It had been an hour since the tether broke and the alarms said I had fifty minutes left.
This one gave me a sense of terror (both ‘imminent death’ ones did, the hypothermia being the other)
I’ve always reminded myself of my own inevitable end and a recent Star Trek episode put it in a new light for me.
…
Star Trek, Strange New Worlds Season One Episode One.
La’an: Do you know the last thing they felt?
Captain Pike: Surprised.
La’an: Because right up until the last moment, they… couldn’t imagine dying.
…
None of us ever expect to die because we don’t want to and we will all feel like that right up to the end.
We are all aware of the end but the terror comes when we can see it becoming reality very soon.
Thanks for sharing the Trek passage! I haven’t watched Star Trek, so I’m unfamiliar with the passage, but it’s powerful and elegant. For me, personally, I find it humbling. That I will probably be surprised because I can’t imagine in advance what - for example - drawing my last breath will feel like, physically, emotionally, etc. I think I’m pretty at ease with my mortality relative to others; I take a bit of pride in it bizarrely enough, hence the humility.
I admire Tibetan culture, where they go to somewhat comical lengths to make peace with dying, such as lying in graves with human skeletons.
It’s really neat that you’re integrating your deep personal inquiries into 2-sentence horror. I’ve let a creative outlet I once had go rusty (mixed metaphor lol). You’re inspiring me to get back into it :)!
