Death: why is it feared?

Kalman · 23-03-2015 10:18PM

I don't give it a thought, besides, it's unhealthy . I lead a very busy life.

liam24 · 24-03-2015 05:42AM

Death is feared because natural selection favours creatures who fear it.

Sunnyisland · 24-03-2015 08:29AM

I don't fear death I don't want to die as I am living my life to the full in how I want.

I am 53 so in reality I have maybe 25/30 years left here in after hours :-) ,Sometiimes i look at my young grandchildren and think in 30 years I won't know how there doing, how there life's is turning out etc etc it's so unreal yet so very real as it is unavoidable.

Also would like to hope there is something after here ,whatever or wherever it is, this life can't be it can it ?

realdanbreen · 24-03-2015 09:28AM

liam24 wrote: »

Death is feared because natural selection favours creatures who fear it.

I would imagine that Death is feared mainly by those who do not believe in a higher power.

NI24 · 24-03-2015 09:50AM

realdanbreen wrote: »

I would imagine that Death is feared mainly by those who do not believe in a higher power.

You'd be dead wrong about that.

As others have said, it is the pain of dying and the old age that precedes it which I fear the most. Limited mental and physical capabilities, followed by pain? No thanks. Also don't understand this concept of dying 'peacefully' and 'painlessly' in one's sleep. If I'm not mistaken, if you're dying, it's because your body is attacking and killing you.
.... And I don't know about you guys, but I wake up if my cat walks across my belly.

im6foot4 · 24-03-2015 10:21AM

If you say death is the end of existence, you're wrong.

If you say death is the gateway to an after life, you're wrong.

If you treat your assumption of what happens after we die as a fact, you're wrong.

We are all oblivious to what happens, not one single person on Earth knows, unless of course they're a necromancer.

im6foot4 · 24-03-2015 10:26AM

OT: Fear of the unknown is what crippled me the most when I was younger, the very thought of it was scary. But now, I see it as the answer to the biggest question, we as humans, ask. Never know what's gonna happen till you find out yourself.

dashcamdanny · 24-03-2015 10:27AM

im6foot4 wrote: »

If you say death is the end of existence, you're wrong.

If you say death is the gateway to an after life, you're wrong.

If you treat your assumption of what happens after we die as a fact, you're wrong.

We are all oblivious to what happens, not one single person on Earth knows, unless of course they're a necromancer.

Fairly sure decomposition happens.

As you are no longer in there, and no longer exist, it should not bother you.

Akrasia · 24-03-2015 10:45AM

realdanbreen wrote: »

I would imagine that Death is feared mainly by those who do not believe in a higher power.

The opposite is true.

I'm an atheist. I don't fear death because there's literally nothing to be scared of

On the other hand, if you believe in an afterlife, then death is 'the unknown' and it could either be a lovely place, or the worst kind of eternal torture imaginable

You not only fear for your own eternal soul, but the eternal soul of everyone you care about. How could death not be terrifying if you think your beloved mother might possibly be roasting on a spit for eternity because she prayed to the wrong version of god?

Akrasia · 24-03-2015 10:53AM

im6foot4 wrote: »

If you say death is the end of existence, you're wrong.

If you say death is the gateway to an after life, you're wrong.

If you treat your assumption of what happens after we die as a fact, you're wrong.

We are all oblivious to what happens, not one single person on Earth knows, unless of course they're a necromancer.

Everyone knows what happens when we die. It's just a lot of people are in fantasy world and choose to deny reality. (excluding those who are suffering from mental illnesses and impairments that prevent them from grasping reality)

It's obvious what happens when we die. Our brain stops working and our consciousness disappears. The physical substance of our body is recycled in part and the rest is lost to entropy

There is absolutely no reason to believe that anything else happens after death.

Consciousness is only possible under extremely specific conditions, even the tiniest change to our brains chemistry can cause massive changes to how our consciousness works. When the brain atrophies, we lose cognitive abilities, when we die, our brain gets starved of crucial resources that are required to prevent necrosis and atrophy and the delicate structures of our brain get destroyed and with them, goes our consciousness. The end. Game over.

