Death is coming for all of us.
Do you ever wonder what that will feel like?
Or what your mind will be thinking?
I do. I worry about it far too often.
What will matter most in the seconds before we go?
That's if we're lucky enough to even get a warning of the end.
Redditor 0b111111100001wanted to hear about life right before death. They asked:
"People who have almost been killed, what were your last thoughts before almost dying?"
I hope I still have my memory. Then at least I can feel a comfort.
RUSH
adrenaline sport extreme GIF by Sport DecouverteGiphy"For me it was really just 'Oh F**k!'"
"Then a huge adrenaline rush after."
"Mine happened in Airborne school when I was in the military. My 3rd time jumping out of a plane, another jumper landed on top of my parachute which prevented it from opening all the way. Instead, it was pressing against my face and I could feel myself free falling."
"I looked down and was about to pull my reserve chute, but I realized instinctually that there was probably not enough time for it to open and catch enough wind to fully deploy and there was a good chance i’d die. It just felt surreal, all I could say was “oh f**k” and then my chute opened. "
"The dude that was on top of me was able to free himself and he was screaming in fear too. I landed safely and immediately felt an insane adrenaline rush; I was actually laughing hysterically after, probably a nervous response. Glad my days jumping are behind me! Lol that was the only close call."
DefiantFungus
I'm Good
"It was a weird sort of acceptance. I came to grips with the fact I was going to die and I was ok with it."
StanePantsen
"This was my exact experience drowning, I just thought 'oh OK, what a strange way to die, I feel bad for the person who has to find me'. I didn't really even get time to dedicate thoughts to my friends and family, just sort of accepted that this was it and GGWP."
chance_waters
I Lived
"I had a stroke; and on the way to the hospital, I was sad that if I died, I'd never have a chance to tell my best friend how much she meant to me and thank her for all of her support and kindness. I was more sad about that than the prospect of dying. Luckily, I lived. So, I told her that."
haloarh
Derek
"The calm, simple thought: 'Derek’s not that bad.' When I almost got killed with my coworker Derek who we all hated for some reason. I just like stopped hating people that day, realizing even the most annoying people aren’t that bad when you’re about to die together."
No_Helicopter3114
Tranquil
Chill Reaction GIF by MOST EXPENSIVESTGiphy"Shocked when I first realized what was happening. Then just a lot of peace. Peace like had never felt before. Then, for some completely unknown reason, my attacker just turned around and left."
Bebe_Bleau
Peace is so illusive in life. Of course we find it in death.
Invasion
burglar GIF by State ChampsGiphy"Been a victim of a home invasion before and honestly my only thoughts were to protect my little cousins."
"The adrenaline of escaping and running to the nearest store with them - didn’t make me realize I was cut, which I initially thought was made-up for movies. Glad I haven’t lived there in three years and to this day I’m too afraid of living in houses so I live in an apartment."
throwaway_anoni
'OHHHH MY GOOOOOD'
"This was a few months back, September 2021. I was headed home after a dinner with my wife, 18-month old daughter, and a family friend of ours; we were going 65 mph down the interstate when two other cars got into a brief altercation in the lane to my immediate left (two cars do not fit into one space)."
"My back left bumper got hit and I ended up losing control, spinning wildly and then sliding sideways down the grassy embankment on the right side of the interstate, before going backwards into a ditch and stopping among some trees. My car had missed smacking into a road sign passenger-side first by five feet."
"My only thoughts were concern for my family and my friend. I was screaming 'OHHHH MY GOOOOOD' but my mind was going Let them be okay let them be okay please let them be okay My 18-month old daughter, on the other hand, looked at us wondering why the ride suddenly stopped."
SolWishing12
“lucky son of a *****”
"I was in the rear passenger seat of my parents’ car while we were driving to dinner on Thanksgiving 2016. As we were turning left at an intersection I saw a car flying directly at us in oncoming traffic and right before we were hit I said, 'Welp, we’re dead.' My world completely turned into a beige color (which I think was the color of the airbags?) and we spun and spun for what felt like an eternity until we crashed into a tree."
