internet etiquette

[Fulvio]

one has time to prepare for the end

I started to relate a couple of sudden and violent passings, but the memories were too painful, so thought better of it.

Rather, I'll just point out the obvious... its an inevitable consequence of life we will all face. There are no differing qualities of death either. Dead is dead, and its all the same no matter how you go.

What IS different though is the quality (not just the length) of the life which preceeded it. Far too many people I believe give the inevitable no thought until those last few moments when they can no longer escape the reality of their own mortality. And that is the real tragedy, which makes it such a waste. No matter how many hours and days your journey takes, the arrival needs to be planned ahead of time, because there is no going back. You can't complain that you're not ready, and you need to go pack or anything, can you?

As a group, I think Buddhists have the best handle on all this. As religions and philosophies (after all, it isn't a religion) go, it surely has to be the way everyone ought to live their lives if they want to go in peace.

[robbiegal]

yeah mate we all have different views
and it is an intimate topic
I have worked in hospitals for over 20 years and I remember in my first hospital job interview the big question - was I able to comfortably be around or with people who were either dying or were deceased because that would be a frequent occurrence
it was a personal challenge on many levels and I eventually developed the speciality of palliative care , more likely as a self care reaction to having been present during traumatic deaths

there are no differing qualities of dead itself but there are extraordinary and differing qualities of 'how you get there'
and most of my work has been with people around the getting there part of the journey  

I agree live life to the fullest
and no, no one is ever really prepared as it is a big first and only

but yes, you do need to pack - either through a personal philosophy or faith,  discuss organ donation with the family, accepting the frailty of human existence, etc etc
it is an ending
just as the birth of a child, is a beginning
it's natural and unavoidable
but it is never simple

the Buddhists say a lot of peaceful and philosophical words
but when it's raw human reality I can say that I have seen no really significant differences between the faiths
though, the Buddhists have peaceful and fascinating funeral rites for sure!

[markn]

My friend was an Iraq war veteran and was injured somewhat when he was there.  He always had trouble sleeping when he returned and would have periods where he would be awake for 3-4 days at a time.  It appears, that one time he just spent too long awake and his body packed it in.  All very sad.

[ausjack]

Thank you very much for all your input RG I really enjoy reading your comments, I see a very caring soul and I like it and wish there was more of it Actually there's a lot of peoples comments that I like and gives the site a human and earthy appeal, well it appeals to me

[Fulvio]

gives the site a human and earthy appeal

:agreed::yeah_what_she_said:

[ausjack]

I got out just before that Mark but I know all about the ADF and also about how the lack of sleep can effect you and many many things about the human brain now but I had to learn the hard way as well. The longest I've been is about two weeks or could have been longer but you start micro sleeping and seeing shit and nothing is as it appears, it's really hard to explain sorry and sleeping pills and the like don't work..it drives you insane Sorry I'll try and talk about this more later just a bit of a raw nerve sorry, don't worry I'm all good, just a little sad is all but will come good.

[robbiegal]

sleep deprivation mimics psychosis  (wiki)

and yes, it takes a lot of treatment and time to restore sleep patterns where possible

It's great that you know what to do to manage it  now, AJ

[ausjack]

haha nah I don't really sorry RG as i still go off, but yes I'm trying and it's still very hard but I've worked out and only because I don't have to work or do anything any more that if I feel tired just go lay down even if you just shut your eyes as the body starts to heal it's self, sorry about the only way I can put it for now but I'll try more later. I just wish the Dr's would listen so it could help others..you know the old 'learn from others mistakes' and save a lot of pain if you know what might happen, doesn't mean it will but a heads up is really good in these matters :winkextra:

[robbiegal]

no worries mate
meditation is a proven powerful mental healer - I have both a relaxation & meditation cd here (though I keep falling asleep when I listen to it)
the meditation one is  pretty good - just one for people who are living with illness - not a lily skipping middle class hippy one that you pay a fortune for in the health food shops (**giggle)

anyways, very personal chats & I appreciate that the topic police have left the conversation as is - nice to see some maturity taking place


"Life is not meant to be easy, my child; but take courage: it can be delightful."

