So what about you? Have you thought about how no one would ever know about your passing on when it comes to your internet life?
Yes, I have, for a few reasons:
1. A frequent poster at another forum I used to visit died of cancer. When it got to the point that there's was nothing left to be done, and he knew he didn't have much time left, he told the board about his illness. Some people had contact with him outside of the forum, so when he went into the hospital they shared the news. When he died, his girlfriend logged in with his account and let us know.
2. Several years ago my grandmother's sister and brother-in-law died of carbon monoxide poisoning. My grandmother's other sister survived, but had been unconscious on the floor for about 5 days, and never fully recovered. Unfortunately, with 3 senior citizens living together, it took a few days for anyone to notice that no one had seen them come out of the house.
3. One of my father's co-workers had family in Boulder, CO. Neither she or her family had heard from her brother in a while, but that wasn't all that unusual. He was the sort of person to take a trip or go camping without telling anyone, so at first they didn't worry. But when he didn't call anyone on Christmas, they started to worry. So they called the Boulder police who went to his apartment and found him dead.
as for the moment I live alone and could possibly lay in this house until the neighbors start smelling something funny...
Same here. Sometimes when I'm showering or standing on a stool changing a light bulb, it occurs to me that if I fall and kill or injure myself, by the time anyone notices, it'd probably be too late. If I failed to show for work, HR would call my parents, but if the accident happened on a weekend or when I was taking some time off, it might take a few days before that would happen.
You guys will just have to wonder if I am on a long hiatus...or not.
Again, same here. No one I know in real life knows that I post here, and I'm not in touch with any members outside of the public areas of the forum (i.e., there isn't anyone I regularly chat or pm with, nor does anyone here have my e-mail, phone number, or real name). If I were to choose to leave, it's unlikely I would announce my departure. (It's more likely that my life got busier and more interesting, until I eventually just stop coming here altogether.) So if and when I leave lpsg, it will be a mystery, although I don't expect anyone would notice.