I came nose to nose with my mortality fairly early - at age 19 I was diagnosed with malignant melanoma, and now I have a very sizable scar on my leg testifying to the experience.

Anyway, could I get melanoma again? Sure - in fact I bank on that possibility by having regular visits to the dermatologist to check for abnormalities. Will a paleo lifestyle guarantee me never having a melanoma again? Nope. It might well push the odds in my favor, but I still get biopsies done on spots most of the time, because I know that nothing is certain.

Similarly, I could get killed in traffic, or some other tragedy. Paleo is not a fix-all, and it doesn't guarantee long life free of illness or sorrow. It just increases your chances of living a longer, more physically comfortable life.

I think that striving for optimal nutrition 100% of the time - in a bid for immortality - is not only futile, but ultimately has the potential to be a bit soul-crushing. What good is living to 120 fit years old if your friends and family died long ago - and you repeatedly refused their offers of occasional social/seasonal indulgence based on your pursuit of a perfectly fit life? The tradeoff there has to be carefully evaluated.

i'm calorie restricting and taking resveratrol. i'm going to live to a 130, bitches. someone on this board told me that so it must be true, right?

I'm with Christopher Hitchens on this one:

“Do I fear death? No, I am not afraid of being dead because there's nothing to be afraid of, I won't know it. I fear dying, of dying I feel a sense of waste about it and I fear a sordid death, where I am incapacitated or imbecilic at the end which isn't something to be afraid of, it's something to be terrified of.”

Provocative but wonderful question Kumar!

Fear of death is what led me to my nutritional inquiry (in addition to a spiritual inquiry). My father died at age 52 when I was 23. I am 42 now and am still fearful. I don't expect to live forever but I fear dying with MANY regrets in life, not seeing my daughter grow up, and not being able to look in the mirror at least one day before my last and truly feel at peace.

Every man dies, not every man really lives. I hope someday to live

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1G_Bzu52DY

Now that I'm closer to it than a lot of PHers, I think about it more often. I find that I'm not afraid of death ... but I must admit to being afraid of of a painful death. I'm a wuss that way.

Now that I am a father of two (2 and 5), I'm not sure if I am afraid of death or the fact that death would leave my kids fatherless and cause them pain. Each and every day I see what I mean to them and how much they love me, and I wouldn't want that to be taken from them until it was expected.

Well, I had a "guru" once tell me that humans are programmed to live at least 120 years in perfect health, and that regeneration is possible in every case, that there is a cure for everything. At some point I definitely got these ideas deeply ingrained in my skull...that I could fix all that ails me if I could just find the right tweak to my diet. I've let that go. I think about death a lot. I have fears around death(my own, my husband's and my children's especially) that I strive to face, and also strive not to dwell on. Death is as much a part of life as birth is...I think my biggest fear around my own death is not having lived a life worthy of being remembered and held in the hearts of those that I love.

Of course I'm afraid of death. I'm afraid to miss out on one moment with my family and friends. I'm afraid to not be here for my son when he needs me. But I'm more afraid of any of my family members or friends dying because the pain of being without them would be immense.

I don't know if I'm on the 'paleo' train for longevity or to increase the quality of the days and years that I have. I think the latter because luckily I haven't really faced death myself.

After losing the bulk of my family over the years to the craziest shit ever - we're talking along the same lines of toilets from space, the body wearing out from so many years - yay longevity!, and maybe a strange illness or two, I'm not afraid to die. But..

What I'm afraid of is how it will affect those that I leave behind. In general I truly hate to see anyone hurt or sad that is in my life, friends on up, so I try at all times to be happy and say it all now. Be affectionate, give little gifts from my heart, create memories, show the care now - no waiting!, so maybe, just maybe, when I'm gone I will be missed with smiles and bad jokes about the dumb crap I've done over the years with the tears and not just the tears.

I know, might be weird worrying about everyone else, but taking care of people who have passed away really made me take a look at how I was living and how I wanted to go out. I live each day and do everything possible to not have any regrets. Of course that's harder than it sounds, and I do fuck up now and then, but it's a learning process right up until the end.

before paleo i welcomed death to end my almost life long miserable life of pain and shear agony. Now i would like two life spans please.

