If you knew...?

[doctork]

Suppose there were a letter in a sealed envelope in your dresser drawer that disclosed the date, time and perhaps even the manner of your death. Would you open it? Why or why not?

[doctork]

I have decided that the tradition is that the poser of the question answers first.

If that letter were there, I think I would not open it. Since I already subscribe to the philosophy of "too much is never enough," and "live life to the fullest," I do not think such knowledge would change my life at all. But I might get bummed out if I learned my death would happen in some manner or at some time that was undesirable to me.

But one could write an interesting story about an individual that knew the time of approaching death, sought to avoid it, but then died anyway, despite all efforts. Maybe E. A. Poe already did. Some English major will come along shortly to remind me if that is the case.

[TheDude]

I would not open it.
In fact, I would try to burn it.
Which, would lead, inevitably to my death in the inferno that resulted.
Sort of like in an O'Henry story. (Not the candy bar guy, the writer guy).
Except for not involving hair clips and pocketwatches and fobs and whatnot.

I'm not sure, but I seem to vaguely recall this general plot being on an old Twilight Zone . . . or Thriller . . . or One Step Beyond . . . or Alcoa Presents . . . Way Out . . . or Star Trek.
Not the part about the fire, just the original question.

[gailkate]

How could I have missed this question?

This does sound like one of those spooky old plots or - English major reference coming up - Emily Dickinson's "Because I could not stop for Death, he kindly stopped for me...."

Knowing the exact time and manner of death would probably kill me on the spot. But I would definitely want to know if I had a terminal disease (other than simple mortality) because for sure I'd try to outrun Death. I'd figure out with Jerry just how much money could be blown and then do everything conceivable to blow every dime - travel, whole seasons at the Met (Opera) and theater and dance, sky-diving at least once, maybe one pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes jsut for the hell of it. And a horse. Then I'd have a big party timed exactly for when I wanted to say good-bye and disappear, like Bilbo Baggins.

[Jane]

Not if there wasn't anything I could do about it. Although I've always thought that a better plan than the one god came up with (or whomever) would be for everyone to get to the age of 30, stay there physically while continuing to mature in depth of character, then suddenly drop dead at the age of 80.

I also came up with a better plan than god's for knees.

[BoatBabe]

Sept 8, 2010 12:21:12 GMT -5 Jane said:

I also came up with a better plan than god's for knees.

I'm not sure I dare ask. I've already giggled profusely.

;D


No. Definitely No on the question. I see Life as a make-up-while-doing play. If I already knew the final act, well, where would the fun be in that? It's always the surprise ending we remember.

[joew]

If I knew, I could be sure I was wearing good socks and underwear.

But I'm inclined to believe that for the vast majority of us, there's a good reason we don't know.