It's a fact of life, but...

Why is it that with so many people on the planet, you never see anyone drop dead from natural causes whilst you're out in town, walking around, driving your car?

You'd think that with so many people of varying ages that you'd be bound to see the odd fellow pop his clogs...

Yeah, we see loads of it on TV news, movies, progammes etc. but where's the stiffs on the streets, or slumped in a car that's veered off the road?

There's even been a movie where God comes along and scoops up all the believers and then the planes, trains and automobiles are left to carry on and career into anyting, or anyone, that happens to be in the way.

The only person I ever saw drop dead from natural causes was Tommy Cooper...and he was on TV (it was a live broadcast)

Does Death come along and sweep up after himself?
Are we so used to hearing "Nothing to see here, move along, move along" that we no longer hear it?

There's a cover up here somewhere.....

reply to post by Extralien


I guess that my mom's friend's mother died of natural causes in like 15 minutes. Was fine one minute and mom's friend left the room while visiting to go get food or something, came back, and the woman was dead. No stroke or heart attack or cancer or anything. But you're right, it almost never happens anymore.

Not even with animals. Pets usually die of organ failure or cancer or something, instead of just... dying.

maybe "natural causes" was just a term used when doctors couldn't find an explanation for death. With modern medical advances we know more about the human body and there are less cases that cant be explained. It is a very interesting question and I would like to hear more peoples opinions on the term.

I always thought it was more common for people, when they die of natural causes, that they die in their sleep when they're more likely to not be in control of their faculties, and they simply slip away without a fight.

Thankfully it doesn't happen more often, concerning people who die while barreling down the highway at 120 km/h.

Some people have aneurysms while straining on the toilet, like what may have happened to Elvis Presley.

Reminds me of the saying: 'If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound?'

Maybe if one doesn't have anything to do, like sitting privately at home watching the tv, all relaxed and the like, one is more likely to leave this world, and not someone who is preoccupied with crossing a road, or something.

[edit on 30-3-2009 by star in a jar]

In medicine, death by natural causes is a loosely-defined term used by coroners describing death when the cause of death was a naturally occurring disease process, or is not apparent given medical history or circumstances. Thus, deaths caused by active human intervention (as opposed to the failure of medical intervention to prevent death) are excluded from this definition, and are described as unnatural deaths.

The large majority of deaths in most countries are due to natural causes, and the majority of those deaths occur in old age.[citation needed]

In the United States for example, the most common natural cause of death is heart disease, accounting for 30% of all deaths. Other common natural causes are cancer, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, congenital anomalies, genetic disorders (such as cystic fibrosis), serious infections, and respiratory disorders (figures as of the year 2000).

en.wikipedia.org...

To an extent I agree on this, but natural causes must rule out any of our man made toxins that go towards causing any of these deaths.. so where does that leave us...

Well, natural causes like, umm... death..that's natural... as ravenshadow said about his moms friends mother just peacefully whent away..
Many other go peacefully in their sleep at night...no signs of trauma, no struggling or gurgling, gagging or thrashing...just gone...

You just never see it happen...

reply to post by Extralien


Oops. Disregard this post.

[edit on 3/30/2009 by ravenshadow13]

reply to post by Extralien


I'm a "her"

Haha, just so we're all clear.

But yeah I mean I don't really think it's very common. But I do think you can just die of old age, peacefully. That's how I would want to go.

So where are they all....

Even if walking around keeps your mind off of dying, you'd think that the ocasional person who sits down for a few minutes rest would be so kind as to pop off....

You dont even see a few on the beach in the mornings who have spent the night sunbathing...

And imagine places like Hyde park in London or Central park in New York.
You don't see pigeons stealing half eaten sandwhiches from the hands of lunch time 'clockers off'...

I'd venture to guess it's because most people who die from natural causes or even a medical condition, disease do so in a hospital, nursing or convalescent home or even their own not walking down the street or laying on a beach. You do hear about people being found dead various places occasionally but I think most of the time it's not in a public place.

Originally posted by warpboost
I'd venture to guess it's because most people who die from natural causes or even a medical condition, disease do so in a hospital, nursing or convalescent home or even their own not walking down the street or laying on a beach. You do hear about people being found dead various places occasionally but I think most of the time it's not in a public place.

But that's the strange thing of it... and the point of this thread...

Why don't we see oodles of people randomly logging off?
Ok, we don't see babies being born as they have a nasty habit of taking nine months to pop up, but Death sticks his scythe in whenever he damn well pleases....

Life, or reather death, is such a natural and random occurence that both have to happen equally all the time. We all see thousands of people everyday...

But not one of them pass away in front of our eyes....well, maybe that's not the case for hospital or care home workers.. but they expect to see it happen..