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2014 was the worst year we have had so far. We lost 19 relatives and friends and 2 pets. We are in our 50's and the loved ones we lost were anywhere from 30's to to our cousin who passed New Year's Eve who was 90. We sadly will be starting off the New Year with the passing of my Mother-in-law within the next week. She turned 94 yesterday but has been in deeply declining health for a few weeks now. I think what others have said is true, all deaths are sad but when your quality of life is almost non existent then it's time to go to that better place.
Many wise answers here. I mostly find death sad when it is the result of a violent act by another and accidents also seem tragic to me at any age. Those who live to be reasonably old (70s) who have never been dealt the loss of children or grandchildren seem very blessed in my eyes. My mother passed in her mid 70s suddenly while riding in a car with my sister. She just leaned back in her passenger seat and was gone. I was sad about it, of course, but I think she was blessed having never lost any of her four children and having spent time with all her grandchildren until they were mostly grown. Her health was not good and she was suffering because of that - so I felt that she was released from the pains of mortality.
Many wise answers here. I mostly find death sad when it is the result of a violent act by another and accidents also seem tragic to me at any age. Those who live to be reasonably old (70s) who have never been dealt the loss of children or grandchildren seem very blessed in my eyes. My mother passed in her mid 70s suddenly while riding in a car with my sister. She just leaned back in her passenger seat and was gone. I was sad about it, of course, but I think she was blessed having never lost any of her four children and having spent time with all her grandchildren until they were mostly grown. Her health was not good and she was suffering because of that - so I felt that she was released from the pains of mortality.
Ah, yes, my grandfather on my mom's side (mom's dad) died at 67. My great grandma, mom's grandmom, was 97 when her son passed away. It was so sad to see a mother outlive her son. She died 2.5 years later when she was 99.5. She was a very healthy woman.
Nan, dad's mom, I was close to her. January 25, 2015 will mark two years since she died. Very healthy until her lung cancer came back, but it was too late. Since she was so healthy, for some odd reason the doctor never ordered more checkups after her 5 years of being cancer free. Came down with bronchitis in 2012, didn't go away and that's when they found it. She was 89. Very healthy despite that until two weeks before her passing, then she rapidly declined. I guess she got tired of living with her shortness of breath and died on a snowy night. I miss her.
Regarding your poll....I would wager a bet that anyone who voted any of the choices under 81 were most likely well under 50 themselves...My mom just died 2 months before her 90th birthday and I still didn't think we had enough years together......
Really? My mom is 72, and to be honest I sort of hope she dies sooner rather than later. I now that sounds bad, but she's the most emotionally retarded coward I've ever known. While I love her, I don't really like her very much. I hate to admit it, but it's true.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alt Thinker
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Dylan Thomas
My view is antithetical to this. As soon as I even just approach physical or emotional decrepitude I'm going to Switzerland, and paying them to euthanize me. If I can make it to about 80-ish, that's plenty old enough for me. I have absolutely no desire to live until age 90. My grandmother lived to be 89 and would've been better off dying about 10 years younger.
Im 68.. and still dont think as myself as old at all.. but remember thinking 25 was old , and doesnt seem all that long ago.. time goes by so fast... some have wonderful lives with not much pain or illness while others have a hard time... I visited a childrens hospital over New Year and it was harrowing.. hearing and seeing some of the babies and young children in pain crying... this is sad to me.. not old codgers dying off.. its the wee ones who might never have a chance to live a full life that is really sad... weve had our time.. and thankful for it... some will never have it.. Dying is sad for the young,or for the ones leaving children behind, we can all mostly cope with losing someone when were adults as we dont rely on people so much and have our own families, children though losing a parent is different...and for a parent losing a child.. must be the hardest things to have to go through...
Last edited by dizzybint; 01-04-2015 at 05:25 AM..
I believe the question is framed incorrectly. Unless the person is truly evil, dying is always sad regardless of age and circumstance. How can it not be so? The OP presumable means "at what age is dying not TRAGIC?"
