How about a slightly different question:. Do you fear death? And if so, what do you fear? The unknown, the possible pain of dying, the finality of it, etc.
I do not fear death itself. Naturally, as others have said, I imagine I wouldn't want to leave loved ones or see them hurt, nor would I want a difficult death, etc. But dying I am not afraid of.
I wish I had more time to post, and I certainly will not engage in arguing about this, because it's my own belief (so I hope that can be respected), but based on what I've studied, my own experiences and what patients have shared with me over many years, I do believe that near or at the time of death, the "soul" (and I'm just calling it that for something to call it, not trying to take a religious stand here because I this does seem to be a universal human experience regardless of religion) leaves the body so that pain is not experienced.
People who've died and lived to tell about it report being above their physical bodies on a different type of plane where they can hear and see what's going on with their lifeless bodies, but there are no physical feelings associated with them. One story I can remember is of a man who was hit by a car on a bicycle. He remembered "seeing" a man's body laying on the ground but at first didn't realize it was his own that he was seeing. Another was a person who had drowned there was just a peace associated with it because the soul had already left the body. Obviously these people had technically died and were out of their bodies for a period of time, but when they came back into them, they were launched back into experiencing pain again. So I think that if something awful happens, there may not necessarily be a lot of suffering associated with it once the soul leaves the body, and that can happen even before a person dies.
A lot of people have mentioned they don't think there's a "morality" associated with death or afterlife, etc. (Perhaps phrasing wrong but I only have a few mins here.) People who've died and come back have reported that there is a "life review" that happens very, very quickly (like a whole review in a second or two), where detailed scenes are shown not for judgement, but for understanding. One example was a woman being shown a random dinner party she once attended. She was shown interrupting someone, and that person never got to tell someone else something important. So I think we just learn how we've impacted our world and others around us which helps us understand the "meaning of life" and our own place in it. And from what I understand, love, kindness and compassion for others do help our "souls evolve". Some believe that if we haven't learned lessons in this life, we come back to experience and learn again! So I guess it's a good thing to try to get it right in this one! Lol
Just a word about "who you see" when you die. Many report friends, family, pets, neighbors, etc. But many have also reported meeting "soul mates" who they realize have been there with them their whole lives (and never knew). But all of this makes sense once there, it's been hard for others to describe things that aren't of our world. I'm thankful to the people who wrote books and talked about their experiences so we could begin to understand them. They were often ridiculed and scorned, but did it anyway, such as the neurosurgeon. I'm sure many here will poo-poo this, or think I'm a wacko
but that's ok. I know what I know, and believe what I believe, and I have peace about it myself, and have been able to help others who are struggling with impending death, as well, if they asked my opinion. Because, believe me, at 3 in the morning when you are alone with someone in a hospital room who is dying, and they are pouring their heart out to you, you want to be able to help them. That is actually in large part why I began to study this myself in depth in the first place; that and having my own cancer experience where I feared I might die. Usually people already have their own beliefs about it and enjoy talking about them with someone who doesn't try to shut them up or clam up because it's too uncomfortable a subject. (I know when I was sick, few wanted to talk about [potential] death with me, sadly, as I needed to talk about it.)
I remember a young man who was very angry because he was dying. He wouldn't talk to anyone, and people were fearful of going in his room. Somehow, we connected. His family told me he trusted me. That is such a special privilege. One day as I was leaving for the day, he told me he wanted to talk about death. Whoa! Out of the blue. So I was able to pull up a chair and we talked for a good, long time about some of this stuff. I don't present it as fact; just what I've studied and believe myself. We both shed a few tears. But he was grateful to have someone to talk to about it and I was glad to be there for him.
It is very, very easy, when unaffected, to just blow all this stuff off. But when you're that person who is staring death in the face, it can all of a sudden take on a different type of importance.