My father was an undertaker. We lived over the business. By my rough estimation I have been housemates to 3200 corpses in my basement. I lived on the third floor. I also did about 200 "removals"ie, pick ups from the hospitals, nursing homes and private houses with him. SOME WERE STILL QUITE WARM. He REALLY enjoyed this part of the business. WOW! For me, meh! In fact as you can imagine funerals were very "festive" times for us on the third floor.Each funeral gave my father the opportunity to put his daughter, son and grandson through college that much easier. Perhaps this has made my view of death different than the average PHer or SADEer. When my life gets bleak, I practice the Buddist meditation tool of thinking about my own death. It WORKS EVERYTIME. I cheer right up! Perhaps it's easier when death has such positive connection to your life. Also it help to know EXACTLY what death looks like! Weird huh!... The better my health gets on the Paleo diet and on mercury/lead/ aluminum chelation my view (fear) of death lessens further, since my bodymind feels twenty years old again. I am returning to that youthful naivety. I am not trying to stop what is occuring. Time enough later to worry about death. When I spend 24/7 in this Paleo/chelation zone, there is little time to think about death. I sort of wasted my first 55 years, walking aroung sick/toxic. I am ready to start living for a change.

I work in a nursing home.

At this point, I'm much more afraid of conditions causing one to end up in a nursing home than I am of death.

I was obsessed with death as a little girl. I was raised Catholic so I at least thought I would have my whole family with me. As I got older, anytime I entered into a new relationship, or there was a new baby born in the family (or even when I got a new pet) - any new bond or love formation would make me think about its ultimate death or end and it became this new existential crisis over and over again. I guess right now I haven't been thinking about it as much, my focus is on living for a long and as healthfully as possible, but the idea of losing those that are close to me deeply saddens me, but it doesn't prevent me from forming new bonds or friendships. I have 5 siblings and I hate the idea of watching them get old and of them dying before me, not that I want to go first, but I see the wear of their lifestyles and eating choices and I want to stop it but, there is nothing I can do.

I thought I had a good perspective on death and dying until 2 years ago when my dad, in his mid 50s and still otherwise healthy, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died 3 weeks later. I miss him terribly, and I'm scared of having my life ripped away from me like that, with no time to process it or come to terms with it. It has made me rethink my values: I used to value workaholicism, but now I value family and friends more. And it has made me evaluate my health and figure out ways to reduce my risk of meeting a similar fate. I sometimes wonder, if I had learned about celiac disease and paleo sooner, could he still be around? If I put enough time in to learn about it now, will I prevent the same from happening to me?

Do I fear death? No longer do I, but I used too.

When I was my former self I did. The reason is that I new I was not living the life I was born to live so I think I sensed that I had some regret. That regret fostered my fear of death. I sensed I was wasting my time instead of living it by following my purpose. Once I found my proper path in life my fear of death vanished.

Remembering that we are going to eventually die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you really have something to lose in life. In reality, we are already quite naked psychologically. There is absolutely no reason not to follow your heart or your passion in the here and now. If what you’re doing in life is not your passion, then you really have nothing to lose by changing now. When your not passionate about something in life.......you will fear death because you are not living the life you were born to live. I realized this brutal fact in 2006. So i decided to adapt and evolve my lifestyle and my way of thinking to follow my passion. I decided not to have regrets later in my life about this issue.

20 years from now, I will not be disappointed by the things I didn’t do, rather I will rejoice in the conquests I took on regardless of the feat. One day our life will flash before our eyes and I plan on saying I made it worth living for. It doesn’t matter where you are right now, you are nowhere compared to where you might go. No one can go back and start a new beginning at life, but any one of us can start today and make a new ending to our life.

No.......I no longer fear death.

Along with Beth-WeightMaven, I think about death more often now that I am approaching 65 and I am, according to the government, "young old."

Along with hemanvt, I worry about the impact my death would have on my 17-year-old grandson. He lives with me and there would be practical and emotional consequences. I also worry about my 3 toy dogs and 2 kitties--would they find good homes?

Along with Brent and Christopher Hitchens, if/when I worry it's about dying rather than being dead.

