afraid to die?

Nice. I've said the same thing before, and that's why I love the idea of an Irish wake. You should be celebrating the person's life instead of just mourning their lose (with due respect, of course).

my dad has joked in the past that when he goes he wants to be stuffed, dressed in a tux with a martini in one hand and a cigar in the other and he wants us to have a huge party. That's a little morbid, but I get what he's saying.

I agree, it's good to celebrate the person's life. I think it's asking too much to ask people not to mourn, because if they loved you they're going to miss you. But they should feel comfortable laughing about the funny things you used to do in addition to crying about missing you. I hate when people feel like they're supposed to be solemn 100% of the time at a funeral; I want people to cry if they feel like crying at my death, but if they feel like laughing, then I want them to laugh.

The important thing is that the person be remembered. So tell funny stories and laugh, but also cry at the love you lost. Make sure you're remembering all that which makes you laugh and all that which makes you sad that they're gone. That way you're sure to remember the person's entire life, not just the part you want to think about.

Yeah, I really didn't mean that people shouldn't be sad or mourn your passing, but that just shouldn't be the whole focus, IMO. I guess that's easier said than done if the death is really untimely.

Schneed, you just blew my fucking mind! I'd like to subscribe to your newsletter.

(neat, no more language filter)

Yeah man, there's a lot of chemical changes that go along with decomposition. Would a rotting brain emit some minor chemical charges (similar in strength to the synapses that currently make us think thoughts) that could get interpreted in some way by a dying brain? If you get cremated, does that just dismantle your brain and completely shut it down? If you send a mild electric current through a dead brain, will images flash from within the brain?

I don't know, maybe a neurologist will come along and set me straight and say a brain ceases all activity once you're dead. Who knows. But there isn't a neurologist who has experienced death, and neurology is a science we don't know a whole lot about. Maybe there's brain activity there that our technology can't pick up?

I have no answers, only questions.

Yeah, I really didn't mean that people shouldn't be sad or mourn your passing, but that just shouldn't be the whole focus, IMO. I guess that's easier said than done if the death is really untimely.

Word. No matter how you cut it, death sucks. I guess I just meant to say that people should feel free to deal with it in their own way. I remember being at my grandmother's funeral a few years ago, and at the reception I was telling a joke about something she once did, and I was cracking up and my dad and brothers were laughing too. But my mom got all frowny and later told me that you're not supposed to act like that at a funeral. I was like eff that, I'm very sad she's gone, but we all deal with it in our own way. I like to remember the good things to help me get through the tough feelings.

I have no answers, only questions.

Just like Socrates.

On a related note, does anyone believe in life after death or reincarnation?

My practical side says when you die that's it, it's like switching off a light, and you just cease to exist.

But you can't help but wonder what else there may be...

Have one ghost experience and you'll KNOW there is life after death.

A buddy of mine and I were debating this the other day. What if you got sucked out of a plane at 30,000 feet? Is it possible free fall to your death and be aware of what's going on? Or would you pass out due to the thin air and shock of the situation??

You'd pass out.. no oxygen...

You'd pass out.. no oxygen...

It would actually depend on the person. Most would pass out, but there are a few capable of making it.

How long would you pass out for though?

Could you wake up before you hit the ground at 200 mph?