why do we have to grow old? is there anyone who is scared of death?

Question

I'm scared of death and dont see why we have to grow old.

Answer 1

Consider the alternative to growing old.

Answer 2

My Mam passed away when I was 10 years old, which left me feeling just how you are now. I couldn't even bare to go to Evening Service in Church, but was fine at Morning Service. I now realise that there is no point worrying about the inevitable, but to make the most of life. I assume you are still at school. If so, could you not have a chat with your favourite Teacher, or a Family Member. If my presumption is incorrect, then a chat with a Religious Leader, your Doctor, or a close Friend might help. A problem shared is (often) a problem solved. I am no longer afraid of death, as I believe that our soul will just pass to another room close by. I do wish you well and hope that you are able to start relaxing and enjoy your life to the full. God bless.

Answer 3

I am terrified of dying because I have not made peace with my God, and I fear that when I die I will face judgment for all the wrong things I did when I was alive. It's a horrible feeling, and now I have reached an age at which several things have started going wrong with my body, so the thought of death and the coming judgment is a constant, horrifying companion.

I think we have to grow old because if we didn't, we wouldn't have an incentive to live life to the fullest. We would expect to continue on in youth and good health, not really fully appreciating our lives— the fact that our time here is so short compels us to make the most of our lives rather than lead a complacent or reckless existence.

Answer 4

It seems like just yesterday I was in high school, trying to get out of homework, working as a waitress after school and writing to my boyfriend who was in the Navy. Now, I'm 42, I have 2 kids, a husband, a mortgage and all the other things that adulthood brings. All that was has been lost to time. Death is on our schedule, we all will die one day sooner or later. We cannot excape it. There's nothing I can say that will make you not think of it if that is what you are going to do. Accept it and move on.

Answer 5

Death is fine - dying I'm not so sure about.
It is mainly fun things that make us old - keep out of the sun, eat lots of vegetables and fruit everyday (a balanced diet) no food cooked in oil, healthy exercise, no smoking or drinking (alcohol, or coffee). If you shower 2wice a day you need to use moisturizer etc. yawn - I'd rather grow old :)

Answer 6

Scared of death -- the question is, is there anyone who isn't?

As for why we grow old... it appears that our cells can only replicate themselves a certain number of times before they start to deteriorate; it's been described as like taking a photocopy of a copy of a copy of a copy of... and eventually you get to the point where the ninth or tenth generation of the copy is blurry and spotted. Apparently something similar happens when our cells copy themselves, and after 40 years or so they start losing certain characteristics and abilities -- hair turns grey, skin cells lose collagen, eyes change shape and focus, and more.

But of course, that's not why we grow old, it's HOW we grow old. The answer to WHY we grow old is more the province of philosophy or faith. A simple answer is "because if we didn't grow old and die, we'd starve ourselves through overpopulation." But it's neither comforting nor sufficient, is it?

There are some things in which you can take solace, and some actions you may be in a position to take. One consolation is that the younger you are, the longer your life is likely to be -- I was born in 1956 at a time when the life expectancy was 70 years; it's up to about 80 now. But my kids were born in the 1990s, and for my youngest (born in 1996), there's a very good chance he'll live to see the year 2100, and may have the vitality of someone my age (which isn't all that bad, I'm happy to report -- 50 is great :-). Science continues to research the causes and negative effects of aging, and given the breakthroughs of the last 100 years, we may reasonably expect comparable advances in the next century.

And as for actions you can take -- if you haven't yet started college or chosen a career, consider going into biology or medicine and researching the causes and effects of aging. Every breakthrough in the advancement of the quality of life began with a person asking "I don't see why we have to suffer," and then doing something about it. From Pasteur's investigation into the biology of disease to Fleming's discovery of antibiotics to Watson and Crick's discovery of the mechanism of DNA to the latest medical advances that we won't know about till next year, every step forward began with someone willing to stare Death in the face and say, This is one you WON'T get.

...My favorite story: A man was walking along a beach one day after a storm. The waves of the preceding days had washed thousands of starfish up on the sand. At first he thought how sad that so many starfish had died; then he realized they were still alive, moving slowly, but too far from the ocean to crawl back to the water and survive.

So he picked up the nearest starfish and tossed it back into the ocean. And then another... and then another... He kept walking down the beach tossing starfish back into the sea.

Eventually he met another man walking from the opposite direction. "Are you insane?" said the second man. "I've come from the other end of the beach, and these things are EVERYWHERE. There must be ten thousand of them washed up -- what difference can you possibly make?"

The first man looked him in the eye, then picked up a starfish and threw it into the surf.

"Well," he said with a mixture of hope and defiance, "I made ALL the difference to THAT one."

Go forth and save some starfish...

Answer 7

Perhaps you are a very young person without a great deal of life experiences. This is not said to be cruel or rude. The reason I say this is that one grows older, he becomes aware that God promises us eternal life with Him if we believe in Him and obey His commandments.

With me, it's a case of growing. Death is just another step in growing. Even without faith, we know that babies fight being born and people fight the uncertainty of death. Babies don't know what is going to happen to them. Adults almost always know. It's okay to fear leaving the comfort of our family and life as we know it, but what a glorious adventure awaits as we are born again in the Holy Spirit for all eternity. Read Ecclesiastes and the Gospels of Matthew and John for the road-map. PAX!

Answer 8

We all want to die in our sleep at a ripe old age, but the statistics aren't in favor of that. I don't think many people are too comfortable comtemplating their own death, which is why Hallowe'en is such a big smash -- we get to mock the thing that scares us most.

Gee, I'm glad you asked this. [mutter]

Answer 9

I have lately been thinking how fast time goes by, and how we just go with it, and before we know it years have passed. I do not think I am afraid of death, but more so that I just don't want my life to end. I am afraid of dying and leaving my daughter behind, even if she is 50, as she is my world and my responsibility forever.

Answer 10

I'm not scared of dying, I just hope mine won't be painful.

I am afraid of getting old and feeble so that I can't care for myself though. Not sure what I can do about it.

Answer 11

Growing old is a natural thing of life.
Alot of people are scared of death.

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