"All my ribs were broken and I had a lacerated liver. The ER doc came in and said I was a “lucky son of a *****” because apparently my ribs all collapsed inward in such a way as gears might turn without actually impacting each other or puncturing any organs, which was apparently very unlikely and by all rights I should have died. It was a very strange and surreal several seconds of knowing I was about to die and having absolutely no control over the situation."
erichagarty
"this is gonna hurt"
"I was in a car accident when I was 18. As I lost control the car was drifting from one side to the other for what felt like eternity and was ultimately to be stopped by a ditch and a big tree. The whole thing probably only lasted a few seconds before the car flipped over and I lost consciousness for a moment, but I remember thinking 'Oh god this is actually happening"'and as I processed what was going to happen next 'this is gonna hurt.'"
"In the end, I only had whiplash and some bruises while my car was totalled but I was absolutely convinced that this was going to be the end. After the adrenaline wore of I broke down crying and felt incredibly relieved that I had decided to not take my dog with me. Something had stopped me from bringing her that day and I'm still so thankful for that."
Meenulara
fight or flight
"I died in a motorcycle accident and was revived, suffered a TBI and all kinds of other injuries. When I woke up I thought I was being kidnapped and went into fight or flight mode."
Awkward_Pianist3839
painful truths
"'This is going to hurt, I hope my son isn't the one that finds me.' I was checking on a newly born calf when the mom turned and charged me unexpectedly. I'm usually quick enough to step aside and dodge, but I stepped in a hole and fell instead. The cow ran right over the top of me, and stomped on my chest."
"That should have killed me on the spot, but I was in about 3 feet of fresh snow which gave me just enough margin to be severely bruised instead of crushed. I had to crawl back to our house on my hands and knees, where it hurt to move for several days."
ls1c-10
Don't Wait
"I got shot through the pelvis, nanometers from my femoral artery. Blood was still shooting out of me like a turbo-charged sprinkler. As I was laying in the back of the ambulance, looking at the grey 70W, thinking these are my last moments... all I could think about was all the things I wanted to do, and how I wouldn't be able to now."
"I saw all the faces of those I loved, and those I wish I got to see one last time. Do the things you only dream of. Tell everyone you love them, constantly. Don't spend your life waiting, it's up to you to take it."
Good_Will_Toking
Oh Damn...
"One word. 'Damn...' Then just blurry mental images of my immediate family for a few seconds before blacking out Really anticlimactic. There was surprisingly little emotion associated with the experience (over dose). When you abuse hard drugs for a while, you know death might be just around the corner so it's no surprise when it comes (or you think it does). It's not at all like a healthy person having a random stroke or something which would be terrifying."
SuspectFantastic7066
Ditched...
"Seeing a pickup towing landscaping equipment barreling down on me in my rear view. I was at a red light. My only thought was for my 1yr old in the backseat. And being pissed off at the idiot. Somehow he swerved at the last second and completely missed us by going into the ditch. He drove off like nothing happened."'
EstelSnape
4 Feet
"I was hiking in the mountains and slipped on a rock. I fell into a very quickly moving stream that turned into a 100ft drop off about 55 yards (50 meters) downstream from where I went in. I think my exact thoughts were HOLY F**K, HOLY F**K, HOLY F**K until the moment I was able to grab on to the side of the rock wall and climb out of the water. I was able to find a small ledge and then had to jump back over the stream to get to safety. The jump was not large but I was cold, wet and exhausted from climbing. Scariest 4ft leap ever!"
wannaplayaround
"well, here we go"
happy ronald mcdonald GIF by McDonald's CZ/SKGiphy"I was driving to work, when a Kia Soul in front of me slammed on its brakes. I slammed on mine, and barely miss god smacking this car. I then look into my rearview mirror, and see a semi truck barreling towards me at 40-50 mph. And I just tightened the grip on my steering wheel and thought 'well, here we go.'"
"Thankfully, the semi truck changed lanes, and missed me by a couple inches. Maybe I wouldn't have died if it hit me, but I sure felt like I was about to. All because some Kia Soul almost missed the turn for the McDonalds and slammed on its breaks."
TheJewFromTheMidwest
Under the Water
"I almost drowned in a white water rafting accident. It's very difficult to describe what I felt... there was a sensation of panic, but also one of surrealism. It didn't feel real, but... it did. I also remember being able to reach my hands out above the water and having an all encompassing yearning to be able to breathe."
"The combination of hypothermia (water temperature 35 degrees F/1 degree C for our friends who use a better system of measurement) and near drowning was a mind f**k."
Travalanche49
SWOOSH!
skiing GIF by NOWNESSGiphy"'OH DEAR LORD HAVE MERCY ON MY SINNED SOUL!'"
