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How do you deal with the fact that you will die?

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I try not to think about death, which is the best kind of thinkin for me especially with the job I have. I'm more afraid of what will happen to my family and friends while I'm dead.
 

decisions

Member
I dont. The technological singularity will hit in our lifetimes. We will be the first gen of immortals or last gen to die. But I think it will be the former.

Science points to this. There are scientists who think that this will become common knowledge in a decade after certain breakthroughs (SENS Foundation).

Of course we will not be immortal, just much more time to be young and fulfilled as long as we don't get hit by a truck. I welcome it tbh.
 
It motivates me to do what I can, while I still can. Especially after coming really close to dying after taking a bite of a doughnut and collapsing shortly afterwards. I remember thinking "oh, shoot... something's not right", and then waking up several hours later in the hospital. Doctors told me I experienced some kind of rare, and very severe "transient immune response" that sent my blood pressure plummeting out of control, which ultimately led to cardiac arrest. If paramedics had not gotten there in time to restart my heart, that would've probably been it for me. I mean, I was told my heart could've restarted on its own since it's structurally normal, but that it's not guaranteed to do so.

Anyway, I don't wish it on anybody, but as a skeptic it was a pretty interesting experience to go through. Everything just "went black" all of a sudden. No dreams, no images nor sounds, no sensations, no "near death" anything. Just nothingness. It felt like 1975 again (I was born in 1979).
 

pixelation

Member
I don't fret it, i am more upset than anything... i am sure that there is an afterlife. I am sure there is a God and a Devil, i just don't know if the Bible tells the story like it is... and i have sooo many conflictive thoughts about the whole thing.

- Why would God let people be born in a country where they worship the "wrong" god(s)?
- Why would God allow for people to be born homosexual if he considers that an unforgiveable sin?
- Will he really not forgive a sinner who never repented of his actions while alive?, like... never ever?, not after a million years?, what kind of a father is that?

So i get upset more than anything... upset that i don't have the answers to my questions and i may be living my life with self-imposed limitations only to possibly find out at the end that it was all for nothing.
 

thebeeks

Banned
I try not to think about death, which is the best kind of thinkin for me especially with the job I have. I'm more afraid of what will happen to my family and friends while I'm dead.


100% this. My concerns are not on death, but on knowing if my husband will be okay. I don't mean that in a conceited "how can anyone live without ME?" way, but rather a "man, I really hope he'll be okay" way.
 

CSJ

Member
I fear growing older more, less and less time to do the things in my youth I've wanted to, yet to do, but can't or haven't yet. Even now, things have passed me I will literally not have the chance to do, it's gone; for ever.

Regret is more painful than the void of death.
 
Everything dies. We, the stars, in the end, the Universe itself. We are a temporary ordered arrangement of particles, and in the end, the second law is absolute: entropy wins.

As many said, after death we won't experience anything, so there is nothing to fear. Yet, there are a number of things that I can't help but worry about:

I worry my death will be painful. The thought of drowning or burning to death terrifies me. Or long suffering with a terminal illness.

I feel sad thinking about losing my loved ones, or about their suffering if I go first.

Finally, I feel sad knowing that there is no lasting legacy anyone, or humanity itself, for that matter can leave in the grand scheme of things. All our great works and knowledge will be forgotten, and there will be no proof we ever existed, in the long run.

This is the stuff that keeps me up at night, sometimes. I think there is nothing we can do but try to accept it and prepare for it, and hope it goes as well as possible. I believe we should live for our experiences, our interactions with others, our connections. In these brief moments, I feel, we are truly alive.
 
I do not really think about it. If I did I would be an absolute wreck. I am not really religious but I believe there is some form of afterlife. If I am wrong about that than I am wrong, no sense worrying about something that is inevitable.
 

smisk

Member
Mostly I try not to think about it. Sometimes it just dawns on me that I and everyone I know will eventually age and die.. I wonder if one ever comes to terms with this.
 
I just hope that it won't be painful and that it comes before my health goes to shit due to old age.

Hopefully reincarnation is a thing and I get to be a cute grill on the next life.
 
