What do you think about the idea of knowing when you will die?

Use this forum to discuss the March 2018 Book of the Month, "Final Notice" by Van Fleisher.
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Abbeysunday
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Re: What do you think about the idea of knowing when you will die?

Post by Abbeysunday »

when someone know he is going to die,you continued check your self I know what remained for you and continued to do good ask for for forgiveness.
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chupke07
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Post by chupke07 »

For me, on the one hand I would want to know so I could take care of my personal issues, but I would not want to know because then life would lose its charm. It is an interesting concept though.
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Post by elivia05 »

qsusan wrote: 02 Mar 2018, 07:08 My feelings are summarised in the statement
"Knowledge bred incidence even as it protected us from incidence."
- (a personal quote from me)

Knowing allows us to shield against known dangers but the mere act of knowing creates even more dangers. This is why Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden after they ate of the fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Because they knew, they could sin. If i am colour-blind and I say red is green, have I told a lie? No. Why? Because I do not know.
Knowing changes things. However, I think the message of this book is not to fear knowledge but to be aware that all knowledge is a two sided sword- it can protect but it can also harm- and to guard accordingly.
Beautifully said. I completely agree with you, but you said this more eloquently than I ever could.
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LV2R
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Post by LV2R »

What a big question that is "Would you want to know when you were to die?" I think in one way that I would like to know so that I could say goodbye to friends and family. Also, that I would want to do things that I had wanted to do, but just never thought I had the money or time to do. But then this brings to mind an issue of why not do the things that I want to do now and have all my relationships in order every day? In conclusion, I don't think that it is necessary to know when I will die. It is more important how I choose to live each and every day.

If science has the technology to know when people would die, then I think it is ok to let them know if they want to know. The book Final Notice brought up some issues about racism, hate crimes, gun crimes and school shootings. Maybe some people would commit crimes knowing that they were going to die, but others would use the last days of their lives doing good things.
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Post by ChrisChatfield »

Another thought is that within the past 100 yrs, we know 100x more about when we will die than we did before. I don't see any benefits as a society or as individuals with this knowledge.
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Post by Christine Penny »

I would want to know within a few months when I would die because I have an autistic son who is on the border of being able to take care of himself with some help and the Autism Society has some families that take in autistic children and adults who have no one else, I would want to be able to go with my son to help him get used to those people, so that my passing would be easier for him. I really worry about that so much. It used to keep me up at night but I know God will pull him through. I personally don't care when or how or whether I know or not because I know that I am going to heaven and so are my family and that is the greatest gift of all.
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Post by SilentNoise715 »

Well, having the idea of knowing when you will die can be helpful or dangerous to some. It can be helpful for some people since they knew when they are going to die they can make plans ahead of that. They will learn to appreciate the remaining time of their lives. But on the other side, it can be dangerous for others who cant easily accept the fact that they will die in that specific time. They might get depressed more that might lead to earlier death than the said time of the end of their lives. There are so much effect of having the idea of when you will die. But for me, I'd rather be clueless of that idea. We will all gonna die after all. What important is before you die you must realize your purpose and do it right. The greatest regret anyone can have is knowing their purpose but they didn't fulfill it until they die. Thanks
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Post by Hawthorn87 »

Hi!

This topic is so interesting and has a tangled web of what if's attached. I mean, If you knew you were going to die, I believe it becomes an obsession in which you prove you destiny through your knowledge. Even if you avoid death, He will always find you in some shape or form, so in turn obsessing over the knowledge of when and/or how you will die becomes death itself because you never would "live" life.

I also believe that if scientists had this knowledge, it would be best to keep it quiet as it would cause wide spread panic and if we have read enough stories and watched enough movies, than we know the consequences of those actions.

Caitlyn
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Post by chelhack »

I think knowing when you will die can be one of those gift and curse together experiences. If you know when you are going to die I personally would live my life to the fullest and get everything on the bucket list accomplished. Along, with make arrangements so that my family will not have to feel the burden of it and spend as much time as possible enjoying my family as well while preparing them for what was to come.


It could be a bad thing by possibly throwing someone into a depression state. Also, having the potential of making one frantic worrying and stressing about what was to come.
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Post by anwidmer »

qsusan wrote: 02 Mar 2018, 07:08 My feelings are summarised in the statement
"Knowledge bred incidence even as it protected us from incidence."
- (a personal quote from me)

Knowing allows us to shield against known dangers but the mere act of knowing creates even more dangers. This is why Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden after they ate of the fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Because they knew, they could sin. If i am colour-blind and I say red is green, have I told a lie? No. Why? Because I do not know.
Knowing changes things. However, I think the message of this book is not to fear knowledge but to be aware that all knowledge is a two sided sword- it can protect but it can also harm- and to guard accordingly.
I love the comparison to adam and eve, and i fully agree with you in that knowledge can be a double edged sword. On one hand wouldnt it be great to carry out your final wishes knowing that otherwise you wouldnt have been able to. But on the other hand this knowledge could prove to be scary and dangerous if given to the wrong person. All in all i belive ignorance is bliss, we are not meant to know when our time will be up and have to just trust in gods will on that one. This of course is just my own belief
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Post by anwidmer »

LV2R wrote: 16 Jun 2018, 21:28 What a big question that is "Would you want to know when you were to die?" I think in one way that I would like to know so that I could say goodbye to friends and family. Also, that I would want to do things that I had wanted to do, but just never thought I had the money or time to do. But then this brings to mind an issue of why not do the things that I want to do now and have all my relationships in order every day? In conclusion, I don't think that it is necessary to know when I will die. It is more important how I choose to live each and every day.

If science has the technology to know when people would die, then I think it is ok to let them know if they want to know. The book Final Notice brought up some issues about racism, hate crimes, gun crimes and school shootings. Maybe some people would commit crimes knowing that they were going to die, but others would use the last days of their lives doing good things.
My thoughts exactly. Why would we live differently knowing we are going to die? Shouldnt we be living like its our last day everyday? Its easy to say but hard at times to do as the hustle and bustle of life tends to get in the way of good intention at times. I believe id rather not know but steive to live as though each day is my last
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Majaliwa Abiba Alice
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Post by Majaliwa Abiba Alice »

No, I personally think it would stress me out. Instead of enjoying life, I would be counting down days and wondering how I would go down :D :snooty:
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Mallory Porshnev
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Post by Mallory Porshnev »

I just finished reading Final Notice and I think that's what you're referring to. The idea is definitely an interesting one. I can see how knowing when you'll die might make people live their lives more fully. I think for me, it would just make me think about it too much. I wouldn't want to know. I'd rather either live each day like its my last anyway, or live in denial and think I'm never going to die.
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Post by celeste1974 »

This sounds like an intriguing concept. Sounds similar to a book I recently read that made me think. Would I want to know? No, I don't think I would. Piggybacking off what many have said, I think I would be absolutely paralyzed with fear of everything I have yet to do but there is no time. I also think that it would take the fun out of life.
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Post by bukworm543 »

Like many others have said, I would not personally want to know when I will die. Though, to play devil’s advocate, there are several advantages to having that knowledge. It could help you plan for the future—if you know you’ll have a long life, you can be motivated to save enough for retirement. On the other hand if you know you’ll die young, you can focus on spending your money on enjoyable experiences and trying to make the world a better place.

I think this knowledge would also affect the way you built relationships. You might be less likely to invest time in relationships if you knew you’d die young.
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