What do I do about the fact that I'm going to die?

Do you have a terminal illness, or are you talking about the fact that you will, some day, die?

Live your life in the moment. The birth is in the past. The death is in the future. Neither past nor future exist at this very moment. So enjoy what you have now.

Everybody dies. It matters not who you are, we all share the same fate.
The roads and paths we take to our absolute end all differ, some rockier than others. You can’t let it get you though, celebrate that you were alive at all to begin with.

I probably sound heartless but honestly when faced with death all you have to do is turn the card over. ;)

It is not about the destination. It is about the RIDE!

Well, I guess it doesn’t matter if you have a terminal illness or you’re worried about old age… Why wouldn’t you want to maximize your time? You have X minutes/days/months/decades to live- at the end, do you want to look back and be happy about your decisions or not?

Let the knowledge allow you to live freely, love deeply, and appreciate every minute.

We’re all going to die. Nothing will stop that.

The nature of our world is empty.
Attachment to things which are impermanent cause suffering.

You can use your time here to benefit the lives of others.

Acknowledge the fact and move on. Don’t overly reflect on the past and worry about the future. Time is precious and fleeting…make the most of every moment. See ya…Gary/wtf
PS: Welcome to fluther.

Instead of focusing on the fact that you’re going to die, try to accept that we’re all going to die. That may sound callous, but it’s true. We all die someday, even the people who tell you about the “opportunity” you have. The next time someone tells you something that makes you mad, ask them how they’ve been preparing for their own death. Turn the situation back around on them.

Everything you have achieved and will yet achieve will not be pointless. You’ll leave behind a legacy and memories for others no matter how big or small they might be. Your accomplishments will be important and significant in their own special way. Don’t dwell on remaining time but focus your efforts on living each and every day to the fullest and being proud of yourself and your life.

Read Aristotle’s Phaedo. And watch Waking Life.

Everyone dies alone, but no one is alone in the fact that we all die. All humankind goes through this. We have no other option. So might as well devote yourself to an enjoyably purposeful life – what else can you do?

If I knew I had a set time left to live, I’d eat what I want, smoke up and get a new hooker every day until the end.

Not sure who said this, but basically it goes something like “death does not scare me, because right now I’m still alive and until it comes I can still do whatever I want. And once it comes, well, there’s nothing I can do about it, so why worry?”. Not the exact quote, but it makes sense.

We do not know what lies beyond death. Which is why there are so many religions trying to tell us. Of course nobody knows, because nobody came back to tell us what it was like (unless you take Lazarus’ story literally, and even he didn’t tell us much). It could be Heaven as we know it, or probably something completely different. You might be reborn, as some religions suggest, though of course you’d have no memory of your current life. Or keep living as a spirit.

It is normal to fear the unnkown, but at the same time the best you can do is make the best out of your life in this world and hope for the best in the next one.

@wildpotato Oh my goodness. You weren’t really all that toasted, were you? It was Plato, stupid, not Aristotle! Dang, should have stopped typing when I realized I couldn’t spell “Aristotle.”

Sorry, guys – I meant, read Plato’s Phaedo. Seriously, it is a very cool look at death. Remember how Socrates chose to drink the hemlock instead of flee Athens? This is that story.

http://www.newyorklife.com/nyl/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=8f50ce94229d2210a2b3019d221024301cacRCRD

@whatthefluther…See how @wildpotato talked to @wildpotato ? You would do well to do the same and even listen to me sometimes, you bastard. And I don’t care if you are toasted….hell, you are always toasted. See ya….@whatthefluther

Not only is everyone going to die, everyone could die at any moment through weird accidents.

The trick is to focus on the living and live the way you want to, the way that means most to you.

If I knew I was going to die, I would make sure everything I needed to say was getting said.

Anger is a normal stage for someone who has been told they are going to die at a specific time in the near future.

You may think it is a platitude, but please look at Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture

I am sorry this is happening to you. You are welcome to talk about it here and vent here and ask for what you need that we might be able to provide here.

I’m sorry that you have to face it in this way. But now that you know, what do you want most out of what time you have left? Do that as best you can.

Why is your death so immanent? What is the problem?

Achievement is pointless. So is life. The universe doesn’t care what happens to any of us. We only matter to each other. We only have meaning for our lives because we choose to make meaning. That’s what human beings do: make meaning.

Life is a gift. Really, it’s the only gift we have. We are blessed with consciousness. We can be aware of ourselves. We can ask for meaning. As far as I can tell, that’s pretty rare in the universe. So I think we, who have life and consciousness; we, who can actually conceive of the idea of achievement; are pretty lucky.

So, for the time we are lucky enough to be alive and to be aware of our existence, we should enjoy it, if we can. I mean, we could always throw life back, like catch and release fishing. We can turn down the gift, or just throw it away. Suicide is an option.

But suicide, it seems to me, is a last resort for getting rid of deep, endless pain. However, even then, the idea of giving up the pain, if you share it with someone else who feels as you do, often seems absurd. Humorous, even. I mean, what are you going to do? Take a few extra pills? Jump off a building? Put a gun to your head?

Or maybe you could blow up a building on top of yourself. Or step in front of a garbage truck. No matter what you think of, it’s pretty silly. Funny even. Uproariously funny. I nearly laughed myself to death one night, discussing means of suicide with a friend who was ready to go with me. At least, I was trying to talk her into it. She had some silly idea that it would hurt her children if she checked out by her own hand.

Good times, I tell you! Good times!

It’s hard to take yourself seriously, I think. It’s hard for me to take myself very seriously, having contemplated suicide so seriously. Why live? It’s pointless. Why die? Equally pointless. So let’s just go have a beer and have a maudlin evening. Might as well, eh?

@daloon…First two rounds are on me if I may join you. GA lurve to you. See ya….Gary/wtf

@whatthefluther I would be honored to lift a bottle or two with you (especially if it’s Chimay)!

@daloon….You got it, only the best…first round shall be Belgian (your choice of color), round two Danish with Carlsberg Elephant. See ya then….Gary/wtf

Chimay Lurve @daloon