My goal is to extend the healthy, non-medicated and mobile portion of my life. I've already survived about 15 years of not being able to engage in true exercise; I'm limited to walking and a minimal amount of manual chores. Could I survive being chair- or bed-bound? I assume I could, but I don't like the thought of it. But that would be better than leaving the kid and the pets homeless.

I don't expect paleo to prolong my life but I hope it will keep me fitter for longer, so prolonging my active life. Life should be worth living!

Not afraid of death, just dying.

I think I am more afraid of poor health than I am of death, but I'm not 100% really sure. All my near death experiences happen when I am behind a steering wheel dodging all those crazy drivers who are using their cell phones while driving.

A Paleo, natural lifestyle will make it hard for death to come take you away, since our immune systems are rock solid, and our bodies are strong.

So in all technicality, I would not be afraid of dropping dead due to Western disease. But viruses? Ebola? Something from a level four containment lab? I'm a bit frightened by that.

I wouldn't say I'm afraid of death as long as it doesn't come too soon like some friends and acquaintances have experienced in the past few years.

If living Paleo can keep me healthy enough to avoid nasty diseases and cancers, hallelujah. If it helps me live life relatively pain free and keeps me mobile longer- great.

My father died at 75 years, somewhat assisted by drinking, and my mother died at 90 1/2 years old after getting first dementia and then Alzheimers.

The Paleo in me is trying to work around things that may lead to me following my mother's course of events.

I try to appreciate family, friends and acquaintances regularly. That way, if I should go suddenly at any time, they will all know I loved them. I try to enjoy my surroundings and do fun things that make me laugh. I play in the dirt a lot.

If I have anything to say about it, I would prefer to die in my sleep without knowing it happened. But if not, I hope not to be incapacitated or living in severe pain for any length of time.

And I hope to collect my pension (starting next May) for a long, long time.

No fear of death at all, it is a natural process for all living things. I do not live my life based on regrets, guilt, greed, fear, etc. When it is my time to die I will be content with what I have done in my life and will be ready for the next, natural step. Life is a partnership with death, everything we eat (the good stuff) was once alive and sacrificed it's essence so that we may live.

Modern man and especially Western society is very insulated from death. Up to maybe 100 years ago death was common place and accepted for what it is. When my people hunt we always thank the animal that we killed for giving its life so that we may live. We respect all life and understand the Universe.

Nope! I quite look forward to it, the ultimate adventure. However, I'm not suicidal, and plan to have a nice long life (Paleo or SAD). So, I can choose that the years in between be filled with energy, full health, strength, and preventative dr care only; or I can choose it to be filled with medication, obesity, diabetes, heart attacks, and surgery. Yes, I'm sure that paleo will edge the dial to a longer life, but that doesn't matter to me. It isn't like it is going to be the difference between dying at 35 and 95, more like the difference between 75 and 85. What matters to me is every day between now and that last day, being lived to the full capacity of my body. Living in a manner where I respected myself and my life, and fully enjoyed it and not passing the days by living it in a food coma.

That is why I choose Paleo.

Simply. No. Why?

I believe that our non-physical essence continues in some form...

I am not much afraid of death. I am much more afraid of living, or afraid of not having lived enough, or of having lived an irrelevant life.

Not at all. I quite look forward to it, though I do wish to make certain that when I go, certain things are taken care, from the meaningful--making sure my loved ones (human and/or animal) are taken of--to the mundane--making sure my hovel is clean. And also that I've accomplished a few things I've yet to tick off my "Things To Do Before I Leave" list. While a line from Dylan's "Up To Me" has a deep resonance-- "It frightens me, the awful truth of how sweet life can be", the "thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to" have left their mark on me over the past decade or so and made my corporeal self feel far less like a home and more like a meat puppet or soul cage I will be only too happy to slough off when the time of transition comes.

For the Hitchens fans out there, however, Larkin's Aubade may be of interest: http://www.poemhunter.com/best-poems/philip-larkin/aubade/

I have far greater affinity for http://www.itemvn.com/song/Bob-Dylan-Highlands-Time-Out-of-Mind/A5BFA05166 .

Wow, there have been some really great answers to this question.

Me, i'm not sure if i'm afraid of death or not. At the moment i'm wrestling with quitting my normal successful job in academia and joing the marines. I guess if i do then i'm fairly unafraid.

