Death: why is it feared?

CramCycle

Sirsok wrote: »

How appropriate this thread is for me. The past few weeks I have been having panic attacks, not being able to sleep, crying to myself and being unable to enjoy things as a result of dear of dying.

I had the same

bb1234567 wrote: »

I just hate how so much work and effort is put into every human. Like think of all the resources we consume only to die later on and become nothing, what was the point of using such vast amounts of resources on me if I come of no use. All the electricity used for my TV and stereo, all the fuel I used for travelling, all the energy used to heat my home, all the animals that died to feed me, all the clothes Ive worn throughout my life, all the tress cut to make the books Ive read, the thousands and thousands of hours Ive spent in education to get a job, all the relationships and friendships Ive built throughout my life.. It just astounds me the amount of resources the average westerner consumes in their lifetime. And what does it come to. Nothing.

If that's your view, why do you care, not so much a waste as a change of state.

jaffusmax wrote: »

What will become of my loved ones after I die is my main concern. As an Atheist I do not nesscerally beleive in an afterlfe but the death process concerns me. I hope I do not lose my cognitive senses and only then have some priest come to my death bed to try and make me repent and seek salvation!

I firmly believe that losing my cognitive senses equals death, if it happens I hope someone puts me down my family don't need to see a husk to remind them of who I was.

SMJSF

I am atheist, and I've anxiety attacks when I sit and think about death. It scares me to think that nobody knows what's after- do we actually go for good, or do we come back as another person, even 59 years later? because, life would be a complete waste we were here for a certain amount of time, and then, gone, for good.

life hasn't treated me well, or the people around me, so I would like to think that's there may be another chance after this life..

Tarzana2

Saipanne wrote: »

No, it isn't. You completely misunderstand the situation.

I'm atheist and this is how I feel about. Now not every atheist will be the same as me, but that's how I feel about it myself. What am I misunderstanding? Is there a certain way atheist are supposed to feel? I never got the memo.

Oh, and I have thought about it. Most people have reflected on the subject at some point or other in their lives.

Vincent Vega

'After You Die'

Saipanne

Tarzana2 wrote: »

I'm atheist and this is how I feel about. Now not every atheist will be the same as me, but that's how I feel about it myself. What am I misunderstanding? Is there a certain way atheist are supposed to feel? I never got the memo.

Eternal life removes a vital option from life. The opportunity for it to end. No matter how long you exist in this eternal state, you will eventually run out of stimulus. A billion years. A trillion. 1x10^5358 years. Eventually you will want it to end. But no. It is eternal.

Death is a great thing, in the right context.

NachoBusiness

Seasons don't fear the reaper. Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain. We can be like they are.

Tarzana2

Saipanne wrote: »

Eternal life removes a vital option from life. The opportunity for it to end. No matter how long you exist in this eternal state, you will eventually run out of stimulus. A billion years. A trillion. 1x10^5358 years. Eventually you will want it to end. But no. It is eternal.

Death is a great thing, in the right context.

This is how you feel about it.

Not everyone does. Some people want life to end, some want it to go on forever, some are conflicted about it. What with people being, ya know, different and stuff.

Saipanne

Tarzana2 wrote: »

This is how you feel about it.

Not everyone does. Some people want life to end, some want it to go on forever, some are conflicted about it. What with people being, ya know, different and stuff.

Yea, but after trillions of years, all will want the same thing. Even you.

shanered

I once heard somebody say:

"The closest thing to death that everyone has already experienced, was before you were born."

For me this rings true. I believe death will be like before I was born, similar to the middle of last nights sleep I cannot remember.
For me I don't fear death, but I want to live (in my current health anyway) as death is coming one way or the other and I may aswell experience as much as possible before my moment of death.

blatantrereg

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

If you do why? And hence the poll because there can only be 2 reasons.

There are lots of possible reasons.

I generally don't think about my own death. I am more inclined to fear other people's deaths.

When I do think about my own death my feelings vary widely and sometimes but not always involve terror or dread at the concept itself, but can also feature sadness, concern the effects on others, concern I might not be satisfied with what I've done with my life.

Sometimes I feel a sense of comfort that my life is relatively meaningless in the larger scheme of things so I shouldn't worry too much about what I do or don't do.

Macavity.

