Does death scare anybody else?

[windsurfer-sp]

Re: Does death scare anybody else?

Think about if there is an afterlife, in the bilbical sense. Existing for ETERNITY. FOREVER. How strange would that be, knowing that you would exist forever. But think about it. Everything we do is based on the fact that nothing happens forever. Does that mean if we have a new existance in this so called afterlife, we will eventually have to die there too? So will we forever be trapped in a cycle of living and dying. But won't then this cycle have to be broken, because nothing can exist forever? Could this mean we could be stuck in an infinite amount of existences, but these are also part of an infinite yet terminating part of another larger existence? I know these terms are contradictory, but it boggles the mind thinking about the obscene and incomprehensible repeating cycle of existences. But then also, will these existences be different so it becomes impossible to ever comprehend the meaning of life? These are the questions that I developed while contemplating death, which i end up doing a lot because i am an insomniac, giving me lots of time to do nothing. This might make my questions invalid, but thinking about them in a non-exhausted state gets me to the same place.

I belive when you get to ertenity it will make sense as our souls are no longer in a dimension where it cant make sense.

I belive there is a heaven and a hell and somehow you end up in one or the other. If im right then that may be a scary thought for some people.

I dont fear the process of dying or death because I look fowaqrd to heaven. The pain envolved in dying I think is overfeared as I think that the bodies senses will dull down.

Edit: ApocalypseAp- You dont spend eternitity in this universe, you spend it in hell/heaven.

MarKniaC- That generalisation about "spirtual people" being phsicologically is pretty misinformed.

[ZeroEiyuu]

Re: Does death scare anybody else?

Well we will never know what exactly happens in the afterlife. We could possibly end up living on forever through reincarnation and all and lose all of our memories in our new lives. It's a very sad thought to think that you'd forget about everything in the knew lives of reincarnation. Losing memories of our love, our families, our friends, everything. You could just die and that's it, you end up floating around in nothingness for all eternity. But you shouldn't really think about these things way too much. You should just live your lives to the fullest and enjoy your life.

I used to be afraid of death, every since my brother brought up the whole idea of my father dying. It really scared me that he would be gone soon forever. But later on I just realised that it's just part of life.

[nforcer06164]

Re: Does death scare anybody else?

You know, I was playing Trauma Center: Under The Knife last night, and the thought of death hit me really hard. I know that sounds weird, but the ending hits on some really thought-provoking points. We create medicine, create undying nations, defy the natural process of nature... but I'm getting beside the point.

It's really scary, for me at least, to think this is all that I get. And no matter how hard I try, I can't convince myself beyond a doubt that there's life after death. I mean, just about a quarter of my life, if I do live a full life, is practically over. Of course, we'll have all sorts of experiences that build up who we are, how we feel about ourselves, and determine if we have a "good life" or "bad life"... to what ends? We rot in the ground for all eternity.

It's really frustrating for me. If I didn't know, then I wouldn't be here. Of course life is a natural process that leads to death, but my consciousness just perpetuates the thought that death is an inevitable, horrible end. I am, but at some point I will not be. I know I'm talking in circles now. I'm not sure how to really express my thoughts. perhaps it's something that can only be felt. I was a bit tormented by the whole thing last night, anyway.

[Selinica]

Re: Does death scare anybody else?

Death?

Yeah, I don't fear it. I just fear becoming like my mother. And I don't trust other people easily with my hair. Hairdressers are the exception.

[Kite09]

Re: Does death scare anybody else?

Doesnt really scare me because ive accepted the fct that we all die at one point in time and that we cant stop it so enjoy life to its fullest now and dont worry when it comes because eventually it does come.

[DarkbearX]

Re: Does death scare anybody else?

People may deny it all they want, but I'm pretty sure everyone's afraid of death. Of course, it may cross one's mind and they may think, "Yeah, death doesn't seem all that bad." But if that person were to be in the process of dying, whether it be quick, like blood loss, or slow, like cancer, they'd probably be thinking or saying, "I don't wanna die!!11 D:"
With that said. I'd like to talk to someone that died during an emergency operation, and then revived. They'd probably have some sort of knowledge of what they were doing when they were dead. If they don't have this knowledge, then all the people say that death is blank, they're probably the most accurate.

[Tokzic]

Re: Does death scare anybody else?

I've been thinking about this recently, and come to this conclusion: the only thing that really makes any sense, at least to me, is reincarnation.

