If someone handed you a sealed envelope with the date of your death inside, would you open it? Why or why not? ...

Good question! I had to think about this one for a while. I think my first instinct would be to say, Nope, I wouldn't open it.

Then I realized how lazy I often am in not actually doing a lot of the things in life that I would like to do, things that would challenge me or make me happier or that I dream of doing, or just little things to live life more fully each day. It often takes a crisis to get people to jump out of their ruts, or to act, or to do something they always wanted to do. Or to talk more deeply with friends and loved ones. It's easy to life each day with too much reliance on monotony and safety. So, I think I would open the envelope -- I think to know that deadline would make me decide to live more fully each day.

 

[Willowy]

The entire concept of knowing when you'll die has some heavy implications, doesn't it? I mean, if your death could be known, that would mean that you have no free will, that your entire life is scripted. That nothing you do would matter---hey, go ahead and text and drive; you'll die at the designated time and not before! So that's just a whole 'nother can of worms.

But, short answer, yes, I'd look. I'm too curious/impatient not to look.

 

[betsygee]

Wow, that's an interesting question! I don't know what I'd do. I'm not sure I'd want to know, but probably wouldn't be able to resist the temptation to look.

 

[DreamerRose]

Yes, I would look, for all the same reasons. A goal to get things in life wrapped up.

 

[arethas mom]

I would not! God’s timing is perfect whether we want to acknowledge or not.