From on my own experience, the people who suffer the most from a 'sudden death' are those that are left behind, while the deceased themselves are spared the angst and agony of being alive long enough to start to regret it. For myself, I feel like there are decades more to be experienced and goals ample enough to fill my every waking moment. Will I myself fade away, or burn out suddenly without any real foresight?
I'm not looking forward to either way of exiting this life, but I am aware that my peers and I are on a united path towards a dramatic drop in our numbers. I'm seeing childhood idols passing away at an ever-increasing rate, matched in ironic contract by the rise of "celebrities" and media or music personalities that I know absolutely nothing about. My "cultural references" have become "nostalgia" to the typical observer.
Perhaps I'm transitioning into another phase. I"m becoming less connected in one sense and more connected in others, in ways that are now my priority. I'm also becoming more conscious of each day, my opportunities, and that my limitations include some still unknown.
"I guess, it don´t matter, how old you are
or how old one lives to be
I guess it boils down to what we did with our lives
and how we deal with our own destinies
But something happens when you reach a certain age
Particularly to those ones that are young at heart
It´s a lonely proposition when you realize
That there´s less days in front of the horse
than riding in the back of this cart"
- John Mellencamp