This is something I've been thinking about for a long time, I still haven't reached a conclusion. If you had to know either the month and day of that month you'll die on, or the year you'll die in, which would you pick and why?

On one hand knowing the year would be like a countdown, but on the other hand knowing the date would be awful as it crept up every year. You really wouldn't be able to enjoy your life with that knowledge, would you?

I think if I had to pick one it'd be the date. I don't really know why, it just seems more bearable, and if you were going to die young you wouldn't know.

What about everyone else?
(Apologies if this is too morbid, I just thought it would be sort of interesting!)

^ yarite

Date. Party once a year, starting the day before and scheduled to end the day of, and if it ends early, whoops! If it doesn't, live to party another day! Just seems like it'd be easier to deal with if it were a "Well? Is it THIS time?" than "This is the year, dunno which but it's one of these 365 days. Odds are I'll be missing Christmas. Also, all those cool games and movies coming next year, looks like I'll have to sit them out"

Interesting question.

I'd rather know the year. I'd know exactly how much time I would have to live +/- 180 days. I could plan out to complete anything I might want to do and take care of any unfinished business before that year came and also would only have to prepare for death once. Knowing that you are going to die young could be a good thing, too. If young enough, there would be no reason to spend time getting your life together for your future years and you could spend more time enjoying your life as it is now.

With knowing the date, you would have to face the fact that you *might* die year after year and prepare for death each time. I imagine this would quickly wear you down and could make you go crazy.

I'll blindfold myself, flip through a calendar and press my finger onto a day. That'll be when I die.


But I'd rather I die on a day that was sudden, that way you don't have to have the anguish of telling anyone, "Hey, guess what, I'll be dead at exactly 4:28 in the afternoon tomorrow."

...You stole my answer perfectly.

Someone once said something akin to "Who is worse off, the man who dies in ignorance, or the one doomed to forever watch the time of his death slowly creeping up on him?" I'd rather know the date, then, so as Skeleton said, I can throw a huge party every year (as my grandparents tell me, "Just so you know, we're not leaving you any money in our will. Earn it yourself. We're spending it all on ourselves these last few years-- we've earned some luxury.") right before that date and in the months beforehand do everything I wanted to do (write a will, climb a mountain, make amends with enemies, get in contact with old friends). And I'd still be able to not be forced to watch the exact time of my death creep slowly on me, like with the year, where every day would be filled with fright of death, and each day more than the last.

I don't even want to think about it.
If you know that you will die tomorow, what will you do?
And if you know you will die in 10 seconds?

If it was tomorrow, I'd tell all my internet friends how much I appreciate them, as well as my friends in real life. I'd make amends with my enemies. I'd jot down that I want my body donated to science and where my money in my bank account should go when I die (a few charities I think deserve money, most likely), and I'd tell my crush how I feel about her. After that, I dunno, pig out and do whatever the I want for the remaining hours.
In 10 seconds? I dunno, try to type something really quick as a note for someone to find. Say, something like 'money to charities [enter crush's name here] I love you'. I should be able to get that out in 10 seconds.

If I knew the date, I would be tempted to partition my time and money with people I loved the most, betting on spending time with someone else next year. Even if I set to do the most important things first, I would be far more limited and gamble much more assuming my free will could prolong my life.

How much in advance I know the year would greatly dictate my actions as well. If it were far in advance, I'd probably live my life normally, take care of loose ends, and die peacefully the remaining year feeling resolution. If it were much sooner (>10 years), it would be much more difficult to deal with and partition my time.

One thing: knowing the year would make waking up each day so incredibly rewarding that year. How glad would you be able to see everyone you love once more? Unfortunately, not everyone would live with you like every day were your last. The later it becomes, the more tedious it seems to them.

This is a tough one, I don't know which one but I will state why I would pick one then state why I would pick the other...

I would pick the date cause I wouldn't know what year I would die so I would be able to go on without thinking about or eventually forgetting about what I learned thus meaning the incident didn't really happen & I can go back to not worrying about it.

I would pick the year cause I would want to be sure to be I guess ready to go when the year rears it's ugly head & thus can prepare properly for my departure from the world, kind of go out in style of sorts or simply take my own life in a blaze of glory or something like that.

So basically, the date would be chosen if I wanted to forget it & the year would be chosen if I was willing to do something with the new found knowledge rather then just shrug it off...

It's freaky, I saw that episode too! It's like we have the exact same tastes in TV.

I'd pick the year, so I had a general idea, so I didn't do dumb stuff the same day every year thinking I'd die then.

Personally I'd refuse to know either... I don't like "knowing" when something as severe as death will occur. But, if I were forced to choose, I'd have to go with year, as that would still let me avoid knowing the precise date, and would allow me to set aside some of my inhibitions towards life when the year draws closer.