to know or not to know

I was sitting with a friend one day after school and we were having a pretty light-hearted conversation. After a good long laugh about something, there was a long pause. Then she reset the mood to a serious and thoughtful one by asking this question: Are you scared to die? I haven't really thought about that question before so i was pretty stumped on that question. It's a really good question to think about though. also, really open ended. I'm sure everyone is scared to die. Nobody is prepared for it and nobody gets ready to die. This led me to another question: would you want to know when you were going to die or would it be better left unsaid? This answer came to me right away. for me, it would be better left unsaid. I wouldn't want to know because that gives you a timeline, an hourglass with sand determining the rest of your life. I wouldn't be able to do anything and think about anything other than how much sand is left. People should know that life is invaluable and you only have one (not necessarily if you believe in incarnation and afterlife) so you should try to accomplish whatever you want to before your time is up, even though you don't know when that is. another reason i wouldn't want to know is because I love surprises. Death is not a very good surprise but thats just another explanation. and i guess this goes back to the question of fear of death. yes, i am scared to die but for the time being, i'll live in the present and the wonder of not knowing.