What do you think about the idea of knowing when you will die?

[Sitowise]

I think that is the best gift that can be given to anyone. As for me, it will certainly be awesome to know. It will definitely give the person time to straighten crooked paths.

[atonykamau]

I can't say I would love to know when I would die mostly because I would have to live with the knowledge of my death for the rest of my life.

[atonykamau]

I can't say I would love to know when I would die mostly because I would have to live with the knowledge of my death for the rest of my life.

[mumoscar]

I think my life would be chaotic if I had to know the days I have left to live. Probably I would venture out to accomplish all my dreams in short span of time.

[jvez]

I'd rather not know the day I'm supposed to die. If I did, I'd probably live worrying everyday. I'd be pressured to do everything I want to before I die, and with that pressure, I don't think I can live my life happily.

[Oceanside]

As a Christian, I believe God's timing is perfect. I would not want to know because then I would let the fear of knowing rule my life. Right now I trust that God will take me when he's ready no matter what I know. So I'm just going to live my life to the best of my ability and try not to take anything or anyone for granted.

I really love what you said about God being in control and trusting in Him. I wholeheartedly agree. I think we all have to work on not taking things for granted.

[Sheenah684]

I would not want to know when I would die in advance. It would be far too big of a burden to carry. I could also see it having so many negative effects on a psyche. Why do the things that you are supposed to do when you have not just a finite but abstract amount of time to live, but a very set amount of time? I can only imagine that people would struggle until they finally fell apart.

[lmvartanian]

I think this could be both a good and a bad thing. It would certainly motivate me to make sure I live life to the fullest before my time comes. However, being a cynic, I could see how it may turn the majority of the population into self-serving and uncaring individuals. I think how one responds to the knowledge of when they will die depends purely on their personality and motivations in life.

[asaltares]

Only God in heaven knows. Personally all men in my family had died suddenly and relatively young. All days I thank God I am alive because I think my days are gifts from now on. But I keep living like I'm living forever.

[ErichMaria]

My feelings are summarised in the statement
"Knowledge bred incidence even as it protected us from incidence."
- (a personal quote from me)

Knowing allows us to shield against known dangers but the mere act of knowing creates even more dangers. This is why Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden after they ate of the fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Because they knew, they could sin. If i am colour-blind and I say red is green, have I told a lie? No. Why? Because I do not know.
Knowing changes things. However, I think the message of this book is not to fear knowledge but to be aware that all knowledge is a two sided sword- it can protect but it can also harm- and to guard accordingly.

I completely agree with you knowledge is both good and evil but same can be said about ignorance as well - it’s bliss but it can be harmful. There are people that have a healthy fear of pretty much everything. The frase ‘I’m not gonna die today’ is powerful. I bet more people would go skydiving or BASE jumping, swimming with shark etc. if they can say ‘ I’m not gonna die today. Personally, there was a cliff I would have free climbed last week if someone could have guaranteed me that I would’ve died.

[SkyeDragon]

I believe technology is a useful tool that can benefit many people. However, with this type of technology comes great responsibility and risks. I can see how knowing when you are going to die could be useful especially for someone who is terminally ill, but is this gain worth the risk? I personally would not want to know and would rather live my life to the best of my ability and let nature take its natural course. This is very much a personal decision that each of us needs to decide for our self.

[Oceanside]

Plenty of people live like this already, albeit without so much precision. People with injuries or illnesses are given estimates from doctors, the elderly eventually accept their days are numbered, people in gangs and wars know their chances of living above 30 is slim, people I knew have even had divine intervention about their limited time with great accuracy. This scenario is less hypothetical than one may think.

That said, there will always be good and evil to every new creation. Groups and nations are formed to serve a higher, selfless purpose, but there is inevitably corruption, traitors, and hypocrites. Machines are invented to make life simpler and better, but the spector of greed is not biased. New medicines and hospital practices are made, but someone always finds a way to do harm using them.

I understand that characters in the book use their knowledge to do immoral things because they won't be alive long enough suffer the consequences. I have not read the book yet, so I don't know how the author addresses this, but the human condition does not stop all together because of one invention. If a person is killed, their family could sue the killer's family or make their live very difficult; gangs would avenge their brothers by killing the murderer's loved ones; etc.

People would eventually stop committing crimes just because they were given an expiration date. Humans would evolve.

You make a good point that people sort of live like this already. Like a cancer patient or an elderly person. But it's what the people do with the rest of their time that can be good or evil. I'm not sure if we would evolve into not committing crimes. There will always be good and evil like you said.

[Stormy76]

I like the idea of being able to wrap things up. In reality though, I think if we know when we will pass then we will do things differently. We won't enjoy the time simply because we will be counting down until it's over. I'd rather not know and just enjoy time with my family.

I fully agree. Not knowing is better!

[Raya raymond]

I think knowing when I'll die would be very creepy. I wouldn't wanna know. A lot of people are afraid of death and I think if I told you you're going to die tomorrow but you feel that you're too young or you've not accomplished your purpose in life or you're not quite ready to go, your first instinct would be to try and prevent it and when you realize you can't, you'll try your best to do everything you always wanted to do today. Now lets take an instance where you've always wanted an iphone but you can't afford it but you really just have to get it cause you're dying tomorrow and hey, what's the worst that could happen if you steal one? You'll be dead tomorrow anyway. Now imagine 100,000 people who are dying tomorrow and want things they can't afford. What if they all decide to steal those things or do worse things the world would be chaotic.

Furthermore think of the emotional toil it would take on your family and friends and all the people who love you if they knew they are going to lose you in a few months. They'd probably be depressed all those months before you died and after that . It would just raise the percentage of people in the world who are depressed. I too would be depressed if I knew I'd die next month. So much pressure

So I don't think it would be a good idea, of course it has it's positives but the negatives outweigh them

[medleylaura6]

I would like to know when i would die, because i could get my life in order and spend time with my family til the last breathe that i take.