Tragic applies when death is arbitrary &/or leaves behind a tragic situation. A high school car crash fatality is tragic. A fireman dying while rescuing a baby but leaving a widow and 3 young children is tragic. An 80 year old person dying is typically not tragic, and quite possibly a blessing. It's not hard to imagine scenarios that are a blessing and yet still tragic - a young person dying of incurable cancer, for example, but released from pain and suffering. This is obviously also sad.
Ask anyone who is reasonably healthy at 90+ and most will tell you they want to live just as badly as a teenager. Why don't you ask yourself the question and personalize it: At what age FOR YOU is dying "too early?" Most people who are happy, not lonely and have their mental faculties, would want to live to be 100 or more. Why not? But someone living in an iron lung might want to die at 20.
Im 68.. and still dont think as myself as old at all.. but remember thinking 25 was old , and doesnt seem all that long ago.. time goes by so fast... some have wonderful lives with not much pain or illness while others have a hard time... I visited a childrens hospital over New Year and it was harrowing.. hearing and seeing some of the babies and young children in pain crying... this is sad to me.. not old codgers dying off.. its the wee ones who might never have a chance to live a full life that is really sad... weve had our time.. and thankful for it... some will never have it.. Dying is sad for the young,or for the ones leaving children behind, we can all mostly cope with losing someone when were adults as we dont rely on people so much and have our own families, children though losing a parent is different...and for a parent losing a child.. must be the hardest things to have to go through...
I agree with you - children being seriously ill is one of the saddest things to witness in this life. Losing a parent as a child is also hard - I lost my dad at age 6 -- he died of a heart attack at age 36. It affected my life in so many ways for decades after.
There are certain wicked old war mongers who, when they pass, I will not feel sad about whatsoever. I will refrain from naming names, but I think many will rejoice when they pass.
I think it is always sad that someone dies when you feel a loss, absence of the person. My dad suffered a great deal in the end and he was only 56 years old when he died. I felt relief when I got the call that he had died because he had no chance of getting better. I was sad and still am reminded of that sadness when I see his photo, when I hear someone talking about their dad. He could still have been alive but would be 90 if he were still here. I always feel a moment of sadness for anyone or maybe not so much for the person dying but knowing that myself/others suffer from the loss.
I had a cousin that died at 70 years old and she had fought several different health battles and was fighting so hard to continue to beat the odds. In her case, I was very sad for her and everyone whose life she touched.
I knew a woman in her mid-80's that was still living in her house. She had talked to me about her death and desires. I was sad but so happy that she had died at home which is exactly what she wanted and she had no desire to continue with life past the time when she could still be more or less fully functional.
A loss is sad despite conditions that surround it. I think though that is most sad when someone wants so desperately to win against death but can't. Some waste their lives and don't really seem to care if they live or die by their actions and behaviors and that is less sad to me but I still feel sad for the family members.
I missed the poll at the top so came back to edit. Seriously, I have known and really loved some people who were in their 80's and I SO enjoyed their company and stories. Most at this point just look forward to living a little longer, being given just a little more time. Life is not over when you reach your 80's. It is always funny when someone here says they wouldn't want to live past such and such an age as my advice is, when you turn that age, let's address this topic again.
Many years ago, I decided I would like to live to be 102. Well, I'm more than 1/2 way there and I have realized with that goal that you have to put a lot of work into diet and exercise at a minimum but I"m working toward it. I do realize that I could die at this moment but at least with the emphasis on diet and exercise, I'll have the best quality of life for the time I am here so I don't lose either way.
In the olden days, death was SO much more accepted as part of living and you heard so often "when my time comes". I am SO glad I grew up with who, when and where I did.
I had a similar conversation with a friend recently. I commented that people were in shock when our peers died in the past, but now that we are 60+, we have reached the age where people will not be very surprised if we die. Sad, yes. But, it's no longer "tragic".
Regarding the OP's question, I think it's always going to be sad at any age and a reminder of our own mortality.
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