Mythra Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 What thoughts go through your head as you ponder your own demise? As you think about the end of your life, are you filled with fear? Or curiosity? Or are you resigned and indifferent about it? Or something else? Curiously, I find that I feared death more when I was a christian than I do now. And it seems like it was a really big deal to the other christians I knew as well. I say curiously, because if I was truly convinced to my core that I was headed to heaven and it was going to be magically wonderful, what would there be to fear? Could it be that deep down inside, in a place that was deeper than my conscious mind, I knew that heaven was pie-in-the-sky? I'm not afraid of death now. I'm quite sure of it. There have been two instances in the past few years when I was within minutes of being dead, had the circumstances developed differently. And I wasn't terrified. It was more like - ok. Let's see what happens next. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qadeshet Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 What thoughts go through your head as you ponder your own demise? As you think about the end of your life, are you filled with fear? Or curiosity? Or are you resigned and indifferent about it? Or something else? Curiously, I find that I feared death more when I was a christian than I do now. And it seems like it was a really big deal to the other christians I knew as well. I say curiously, because if I was truly convinced to my core that I was headed to heaven and it was going to be magically wonderful, what would there be to fear? Could it be that deep down inside, in a place that was deeper than my conscious mind, I knew that heaven was pie-in-the-sky? I'm not afraid of death now. I'm quite sure of it. There have been two instances in the past few years when I was within minutes of being dead, had the circumstances developed differently. And I wasn't terrified. It was more like - ok. Let's see what happens next. Could it be that fear of Hell, more than promises of Heaven, motivates most Christians? After all, the road to Eternal Life is a narrow gate and few will find it. We were unalive for over 13 billion years before we were born. I lost my fear of death when I left Christianity. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travi Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Yeah, having brushed with death so many times in my life - it is not something that I actively fear anymore. Used to as a Christian, it was more the aspect of: "Am I doing well enough to make it into heaven when I die?" Now, it's just - eh, I'll find out if such places exist when I draw my final breath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator buffettphan Posted November 22, 2015 Super Moderator Share Posted November 22, 2015 I don't fear death itself. But sometimes I do think about (almost fear) how I might die because I don't want it to be painful or a long-drawn out process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Margee Posted November 22, 2015 Moderator Share Posted November 22, 2015 I don't fear death itself. But sometimes I do think about (almost fear) how I might die because I don't want it to be painful or a long-drawn out process. buff, beside the fact that I'd like to stay around this foolish earth for a while to see what actually happens to mankind, this would be my dilemma about death also. Sleeping is so beautiful. That's how I think death will be. Like a long sleep you will never wake up from. And yet, I have to admit, that makes me sad to let go of all the happy memories I've had on earth and will never remember them again.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shinzon Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 I fear more how I will die then that I will die. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mymistake Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 My only fear is that I don't want to die while my children are too young to handle it. It would mess them up. For me personally I've come to accept my nature. When I no longer exist it will be like the time before I was born. I fear no afterlife or superstition. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dichotomy Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 I think of death in two ways: I think I suffer from some kind of suicidal ideation, so when I'm in that frame of mind I find myself imagining ways to die and wishing that I could just bring myself to end it. When I'm not in the above state of mind, my general thoughts about death are fear for my children being left behind without me - I hope this will ease as they grow older and more independent. And not liking the fact that I will no longer exist and therefore won't know what happens in the story; both theirs and humanity's in general. The only reason I'd quite like there to be an afterlife is so I can see what happens *next*, how things pan out for the world and the universe. But other than that I don't think much at all, I'm certainly not afraid of dying and I quite like the idea of falling asleep and never waking up. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daffodil Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Like others, it's not death itself that I fear, but dying in pain and agony. I will definitely be moving to a "death with dignity" state if it comes to that. Death just makes me sad, like what Dichotomy said. I won't get to see my kids and hubby anymore. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geezer Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 I agree that Christians are generally far more concerned about death than non-believers. Christians say they are sure they are saved, but they clearly aren't sure because they know all the secret stuff that's in their closet. The gate is indeed narrow & they are very much aware of that and that makes them very much afraid. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disillusioned Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 I'm not afraid to die. I don't look forward to it, but I don't fear it either. I'm 99% sure that there is nothing after death. That thought doesn't bother me at all. What does bother me is that if I'm right, I won't ever know that I'm right. I would like to retain awareness after death for just long enough to verify that there is no afterlife. After that, bring on the eternal nothingness. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dichotomy Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 I'm not afraid to die. I don't look forward to it, but I don't fear it either. I'm 99% sure that there is nothing after death. That thought doesn't bother me at all. What does bother me is that if I'm right, I won't ever know that I'm right. I would like to retain awareness after death for just long enough to verify that there is no afterlife. After that, bring on the eternal nothingness. Yes this is another one of my "not knowing what happens" points. I want to know that I'm right also lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
