Dying with your eyes open

[RoJoHen]

It seems to be getting increasingly common in TV and movies for characters to die with their eyes open. This is often followed by a dramatic moment where another character closes their eyes.

Now, my question is, how often do real people die with their eyes open? How often do people die mid-conversation? In most cases I would imagine (even in the case of sudden trauma like a gun shot wound) that people would pass out before they actually die.

Having characters die with their eyes open, to me, seems to imply that their brain just stops while they're in the middle of something, and that seems bizarre to me.

 

[Daneel]

I'm not sure how often that happens in real life, but I remember seeing a fictional character die with they're eyes open kind of confused me when I first saw it as a child. I think I asked an adult, "Is he dead?" When they said yes, I then asked, "Then why are his eyes still open?" To my young mind, dying and closing your eyes just went hand-in-hand.

 

[Kestra]

Why is that so strange? You die when you die. Also, I can sleep with my eyes open.

 

[Roger Wilco]

Also, I can sleep with my eyes open.

I don't believe that.

 

[RoJoHen]

Why is that so strange? You die when you die.

But why? Unless you die very, very suddenly, I would think you'd probably fall asleep or pass out (and therefore close your eyes) before your body actually shuts down.

 

[ShamelessMcBundy]

Also, I can sleep with my eyes open.

I don't believe that.

My cousin sleeps with his eyes open. Creeped the living shit out of me when i first saw it.

 

[Kestra]

Also, I can sleep with my eyes open.

I don't believe that.

Okay?

Why is that so strange? You die when you die.

But why? Unless you die very, very suddenly, I would think you'd probably fall asleep or pass out (and therefore close your eyes) before your body actually shuts down.

From what I understand, there are muscles that actively keep your eyes open or shut. I think when you die, they might end up in a a partially open state as the muscles fail.

 

[ThankQ]

Your eyes end up however they were when you lose control over the muscles.

It's that simple. If the muscles are in an open position when they stop working, that's how they'll stay. The same the other way around.

If you've decided to belive anything else, it's likely because of the childhood ignorance to which you've allued. You assuemed something true when you were young, and now, even though you realize it's false, 20 years later, you're still having trouble breaking that belief that you formed when you were young.

God, I seem to be talking about the same thing all day today!

 

[Roger Wilco]

Okay?

I'm sorry, I had no idea it was possible for humans to do that. But after googling a little apparently it is.

eta: and btw. ontopic - if you look at war photos and things like that, people dying with open eyes is not uncommon at least when a death is traumatic and sudden.

 

[RoJoHen]

If you've decided to belive anything else, it's likely because of the childhood ignorance to which you've allued. You assuemed something true when you were young, and now, even though you realize it's false, 20 years later, you're still having trouble breaking that belief that you formed when you were young.

What does that even mean?

I've encountered zero death in my life. The only experience with death that I have ever had has been through fictional characters in TV shows and movies.

I honestly have no idea why people would die one way or another. The idea of muscle control didn't even enter my mind.

 

[ThankQ]

Okay?

I'm sorry, I had no idea it was possible for humans to do that. But after googling a little apparently it isn't.

It's actually very common, but not so common that I couldn't believe you've never come across it.

But, your first reaction was "I don't believe" and now, through research and evidence, a belief has been changed.

_--------------------------

Let's not worry about who it is, or what the belief, but please, for one moment, let's all sit here, all of us who recoginize the wonder, and let's all sit here and soak in the fact, that, right before our eyes, we saw a belief change.

He had a belief, then he sought out evidence, then he changed his belief becuase all the evidence suggested something else was true.

Let's just all soak in that miracle.

 

[RoJoHen]

Do you talk like this in real life?

 

[Miss Chicken]

When my father died his eyes were partially open. I know because the doctor closed his eyes and pronounced him dead. Even though he couldn't talk I feel that my father was conscious until almost the end. I think he was trying to stay alive long enough for my brother to arrive from Brisbane. He seemed to be fightling death up to the time when we told him that his son's plane had landed. It was about a 30 minute drive from thr airport to the hospital. Dad died about 10 minutes before my brother finally arrived.

 

[ThankQ]

Do you talk like this in real life?

Like what?

 

[RoJoHen]

Like what?

Like this:

Let's not worry about who it is, or what the belief, but please, for one moment, let's all sit here, all of us who recoginize the wonder, and let's all sit here and soak in the fact, that, right before our eyes, we saw a belief change.

He had a belief, then he sought out evidence, then he changed his belief becuase all the evidence suggested something else was true.

Let's just all soak in that miracle.

I mean, that's a pretty random thing to say.

 

[ThankQ]

Like what?

Like this:

Let's not worry about who it is, or what the belief, but please, for one moment, let's all sit here, all of us who recoginize the wonder, and let's all sit here and soak in the fact, that, right before our eyes, we saw a belief change.

He had a belief, then he sought out evidence, then he changed his belief becuase all the evidence suggested something else was true.

Let's just all soak in that miracle.

I mean, that's a pretty random thing to say.

How is that random? In a world where the slightest belief in the absurd is held in the highest regard, one who changes a belief in a matter of a few minutes is nothing short of amazing.

The poster had doubt, he confronted his doubt, he examined his doubt, and all the evidence that he found told him that his doubt was wrong, so he abandoned that doubt and embraced what the evidence he discovered suggest was true.

Perhaps I'm alone, but I think that is utterly beautiful.

 

[RoJoHen]

I find it fairly mundane.

 

[ThankQ]

I find it fairly mundane.

Well, I suppose then you and I must inhabit different worlds.

In my world people change beliefes, even mundane, benign beliefes, very rarely.

Strangely, even more rarely than a changing belief is somone actually looking for evidence, one way or another, about his belief.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Like what?

Like this:

Let's not worry about who it is, or what the belief, but please, for one moment, let's all sit here, all of us who recoginize the wonder, and let's all sit here and soak in the fact, that, right before our eyes, we saw a belief change.

He had a belief, then he sought out evidence, then he changed his belief becuase all the evidence suggested something else was true.

Let's just all soak in that miracle.

I mean, that's a pretty random thing to say.

Sokath, his eyes uncovered!

 

[ShamelessMcBundy]

Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra!