Arnold Schwarzenegger Says the Idea of Death ‘Pisses Me Off’
Arnold Schwarzenegger shared some of his feelings on death in his latest monthly newsletter.
"Unfortunately, death is the one thing we can’t overcome," he writes. "And I have to say, that pisses me off."
Schwarzenegger, 73, says he wants his eventual death to be something that inspires his fans.
Coming to grips with mortality—and the fact that none of us will live forever—is something that's hard for anyone to do. And 'anyone' even includes someone who's been, at times, the biggest action movie star in the world, the biggest bodybuilder in the world, and, for eight years, the governor of California: Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The 73-year-0ld film and fitness legend has been using his monthly newsletter to share updates, sound off on any number of topics, and answer fan questions, and this month took the time to answer a question wondering how he feels about the idea of death, and how he wants his fans to remember him when he's eventually gone.
Schwarzenegger answered in a way that almost sounds like one of his action heroes: with anger. "Unfortunately, death is the one thing we can’t overcome," he writes. "And I have to say, that pisses me off."
He's always seemed like a guy who enjoys every last minute of every day of his time, and he articulates as such in his answer. "I have such a great time here that I hate the idea of death. I don’t like to think about it, I don’t even like to say the word," he says.
He continues, saying that the biggest worry of his entire life has always been the fear that one morning he'd wake up, and the entire thing—the movies, the bodybuilding, the politics—will have been a dream. He'll be a child in Austria again, being told by his mother to get out of bed and get to work at the factory.
And if his biggest fear has been that the whole thing could be a dream, he suggests that he feels the same fear about that living dream coming to an end. He raises the idea that others have—that living life aware of one's mortality, and that every day could be the last—is not one that concerns him, because he already lives every day grateful for all the joy and opportunities.
He's not one of those people who's unbothered about death because he's eager to get to the afterlife, either. "I’m not quite there yet," he says. "My life is heaven."
But at the end of the day, Schwarzenegger doesn't deny the fact that the end does come for everyone. And, in a decidedly Arnold way, he turns it into a positive—and a challenge.
"Despite my anger, I don’t want you to feel pissed off on my behalf or even sad when that day comes," he writes, eventually referencing his numerous life goals, including spreading positivity, leading a fitness crusade, and working to end gerrymandering and pollution. "I want you to be inspired. I want all of you to pick up wherever I leave off, because God knows, the work won’t be finished."
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