I've learned to calm my mind about it, though I'm now at the age(39) where I've really started thinking about my personal legacy, mortality and what I'd like to accomplish for the 2nd half of my life( assuming I double my age per statistical avg without anything unpredictable along the way). The main thing that makes me sad is not being around in 100 years to see what innovations in science, medicine, and technology will be around at that point.
 

Gattsu25

Banned
I try not to think about it but have to be realistic about it. When I set up the beneficiaries of my will and life insurance policies it was actually palpably unpleasant.

Still set them up tho.
 
I don't fret it, i am more upset than anything... i am sure that there is an afterlife. I am sure there is a God and a Devil, i just don't know if the Bible tells the story like it is... and i have sooo many conflictive thoughts about the whole thing.

- Why would God let people be born in a country where they worship the "wrong" god(s)?
- Why would God allow for people to be born homosexual if he considers that an unforgiveable sin?
- Will he really not forgive a sinner who never repented of his actions while alive?, like... never ever?, not after a million years?, what kind of a father is that?


So i get upset more than anything... upset that i don't have the answers to my questions and i may be living my life with self-imposed limitations only to possibly find out at the end that it was all for nothing.

All those questions lead me to believe that IF a God existed, he plays absolutely no role in any of this. What really annoys me is when people excuse things away like war, famine, disease as 'part of God's plan'. Really? And this is someone I'm supposed to believe in and worship? Sorry for the mini-rant...
 

cryptic

Member
Ever since I was five I had thoughts of dying.
I thought everyone hated me and if I died everyone would be happy.
It got worse.
Before the titanic movie I got obsessed with titanic and I read everybody I could find from several libraries, went to see the exhibits in Boston.
The idea of so many people dying in such a tragedy was so hauntingly intriguing. I still don't really get the feeling I had.
I started having paralyzing thoughts of death, like around eight or ten, I went to camp and I got stuck, on the bus, and so many people had to come and coax me out, but I didn't budge even after like the entire camp showed up, I told myself then I'd write something or whatever to live forever.
An absolutely.childish lie I needed.
I struggled with these intense fears forever.
I had religious periods where I would search things online, talk to jehovahs witness.

I could be around people but I had this black hole, actually feeling of like a sinking emptiness bathing me in complete fear.
I started having constant suicidal thoughts around the time I started devoting myself to the routine of work, losing friends.
I really don't think those two things are the big factors though.
It's more the way I am.
I was recently diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, and my empathy levels, my sensitivity, have always been extremely unbelievable unbearable.
I can't help but get stuck on the negative, I can't help to think about dying all the time, 24/7, to stop the pain.
Then I realize my mother, my brother, my father would be hurt.
Even though I don't enjoy life in the slightest, I realize it's completely wrong to make them suffer for all they've given me.
I've tried for years to explain to them how painful life is for me, so they could tell me to die or at least accept it.
They never seem to get it.
So, I have to keep going.
How do I deal with death?
I embrace it.
This is from someone who simply works and doesn't make much, never had a relationship, someone who can't have more than one or two favorite person friends at a time.
Someone who can't network, who is hated by most people as I don't talk much as I'm always so tired of existing.
Most people find something to believe in.
I can't seem to.
 

Aske

Member
All these people who say they are fine with it are in denial. I don't doubt that it doesnt bother some of them, but they are not really thinking about it. If they really began to contemplate about it, it would make them very very upset. Saying things like "I will become a part of nature" or "I wont know that I am dead", is only not facing the reality that their consciousness will be extinct.

I'd love for you to talk more about this. Why do you think that non-existence is (or should be) necessarily upsetting to all people?

If you haven't committed suicide yet, then you do not want to stop existing. I agree that whoever says they're fine with it is in denial.

Hold onto your butt, because I'm about to blow it off, baby! It's possible to be at peace with the reality of death without actively wanting to die. It's like being okay with the concept of not having internet access at some point in the future without having any desire to turn off your wifi.

On top of that, it's also possible to desire to die without wanting to commit suicide. Imagine wanting to eat a big cake. You know you'll get one at some point in the future, and you don't want to make one or pay someone else to make one. Depending on how desperate you are, you'll probably choose to wait; but you'll still want it. If someone bakes one for you as a gift or leaves one laying around, you'll take your chance and pound that shit. So be responsible and lock up your cakes.
 

isamu

OMFG HOLY MOTHER OF MARY IN HEAVEN I CANT BELIEVE IT WTF WHERE ARE MY SEDATIVES AAAAHHH
I don't fret it, i am more upset than anything... i am sure that there is an afterlife. I am sure there is a God and a Devil, i just don't know if the Bible tells the story like it is... and i have sooo many conflictive thoughts about the whole thing.