George Bernard Shaw – English Playwright [sic], 1856-1950

(and yes, Malcom does say that he got the idea from the playright for his famous parliamentary speech!)

xx robbie

[ausjack]

Yes a big thanks to the copper, I appreciate it :hi:

HAHA yeah not easy RG but not this bloody hard either :laugh2: but yes I think the search for delight has kept me going and it's these simple thing at this point in my life that are doing just that so thank you all

hehe only two RG I have heaps now for different moods I'm in, as I love the beach, storm and nature I have ocean daybreak, tropical thunderstorm, ocean secrets, salt winds, stormy seas, lighning thunder rain, babbling brook and terra australia and a lot of these I got from Big W for less than $2 each so they're pretty cheap but everyone downloads now so. But other things i listen to are things like classical and enigma to relax but basically most music as I find it umm I suppose the best word is probably "moves" me as it can make you feel all sorts of things so there's not just one word but I suppose that's pretty close

[Fulvio]

ocean daybreak, tropical thunderstorm, ocean secrets, salt winds, stormy seas, lighning thunder rain, babbling brook and terra australia

There's an app for that! Well, several I guess.

The one I use is called Sleep Time. You fire it up, set the alarm and lay it on the bed beside your pillow. It then plays you soothing gentle waves (for free, other sounds cost a couple shekels).

But the clever bit is it tracks your sleep, logging awake, light and deep (REM) sleep, and of course maintains a history for later analysis. Its pretty accurate too, though it may sometimes log your awake time as light sleep or vice versa depending how much you toss and turn.

Apparently sleep is best in four hour blocks. What time of day doesn't matter, but supposedly the experts now say 8 hours is not as good as 4x2. No idea why that is, but apparently it works.

Not that I'd know... as you can tell from my timestamps, my sleep follows no pattern anyway, and may range from 2 to 12 hours, at any time of the day or night. Guess that's what retirement does to ya, eh?

There's a sleep lab at Monash hospital, which I discovered on one of my midnight walks last time I was incarcerated.. maybe I should see about checking myself in? :dodgy:

[trout]

ocean daybreak, tropical thunderstorm, ocean secrets, salt winds, stormy seas, lighning thunder rain, babbling brook and terra australia

There's an app for that! Well, several I guess.

The one I use is called Sleep Time. You fire it up, set the alarm and lay it on the bed beside your pillow. It then plays you soothing gentle waves (for free, other sounds cost a couple shekels).

But the clever bit is it tracks your sleep, logging awake, light and deep (REM) sleep, and of course maintains a history for later analysis. Its pretty accurate too, though it may sometimes log your awake time as light sleep or vice versa depending how much you toss and turn.

Apparently sleep is best in four hour blocks. What time of day doesn't matter, but supposedly the experts now say 8 hours is not as good as 4x2. No idea why that is, but apparently it works.

Not that I'd know... as you can tell from my timestamps, my sleep follows no pattern anyway, and may range from 2 to 12 hours, at any time of the day or night. Guess that's what retirement does to ya, eh?

There's a sleep lab at Monash hospital, which I discovered on one of my midnight walks last time I was incarcerated.. maybe I should see about checking myself in? :dodgy:

99% of my work is done on night shift and I do tend to sleep 4x2 and it works for me :ok:
If I sleep right through I wake up knackered , so there may be a bit of truth in their findings :angel:

[Triggersmob]

8 hours sleep, what an interesting concept.
I think I sleep 14 x 30min lots. I would love a goods night sleep.

[Basil]

Talking about sleep patterns,i had nearly 5 years of shiftwork on Mainframes with a major Oz. Bank in the 1970's.It got to the stage i was sleeping 12-14 hours a day,sometimes more if i had the night off, and waking up tired,i(and many others) had to give it away as it was also affecting my digestive system. Dr. said i was in in a permanent state of jet lag and had to change jobs as i wasn't suited to the work so i aways feel for anyone with sleep disorders.40 years later i still ocassionly wake up in the middle of the night thinking i have to go to work so it can be a major problem.

[ausjack]

Not that I'd know... as you can tell from my timestamps, my sleep follows no pattern anyway, and may range from 2 to 12 hours, at any time of the day or night. Guess that's what retirement does to ya, eh?

There's a sleep lab at Monash hospital, which I discovered on one of my midnight walks last time I was incarcerated.. maybe I should see about checking myself in?  

yeah tell me about it Fulvio I see you up when I am and that's at all hours and don't waste your time or money with the sleep lab, been there done that costs a fortune for nothing
haha try being in the navy and playing war games, now that's fun when you just finish a shift then you hear the siren and it's action stations so there goes any sleep and your just buzzing for ages then you go home to garden island to start the party, yep it's a life style of it's own :winkextra: