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How we die

Finding out as much as possible about how to stay healthy is about two main things: having a great quality of life, and living as long as possible. In theory we know we are all going to die eventually, but we’re willing to do a lot to put that moment off.

We'll avoid drinking too much, we'll quit smoking, we'll get up at 6am to go for a run even when it’s cold out and our beds feel warm and comfy. Living a healthy lifestyle makes us feel good, but we also hope it’ll give us a few more years to enjoy the feeling. Life is what we know, death is a mystery. It stays that way, even when we approach it with typically human creativity, as in the case of these 8 weird burial customs.

How we live is a choice, while how we die is often more about the luck of the draw. An accident, a disease, we can never know exactly what the thing is that will eventually part us from the joy we get from everyday things – a breeze on a warm day, or a child’s little arms wrapped around our necks. All I know is, we owe it to ourselves to remember that life is a limited commodity, and we shouldn’t waste it. I suppose the question is: are we living to live, or are we living not to die?

Have you ever thought about the moment of your death? Do you picture your loved ones around you, making a peaceful end? Or does the very idea of death scare you too much to think about it? Mail us your thoughts, and you could be published on Health24.

(Photo of sunrise in autumn forest from Shutterstock)
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