Actually, I sort of know the answer already. Death? I don't mind the prospect. I am terrified of serious injury though, like losing a limb. I love sport too much.

Ah gits weary
An' sick of tryin'
Ah'm tired of livin'
An' skeered of dyin',
But ol' man river,
He jes'keeps rolling' along.

I will start by saying this is very personal for me. Maybe talking about it will help, who knows? From the time I was about 4 I have suffered from quite severe OCD. There have been times when I would not eat as I was afraid everything was contaminated or poisoned, or drugged. When I was 20 I went from 240 pounds (which looks surprisingly fit on me, I am a stout 5'11") to 185 pounds in 5 months ( I look very sickly at that weight). How did I do this? By starvation. Not for dieting reasons but simply out of fear of putting things in my body. Behind all of the torturous things my brain has forced me to endure, they have all had one underlying factor; the fear of death. As recently as 2 months ago I would have about 3 full on panic attacks a day dwelling on dying. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't think, and I couldn't focus. If anyone who has had panic attacks knows, it is incredibly disabling while it is happening. I started taking Prozac again as it had helped when I was in my early 20's. It did, not great but I started only getting one panic attack a day. The day I started paleo dieting I stopped taking Prozac (I know probably not the best idea). Since then I have actually felt more stable than when I was on the pills and eating sandwiches and pasta all day. I am not on the diet because I feel it will help me live forever, but rather enjoy the days that I am alive much better. I am down to maybe 1-2 panic attacks a week. I rarely dwell on death, or that I may be dying, or that god what would I do if I found out I was terminally ill. Instead I am focused on something I can control (which I find very helpful with OCD; it was something my old psychologist told me that I never took to heart until now). I can control what I put in my body, I can control how much I exercise, and I can control how much effort I put in to my college education. It leaves little time for worry about death, or worry about being poisoned by same unseen enemy. I can't credit it all to the paleo lifestyle, but I can say this. I feel better now than I ever id before.

As long as I don't die in terrible screaming agony or by some sort of trauma (fire, drowning, etc) - if the death is either peaceful, or instantaneous, then I'm all for it! A lot of people think that I sound morbid, but the truth is that I am far too curious about what comes next to care. I don't even care about what gets left behind or unifinished because a mysterious afterlife, or non-physical life, if you will, awaits! Life extends beyond the physical, and I have researched quantum physics for too long to not see how incredibly beautiful everything is in life. No, I do not fear death. I can't understand people who do. To me, this was hell. It was hell on Earth for me, because I was depressed and had fibromyalgia. Once I went Paleo I became healthy (HAH! Doctors said I couldn't cure fibromyalgia!!) and now I love, love, LOVE life. Things I once thought to be lame are now incredible and joyful. If I can feel this way while restricted by physical and chemical (emotional) limitations, what must I be able to experience when I'm no longer in need of a physical body?

Also, what got me into paleo was how natural everything is. You cannot have life without death. The circle of life is exactly based on this mechanism. I won't break down the obvious for you, but instead exend it to the very planet itself: we could NOT exist here today, had a sun not died here first. From the incredible heat the sun is capable of, fusion occurs and we have minerals that life depends on here on Earth because of it. After the sun died, these masses formed and life became possible. To me, that is one of the first links in the chain of the circle of life. If you want to read about all the crazy life in soil that makes plant life possible, and how this circle ties into that, Lierre Keith who wrote The Vegetairan Myth explains it very nicely in the first chapter, and extends it outward from there. We cannot eat without taking life. I said ALL that to justify saying this: I don't want to live forever because eventually, I want my borrowed nutrients to return to the earth and become recycled, turned into something else. Give life to something else, since I've been given the same graces for all of my life. When I watched the movie Avatar, I was mesmorized by the Naavi simply because of what I heard one say in the film - it went something like "we live on borrowed energy. At the end of life, it must be returned" - something to that extent. I was touched, because I had been saying the same thing, but with "nutrients." So it just feels right that my turn should eventually come up, and return all the nutrients and energy to the Earth.

Admittingly, this is something I think about a lot. The mystery of life, of existence, is something that has perplexed me since I was a small child. My philosophy would take days of discussion to understand, so this is, believe it or not, my short answer.

But that's just what I think - to each his own, I say!