No, it seems like its a natural process I fear more the idea of losing my mind .

Death itself doesn't scare me, but dying does.

Topic sounds familiar... or I've been thinking about death (not dwelling) every so often. I suppose I fear a painful death, should that occur, I'd like a bunch of pot with a morphine chaser. I was holding my wife's hand when she passed, fell asleep (morphine assisted), guess we both tollerated that end... other than that I don't have a morbid fear of dying.
I fear not seeing my daughter and son lots more... I dread the loss of either of my children, hauts me on occasion.
Being among the oldest (3rd ?) of my very healthy family, am always saddened when someone close passes... but mourning's usually brief, being able to anticipate one's death prepares you, or perhaps my it's my age.

I don't feel the fear now that I did when I was younger. I think as you get older you get more comfortable with the idea that at some point you won't be around anymore. My quest right now is to see my youngest daughter into adulthood. After that, I figure I have at least another 30 years...

I do not fear death. Like 'resserts' (below) however, I do fear how I will arrive at that condition. I, too, want a painless death and I don't want it to be a long, drawn out process, either. I would like the opportunity to decide WHEN to die (self administered euthanasia) but that's an expensive business as it is not available in Britain so necessitating a trip to Europe. In anticipation of this event I have donated my body to The Hope teaching hospital in Liverpool - signed, but not yet sealed and delivered! My General Practitioner pulled a face when I requested this be placed in my medical file - next to Do Not Resuscitate - (I suspect she is religious), but made no comment.

Yeah but I was more terrified of death when I was a Christian. The fear that no matter what I did, God was going to judge me and send me to hell was terrifying to me. My only disappointment now is that we are here for such a short time. Its over so fast.

I have never been particularly scared of death. I consider myself a "realist", in that I accept reality. And the reality is that death is the great equalizer, there is no escape. No matter how rich you are, how poor, male or female, healthy or sickly, at some point you are going to die. And unless you kill yourself, you will have very little control over the timing. You can be sickly, like Stephen Hawking who lived to 78, or healthy like Jim Fixx the runner, who died at 52. I plan on enjoying my time on earth, since I don't believe in an afterlife, but I have no great interest in extending it. I have had an interesting life and I am comfortable now. I refuse to not eat food I like or do exercise I don't care for. I recently had a V-FIB and was technically dead for 10 seconds (my cousin asked me if I saw the bright white light! Funny guy! Answer, no) I really can't say even that scared me, other than the fact that it happened when I was driving and could have caused a bad accident involving other people. Fortunately, I only hit a parked truck. When the doctor told me I was a lucky guy, I thought he meant that the accident wasn't worse, he meant that I was still alive!

No I might be afraid of hurting a lot whilst in my dying process but havent got any fears about ,
Heaven or Hell.

My mortality concerned me quite a bit after I realized that I wasn't eternal. It took me several months after my deconversion to come to grips with being finite. I think death will be like loosing consciousness, and simply never regaining it. When you think of it that way it's not so bad... Nothing to look forward to, but nothing to really fear either. I fear dying more than death. The process of becoming dead can be quite painful depending on how it happens...

Many people hold onto their religious beliefs because they can't bear the thought that they will never see their dead loved ones again. On this site we have moved on from there to accept that our state after our death will be the same as our state before we were born. Many of us fear the dying process, because of our fear of pain, loss of dignity, etc. But I imagine few of us fear actual death.

Agree with need to believe our loved ones will be seen again.. that is why the Rainbow Bridge for pets bothers me so much: My beloved Josie (feline) has cancer X 2 yrs.. I know what it's time for her to go I will have lost my closest family member..... We humans are wonderful at using denial as a mechanism to keep from sucumbing to suicidal proclivity

i find my society so messed up that death at the moment seems quite a nice idea - to just blissfully leave the stage after the fat lady sings. I have ordered today the consent forms for my dead body to go to Queens University Belfast and I'm interested that I feel pretty O.K about that choice. Of course I might live for far too many more years, but I do feel stormy clouds gathering and an unrest in my part of the world that is edgy. I will hope for the best and be prepared for hte worst - the thing I find most hateful is the way poorer people are being treated ;policemen beating up rough sleepers who have no choice - and leaving people to die in the snow
So I am sure that there are many good things around at the moment its just that i am not hearing about them.

NOPE! Even at 52 (in two days) I have lived a full life, traveled the globe many times, made love in the jungle, swam with sharks, helped both kids at birth, road horses on a Mexican beach, rode camels on volcanoes, and had several near death occurrences. To me death is more natural than life, for not everything gets a chance to be born, but everything born will die, it is the natural cycle of life.

Hell yeah I'm afraid of death. It's the thing I fear the most, at least at this point in my life. Especially death by being killed. Seems like a fairly normal thing to fear, to me.

I also am certain that many people who claim to not be afraid of it... aren't being honest with themselves. It sounds good, though.

Death is nothing to me; for while I am it is not, and when it is, I am not.

If, as we suspect, death is simply the end of it all, what's to fear? You won't be in pain, have any regrets, burn in hell, or whatever....we'll simply cease to exist. What's to fear about that?

Were you conscience of life when you were in the womb and afraid to born? Probably not. It is a passage from life in warm fluid to life on earth. Death is a passage also. From life on earth to leaving the body and the energy that animates you moving on to a different form. Perhaps becoming a part of the earth that nourishes plants. As long as I have plenty of drugs to keep me out of pain, and let me sleep away my life, I'm not too worried about it.

Not afraid of death. Afraid of dying.

No, knowing that life will eventually end is a comfort and a motivator not to waste the time I have.

Honestly I try not to think about it too often but every now and then the thought creeps into my head.. Yeah I'm afrad of dying.. I'm not too afraid to admit that

No, it would be like one long dreamless and neverending sleep.

I'm afraid of a painful death.

I agree with you all. I don't really want a painful death. But I have realized a long time ago that I am not afraid of dying. I don't want to leave my friends and family behind and all of the pain and suffereing that it comes with. But, as I said I am not afraid of death, I have just come to accept it.

You just cease to exist. No more pain no more struggling nothing why be afraid?

More the how.