Why is this? Because, quite simply, we don't experience time when we aren't conscious. When you wake up from a dreamless sleep, you haven't got a clue how much time has passed if you don't have any way of figuring it out otherwise. 20 years is the same thing as an hour when you aren't conscious--it's all zero.

Also, there is some combination of the fundamental building blocks of nature that causes consciousness. Nothing else makes sense to me. When we are made unconscious for any reason, our consciousness can't manifest itself, and we don't feel time. So, I believe that after we die, whatever building blocks form our consciousness simply float around until they reform that consciousness, and it has a vessel that can experience time--in other words, the consciousness will be reincarnated. Assuming time is infinite, and this has a greater than zero chance of happening, it WILL happen--that consciousness will find its way into a situation where it can feel time. And it makes no sense for time to end or for there to be a zero chance of the consciousness forming, because that would create a situation that is mathematical nonsense -- you would experience zero time an infinity of times, which is 0^infinity, a nonsense expression without meaning. I don't think that this is the way the universe works, myself. At least, I hope it's not.

Which is why the only thing that makes sense to me is reincarnation. Reincarnation on Earth? Doubtful. But reincarnation somewhere, at some time, which you would experience immediately after death even though it was an astronomical number of years later? I don't see why not.

I find tying the concept of infinite time and the atom-vaporizing theory tie together quite well.

Assuming that time is infinite, and consciousness would return to you when the exact order of atoms were to reform themselves, then reincarnation is completely true. Since we are talking about an infinite timeline, anything that can happen will happen - and infinite times.

This means that sometime, likely after an unfathomable amount of years, an exact duplicate of your body will form somewhere and your consciousness will be placed in it. After you die, you wait that ridiculously long wait again, and then you will be placed in it.

However, this brings forth an interesting question... what happens when two exact copies of one body exist at the same time? You may say "oh that's never going to happen", but if time is infinite, it will.

WHAT THEN?

[xsora]

Re: Does death scare anybody else?

I get the feeling that I'm the only person that is as scared as death as much as I am. Well, not so much death as what comes afterwards. Basically, 2 things could happen. Either we go on living forever (heaven, hell, reincarnation, whatever) or we die and are dead and there's nothing. The problem for me is not the uncertainty of whether it will be eternity or completely nothing, but the fact that both of those outcomes scare me ****less.

Why? Probably because I can't imagine either of them. I mean, when I try to imagine nothing I just close my eyes and see black and somewhere in my head I think "k, that's nothing, just black." But nothing wouldn't even be that. It'd be...NOTHING. I can't imagine just not even existing anymore. It scares me the most.

Eternity though, that still scares me. Most people hear eternity and think "oh gee that'd be nice" but who actually sits and tries to think about it? Maybe I'm just weird but the thought of living forever and never stopping scares me. I mean, it seems like the thing to do, but there never being an end to my life is just weird. It seems like it should end but I don't want it to.

Mostly, I just wanna know if there's anybody else who thinks like I do. Is anybody else scared of eternity and nothingness?

Hmm, interesting question. I guess we all at one point fear death and everything about. Or maybe, just the mere word can strike fear in our hearts. But, the answer to why is clear: Humans, being as flaw-filled and confused fear terms that are not known to us, for we think if we know what actually happens during death we have no reason to fear it. But since it is said to be 'impossible' to talk to the dead and figure out what happens in the after life (which I still object to being false, ghosts are cool), we continue to ponder on the possible scenarios. Will we see a white light? God? Or a red light and a room filled with flame? The best thing to do in my opinion is to just forget about this whole death concept and move on to what's really happening; our lives.

[RandomPscho]

Re: Does death scare anybody else?

Why? Probably because I can't imagine either of them. I mean, when I try to imagine nothing I just close my eyes and see black and somewhere in my head I think "k, that's nothing, just black." But nothing wouldn't even be that. It'd be...NOTHING. I can't imagine just not even existing anymore. It scares me the most.

There is still something, and that something just is not you. You are thinking from your own percpective, think generally. Not scary It is as if there is a cloud, and than an hour later there is no cloud. Big whoop right? Same thing with lives, although your life means something to other people.

[xjohnieboyx]

Re: Does death scare anybody else?

I took the time reading the entire thread, because I am fond of these kinds of discussions, especially excluding silly people who don't take it seriously.

I agree with a few people here. Most of all, I agree with Shash's theory of reincarnation. Basically, what he said was just as good of a belief as any other argument i've heard on the topic.

