I'm with Fractelle on this one.

Death is an inevitable part of the natural cycle of life - birth, death and renewal. It also has huge implications on family planning and exploitation of resources.

I don't look forward to dying, nor do I wish to meet my end sooner than later but I don't have much choice. Death itself is not the concern - more how I die. I am a wimp - no pain please if at all possible.

New here, but in my opinion we need death, for many reasons.
There just isn't room for an endless number of humans, so breeding controls or what?
I have seen death first-hand, and lost family too, so I know the pain involved, but without it there can be no growth, not on any level, personal, societal, cultural, and on and on.
JMO.

Dear Easy Times,

I too would not want to live forever.

However, like Fractelle, I would like to die in
my sleep.

What I don't understand though is - why is death,
very much a taboo subject in our society?

We tend to speak of it in hushed tones and use such
euphemisms as "passed away." As children we fear
the subject, as adults we avoid it, even, and
sometimes especially, when we are in the presence of
someone who is dying.

Perhaps the reason for this taboo might be that death,
almost alone of natural processes, remains beyond the
control of our advanced technology (or at least it
used to be). The finall point of the life course,
the annihilation of the self, the ultimate confrontation
with the unknown - mocks our claim to human mastery of
the world - therefore we exclude death from our
discussions and thoughts.

We've also effectively excluded the dying from the
ongoing life of the community. We have sanitized death
and removed it as far as possible from every day experience
by ensuring that most people die in nursing homes,
hospitals, and similar formal organizations that care for the
sick and aged.

Typically, therefore, the dying face their end in a bureaucratic
environment surrounded by other sick people and a professional
staff, rather than in the intimacy of their homes with their
loved ones. Often, in fact, there is a conspiracy of
professionals and relatives to hide the fact of death from
the dying person.

I recently spent some time with a dear friend who was dying,
(in hospital), she was at the final stage of her illness.
She had accepted her condition with a true peace of mind
because she had been able to frankly discuss her dying with
others.

Wouldn't it be healthier if we could all discuss this
subject and have accepting attitudes towards death?

Thanks for all your replies.

Firstly death is not necessary we only look at it that way because we take it for granted. Never has there ever been a cure for death so we just accept it.

I think it is very selfish of all those who have posted here to say that they have no problem dying. Have you asked your wife/husband? What about your children? Friends? I am sure they would have a big problem with you dying. I have been devastated at the loss of loved ones and sadly I know it will happen again and I myself do not want to inflict the suffering I have gone through on others with my own passing. Also look at all the great people who have died over the years from Mozart to Newton and Darwin. Imagine what Newton or Darwin could have contributed to science if they were still alive today? or Mozart to music? Every time somebody dies whether they are famous or just everyday people the world as a whole loses and there is no way that you can say that death some how benefits us.

Population will not be a problem as we have seen in rich countries people are having fewer and fewer children and if the numbers are right the only way we can stop humans from going extinct in the long run is to find a cure for aging. (Women in the west are having less then 2 children each once the rest of the world industrializes there is no reason why this phenomenon won’t spread to the rest of the world. This will cause a slow decrease in population until eventually there is nobody left.)

There is no reason why the earth won’t be able to support a population of over 100 billion the only thing stopping us is energy. Once we harness the use of power from the sun in more efficient ways we will be able to create more intensive agriculture and thus produce enough food to easily feed everyone.

I don’t understand what people mean when they say there are too many people already. Look at how most people in the world live in cities. It’s quite obvious that people don’t mind living in cities so how can you make that argument?

Also I think that if say the average life span of a human was change from say 80 to 500 I am sure this would also cause people to put off having children and or getting married for a while. People have this ticking clock in their head which says that they have to achieve/do things by a certain age otherwise they will never be able to do it. With every body lives extended for hundreds of years this would put those concerns to rest.

Jaranet – Lets cross one bridge at a time. I am sure if any of the scenario you put forward ever look like happening we would be able to come up with a solution. Over the time frames you talk about the amount of technology change that would occur would more then likely be enough ot compensate.

If you think about it our life span is relative! If the average human lived for a 800 years I am fairly sure those on here who said they have no problem dying of old age in there 80’s or 90’s would be saying the same thing expect that they don’t have a problem with dying in there 800’s or 900’s.

One last thing anybody out there who supports death might as well say they support suicide. Its only a matter of time until death does become optional the only question is how much time? We can all change this by encouraging the government to increase funding to relative institutions

Easytimes! You have got to be kidding! Here is a susgestion. I watched a program today called" life after people, and I wound strongly recommend, to give it a close look.

Once humans pass on, the whole of nature comes back to its original splendor and you only need haft a brain to figure that out. Everyone here, knows exactly what I have said on the points you have high-lighted and the models and insights I have provided stand unchallenged in the realms of commonsense. Again! 3 billion is the target! and if we don't, and to be quite frank, we will all eat this planet alive, and that's a fact.

Religious humanity, (and that's a joke in its self), has been at the fore-front of the epidemic of humans that now we can see, that's its tearing at the social structure and turning it all up-side down because there are too many gods on the playing field and the adult children of the world are killing for it.

That's a better way to go you think?

I beg the differ my friend!

And you talk about sustainability! I doubt many even know the definition of the word! but for some strange reason, the word does not apply to humans,

WHY?

EV