# So what do you worry about killing you, then? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 21, 2015, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-worry-about-killing-you-then/725745 "2015-07-21T02:00:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DrumBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@DrumBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrumBum)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-worry-about-killing-you-then/725745/21 "2015-07-21T12:08:44Z")
As others have noted, a slow, lingering death as a result of some catastrophic accident or disease. I do not want throw money at doctors and drug companies just to gain an extra few months in a hospital bed. Just harvest any useful organs and burn the rest. Closer to home and probably more likely would be death by cat. The little bastards like to sleep on the stairs so I need to be quite vigilant when I get up in the morning and head downstairs. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-worry-about-killing-you-then/725745/22 "2015-07-21T12:11:34Z")
I don’t really worry about death too much. In the end, it’s coming. Not much to be done about that. I’d rather it not be too terribly extended a process or be too crazily painful, but achieving that can be tricky. Now, I am beginning to worry about the quality of life during my last 30 years or so. As a result, quitting smoking has finally become a big priority. Suffering from emphysema and recovering from strokes just doesn’t look like a great way to spend it. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-worry-about-killing-you-then/725745/23 "2015-07-21T12:14:19Z")
Cancer. Both parents, 2 grandparents. Heart disease. Other 2 grandparents. Car accidents. Complications of diabetes not covered by 1 & 2 above. Wood chippers. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-worry-about-killing-you-then/725745/24 "2015-07-21T12:17:29Z")
Traffic accident Public transportation accident (I don’t worry too much about this, but I ride almost every day, so I know it’s possible) Heart attack or stroke Cancer Random street violence Workplace violence Airplane crash (I only fly a few times a year, usually) Drowning in the ocean (almost happened to me about 15 years ago) World War III (I assume the Navy would call me back to service if global war broke out) Terrorist attack (I live and work in the DC area) That’s about it. I don’t think I worry about death too often, but I feel a bit of fear sometimes on the road, and every time I fly. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-worry-about-killing-you-then/725745/25 "2015-07-21T12:20:12Z")
Y3k. (I hear its gonna be a Bitch!!!) ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-worry-about-killing-you-then/725745/26 "2015-07-21T12:27:06Z")
I ride a motorcycle quite a bit, perhaps 6000 miles per year these days. I’m experienced and skilled (and I have my MC endorsement on my license), which takes me out of the high-risk group of riders. I also don’t ride after dark, which minimizes exposure to deer and drunks, and I don’t spend much time riding in urban areas during rush hours. But when I do ride, I ride pretty sporty. So a motorcycle crash is a real risk for me. So far I have nearly 200,000 miles of riding without a crash, but I know it could happen any day. I don’t worry a lot about car crashes, at least not being killed in one. Modern cars are amazingly safe; the number of fatalities per billion miles driven has [decreased continuously for decades](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:USA_annual_VMT_vs_deaths_per_VMT.png). I’m a pretty defensive driver; I’m rarely caught by surprise when I’m behind the wheel so my risk of crashing is fairly low. If I do get killed in a car wreck, it’s going to be because someone else fucked up very badly and there was nothing I could do about it, e.g. they were drunk or texting or something and blew through a red light at very high speed or went the wrong way on the highway. I was pretty healthy in my teens and 20s - I ate good foods, and rode a bicycle everywhere at a furious pace - but in my 30s and 40s, I’m not getting as much exercise as I should, so despite my healthy weight, I’m probably at risk for any number of classic sedentary diseases, including stroke/heart disease. There’s also some skin cancer risk in my family (e.g. when Dad was 45 he had a malignant melanoma surgically removed from his back, along with a five-inch disc of skin, down to the muscle), and I had more than a few good (bad) sunburns when I was a kid. So cancer could take me. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-worry-about-killing-you-then/725745/27 "2015-07-21T12:35:32Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > I already had one heart attack, albeit 50 years, have atrial fib and a pacemaker, I think it highly likely that it will be heart disease. Maybe a heart attack, maybe heart failure. Second place: a stroke, third place cancer. Yeah, while I don’t “worry”, rationally I know that heart attack/stroke/cancer is what will happen if a safe doesn’t fall on me. My only “worry” is about the aggravation caused by healthcare/insurance, which has led to me largely opting-out from any proactive health care. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-worry-about-killing-you-then/725745/28 "2015-07-21T13:03:52Z")
