h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm not really concerned whether or not it is wrong to have or not have such a list; but feel free to opine.

Do you have a list of things you want to do before you die?
Nothing official, written down, or even seriously considered.

Are there five things everybody absolutely must do in their lifetimes?
No. What we feel that we 'absomust' do is largely predicated on our previous experiences and how much we know of what we 'could' do.

What about five things they should avoid?
The only things that might be universal would be pain, anguish, unhappiness, hunger, and death.

Can you suggest some adventures, journeys or experiences that people should have if they want to lay claim to an exciting life?
I'm very glad to have been a skydiver, but it's not for everyone. I've flown a plane, but just enough to realise that I don't want a pilot's license. I enjoyed water skiing, but realize that not everyone can water ski. I found caverns rather exciting, but understand that the claustrophobic will skip them. Etc. etc.

Should we just go with the flow, or are these lists a good idea?
Some people may need the structure or the challenge. Those aren't bad things. One other thing to avoid, though, is feeling like you've failed if you don't finish the list; or, if you finish the list, don't assume that you're done!

Is 'Before You Die-ism' just a vulgar take on life, with experiences ticked off instead of savoured?
Not in my mind. There are many good books, and wanting to finish a specific list of them before you die cannot be seen as vulgar. The key is making your own list of what you feel is important, unless the list itself is inconsequential to you.

How much of you list of 'Things You Must Do Before You Die' have you completed?
The things I would be most likely to add to such a list are mostly things that would not fall within the realm of possibilities. (so, naught)

take a look at Ben Franklins self-improvement list - very interesting [said Phunf]

Oh, I don't know... Pain should be on everyones list of things to try

you say then, it can be avoided?

Tried it. Hated it.

so what was your most painful experience

Actually, I have a very high pain threshold. When son used to ask how I could handle things so sharp, hot, heavy, etc., I used to tell him that fathers are born with rhino-skin.

He's older now.

I've had plenty of burns, small pieces of my body cut off, skull's been split, lumbar punctures, dental surgery sans painkillers, poisonous spider bites, verious parts have been caught in slamming truck doors, had my feet smashed in doorways by a 300 pound woman (individually), had a truck transmission fall on me. Stuff like that; but I can't really say that any of them stand out as exceedingly painful.

In fact, to the best of my knowledge, I've never had a broken bone.

How's about you? Anything in particular?

try a catheter forced through your urethra - yeeeeeowwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Really? Is that supposed to be painful?

Can't they at least grease it up a bit first?

Abu Graib is not in it

Oo can't really say what the most painful thing was... having a cathata err cathita? put in and taken out, and put in and taken out, over about a four month period didn't really come up that* high
Car door vertually taking my finger off hurt, but only as it happened at the beginning of several days of lugging everything I owned into and out of the trick which caused the injury, and then moving it into a new house
Having a section of silicon tubing popping out through my skin on my colar bone and chest was quite* painful...
The year or so constant headaches and pain in my head due to too high intercranial pressure was pretty painful but after a while you kinda forgot about it

Having tubes stuck into your nasal cavities and probed about with hardly any anasetic was err, uncomfetable but not painful
removing my own toe nail on my big toe, with no anasetic hurt, but it wasn't unberarable (I did it twice due to ingrowing toenails, and the second time worked).

Burning my hand badly, and my foot even worse was pretty painful but I was a kid only on both of those, subsequently I havne't nver noticed a burn until long afterwards and I've always seemingly got some small burn (I oughta start using oven gloves )
Having tubes insurted into, and then removed from, my brain/skull didn't hurt a bit, which was supprizing

Nope, the worse most painful thing must be when I used to get bitten to pieces by moiquitos, as I reacted badly to it... probalby worse than the really bad antibiotic rashes I've had just for the intensity of the pain
Fracturing my arm ; never felt a thing
When I broke my finger (foot ball in goal as a kid), that kinda hurt a bit, but I still finished the game and so can't have been that* bad

Strange, isn't it; that most pain in the past seems to fade into a less poignant memory, but the slightest papercut or stubbed toe seems to hurt like the dickens at the time!