24-03-2015 10:56AM

As with a few others death holds no fear or mystery for me. It neither worries nor stresses nor scares me.

The actual process of dying however - whatever it might end up being for me - scares me silly however. I am a total wuss with pain to the point a wasp around my head can reduce me to contortions of fear and tears. So the method by which I meet death does hold some preoccupation for me - leaving me all for Assisted Suicide should I ever reach a point in life where I can not take any more of it.

Even have a few mutual pacts with a few people close to me that we will help subtely off each other should it ever come to that.

CramCycle · 24-03-2015 10:58AM

realdanbreen wrote: »

I would imagine that Death is feared mainly by those who do not believe in a higher power.

? I know plenty of supposedly devout catholics who fear death. I find it odd that they do, considering their beliefs but, well whatever. Many I suspect would be doubting Thomas's if a gun was put to their head and they were asked to deny.

Ciderswigger · 24-03-2015 11:18AM

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

I don't think anyone dies peacefully. I think that is something doctors and nurses say to placate people.

I would have to disagree with you. I was in the room when my dad died. I saw him suffer unbelievable pain for 6 years. He had 4 massive strokes, a heart attack and about 200-300 mini strokes in that time frame, as well as countless other ailments.

Throughout the day that he died he was struggling to breathe and his pain medication was topped up hourly. But about 10 minutes before he passed away his breathing calmed down, it was like his airways opened and he could finally take in deep breaths. He stopped groaning from the pain. Minutes before he died he was sleeping and definitely definitely peaceful.

Similarly, my neighbour's dad passed away last week. She was in the sitting room with him watching tv. He was dozing on the chair, let out a little sigh and died.

Not everybody dies gasping and clinging onto life, some people have very peaceful deaths and I hope mine is like that....but not for a long time.

24-03-2015 11:22AM

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

I don't think anyone dies peacefully. I think that is something doctors and nurses say to placate people.

I think it was one of the Chieftains - or the Dubliners - not sure which - who had a house near the pier of howth harbour. Anyway one of the local fishing guys - also a good friend of my dad (which is how I got to hear the story) went around to take the old guy fishing.

The ex-muscian come fisherman invited him in for breakfast - and he accepted and came in and sat down. They were sitting there having breakfast having the usual old chat. Then suddenly the guys head simply slopped onto his chest and he was gone.

My dad said when telling me the story - and I am inclined to agree - that that would be as peaceful a way to go as there could be.

mister gullible · 24-03-2015 12:11PM

I am middle aged and will soon be gone. I don't fear death. I fear my wife will be sad and lonely and when the sadness wears off, she will still be lonely and I won't be there to take care of her. That is all I fear.

Tilly · 24-03-2015 12:22PM

When my Dad died (he had a massive heart attack) I wasn’t afraid to everdie. That was 20 yrs ago. I started being afraid of dying when my sister died(she had breast cancer). It was an awful death and the last coherent text to mewas that she was scared and not to tell anyone. Dying of cancer scares me!

sbsquarepants · 24-03-2015 01:36PM

Death doesn't actually exist in any real sense for the person doing the actual dying - when you're alive you aren't dead and when you're dead you aren't alive so know no different.

There is some far more eloquent quote saying as much - but I can't remember how it goes!

Akrasia · 24-03-2015 01:44PM

sbsquarepants wrote: »

Death doesn't actually exist in any real sense for the person doing the actual dying - when you're alive you aren't dead and when you're dead you aren't alive so know no different.

There is some far more eloquent quote saying as much - but I can't remember how it goes!

“Death is nothing to us, since when we are, death has not come, and when death has come, we are not”

Epicurus, circa 300bc

kowloon · 24-03-2015 02:03PM

surpy wrote: »

I'm afraid no one will clear my browsing history

Valid concern.

sbsquarepants · 24-03-2015 02:24PM

Akrasia wrote: »

Epicurus, circa 300bc

That's the one!

His version is a lot easier on the ear:D

Zippie84 · 26-03-2015 03:15PM

My gut feeling on this thread has always been 'I don't think I fear death at all. I didn't choose to be here, didn't choose to be alive and have to keep living every day. I'm doing it cos I'd no choice in the matter, and the opportunity to be relived from the pain of life, but without it needing to be at my own hand, would be not feared, but rather welcomed'.