In no particular order 😉 1. Sea monsters 2. Losing the engine in my airplane and having to make an off-field landing. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-worry-about-killing-you-then/725745/29 "2015-07-21T13:16:05Z")
Heart attack. ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-worry-about-killing-you-then/725745/30 "2015-07-21T13:27:14Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > According to my actuary (my brother) I should worry about (1) car accident (2) heart attack and (3) stroke, in that order, given my age, lifestyle and physical condition. > > In a couple of years, the first two spots will be reversed. Or combined! My dad died of motor neurone disease aged about 54. Maybe it will get me too. I don’t worry about death, more about if my daughter would have to take care of me - messing up her life. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-worry-about-killing-you-then/725745/31 "2015-07-21T13:27:48Z")
Complication of Type II Diabetes combined with bodily degeneration (seriously; 5 herniated disks, severe arthritis in spine, bad knees, etc), marginally high blood pressure (with bad past reactions to BP meds) and family history of heart problems. Since I seemed to have won the family bad genetics lottery on both sides, I’m starting to fear for my own mortality. I’m 53 and really hoping I don’t end up the crazy uncle who dies in his mid-50’s from all his health issues. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-worry-about-killing-you-then/725745/32 "2015-07-21T15:02:26Z")
I figure car or motorcycle crash, you’re flying down the road at 60 MPH only a few feet from oncoming traffic going the same speed. That would hurt and it’s amazing there aren’t more crashes. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-worry-about-killing-you-then/725745/33 "2015-07-21T15:35:29Z")
Suicide. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-worry-about-killing-you-then/725745/34 "2015-07-21T15:48:47Z")
I’ve seen enough family members go through long, lingering illnesses that it’s Number One on my list. Coming up quickly though is fear of Alzheimer’s, particularly in a family as long-lived as mine. My aunt is now 101, but she hasn’t even recognized her own daughter in about six years. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-worry-about-killing-you-then/725745/35 "2015-07-21T15:54:25Z")
1. Heart attack/stroke 2. I wouldn’t be utterly surprised if my liver revolted one of these days (Health issue lists- Where’s Bob Ducca when you need him?) ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-worry-about-killing-you-then/725745/36 "2015-07-21T16:04:15Z")
I am more worried about the doctors trying to keep me alive when I am DNR. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-worry-about-killing-you-then/725745/37 "2015-07-21T16:19:45Z")
Bears. Okay, probably heart disease. But I don’t lose any sleep over that either. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-worry-about-killing-you-then/725745/38 "2015-07-21T16:30:30Z")
My father lived to 95, so I’ve got a ways to go yet. I’ve driven 17 years on awful Bay Area roads with idiot Bay Area drivers and have had only one minor accident, so I’m past due. But I only have about six months to go before I retire, so I should be able to make it. I have aFib, but take medicine and it is under control, so I don’t worry about that too much. Plus my cholesterol is absurdly low due to good genes. I worry a lot more about losing my mind than dying, actually. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-worry-about-killing-you-then/725745/39 "2015-07-21T16:36:54Z")
1. A bus 2. Old age (heart just giving out) My goal is to break the longevity record, and I think I’ve got a fairly good shot at living to an advanced age and then just dying of heart failure. OTOH, I’ve always had a feeling that I would be hit by a bus while walking. So one or the other. Sometimes I see a bus and wonder if that’s the one. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2015, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-worry-about-killing-you-then/725745/40 "2015-07-21T16:51:13Z")
I had a 50% chance of having inherited a rare genetic disorder, so I used to worry about that a lot. Eventually a genetic test was developed and I don’t have it, so generally speaking I’ve gone from worrying what will kill me several times every single day to almost never. Having said that, when I first found out I was pretty obsessed with longevity. I spent so much time knowing I had even odds of dying a horrible death at 50 that the idea of having even a modicum of control over my own longevity was really novel. I mostly worry about heart disease and diabetes because of family history, but one thing I wasn’t previously aware of was how high up accidental deaths is as a cause of death. Sure it pales in comparison to heart disease and cancer, but we can only do so much to avoid those. According to some site I read, even avoiding jobs with long commutes can have a significant impact on your expected longevity due to reduced opportunities for other drivers or your own driving to kill you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-worry-about-killing-you-then/725745.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-you-worry-about-killing-you-then/725745.md?page=3)