I used to work in nursing homes in this area. This experience taught me that death was not to be feared. It is all a part of life itself.
The thing I do fear is aging and incompacitation. I have cared for men and women in their 90s and older, and for the most part they regressed back to an infantile state and suffered. All that we could do was make sure they were dry, fed, and comfortable until it was their time to go.
I am an atheist so I am not really afraid of death, but I do not want to die even though it is inevitable. It may seem weird but sometimes when I am playing the bass I get depressed because all of the songs I have made up I will most likely take with me to the grave. 
I’m with the others that said it’s not death so much - it’s the pain of it. I believe in heaven, and my mom died about ten years ago, so I’m actually kind of excited because I’ll get to see her. But when I think about dying now, it terrifies me. Not for me, but because I have a 4 1/2 year old and a 1 year old, and I know no one can take care of them like I can. After growing up without a mom, the thought of my children having to go through that awful experience terrifies me. I tell God he’s just gonna have to wait till they grow up! 
Those of you who believe in heaven…do you believe that you will see friends, family, and pets? Do you believe you will be able to converse with them, have dinner, argue, have sex, etc? Will it be a second life, so to speak?
I believe I will see friends and family members. I don’t believe we will have the same physical bodies in heaven. I don’t believe pets have souls and are incapable of salvation but I certainly hope pets are in heaven, seeing as how much joy they bring here on earth.
I believe I will be able to converse with people. I don’t think there will be a need for nourishment so no dinners. I believe heaven is without strife so I doubt I would argue…maybe discuss things but not fight about them. Sex in heaven? Hmmm…I have never really thought about it. I kinda doubt it seeing as how I don’t believe we will have the same physical bodies. Almost like there will be no need or desire for it maybe?
Primarily my version of heaven is that there will be no more pain or suffering. I will be in the presence of God and at peace.
So long as it was quick and painless, I wouldn’t mind a bit. The way the world has been going lately, it’s getting so I don’t want to see what happens next, as I know I’m not going to like it.
Ten thousand tiny irritations piling up day after day with less and less to compensate for them.
As for nonexistence, the universe got along quite nicely without me until 1967, and I’m not such an egotist as to think my presence or absence would make any detectable difference whatsoever. Free up more of society’s resources for other people to use, mainly.
Speaking of being afraid to die, you may get it sooner than youthink:
OH, I can tell you what “infinity” means.
According to my then 8 year old son, who’d asked that of my mom and me. Upon hearing our explanation he said “Oooooh, like when we’re done with breakfast and then you guys drink coffee and talk, and never shut up”???
Aries28 Pets have no soul? My cats ain’t James Brown, or Sam Cooke, but I do believe they have a soul.
I knew there was a reason I didn’t want to go to heaven.
To those of you who believe in hell: What do you think it will be like? Hot?
In terms of Hell, my favorite Far Side Cartoon is two guys in Hell and one says:
I HATE this place!
hehehehehe jarbabyj 
Seriously though; What do you think will happen to you when you’re in hell?
In my opinion, pets have no soul when it comes to salvation. I don’t believe my dogs, wonderful creatures that they are, can make a decision to accept or reject salvation. However, I think heaven will be different things for different people. I believe my grandmother, who adored flowers and gardening, is sitting in the middle of heaven tending to God’s flowers right now, for example.
I think hell is void of all things good. No happiness. No love. No peace. Separated from God. I’m not so sure I buy into the hotness aspect so much.
Didn’t Dante envision Hell as kind of like a frozen lake or something, a place where all feeling(s) died?
I fear the process of dying–not that birth was probably a picnic but I can’t (thankfully) remember that one either, save mom’s memories of devoutly wishing to be drugged during the whole experience. I’ll take her word for it. Changing states ain’t comfy or pretty.
I’m getting older and increasingly tired, more reflective and all, but I still can’t quite imagine the world without me in it. Still get too much joy from beautiful days and nights, great books, odd moments of grace through other people. And always nature. Even aggravating world events I care about immensely, not that I ever had all that much influence even at the top of my game, imposes pangs. Hubris, hubris. I just want to see how it all comes out…without having the stamina to wait it out that long. Shit.
I don’t fear death, don’t ask me why. As an agnostic, I’ve come to terms with the belief that I don’t grasp the essentials. Whatever comes will come. Overall I think–believe–that it will be…coherent. And that will be enough.
Veb
No, in fact, it doesn’t. When your loved one is dying, you begin to grieve, but when it actually happens, the grief starts over. When you are the one dying, you’re not losing a friend, or loved one, you’re losing yourself. Yes, you can work through the phases of grief and come through to an acceptance, but, it is still emotionally ground leveling.
My son commited suicide 4 years ago. I have worked through the grieving process, and have come to a point of acceptance. I’m at peace, knowing that he knew I love and respected him. I was so proud of him. I am still proud of him. But, even at the point of acceptance, There is pain. I miss him every day. Those who say “you’ll get over it, and find peace.” are half right, you can find peace, but you never get over it.
When it’s your own self you’re losing, The path to peace and acceptance is all down hill. You have to come to terms, you have no choice. I have encountered very few dying people, who don’t get there. Maybe it happens in the last hours they have, but they do.
I recall one very angry man who was the exception. Railing at God, the doctors, me, his family, even the poor housekeeper that cleaned his room, didn’t work. He got sicker and sicker. He was still whispering epithets as he slipped into coma. But he didn’t die. Not yet. He was still. He didn’t respond to any outside stimulus. But yet he lived. He was drenched with sweat, and his brow was twisted. It was the only part of him that wasn’t completely slack. I bathed him 3 times that night. His blood pressure was so low I had to use a special listening device, called a dopler to find it. But he lived and he sweated and he grimaced. I think he was still fighting, saying, “Hell no! I’m not going, you can’t make me!” He died at 7:15 in the morning, while I was in report and his family when to have breakfast. He was alone for, maybe, 5 minutes. I think, given no alternative but to die, he chose to die alone.
I’m not sure why I just told that story… Does any one else know?
No.
I plan on living forever. So far, so good!
I’m not sure.
Depends on how you define “afraid”.
In daily life, I’m only afraid in the sense that it is unwished for, to be avoided as much as possible, and is an outcome I intensely do not wish to happen and plan to actively avoid as long as possible. Not any physical fear or dread.
But I also don’t think my death is imminent (wrong or right), and I’m pretty sure that if I was in the middle of an accident or falling off a cliff or waiting to be shot at dawn I’d be pretty damn petrified. Briefly, anyway.
On one hand, I am not afraid to die because I feel we were all put on this earth for the allotted time for a reason. That, if the Lord feels being here for my 17 years was enough, there is nothing I can do about it. We all serve a purpose, and then we go.
My only hope though, is that I will have had children before I die, so that way I’ll feel as if a part of me is still going on. Not just physically, but the ideas, the behaviors that I will instill in my children, they will then instill in theirs.
Yes, I very much fear death. I enjoy life a great deal. That stopping of life is probably my second greatest fear.
I get joy from all these things, too. I think that’s part of the process of life. I think the mind shifts when old age or severe illness sets in. There will come a time when you’ll no longer get the same joy out of life, making it easier to check out, so to speak. If you’re ill and in pain, you’re no longer groovin’ on life’s pleasures, but will remember them as part of a good life. I don’t think that feeling can be “anticipated” or even imagined – but one day, we’ll all say, “It’s been a great ride, but I think it’s time to go now.” Most people don’t go out kicking and screaming. Part of the process of life is to put it all in perspective and welcome the end of your life as part of that process.