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Death scares the shit out of me.
Mikesta
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Guys, the concept of death and the possibility of the nonexistence of an afterlife has been scaring the shit out of me lately. I've been thinking about it constantly. I don't want to just "cease", or otherwise have my consciousness disappear completely. I'd like to believe that my component parts might come together sometime in the future, say, after all of the matter and energy in the universe retracts into one super-dense whole and then disperses again.
Maybe then, my component pieces will come back together again and I'll live again. After all, if the universe exists in some form for all of eternity, and has existed for all of eternity, then it would have to repeat itself. Also, anything that is remotely possible would have to happen. Maybe. I dunno.
I can't sleep right now, and I'm tired as shit after having flown home for many hours after a family vacation.
Please, help me. I can't just subscribe to a religion and be done with it, because I can't forgo science and reason altogether, or accept something purely on faith. I've been an agnostic all my life, and this uncertainty is killing me. Offer me answers, offer me comfort, whatever. Please, help me chill, but don't lie to me about my future. Thanks.
Maybe then, my component pieces will come back together again and I'll live again. After all, if the universe exists in some form for all of eternity, and has existed for all of eternity, then it would have to repeat itself. Also, anything that is remotely possible would have to happen. Maybe. I dunno.
I can't sleep right now, and I'm tired as shit after having flown home for many hours after a family vacation.
Please, help me. I can't just subscribe to a religion and be done with it, because I can't forgo science and reason altogether, or accept something purely on faith. I've been an agnostic all my life, and this uncertainty is killing me. Offer me answers, offer me comfort, whatever. Please, help me chill, but don't lie to me about my future. Thanks.
You mess with the dolphin, you get the nose.
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Occupy yourself with hobbies and keep your mind off it. You can't live life in constant fear of death. They say that the way to get over a fear is to confront it, and since the possibility of death is always there I'd think you'll get over it pretty quick.
I like to believe that these impressions are like fingerprints, unique to the individual. And as you have acted and have been acknowledged by another person, if those actions are seen as good, they will in time act the same way towards another when in that situation, and another and so on. Little parts of ourselves and who we are making there way across the world.
Many of our actions and feelings come from those who have raised us, who have influenced us and continue to guide our actions even if they are no longer there. We remember what our dads would do, what our grandmothers would say, what our brothers might think if they were where we are. And we do those things, especially if we find that they are the right thing to do. We share these things with our friends and children, and watch as they put those same things into action.
This is the secret to a real and genuine immortality; the creation and maintanence of meaningful relationships with others. Being good and just in everything we do, so that our actions and our meaning is carried out into the world. In this way, we are carried forward through time by the chain of life, one link after another. Your children, your friends, your friend's children, and their children and so on all receive a little piece, and then a piece of that piece, on through the ages. You don't need an afterlife to live forever, just be good and surround yourself with good people. The rest will take care of itself.
You mess with the dolphin, you get the nose.
1. According to Krishna, the supreme god of the universe in Hinduism, the soul is eternal and immortal. Death just involves only the shedding of the body, but the soul is permanent. Notice that one aspect of Hinduism involves belief in a continuing cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth (Samsara) and the liberation from the cycle (Moksha).
2. The way of the samurai says: A true warrior knows he can die at any time, because of this; he embraces death without any fear and accomplishes his duty.
3. Death is certain for all living things, even the universe itself one day will cease to exist.
I am not trying to preach here, but this fear is a path I have walked before, it does not matter if we experience it or not, death is just part of this path called life.
You should take time to assess your own perspective. You're saying 'I don't want...' 'I'd like to believe...' and you must realize these things have no place in the objective, rational man. These are the things that lead to people to religion, religion gives people what they want, playing to their fears and giving them a false sense of security. Your mortality isn't going to go away because you don't like it.
I'd recommend looking into classical stoicism, namely the works of Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius. Classical stoicism focuses on man's relationship to both things within and outside his control. In a nutshell, any time you spend worrying about what you cannot control is wasted. Whether you like or dislike an inevitability won't change it. Just live with it, as everybody does and must.