directionless Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 I used to fear death more than I do now, but I've been irreligious most of my life, so Christianity wasn't the difference. I had a reassuring Christian dream after I drifted back to atheism, and that dream made me less fearful of death. So maybe I should credit Christianity with making me less fearful IDK. When I feared death, I worried that the only thing keeping us sane right now might be our sensation of objective rational reality through our bodies. With our bodies gone, our spirits might experience something like a nightmare or a bad trip from LSD that would continue forever. Another difference is that both my father and my cat were sick from cancer. I worried about how I would cope with the death of loved ones. Now I am through that crisis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blindsighted Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 I don't fear death. But I don't want to leave my young children. I've thought about the 2 times I was put under general anesthesia. It really was nothingness. I kind of think death would be similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mythra Posted November 22, 2015 Author Share Posted November 22, 2015 I don't fear death. But I don't want to leave my young children. I've thought about the 2 times I was put under general anesthesia. It really was nothingness. I kind of think death would be similar. That's what I think too. And how is that something to fear? I'm quite sure that the naturalist version of death is much easier to accept from a personal perspective than the christian version. Every christian who comes in here is fixated on death and can't understand why we aren't freaked out about the threat of hell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midniterider Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 What thoughts go through your head as you ponder your own demise? As you think about the end of your life, are you filled with fear? Or curiosity? Or are you resigned and indifferent about it? Or something else? Curiously, I find that I feared death more when I was a christian than I do now. And it seems like it was a really big deal to the other christians I knew as well. I say curiously, because if I was truly convinced to my core that I was headed to heaven and it was going to be magically wonderful, what would there be to fear? Could it be that deep down inside, in a place that was deeper than my conscious mind, I knew that heaven was pie-in-the-sky? I'm not afraid of death now. I'm quite sure of it. There have been two instances in the past few years when I was within minutes of being dead, had the circumstances developed differently. And I wasn't terrified. It was more like - ok. Let's see what happens next. I'm not old old yet so I dont have that death fear really. Both my parents (1 agnostic and the other pretty much atheist) both got Jesusy towards the end of their lives as death approached. I might too, who knows? A Christian ripped into me once because I pointed out that according to Revelation , God will destroy everything and take his Christians to heaven, so why worry about what happens down here on Earth? He didn't think that was a good way to live. I didnt either, but hey, that's basically what preachers say. Even the religious worry about what happens when you die, I think, even if they claim this belief in heaven. Sometimes it is disconcerting to think that I won't be here. But maybe I'll always be here. Maybe I have always 'been' here and just have a short memory. Maybe "I" am more than just a bag of flesh. Maybe "I" am really the sum total of all existence who is just pretending to be one of the bags of flesh wandering around on Earth. I like pantheism. The personal history that I can remember seems to indicate a lot of recurring consciousness. I'm awake, I'm asleep, I'm dreaming, I'm awake again. Why would that ever stop? Maybe I'll get old, die and start over. Maybe I'll just enjoy a sense of self without a physical body. Why do we consider 'this' being alive, anyway. This state could just be a birthing process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midniterider Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 I'm not afraid to die. I don't look forward to it, but I don't fear it either. I'm 99% sure that there is nothing after death. That thought doesn't bother me at all. What does bother me is that if I'm right, I won't ever know that I'm right. I would like to retain awareness after death for just long enough to verify that there is no afterlife. After that, bring on the eternal nothingness. Be aware long enough to make a post on Ex-c, then collapse. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mythra Posted November 22, 2015 Author Share Posted November 22, 2015 That thought doesn't bother me at all. What does bother me is that if I'm right, I won't ever know that I'm right. I've thought about that too. So I wonder what is worse, to be like us and never get the validation that you were right, or to be a religionist and never have to discover you were wrong? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blood Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 I don't fear death at all. What I do fear, however, is some Second Amendment Gun Nut going postal while I'm out shopping one day, or a neighbor not knowing how to properly hold his gun and accidentally firing it through the wall into my skull. This shit goes on every day here in the US. I don't mind dying, but I don't want to die solely because of someone else's stupidity. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dichotomy Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 That thought doesn't bother me at all. What does bother me is that if I'm right, I won't ever know that I'm right. I've thought about that too. So I wonder what is worse, to be like us and never get the validation that you were right, or to be a religionist and never have to discover you were wrong? It's very petty of me, but I would so love to be able to point out to them their wrongness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miamia Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 It's funny that I would see this. I was just thinking about this today and I realized why I don't like the idea of death. Its a boring cliffhanger. You don't get to know what happens next and it doesn't matter. I think it may be beneficial to progress to a state where this no longer bothers me. I think that maybe as I age, I will see it quite differently. I feel very different about the other things that scared me than I did as a child. I suppose my feelings about death will likely change as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geezer Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 I don't fear death at all. What I do fear, however, is some Second Amendment Gun Nut going postal while I'm out shopping one day, or a neighbor not knowing how to properly hold his gun and accidentally firing it through the wall into my skull. This shit goes on every day here in the US. I don't mind dying, but I don't want to die solely because of someone else's stupidity. Statistically, I believe its far more likely cancer or a DUI driver will get you before a "gun nut" does. However, if your neighbor is both an alcoholic and a gun nut, I suggest you move as quickly as possible. No use taking unnecessary risks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilith666 Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Terrified. I think about death every day: my own, my family's, my friends, my cats' (cat lady can't handle not having kitties), other people I don't know, and death as a general concept. Not in a morbid, fascinated way, but because I don't want anyone to have to stop existing. Is that weird? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mythra Posted November 22, 2015 Author Share Posted November 22, 2015 No, I don't think it's weird at all. Everyone thinks differently about death. And some of us are old enough to have changed our views of it several times. It can be a very tough subject to come to terms with. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Portobella Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 It's embarrassing to say, but sometimes I worry a lot about death. I have interacted with many dying people, and completely understand the inevitability of death. But I've never experienced a close friend or family member pass away... and that's what I'm afraid of. I have always tried to make the most of my personal relationships and time spent with those close to me, but I just can't imagine life without the people I love. Though I suppose that's pretty selfish of me. I'll come to terms with death one day, I'm sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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