This title caught my eye this morning, "Surprising number of teens think they'll die young". After reading the article, I was shocked to find out that at least 15% or young kids think they'll die early.
Here's a brief snippet of the
post:
"The study, based on a survey of more than 20,000 kids, challenges conventional wisdom that says teens engage in risky behavior because they think they're invulnerable to harm. Instead, a sizable number of teens may take chances "because they feel hopeless and figure that not much is at stake," said study author Dr. Iris Borowsky, a researcher at the University of Minnesota.That behavior threatens to turn their fatalism into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Over seven years, kids who thought they would die early were seven time more likely than optimistic kids to be subsequently diagnosed with AIDS. They also were more likely to attempt suicide and get in fights resulting in serious injuries."
Just the thought about some of the things going on is crazy. Personally I don't think many people will die young. If anything I tell myself everyday that I'll be living a long and healthy life because I'm going to try to make it happen. I do understand that sometimes death comes to us all without our own doing but to think about negative thoughts and engage in risky behaviors is not something I do or ever plan on doing. Hopefully these numbers don't reflect a wider audience, (only 20,000 kids were part of the study).
Are you surprised by the the number of kids who think they'll die young? Do you think you'll die young or old?
Comments (95)
I wasn't really surprised, and I haven't decided if I want to get really old yet.
Not surprised. I always thought I was gonna get shot in high school.
not surprised. i think i'll die young too. and i'm 18.
hmmm, does the spelling mistake in the title bother anybody else besides me?
@KnowingHimm@xanga - Yup. I think they meant, I hope they meant, "15% of." It drove me nuts. That's actually the only reason I read this blog. lol I wanted to correct the spelling.
i'm honestly not that surprised. people these days do think that they are invincible and that they can do anything their mind so pleases to. i've have shaken my head at many of the people i went to high school with and the things that they put through body through. they think its funny and its all just fun but in the end, they will realize that the things they are doing and have done will hurt their body physically and that there is only just so many things that your body can take. the most recent and used response i get back is: "well i don't want to be all old and wrinkly anyways. who the hell wants to be old and gross looking?" i've even heard people say, "they should pull the plug on anyone fifty and older. once you hit the fifty mark, you should just die." it makes me sad at how horrible kids are these days and the things that they think. we live in a cruel world and things need to start changing or the worst is yet to come. i hope to die when i've very old. i want to live life and experience it all. then again, i'm a very positive outlooker on life and not that many children are these days.
i remember being in first grade and taking a walk over to the high school with my class and all my classmates and teacher.. and while i was walking through the building i remember thinking to myself aw its such a shame that i'll never make it here.. and i was just really convinced in my mind that i was going to die at a really young age... now im going into tenth grade this year, at that high school, and i remember having though thoughts a lot if im walkin down the halls by myself. and the wierd thing bout it, when i had these thoughts i wasnt sad or anything.. strange.. thought i was the only one as a kid having these thoughts, never said anything about it until now.
How is this different from previous years (the study was done from 1995 to 2002)? Is that percent up or down (or unknown) from past studies? Is it down in the year 2009? Does this trend mean anything for future generations?
I feel this article is lacking.
I saw that...and laughed, actually.
Kids are in such a hurry to grow up these days, it's actually no wonder.
I believe that when the time comes, I'll let go, but for now, I'll stick to being (almost) 15.
I'm not really surprised because I can personally relate to this feeling. For about three years during junior high and early high school, I was convinced my life would somehow end before I went to college and became an adult. I tried hard, but I just couldn't possibly envision my own future.
@decembriel@xanga - same here. it's kind of weird ... i can't picture my future, but i can't imagine myself not getting there. so i can't say that i think i'm going to die young, but i don't think it would surprise me if i did. ew, that sounds horrifically morbid to me, lol. it's sort of the same thing with getting a disease; i'm terrified of getting cancer, but at the same time i feel like there's definitely a possibility that i will. but just because i feel like that doesn't mean i'm gonna go do reckless things because i think i'm going to die anyway. if anything, it makes me paranoid about any differences i feel in my body. i'm such a hypochondriac! :P
I'm not surprised in the least, in fact I expected it. I don't expect myself to live a certain amount of years. I don't know when I'm going to pass on. Nobody, in the end, does; unless they've got it planned out right to the moment of their suicide. I'd LIKE to live a long, fruitful and happy life. That's what I'm striving for. I'd prefer that over a short life.
I know I'll die young. It's just a fact.
I used to believe that I would die young. Now, not so sure. (:
when i was little i was convince i would grow to be like 100 years old! lol
No, I used to be one of them...but damn look at me I got old. Luckily, I had a good back up plan.
SO WEIRD cuz my boyfriend and my ex both think they're gonna die young. i dont get it!! cuz i always thought i'd live to be old
when i was younger, i always wanted to live to an old age but i could never shake off the premonition that i would die young.. now that i'm nearing the age that i thought i would die at, i don't feel that it's so likely that i will die young. and i don't hope for it either. i still get nervous though.
looking at the comments... seems like a lot of people share the same general sentiment =/
I think I'll die in my 60's or 70's with my husband (cause that's how I want to go). It is disturbing, but not horribly surprising to me
i'm going to die young. i don't want to be old, and i've planned to kill myself forever. i'm not being melodramatic or anything, i just don't want to live for 80 years and then start losing my memory and just gradually fade out until i die. i want to be able to choose when i die.
I remember being young (and stupid) thinking about this. But age happens... but the best part is I've found that I've only appreciated in time. The attitude occurs because you think you know everything when in fact you know jack. I can't wait to be old. Besides, those who wish for death have probably not witnessed enough of it to truly be impressed with life (hence the youth factor.)
&most do die young. I've know at least 10 people young people that have died in the past year.. its really sad, i just found out 20 minutes ago this guy i went to elementary school with (he was my boyfriend in grade 3 hahahahah.. kids are so dumb) overdosed and got hit by a car 2 years ago.. so he would have been 16. Its so sad :(
&Over the weekend, someone I went to high school with was thrown off his motorcycle and died on impact... I think he was 22.
So yeah, its happens all the time.
the only reason why it surprised me is because i thought i was the only one who thought i'd die young. i'm (obviously) still alive... at 24... i didn't think i'd live past high school.
I used to think I was going to die young, but now I consider myself to be old, even though really I am not, so I am going to die when I am old, So I will be at least 19+years old when I die. Not 19+ years young.