To add (this is kind of off-topic, but not really), when I was in my young years (around my first year when I began to talk as a young child), my parents would walk me along in the street, and I would name the model of every car that we passed. Mind you, I was only beginning to communicate verbally, but I was already naming car models right and left. My parents contacted a research facility, where they were told that
"... We have to look at it from a reincarnation point of view, because there's no other explanation as to how your son can possibly know this..."
However, my parents were not satisfied, but they left it and just continued to be amazed at how a small child does not know to multiply but knows mostly every car model he sees. What amazes me most, is that when I walk in the street today, I don't know a single car model.

What's the reasonable explanation here?

[AnimeGeek]

Re: Does death scare anybody else?

I totally get what EB is saying. I mean, i saw this movie once (an old movie, like maybe late 80's early 90's, but i dont remember what movie it is) where this one guy died and they showed him in the afterlife and all it was was like a spirit with no defined shape with his head that was just floating around with a bunch of other spirits in one big room of some type, and yeah idk i just remember seeing that a long time ago. Anyway, i think the same things. I mean, if all of this heaven and after-life stuff is true, then dying should be a great experience since we will supposedly be 100% healthy all the time and never have to worry about anything else in the world. The only thing about that is you can't see all your loved ones anymore, unless they're dead with you. A friend of mine died about a year ago with a skateboard/carcrash accident. I always want to ask him what it's like to be dead, cause i'm curious. I mean, what if we die and then its just pitch black forever? Like, in our mind we still exist, but we can't see, feel, or touch anything, we can just think to ourselves and be like "where the hell am i?" forever. I don't know i just want to know what it's like, but be able to tell everyone else about it at the same time lol. They should do an experiment where these scientists/doctors could safely kill someone and revive them just as easily as they killed them. It sounds stupid, but if it works, they could possibly try to explain what it's like to be dead, if they can remember. It'd be interesting.

Yeah, its 8 in the morning, leave me alone.

i disagree with the idea of eternity being a good thing. sure, you'd be healthy forever, there would be no problems, and all that jazz, but apart from not being able to be with your living loved ones, the afterlife would be boring as hell. think about it; tenthousand years after you die, you get a paper cut from something (assuming there will be paper) and you don't feel a thing. it heals automatically. unless of course there is absolutely nothing you could hurt yourself on, in which case it would be boring asyway because there would be nothing but clouds (even that) and other souls. you'd be left with an eternity of nothing to do besides be dead with other people.
that would be the reason why i don't really like the idea of heaven. it's too perfect for me. (not bashing you lovely Christians out there! if that's your idea, go for it.)

[sherbtail]

Re: Does death scare anybody else?

lol as a christian Ive thought that before, but as humans we could never truly grasp the concept of eternity I dont think so its hard to imagine being in eternity and never getting bored
But in the biblical heaven, there is only joy. Therefore there is no boredom...you cant be bored, because your joyful. And you cant get bored of being joyful, because that would be unjoyful, and you cant be unjoyful...

[cC@Zz]

Re: Does death scare anybody else?

lol as a christian Ive thought that before, but as humans we could never truly grasp the concept of eternity I dont think so its hard to imagine being in eternity and never getting bored
But in the biblical heaven, there is only joy. Therefore there is no boredom...you cant be bored, because your joyful. And you cant get bored of being joyful, because that would be unjoyful, and you cant be unjoyful...

What do you actually do in Heaven is what I want to know. I sometimes wonder if all the stuff you loved in life is there in heaven for you. Like you can enjoy all the things you did in life but in Heaven. I just can't imagine being joyful about nothing really except the fact that your dead.

[sherbtail]

Re: Does death scare anybody else?

It says somewhere in the bible I think, that you just worship God for eternity... And I from some of the Godly raves that I've been too that that is pretty sweet. And you think it might get boring after 10,000 years... well it doesn't...because there is no boredom in heaven, only joy :P

[slipstrike0159]

Re: Does death scare anybody else?

One thing ive learned is that there is no reason to fear death because its going to happen whether you like it or not. What you should primarily be concerned about is how you spend your time here alive.
Everyone has their own idea about what happens in the afterlife or if there even is one for that matter. Its pointless to argue about it because no one can prove anything, and why would it matter if you were right anyway? The only reason to know what happens after death is to know how righteously or unrighteously to live your life. The pure and simple fact is that no matter what happens, we should still be kind and live our life to its fullest by enjoying it and by helping others enjoy it by your attitude (and/or service to them).