I hope that one day I will feel differently from that, and will keep doing what I can so that I can hopefully develop a life that feels meaningful, that I can hopefully actually want to be here, rather than just being here cos I've no real choice in the matter and I hope that one day living will stop hurting so much'.

Spunge · 26-03-2015 03:40PM

same reason a boards ban is feared.

Kalman · 01-06-2015 09:09PM

My cat will go hungry

uck51js9zml2yt · 01-06-2015 09:14PM

No option for not fearing death.
Having just been diagnosed with a heart condition in my mid 40's I can honestly say "o death , where is your sting ?"

I'm going home

whether He calls me now or in 30 or 40 years I'm going home to where my Father is.

JustTheOne · 01-06-2015 09:26PM

If everyone died in the world right now nothing would matter anymore to anyone.

It's all pretty pointless if you ask me.

Summer wind · 01-06-2015 10:04PM

I posted this a couple of days ago but I can't find the thread now. I don't know maybe it was deleted. What I think happens when you die is that your soul is released from your body like a tiger is released from a cage. Anytime I've seen somebody dead and laid out you can tell that light inside them has gone. I would really like to think there's somewhere for it to go.

Of course it's completely normal to fear death. It's the fear of the unknown really isn't it. All we can do is live well and love well and hope for the best.

Kalman · 01-06-2015 11:25PM

As I mature with age, I find myself in attendance at the funerals of friends that I once knew. [it’s an age thing]
Glancing at my wrist watch, I realized that my time is on there and that there is no escape.
For now is all the time all of us have! It is a strange thing, but death reminds me of winter>>>no, I don’t fear it.

I can sing ’ I Did It My Way’ back-to-front from the amount of times I have heard it played>>it seems to be a favourite request at funerals.

Only last Friday morning at the funeral of a dear friend, outside, in the churchyard life went on as usual, a gardener attended the confetti spangled lawns and lusty blackbirds chirped away from atop of the yews. [life and death]

The smell of the freshly mown grass and the scent from the hawthorn blossom carried on a gentle zephyr, invaded the little lavender scented chapel

Inside the plangent sounds of an older member of the family could be heard above the sound of ’Whispering Hope’ [my favourite].

At the post-funeral reception , in stark contrast, to the aged mourners, a young lady cradled an crying infant. One departed and one arrived.
Such is life.

SpaceTime · 01-06-2015 11:40PM

It's not death I fear, it's dying!

I've seen too many relatives die very drawn out deaths and that's actually my biggest fear. I actually dread the thought of just being in agony like that.

I saw my grandmother die and honestly it changed my view of euthanasia. She was an amazing woman, great fun, endless jokes - loved life. To watch her just basically first suffer broken bones, surgery to replace bones with steel rods and then basically starve to death due to inability to absorb food dosed up to the eyeballs on morphine was frankly horrific.
I'm over the fact she died, I'm still very traumatised by how she died - actually don't think I'll ever be over that. Still gives me nightmares.

Obviously I want to continuing experiencing life for as long as possible, having fun, enjoying existence but when I do go, I just hope it's quick!

I don't mean to traumatise people or upset people but that's what I fear most.

If I just get to be a ripe old age and have a heart attack when I least expect it, that would suit me fine and actually doesn't worry me in the least.

Scuid Mhór · 01-06-2015 11:48PM

Heckler wrote: »

Fear of the unknown. And even atheists are secretly scared. The idea that you cease to exist is a mind bender. Its the ultimate question. I'd love to have faith but I don't. What gets my gander up is so much harm has been done in the name of religion. If it turns out to be a falsehood.......millions upon millions of people will have died for something that never existed. Thats a brain melt.

I don't want to lose my sense of perception, I've had it for as long as I can remember

Call Me Jimmy · 01-06-2015 11:57PM

Feels like life is so tenuous, any breath could be the last. I don't even take breathing for granted. With no warning my body could just crap out. I'm so conscious of it recently, it's very hard to shake the feeling.

Death: why is it feared?

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