I have no idea why one would fear death. It will be the greatest day of your life. You cannot have an experience of nothing.

Into The Blue

Shïtty pole, so didn't pick one.

The only reason I'm not looking forward to dying is the same reason i don't look forward to working away from home.

Don't like being away from my wife and kids.

On a purely selfish point, i will enjoy the end of my anxiety.

Deranged96

Everyone fears finality. Even putting fullstops into sentences unsettles people. those with perfect grammar have lines that run on... and on... and on. Death puts the finality on finality. No more of anything for you except senseless decomposition.

Finality of course is a double-edged sword and makes death attractive to some, the promise of nothing for ever.

_Kaiser_

All things considered, we're here during a fairly good time in history (for us as in Ireland) - no famine, no poverty for the vast majority, not involved (even indirectly) in any wars, better off materially than we've ever been etc

Sure we have gombeen incompetent politicians who infuriate us and rob us blind at every opportunity but we don't have to fear the riot squad breaking our doors down for bitching about them or being randomly interrogated or lifted off the street by a KGB-like police.

What I hope is that when the end comes it comes quickly and painlessly and definitely before I became a burden to my loved ones. At the same time, hopefully not until I've gotten to see my little fella grow up and establish himself. It frustrates me a bit that I won't get to see the next leap forward...when you think about how far technology and our interaction with it has come in even 30 years, where will we be in the next 50, or 100?

It may not matter of course if certain countries develop nukes as while the West and Russia had decades of living under the shadow of Nuclear War, there are a lot of crazed fundamentalists who would probably not be as hesitant to use them - and being so close to the UK and US with their MNCs all headquartered here, you can be sure we'd be a secondary target at least.

Hans Bricks

When you think about whether or not we have an existential spirit or something that lives on after the death of your physical form on Earth, would that carry on wandering aimlessly in a semi conscious state ?

I'm just curious about whether our non-existence before conception is the same as what follows after the death of our physical form ?

Clandestine

Duggy747 wrote: »

When I was 13 we took in our granny for about 5 years when she had Alzheimer's and watched her fade away to nothing until she died.

A good while before she died she was just a shell; Lights were on but nobody was home so the person we knew was already well gone by the time she died.

I couldn't put my family through that. If I got Alzheimer's or something just as debilitating I'd take the Smith and Wesson retirement plan.

Clandestine

SMJSF wrote: »

life hasn't treated me well, or the people around me, so I would like to think that's there may be another chance after this life

There is no other chance, this is the only one you've got. Its something we all have to accept, no matter how awful it may seem. But don't worry about the end when it hasn't come yet.

Clandestine

I'd recommend people who are anxious about death (or anything else really) to read up on Epicurus. Best reading I've ever done in my life.

Dirty Dingus McGee

Sirsok wrote: »

How appropriate this thread is for me. The past few weeks I have been having panic attacks, not being able to sleep, crying to myself and being unable to enjoy things as a result of dear of dying.

This was an issue in my younger year but has not crossed my mind for over a decade. I am constantly reminded of death everywhere, watchin tv, video games, conversations...even phrases like a god help ya or I'm dying after drinkin makes my stomach drop.

The thoughts of loved ones along with myself ceasing to exist scares the fcuk out of me. I have been contemplating rediscovering religion. I had a discussion with a Muslim taxi driver before and I admired that he was full sure that when we die we meet god. I couldn't believe his conviction. I need something in my life to assure me everything will be ok when I'm gone as I am drivin myself insane and depressed at the age of 25.

Pretty much exactly the same as how I feel.I went through a phase like for about a month and it only really subsided in the last couple of weeks. Although I don't feel quite as bad right now I have a feeling that is only because I have booked an appointed with a physciatrist and I think it's had some sort of placebo affect on me.

My Granny died a month ago an had been dying since Christmas and although I thought I had been dealing well with it this is probably what bought it on.Regardless of their perhaps being some root cause to it, it's still a pretty terrible way to feel.

newmug

Have a read of some of these. Near Death Experiences.






http://www.nderf.org/NDERF/NDE_Archives/Exceptional%20Accounts.htm

YFlyer

Have no fear.

wretcheddomain

The phrase 'near death experience' is a loaded phrase.

You're either dead, or you're not dead.