"Almost had a terrible skiing accident."
Walvie9
Oh Crap!
"I feel off a small cliff once and my exact thoughts were OH CRAP, were's that damn bush you see in cartoons? Fortunately I landed on my feet and only twisted my ankle but if i had landed on my jest or head i would not have made it to a hospital."
ExistingExample281
Death is coming. Try to prepare.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
Redditor Mysterious_Boat_1701 was curious to hear people's most unsettling experiences with the Mandela Effect, leading them to ask:
"Which Mandela effect freaks you out the most and why?"
A mysterious gym
"Just had one personally."
"Went to a mall where there was supposedly a gym, asked around and nobody that worked at the mall knew what I was talking about."
"Looked around and couldn't find it."
"Come back a few months later and it’s right there in front of my face, you'd have to be strung out to not notice it."
"idk how or when it just appeared but it freaked me out."- prex320278
A "fruit"ful logo.
"That the fruit of the loom logo never had a cornucopia."
"What’s crazy about that one is that someone emailed the creator of the logo about it and he said even he remembers it having one."- mrcock2·
Less well intentioned than they thought.
"I Mandela effected my whole family once."
"Years ago there was a football player on a rival team that always did a dumb celebration after he got a sack and my family and I always hated it."
"One night after he did it my family started trashing the celebration and I said as a joke 'we are all going to feel terrible when we find out he is doing that celebration as a request from a make-a-wish kid'."
"Fast forward to years later and our team is playing that team again."
"The player got a sack and did the celebration."
"I rolled my eyes and said 'I hate that celebration so much' my mom instantly turned and said 'don't say that, he is doing it for a sick kid'."
"'I actually like it."
"So I was like 'what?'"
"'No there is no sick kid', my whole family then proceeded to argue with me'."
"They all vividly remembered reading articles about it, seeing special report segments before games about it, and other information."
"Some of them even thought they knew the disease the kid had and even extra details about why the kid chose that specific celebration."
"They all had these shared memories that they were sure were true."
"I was floored by all this and insisted none of that was true."
"So we looked it up.'
"Not true."
'No kid like that ever existed.'
"They still have trouble wrapping their heads around this one."
"Turned out human memory is not near as reliable as we think"
"It was American Football and the player was Jared Allen of the Minnesota Vikings and his cattle roping sack celebration."
"This was maybe 10 years ago."- AUSpartan37
College Football Win GIF by Michigan State FootballGiphyHis eyesight was better than we thought.
"Mr. Monopoly's monocle."- Additional_Day9903
It's not easy being green.
"I have a personal one that to this day a decade later still destroys my mind."
"I had an old(ish) 2001 dodge neon."
"With BLACK SEATS.'
"I drove this car for years and years, like 80,000 miles.'
'All through college."
"I took work breaks in my car, commuted hours every day total, to college and then the opposite direction to work and back."
"I even lived out of this thing on several occasions.'
'The day I go and trade it in, I'm pulling misc things out of the car at the dealer."
'And the seats are GREEN."
"Not even a little."
'Like very unmistakably GREEN."
"In my black Neon, with black interior, that ALWAYS HAD BLACK SEATS."
"My girlfriend then, wife now, goes oh they've always been green."
"EXCEPT THEY F*CKING WEREN'T DON'T LIE TO ME."
"This is still upsetting to this day..... life is a lie and nothing is real."- ZakuLegion
Winona Ryder Omg GIFGiphyAn urban legend was born.
"Not a global one, just a family thing."
"Back in 2002 my grandma had her 60th birthday, my father took us home at 10.00pm, ready for bed."
"We, me and brother, were 12 and 14 at this time."
'All went well."
"Over the years, a story was made up that we went missing after visiting the local playground after dinner at said grandma's birthday party."
"Some neighbors help to search us, the whole train of 'missing children in a smal village'-thing."
"Fun fact: we never went missing."
"Dad brought us home, put on 'Toy Story' on tv and left."
"My brother and I heard first about this in 2015.'
"From different people on different occasions."
"'Ah your one of the missing boys'."
"I first thought they were mocking me for a different event.'
"I got lost, but it was 2013, alcohol inflicted, different story."
"But then they ALL tell us the same story about us going missing."
'And the stories are damn close to 'true' in every story my mum is driving around the same neighbors to different locations to search, old wine yard, old mill etc."
