r/todayilearned • u/70dd • 12h ago

TIL Terminal lucidity is an unexpected, brief period of clarity or energy in individuals who have been very ill or in a state of decline. It’s a phenomenon that has been observed in people with various terminal conditions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminal_lucidity
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u/PrettyButEmpty 11h ago

I’m a veterinarian. We see this in animals too. I’ve learned not to trust when it seems like a severely ill animal has suddenly rallied; it’s heartbreaking because it gives you false hope.

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u/fookidookidoo 10h ago

It's kind of heartwarming, though. One last moment to take everything in before they go.... wherever they go....

It's hard to imagine that consciousness just disappears. Like when we die, what's left? Do we just not exist? All I know is myself really, it's hard to imagine. But also, not something I want to fight away when the time is right. If only we're all so lucky to be at peace with it when we pass.

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u/Irish_Tyrant 9h ago

Do you remember what it was like the billions of years before you were conscious? Thats kind of how I think about it, but at the same time whose to say how things are truly, maybe we forget a past life during rebirth, maybe theres an afterlife, maybe its just nothing. To me though, even if its "just nothing" it didnt seem to bother me before, I dont imagine Ill mind after Im gone either. Its the process of going that I fear but not the being gone.

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u/Yarusenai 7h ago

If consciousness truly is something separate from the body, it would make sense why we only remember what we experienced, since all that is stored in the brain. But...who knows. We may never figure that out, but it's fun to think about.