If I walk along the pavement and a car almost takes me out, technically I would have had a 'near death experience'. The reality is, though, is that I was just lucky I wasn't killed - big difference.

Besides, folks from different religions see different things in a NDE. A Christian will see Jesus or some other such figure, while a Buddhist sees no figure at all.

I think they all cancel each other out, leaving folks with an 'experience on the hospital bed' rather than the ludicrously named 'near death experience'.

YFlyer

Saipanne wrote: »

Eternal life removes a vital option from life. The opportunity for it to end. No matter how long you exist in this eternal state, you will eventually run out of stimulus. A billion years. A trillion. 1x10^5358 years. Eventually you will want it to end. But no. It is eternal.

Death is a great thing, in the right context.

In the absolute or transcendence there is no time.

Too Tough To Die

I fear dying. Couldn't give a schit about being dead.

wretcheddomain

Saipanne wrote: »

Eternal life is just meaningless and cheapens the earthly existence.

I object to not having a choice about eternal life.

I honestly do not know how anyone can believe in such a stupid concept.

What it argues is this - that a woman isn't just giving birth to a child, but she's giving birth to an entity that will live forever (both in this world and the next).

Millions of women around the world each day giving birth to entities that will live forever. The woman who was raped yesterday will give birth in nine months to a child that will live forever.

It's so *stupid*.

To those fools who argue there is no time in heaven. Well, you need time to have an experience and, if there is no time, you can have no experience in heaven. That is neither positive or negative, but blandly neutral. Who wants mediocrity and neutrality for eternity? Again, nonsense defined.

Mallagio

The only thing that is true about this life is that nobody knows why we are here and nobody will ever know whilst here.

We're not meant to know and that's purposely done imo - I believe in more, what that is will only be known when our time is up here.

Everything we've read and been told is an opinion, in truth a lie that has been snowballing out of control since we began multiplying.

Just my 2 cents.

wretcheddomain

Mallagio wrote: »

The only thing that is true about this life is that nobody knows why we are here and nobody will ever know whilst here.

We're not meant to know and that's purposely done imo - I believe in more, what that is will only be known when our time is up here.

Everything we've read and been told is an opinion, in truth a lie that has been snowballing out of control since we began multiplying.

Just my 2 cents.

We do know why we're here. As with other animals, our evolutionary purpose is to pass on our genes. Whether individuals want to add a superficial purpose on top of that is their own decision.

Who says we're not meant to know? Isn't it unusual you're claiming knowledge about something we're not meant to know?

The last two lines you wrote were akin to the type of nonsense spouted by those engaging in drunk poetry - meaningless waffle passing itself off as intellectual sophistication.

newmug

wretcheddomain wrote: »

The phrase 'near death experience' is a loaded phrase.

You're either dead, or you're not dead.

If I walk along the pavement and a car almost takes me out, technically I would have had a 'near death experience'. The reality is, though, is that I was just lucky I wasn't killed - big difference.

Besides, folks from different religions see different things in a NDE. A Christian will see Jesus or some other such figure, while a Buddhist sees no figure at all.

I think they all cancel each other out, leaving folks with an 'experience on the hospitable bed' rather than the ludicrously named 'near death experience'.

Not really. The term "NDE" means that you were actually, clinically, dead, and then revived. And the fact that these people from different religions, and none, all say there's something after your meaty vehicle expires, is definitely food for thought. These people cant all be lying.

wretcheddomain

newmug wrote: »

Not really. The term "NDE" means that you were actually, clinically, dead, and then revived. And the fact that these people from different religions, and none, all say there's something after your meaty vehicle expires, is definitely food for thought. These people cant all be lying.

Christian experience Jesus.

Atheist experience nothing.

Muslim experience Allah.

Buddhist experience Nirvana.

Mormons experience Joseph Smith.

The food for thought is that they've all had an experience. The content of that experience would, in my view, rule out any religious answer whatsoever.

Moreover, an individual having an experience does in no way verify the truth of any supernatural explanation. If supernatural is defined as beyond the natural, how could they possibly experience something 'supernatural' with their limited 'natural' faculties?

BeerWolf

I'm not afraid of death, rather more I'm curious about it.

What happens to your consciousness, that voice inside your head? You didn't exist before you were born, your consciousness came into being after... where does that consciousness go when you die?