"Sometimes I think I got lost on the most brutal way."
"I was lost and changed this plane of existence with another one."
"It sometimes made me think about my whole life."- tjorben123
missing kenny mccormick GIF by South Park GiphyMemories are a fascinating thing.
They can be changed or altered with even the tiniest suggestion.
And making the truth seem less believable than lies.
Redditor No-Caterpillar4212 wanted to know what our menu choices would be if we faced the end. They asked:
"You're on a death row, you have one hour left, they ask for your final meal - what is it?"
I'd want 2 hours in a Golden Coral with a bar. Covers it all.
sailor moon cooking GIFYears
"I want a nice filet mignon, medium rare, a baked potato with everything on it, and a nice Cabernet from a good year - I'm thinking 2135."
cleon42
"'Sorry, we couldn't get the Cabernet from 2135. So instead of what could have been a great wine request from a more plausible period of time, you get this crappy stuff we sourced from Wal-Mart. Enjoy your meal, I hope that maintaining your sense of humor was worth it."'
Until_Morning
Take Me
"Something badly cooked so I will be sick and want to die sooner and have diarrhea so bad it will be a last revenge!"
ratchet0101
"Taco bell it is!"
No-Caterpillar4212
"If Taco Bell makes you poop a lot, it's a sign that you probably need more fiber in your diet."
RDAwesome
The Yuck Factor
"A huge bowl of baked beans, a bowl of shredded wheat, a six egg omelette, and a gallon of apple cider. I'm gonna make it awful for everyone."
"Save yourself the hassle of eating all that, just ask for one pack of sugar free Haribo gummy bears. Should make for an interesting time for the folks watching you die."
MamaSweeney24
"You void your bowels when you die too so that should be lovely."
IDontControlTheFood
Perfect
Fried Chicken Scandal GIF by ABC NetworkGiphy"Fried chicken with some Fanta."
Aggravating-Year-776
Fried chicken is on the top of everyone's list!
Details
Interested GIF by Nick CannonGiphy"150mg of MDMA. I’m dying happy."
W0nderfu1W0nder
"This should absolutely be allowed. If our leaders insist on the practice of capital punishment then the condemned should be able to ingest any substance they damn please."
forewontoi
Broken
"McFlurry. Those machine are always broken. I just bought myself some time."
Curiousuk_South9566
"Is this like an American thing? I worked at a McDonald's in Denmark once and our machine was never once broken when i was there."
oliv111
"I saw a video about this once. I'm a little fuzzy on the details but I think it has something to do with the contract that was signed in America. Only one company is allowed to do maintenance on the machines and they basically lock out if it's cleaned incorrectly. It's a crap system."
grilled-pbj
Sorry
"Cabbage!! Add some cabbage. I don’t know if an hour if enough to take effect but there was an old coworker on a cabbage diet. Omg she smelled, like it was coming out of her pores. She knew she smelled and kept apologizing and reminding us of the diet."
ImStillaPrick
The OG Always
"Olive Garden. Unlimited soup and breadsticks."
thegodfaubel
"I saw a sketch once, can't remember who it 2qs from. But a an inmate ordered the all you can eat buffet and had been eating for like 8 years. He's constantly on the toilet and takes micro-naps between bites."
KingOfTheGoobers
"Unlimited for 1 hour. Cool."
anticlockclock
How Golden
Golden Girls Dorothy GIF by HULUGiphy"If my grandma is still alive her potato soup and cheesecake. Hopefully I'd be able to cook said meal with her one last time."
ATLAS_IS_LOST
Let's hope none of us has to make this decision.
Redditor One-Refrigerator69 was curious to hear stories of people who realized their friends were not exactly the nicest people to be around, leading them to ask:
"When was the moment you realized that your friends are assholes?"
Compared to others...
"When I started hanging out with better people."- Darklink326
All it took was getting my life together
"When I quit drinking ‘cos it was killing me."
"There were people I literally saw every single day who just disappeared as if by magic."
"12 years ago this week, as it happens."
"I’m not anti-drink, far from it."
"Some people, me included, just can’t enjoy it without it becoming a problem."
"Everyone is different."- bigdaftgeordie
A little perspective goes a long way.
"After I realized that other people don't sh*t on each other on every possible occasion in their circle."
