After decades of fearing death, I've arrived at a cocktail of thoughts that have, for a year now, put my fears to rest.
- Remembering that I'll be aware of nothing after I'm dead, just like I wasn't aware of anything before I was born.
- If the dying process is too painful, I can (hopefully) end my life. Someone just told me that breathing helium (widely available) is a relatively discomfort-free way to, when desired, end it.
- Probably, when I'm dying, I'll feel quite sick and/or tired, and thus ready to go.
- The moment a fear-inducing thought of death intrudes, I immediately distract myself by asking, "How can I--this next second--make the biggest difference possible.
- I have signed up for cryonic suspension: to be frozen upon my death until science has advanced enough to repair what killed me and then awaken me. I realize this scenario is highly speculative, but it buys me a bit of comfort to think I might not be dead forever.
- I spend as many of life's moments as possible trying to use my best skills to make a difference in the world today and to leave a legacy that will live on after I die.