Hell, just live.
I've been comfortable with death for most of my life. We all inevitably die, so there's no use fretting over it. How you choose to live in respect to death though can certainly go a long way.
I'm a big fan of that one.
Exactly.
The way I see it now, we're all automatons and there's not much difference between being alive and being dead, from a cosmic perspective. I guess that's just another way of saying saltiness's advice.
Matter can't be created or destroyed. Neither can energy. They stay at a continuous level within the universe at all times.
It's not impossible to think that the same principle applies to the forces that animate you.
I'll admit, I'm an atheist, and the thought of death doesn't bug me much, but that seems like a logical explanation to me.
And don't worry death scares the shit out of alot of people. But realize that death is a part of living and is probably the most natural thing that life does. Now its up to you to ascribe yourself to any philosophy to better deal with that reality. Humans have been wrestling with this concept since the dawn of our existence.
that's the way i think of it. it's not like you're forced to experience nothingness for eternity, which would scare me. as soon as i started thinking about this, I've thought of other ways to 'live' longer, such as being successful at something, or discovering something. I'm looking at going into scientific research now. if science isn't your thing, maybe art, photography, maybe poetry or a novel. if that doesn't help ease you, i would have to agree with getting some sleep and thinking it over, chances are you won't be dying any time soon. you have a life time to enjoy as much as you can.
Be a good person to your friends and family while you are alive. Raise some well adjusted children who grow up to be good people and who can look back on you fondly. In their minds you and the things you stood for will live on after you die.
If you want to exsist literally, um...look into cryogenics.
You mess with the dolphin, you get the nose.
And as my final statement:
So far, my goal has been achieved.
Dying is lame.
I'd recommend reading the whole thing, it's one of my favorite Onion articles ever.
"...birth—as well as the subsequent life cycle that follows it—may be a serious safety risk for all those involved."
I'm not saying run out and knock some girl up (and I'm assuming you aren't terminally ill or otherwise expecting to find out first hand about the afterlife issue very soon) but rather, just plan for and try to take comfort in a "normal life" and accept that part of you will live on in your heirs.
What you're describing there is more or less the principle of Eternal Recurrence. About 120 years ago, Nietzsche thought the same thing - except he pushed it a little bit further and argued that if all existence is doomed to repeat itself in an endless cosmic cycle, then we ought to live our lives in a way we'd be happy to repeat for eternity. So: if you believe what you've said above, then you have to ask yourself whether sitting around worrying about death is something you'd like to do forever. Somehow, I doubt your answer will be affirmative.
Of course, pithy philosophy alone is unlikely to help you get over what is a basically a psychological hang-up. But it's something to consider nonetheless.
"Oh, well, I wanted to meet Shakespeare and I figured that time was
cyclical."
"Nope, straight line."
Though, I believe the aging process may help with that. As you get older and your body wears out, you just might be more ready and accepting of the end. Of course, at 74, my grandpa was still not keen on dying. So, that theory might not hold a lot of water.
Maybe your component pieces will 'live again' in the belly of a shark, or a mass of bacteria- but thats a sorry kind of rebirth. You will never exist again. This is, of course, impossible to understand: how can you imagine the end of imagining? the end of that long conversation with ourselves that guides us all through the world? So don't try and understand. Living a good life is in some sense predicated upon the lie that life will go on and on forever- otherwise we should all cease to function. Accept it as best you can and move on.
If i get into a fight, that is pretty much my only worry.
Death happens. Sure, If i'm being beaten and i realise they might kill me, i will freak, but i think id rather die than become quadraplegic of somethig similar.
So, wait: you're saying that you'd rather die than chip a tooth?
Hey some people fear public speaking more than they fear death.
I read it somewhere.
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
You are going to die. So is everyone else.
No point getting worked up over something you can't change.