"And that it isn't right when a 'friend' uses every known insecurity as an argument against you when you do not behave the way he/she would want you to."- ViscousPlateman
The Simpsons GIF by MOODMANGiphyLack of respect for other people's things
"I let my friend borrow my ps2 when I went to boot camp."
"When I came back, he said he sold it and gave me $50 I think?"
"This was in 2006."- madmike-86
Lack of mutual respect
"When he does sh*t to me and acts like it’s no big deal, then I do the same back and he gets offended."- Primary-Maybe-2749·
Constantly being taken advantage of.
"They only bothered with me when it suited them."
"I'd rather have nobody than have to deal with that."- zombi33mj
happy eric cartman GIF by South Park GiphyWhen they literally revealed themselves to be criminals
"When they robbed me at gunpoint."- Ok_Student8032
When they stopped liking them after a change of situation
"Fourth grade, when my parents economical situation went downhill and suddenly no one invited me to their birthday party."
"Until Seven years later no one had never invited me to their birthday, or to anything at all actually."- Justalittletoserious
Not being able to get a word in...
"When they tell me to shut up when I say anything."- the_golden_cheese
la respuesta GIF by Becky GGiphyViolently playing with emotions
"She got a boyfriend and would let him listen to our phone calls and not tell me, even if I was crying about personal stuff that I would only ever tell her."
"Then they both started lying to me about my crush liking me back, forcing both him and me into awkward positions, telling everyone we liked each other so they'd play along, swapping places constantly to make us sit next to each other, pressuring him into giving me a lap dance, making him kiss the prettiest girl in the room, etc, and encouraged me to shoot my shot more and more."
"All the while they knew he didn't like me, he had told them both directly."
"One night I was crying on the phone cause I was so confused why my advances weren't working, and they just kept explaining it away, blaming some other bullsh*t reason and telling me to try again."
"The next day they told me they were laughing throughout the whole call, because I didn't get it and I was so upset."
"I should add I had no dating experience at all and nobody had ever liked me at this point."- Juliemj
It's always sad when our friends disappoint us.
But when our friends proved to be completely different people than we thought they were, it can be devastating.
As the saying goes, one never truly knows who their friends are.
A recent Redditor was curious to hear what tourists and locals alike should avoid doing in the USA, leading them to ask:
"In the United States, what should you never do?"
Stay out of the skies!
"Don't fly a drone in Washington, DC."
"The whole D.C. Area is a no fly zone."
"It's a federal offense."
"Just don't do it."- PeytonCarrK
Cops can't be bribed.
"Don't try to bribe cops when you get pulled over."
"I had some Argentinian friends immediately pull out their wallets and start pooling their cash when they got pulled over once.'
"Fortunately someone in the car noticed and told them to put it away immediately."- PeytonCarrK
"Don't pay off the police."
"My dad has friends from several third-world nations where it is common practice to give the police some cash when you are pulled over."
"However, if you try to bribe a police officer here, you'll get into a lot of trouble."- JohnASmiley
Know your rights.
"Everyone, including foreigners, has the right to be silent and have a lawyer when being questioned."
"Don’t say anything."
"Also, even if you speak English fairly well, ask for an interpreter."- WickedLilThing
Enjoy all that nature has to offer... carefully!
"Don't wander off in the national parks."
"It's very real wilderness and you can get lost and die out there."
"This includes going over railings you aren't supposed to, or off trails."
"People have died accidentally falling into a steam geyser that looked like normal water, mauled by animals or left to the elements."- AlphaOhmega
national parks GIF by Visit The USAGiphyAllow plenty of time!
"Expect consistency at TSA in airports."- WickedLilThing
Some terminology doesn't translate...
"If you’re from England, they’re called cigarettes here."- Yung_Onions
Make sure your license is up to date.
"If you come from a walkable country don’t come here expecting the same."
"There are some areas with good public transportation and bicycle/pedestrian friendly streets but for the most part, especially outside of cities, the areas are designed to accommodate cars more than anything else."
"The reason a lot of Americans drive everywhere is because, depending on where you live, we have no choice."- The_Cars93
Dog Driving GIFGiphyWait for instructions.
"Get out of your car and approach the cop when being stopped by a cop unless told to."- hildrash
Whether your'e waling down a street in a foreign country, or the street you've lived on for your entire life, it's always wise to be on guard and aware of your surroundings.
Not to mention, obey the law.