If you could know exactly when you are going to die, would you?

I’ve had this debate with several people several times. To me, it is a no-brainer. Of course, I would want to know the exact date I was going to die. But I can definitely understand where people would not want to know. It is morbid to think about one’s own death. But it will happen and none of us can avoid it. What is it they say in therapy - you can’t go around your problems, you have to go through them?

I guess I am one who likes to plan ahead. Would you like to know when your vacation is coming up? Or would you like to report to work on a Monday and just have your boss surprise you by telling you to go home and take the week off? Wouldn’t you like to have something planned already knowing that you had the week off? I would. I’d like to have a hotel booked for some lake resort, have my bags packed, and my car filled with gas.

Same with knowing when I am going to die. Why bother saving all that money for retirement if you know you are going to die before you retire? And vice versa. If you are spending money carefree when you are younger and you know you are going to live to 97, you may want to slow down and start putting some money away, and taking care of yourself so your latter years are as healthy as they can be.

I read a few articles on this specific subject, focusing a lot on the comments section to see how the public views the subject. I think it is very much a 50/50 split. The pendulum swings to favoring not knowing if I dismiss the ones who want to know for the sole reason to feel superhuman. The argument goes if you know you are going to die 25 years from now, you know you can’t die now. Therefore, you could go skydiving without a parachute, speed down the highway, go mountain climbing, or play with grizzly bears with the knowledge you aren’t going to die for another 25 years.

I think that is not the gist of the question, but I find it interesting how many people twisted it around that way. It is really telling of how selfish people can be that their first reaction is “I can’t die for another 25 years” rather than “I won’t die for another 25 years.” It is a subtle difference when you word it both of those ways, but it says something.

The “I can’t die” crowd views it as I can be careless and do whatever I please. They don’t take into consideration what quality of life they will have for the next 25 years. They could go mountain climbing or jump out of an airplane without a parachute with the knowledge that when they fall to the ground they won’t die. But what if they fall, live, but are paralyzed for the rest of that time? Or what if that grizzly bear gouges out your eyes and tears off your arms?

The “I won’t die” crowd thinks in terms of how I can live comfortably for those next 25 years, particularly the last ten. The “I can’t die” crowd’s mindset is concerned with the next ten years.

I am more interested in the “I won’t die” crowd. Even if I know I won’t die for another ten years, that does not mean I am going to go swimming with sharks tomorrow. It doesn't mean I am going to go cliff diving in Mexico this summer.

It does mean I can afford to pace myself and shift timetables on accomplishing my bucket list. If I know I am going to die in two years, and I want to go to Italy before I die, I better go to Italy pretty soon. It doesn’t matter if it means cashing out my life savings, or worrying about what the boss is going to say if I take a month off from work.

If, however, I know I am not going to die for another twenty years, I may want to put off the trip until I know I have enough money saved up to do other things when I get back from Italy.

The downside of knowing when you are going to die, obviously, is you know when the movie ends - but not how. You are like an individual on death row who knows when his execution date is. You start thinking about your last meal.

Your mind starts wondering how are you going to die. Is a piano going to fall from a third floor window and crush you? Will you be murdered? Will you suffer from some painful disease? Will you get hit by a car?

Imagine how anxious you are going to be that day. You will constantly be looking over your shoulder. You will be double and triple checking both ways before crossing a street. You will be eyeballing every person who approaches near you. Maybe you won’t even leave your house that day. Maybe you will stay home and check the gas valve on the stove and check the locks on the door every ten minutes. And maybe, just maybe, the anxiety will be so consuming, that you will get tired of waiting and decide to kill yourself first, thus fulfilling the prophecy.

If, however, you choose not to know when you are going to die, you go about life like you do now - because, unless you are terminally ill or on death row, none of us know when we will die. Ignorance is bliss, right? When it happens, it happens.

Maybe those people are right. Maybe that is a better way to live. Maybe it is better to live not worrying about death.