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If you could download an App which would tell you the date of your death, would you do it? Would you want to know the exact moment and manner of your death?
There have been numerous studies conducted by the American Psychological Association, Psychology Today, Scientific Mind, the New York Times, Time Magazine, and others to find out if people would want to know when they would come face to face with their mortality. The overwhelming response (about 90%) was that people do not want to know.
People who said they would want to know the date of their death argued that if they knew when they would die, they could live life to the fullest without fear of consequence or repercussions. They said that knowing when they would die would take away the daily fear of death.
The majority of people however argued that knowing would cause them to obsess about that date and not allow them to enjoy life; that it would in fact make them fear death more.
In the June issue of Psychology Today an article by Bruce Grierson discusses this issue from a different angle. Grierson discusses whether or not people would want to know if they are more likely to contract a terminal illness with medical screening.
The article discusses that people often avoid the doctor for fear that the doctor will find something wrong with them... they argue that if they don’t go, the doctor can’t find anything. Some would rather not obsess about an illness they can’t do anything about.
The counter argument however is clearly that some illnesses can be treated if found early enough. For example many forms of cancer are treatable if discovered early, but are fatal if they are discovered later.
The article goes on to discuss that medical science is making it possible to test your DNA to discover (very early in life) whether or not you are predisposed to contracting specific illnesses, cancer among them. They cannot say for certain if you will contract an illness, but they can tell you whether or not you are more likely to.
Like the debate concerning the date of death, people disagree on whether or not they want to know if they are likely to get an illness or disease.
I know my mother often avoids the doctor because “they always find something...” I often avoid the dentist for the same reason... logically I know that any issues I have are there whether or not I go to the dentist, but psychologically... well that’s something completely different.
So... would you want to know?
I most certainly do not want to know the day of my "death." Honestly, I would twist in some Macbeth-like way; this meaning that I would obsess and obsess over it until I either changed the prophesy, or fulfilled.
ReplyDeleteI have seen these types of quizzes before. "What Day Will You Die?" is either a virus, or a quiz that is alongside "How much are you worth?" and "How Machiavellian are you?" While I do not place much stock in these types of quizzes at all, the answer to the question of "What Day Will I Die?" is not one I want the answer to in the slighest.
I try to enjoy every, single day of my life. Knowing which day I will, supposedly, die is a frightening thought. Whether or not it comes true, I would still be horrified until that very day. I would also not have the ability to enjoy life. So, to answer your question, I do not, and never will, want to know.
-Jake M.
Yes, and No. Religion will play some part in it, and as a Catholic, It's my job to accept Death, no matter how or when I die, to be prepared, and to be confident that I've made the right choices in my life, and I'm ready to go because I did what I had to do. Knowing when I would Die would give me the ability to make better choices during my remaining time here.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, knowing when you're going to die would be scary. You would live the rest of your life in fear just waiting for the day, probably rocking back and forth in a corner somewhere. That's probably what I would be doing. It would be even worse if the date was earlier then you expected.
In conclusion, I'm a little undecided on this one.
~Victoria D.
NO! I think about this topic alot, and when it comes down to it I would much rather not know. I am the type of person who over anyalizes and stresses over every little thing. I feel like knowing the date of my death would cause me to wonder how and why and I would probably end up beating myself up over it with anxiety. Dying scares me, but I know that I wont live forever. I dont need some stupid app to help me to "live my life to the fullest", I already do that. If an opportunity is put infront of me that is risky but fun I do it. I know that not doing things in life because I am simply scared is going to make me regret things. Life is so short, and no matter what day I die I am still going to continue to take the same risks I am right now. So no, I am perfectly fine not knowing the excat date of my death.
ReplyDeleteI personally would not want to know the day of my death. Knowing about it would just constantly force me to think about that date, and I wouldn't even be able to enjoy life. And what if you decided to find out, and then you find out that you're going to die in a month? Imagine how depressing and morbid that would be. As for illnesses, I go to my regular check ups at the doctors, and I plan on remaining to do so because even if I'm diagnosed with an illness it doesn't mean that I have to die from that illness. Knowing and catching it early means that I can take care of it, hopefully cure it, and go right back on to living life. And as for the argument that the people who did want to know gave; you don't have to know you're dying to live like you're dying. Live life to the fullest anyway, and that way when your time comes you won't have any regrets.
ReplyDelete~Kelly Corrigan
I do not want to know when I will die. I know that when I die it'll be my time. We all know that we are going to die. It's only a matter of time. Sure it can be scary, but you can't live in fear of something you can't control. I think that maybe my feelings towards death are like this because I have God in my life. It gives a feeling of security to believe in something.
ReplyDeleteExpect the worst, hope for the best.
-Brandon Maxwell
I would definitely like to know the date of my death because ever since I was young I was one of those rare people that didn't fear death or danger. If I knew when I would die (whether it be sooner or later) it would infact help me live to the fullest and appreciate everyone and everything I have. I feel as if most of us think that the time in our lives is unlimited so we take things for granted.
ReplyDeleteFor example, abusing ourselfs in many ways (mentally, physically and emotionally).I would probably forget all of my minor problems and focus on living deliberately and for the sole purpose of my tranquility and enjoyment. If I for example, were going to die sometimes after my 40th birthday due to some form of disease I would focus more on family and travel than riches and education. Over all , I think the app itself is stupid because no one of us can truely calculate our deaths due to the ever changing sequence and unpredicability of events.
-Kathleen Gamez
I wouldn't like to know the day i would die. I would stress about it my whole life and when the time comes I will remember the exact date and probably just stare at the clock knowing when I'm going to die. I would not want that feeling. I know some people would want to find out the date because they would like to "live life to the fullest," I would like to do the same but I'm the type of person that would worry about that for the rest of my life so I say no. Even though that this is impossible to find the exact day we die because we could do something that could impact our lives, it could change the date we are supposed to die.
ReplyDeleteno, I would no like to know the day I would die. Although if given the opportunity I would be very tempted. I personally try to live everyday to the fullest and I don't take a day for granted. I feel like if I knew the date of my "death" it would take some of the joy out of life and some of the excitement because I would always have that date in the back of my mind. Also, by knowing this date it could limit a person and think that they have to go by the prediction. Although I do belive in destiny and fate, I also believe that destiny can be subjective and can change.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the doctor/illness aspect of this I have a similar case to mr. x. My mom does not go to the doctor because "they only tell you bad news." Thats my mom's choice and although I do not agree with it that is her desicion. Not knowing things like an illness does scare me, because in most cases you can get help. But I can't judge because personally if I had the choice I would avoid the dentist at all cost, not because of what they could find, I just hate it when people touch my teeth or even play with their own.