Philosophy Now Forum

My wife is having a hysterectomy in 8 days due to Uterine cancer and my younger daughter is having fits. My daughter asked me how I am doing, so I explained that I have dealt with the issues many years ago. About 10 years ago I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and have been aware of just how close to death I am ever since. My son is in a similar situation, having survived lymphoma, but neither of my daughters have been in that situation and neither has my wife, so they are all having to deal with it now. I really upset my one daughter and wife, when I made the observation that since I am retired and no longer taking care of 2 of my grandchildren as often, I like to lay down on the couch in the afternoon and take a rest or a nap. I remember that my father had been outside mowing the lawn during the morning, and as he usually does, he came in and laid down on the couch, he died in his sleep, and when I mentioned that, my wife and daughter got really upset. I guess the point is that some people live through a situation that makes them aware of their own mortality, and others do not and can't quite understand.

thedoc wrote:My wife is having a hysterectomy in 8 days due to Uterine cancer and my younger daughter is having fits. My daughter asked me how I am doing, so I explained that I have dealt with the issues many years ago. About 10 years ago I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and have been aware of just how close to death I am ever since. My son is in a similar situation, having survived lymphoma, but neither of my daughters have been in that situation and neither has my wife, so they are all having to deal with it now. I really upset my one daughter and wife, when I made the observation that since I am retired and no longer taking care of 2 of my grandchildren as often, I like to lay down on the couch in the afternoon and take a rest or a nap. I remember that my father had been outside mowing the lawn during the morning, and as he usually does, he came in and laid down on the couch, he died in his sleep, and when I mentioned that, my wife and daughter got really upset. I guess the point is that some people live through a situation that makes them aware of their own mortality, and others do not and can't quite understand.

I have had 3 surgeries and the first one was scary. The other two were routine then.

Were it not for modern medical practice I would have first died at age 55, then if not certainly at 60.

The surgeries worked and now life is good.

I don't think of dying, but I am careful to exercise moderately (jogging, hiking, and bicycling) and to get a lot of rest.

Over exertion is a major risk in old age especially by former athletes.

Death laughs at us all -- all you can do is laugh back.

Everyone dies -- whether now or 50 years from now.

Since death is inevitable I don't sweat it. I just try to live an optimistic life and enjoy it while I can.

Heaven probably does not want me, and Hell is afraid I will take over.

My very best wishes and hopes for Mrs. Doc.

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As with a great many things, an intellectual understanding of mortality is really no understanding at all. You gotta have sex to understand it, pilot a plane to understand it, eat a live grasshopper to understand it, and brush up against the Reaper, personal-like, to begin to understand it.

So, be kind to them...as with everyone: their turn will come soon enough.

henry quirk wrote:My very best wishes and hopes for Mrs. Doc.

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As with a great many things, an intellectual understanding of mortality is really no understanding at all. You gotta have sex to understand it, pilot a plane to understand it, eat a live grasshopper to understand it, and brush up against the Reaper, personal-like, to begin to understand it.

So, be kind to them...as with everyone: their turn will come soon enough.

My own top 10 experiences in life have been the following, now that you have touched upon it --

1 - flying a private plane into a thunderstorm;

2 - riding a motorcycle through a tidal wave created by a semi truck;

3 - scuba diving into a deep shipwreck and coming out the other end (stem to stern);

4 - sex with a green eyed Irish babe;

5 - sex with a blue eyed English babe;

6 - sex with a brown eyed Mexican babe;

7 - all the other sex was ho hum;

8 - sailing in a yacht race;

9 - backpacking into the mountains alone for several days;

10 - arresting a dozen criminals alone all at once without any backup and with only 5 rounds of 45ACP in my pistol (they did not feel lucky).

yiostheoy wrote: I have had 3 surgeries and the first one was scary. The other two were routine then.
Were it not for modern medical practice I would have first died at age 55, then if not certainly at 60.

Heaven probably does not want me, and Hell is afraid I will take over.