- Why would God let people be born in a country where they worship the "wrong" god(s)?
- Why would God allow for people to be born homosexual if he considers that an unforgiveable sin?
- Will he really not forgive a sinner who never repented of his actions while alive?, like... never ever?, not after a million years?, what kind of a father is that?

So i get upset more than anything... upset that i don't have the answers to my questions and i may be living my life with self-imposed limitations only to possibly find out at the end that it was all for nothing.

These are complex questions that our feeble minds simply can't process. In my opinion it would be completely pointless to have a "Life" that we have very little control over, only to eventually die. There is very little reason not to believe in a higher power. This is only one phase of our being. It would be extremely cruel an unfair if there wasn't an afterlife, heaven, etc. I believe in it, but I also believe you have to earn the right to enter it.
 

isamu

OMFG HOLY MOTHER OF MARY IN HEAVEN I CANT BELIEVE IT WTF WHERE ARE MY SEDATIVES AAAAHHH
Death has no meaning. Life has no meaning. It just is. That's all there is to it.

I'm sure there is a meaning to both. It's just beyond our comprehension.
 

Aske

Member
These are complex questions that our feeble minds simply can't process. In my opinion it would be completely pointless to have a "Life" that we have very little control over, only to eventually die. There is very little reason not to believe in a higher power. This is only one phase of our being. It would be extremely cruel an unfair if there wasn't an afterlife, heaven, etc. I believe in it, but I also believe you have to earn the right to enter it.

Why do you think existence has to be fair? That sounds like you're trying to apply human social conventions to the universe. Why would that be the case? Moreover, why would you say that there's very little reason not to believe in a higher power? It's sounds like your stance boils down to wishful thinking.

I'm not trying to take away the solace you get from faith in the afterlife, but my personal belief is that promoting the idea that this life is just "one phase of our existence" is socially irresponsible.
 

Lothar

Banned
Hold onto your butt, because I'm about to blow it off, baby! It's possible to be at peace with the reality of death without actively wanting to die. It's like being okay with the concept of not having internet access at some point in the future without having any desire to turn off your wifi.

That also doesn't make any sense. If you like the internet why would you be okay with losing the internet in the future? The only way is if you were in denial about it. Like a parent tells a kid they're going to take away their internet and the kid goes "Fine! I don't even want the internet!"

What are you supposed to do about it? No point being upset about it.

Get to work in fixing the problem. If everyone would have agreed together hundreds of years ago to stop lying to themselves with religion and believing not existing is good, maybe we'd be able to implant our minds in robots already or something. So knock it off and get upset like you should.
 
I just hope that it won't be painful and that it comes before my health goes to shit due to old age.

Hopefully reincarnation is a thing and I get to be a cute grill on the next life.
041607_grill_240X320_1.jpg


But only the cutest
 

Nephtis

Member
I am ok with death itself.

I am afraid of dying before I do anything that will create some kind of positive impact in the world. For example, I want to build apartments and work with my local government to use it as housing for domestic violence victims - sort of like a halfway house.

My only fear is of dying before that comes to pass.
 

Aske

Member
That also doesn't make any sense. If you like the internet why would you be okay with losing the internet in the future? The only way is if you were in denial about it. Like a parent tells a kid they're going to take away their internet and the kid goes "Fine! I don't even want the internet!"

But it's not "I don't want the internet!", it's "okay; I guess that's a shame but I'm not going to lose any sleep over it."

I'm not sure why you feel there needs to be such an extreme reaction in either direction. How about, your friends are taking you camping; you know you won't have internet. Do you believe there can be an emotional state between "I never even wanted internet!!!" and "NOMG DON'T TAKE MY INTERNET AWAY I CAN'T EVEN!!!!!"...? Because the state of "shrug, oh well!" is both how I feel about death, and how I feel about wi-fi when I'm staying somewhere without it.

Even if I became enraged by a lack of internet, I wouldn't assume everyone who could deal was in denial.
 
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