What does it mean to think about death?

Answer 1

Pondering the "transition to the other side" (whatever the other side might be) is a natural thing to do. Men will, at one time or another in their lives, consider that they will "shuffle off this mortal coil" at some point. (The evidence that they will do this, will die, is right in front of them.) The mind will, sooner or later, begin to wonder about what death really is. And this arguably leads most frequently to wondering what may lie on that other side. (There is a whole field of thought on that subject.) But as regards the "transition" and thinking about that a lot? There are a couple of thoughts. Start with an analogy. Ever get a song "stuck in your head" for a time? Sometimes we do, and it takes a while for it to "go away" so we are free of it. In this case, the thinking about death and dying, could simply be a short term thing or "mini obsession" and it will pass in a few days or a couple of weeks. A thought of this "magnitude" (meaning a question about something quintiessentially basic and most profound in its potential to shape one's life) tends to "hang on awhile" with some folks. They may be afraid. Puzzled. Curious. They may be offput. Angry. Resentful. They may also be attracted and seduced by the idea of dying. There are a lot of possible reactions to the prospect or even the idea of death - of one's own death. Even tho' it may be some way off. (Meaning that death is generally "not as close" for a teen or twenty-something person as for a 60-year old.) Maybe this is where the thinking leads when one is "thinking about death and dying" as cited. Maybe this is why one's thinking has "stuck" where it has. It may be a prelude to considering one's own death. The thought of one's own death could be viewed as a "rite of passage" in shaping or modifying one's personal identity. It's the mind's attempt to see it for what it is and thereby "get a handle on it" so it (one's death) is fully accepted as possible and we can move on to "the rest of our life" with that issue "put in its place" for the now. Another possiblity is the "greyer" of the two. We get hung up thinking about death and about dying as a prelude to facing the perceived unpleasant (or "unacceptable") issue of our own mortality. Could this be it? We all have to deal with what we cannot possibly avoid - our own death. "Boy, this sux. What's up with that? Dying? Being alive one minute and being dead the next?" What triggered the thinking? Is an answer there? It's for sure we don't have to like the prospect of death. Or of our own death. And it may take a while for the "reality" to sink in. What to do? Talking to another or others is important in issues so profound as death. Especially one's own, if this is where the thinking is leading. This is not an endorsement of any kind of theology or philosophy unless you want it to be. It may be time to create your own philosophy on death and dying. It is time to look at it for what it is: the closing chapter in life. In one's own life. After all, the two most quintiessential elements of life are genesis and trans-genesis. Birth and death. Find a person who can be trusted and chat. There are things to be considered. Things to be discovered. Discovered within one's self. The meaning of the constant "thinking about death and dying" may just be a wake up call to externalize your thoughs with someone else, and thus find what meaning there may be here with the ideas. Best wishes. And hope.

Answer 2

To know that life is only so long and to not waste it. Use it to its fullest potential so that when u are dying , u dont wish u could have changed things and done things different.

that is my view, there are more