When I was first diagnosed with CHF my cardiologist insisted that I had to have open heart surgery to replace the Mitral valve, and set me up with a specialist. After seeing a few different doctors I found out that there was nothing wrong with the valve, but the left ventricle was enlarged and pulled the valve out of shape. I finally got a cardiologist who felt that the problem could be taken care of with medication, and I have had much improvement without surgery. I also have a defibrillator implanted and 2 years ago it went off, I then learned just how serious it was. Basically I died, and the defibrillator shock my heart into a regular rhythm of beating and I survived.

A few years before my father died, we were having a conversation and apparently someone had told him that Heaven was going to be praising God all day. He then said to me that if that is what Heaven is like, he wasn't sure that he wanted to go there. At the time I didn't know what to say, now I would simply tell him that is one persons idea, and not necessarily the correct one.

yiostheoy wrote: Heaven probably does not want me, and Hell is afraid I will take over.

On another forum Peacegirl is hawking her fathers book that is full of crackpot ideas, and she keeps insisting that one day he will be proven right. I reply that when that happens, I will be running the hot chocolate stand in Hell, while everyone is ice skating.

thedoc wrote:

yiostheoy wrote: I have had 3 surgeries and the first one was scary. The other two were routine then.
Were it not for modern medical practice I would have first died at age 55, then if not certainly at 60.

Heaven probably does not want me, and Hell is afraid I will take over.

When I was first diagnosed with CHF my cardiologist insisted that I had to have open heart surgery to replace the Mitral valve, and set me up with a specialist. After seeing a few different doctors I found out that there was nothing wrong with the valve, but the left ventricle was enlarged and pulled the valve out of shape. I finally got a cardiologist who felt that the problem could be taken care of with medication, and I have had much improvement without surgery. I also have a defibrillator implanted and 2 years ago it went off, I then learned just how serious it was. Basically I died, and the defibrillator shock my heart into a regular rhythm of beating and I survived.

A few years before my father died, we were having a conversation and apparently someone had told him that Heaven was going to be praising God all day. He then said to me that if that is what Heaven is like, he wasn't sure that he wanted to go there. At the time I didn't know what to say, now I would simply tell him that is one persons idea, and not necessarily the correct one.

When I get to Heaven, if I get to Heaven, I will volunteer to guard the frontiers of it with a steel sword in a silver scabbard with a golden sash.

If I go to Hell, I will volunteer to guard its frontiers with the same thing.

I am sure there is plenty of work to be done in both places.

The business world here on Earth has taught me that if you are having problems with one company then their competition can always put you to good use instead. That's the first thing I ever learned after 2 years with a bad company.

Best wishes to you and your family, doc.

henry quirk wrote:My very best wishes and hopes for Mrs. Doc.

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As with a great many things, an intellectual understanding of mortality is really no understanding at all. You gotta have sex to understand it, pilot a plane to understand it, eat a live grasshopper to understand it, and brush up against the Reaper, personal-like, to begin to understand it.

So, be kind to them...as with everyone: their turn will come soon enough.

Thankyou.

Dalek Prime wrote:Best wishes to you and your family, doc.

Thankyou.

yiostheoy wrote: Since death is inevitable I don't sweat it. I just try to live an optimistic life and enjoy it while I can.

Thankyou.

thedoc wrote:Thankyou.

Bet you can't say that five times fast.

Dalek Prime wrote:

thedoc wrote:Thankyou.

Bet you can't say that five times fast.

Actually I can, (I just tried it) but so far I don't have 5 people to thank. Thankyou isn't that much of a tongue twister.

Saying it fast, isn't as much of a problem as typing it fast, some people just can't read that fast.

thedoc wrote:

Dalek Prime wrote:

thedoc wrote:Thankyou.

Bet you can't say that five times fast.

Actually I can, (I just tried it) but so far I don't have 5 people to thank. Thankyou isn't that much of a tongue twister.

Ha! (I asked you to say that five times fast. )