Sidz Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 Were you scared before you were born? Cos it's the same thing…. The OP is not scared that he will be scared upon death, the kind you equate to being scared in preconception, they are scared now that consciousness will not survive death. If you were to entertain the notion that you are utterly annihilated upon death, then I would imagine you would welcome the possibility of being scared after death as that would denote consciousness. Link to post Share on other sites
mukkrakker Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 My point was that the consciousness he had before life will be the same that he has after life - none. It's the same thing so why be fearful? Link to post Share on other sites
Robert Z Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 (edited) One day I had the strangest realization. I was driving through a cloverleaf that jumped me from one freeway to another. I had been driving through this cloverleaf as long as I could remember as we often took this route home when I was a small child. It suddenly dawned on me that people were driving along this path before I was born and they will be after I'm dead. And for some reason that bothered me. I couldn't figure out why. It was so strange... And then it hit me. What bothered me was the idea that one day the world would go on without me. I had never considered that before. I will be gone, but life will go on as if I had never existed... as if my life didn't matter. Edited January 27, 2014 by Robert Z Link to post Share on other sites
mukkrakker Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 as if my life didn't matter. Make kids, write a book, build a house, stop someone from stepping in front of a bus, teach someone, etc, etc,. We all have a legacy, even if we don't recognize what it is, or will be. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
darkmoon Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 this website of a bona fide UK-based charity, over one hundred years old, a charity has to be officially approved by the Charity Commission, so is all above board I await my Cosmic Ride, see this website Home of The Spiritualists' National Union Link to post Share on other sites
bubblesbursted Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 To be very frank , nope I am not afraid of death. At this point of time I have nothing to loose anymore. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
umirano Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 No I'm not. I'm at peace with myself and everyone who I want to be at peace with. I'd prefer not to suffer before dying. Link to post Share on other sites
regine_phalange Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 If I'm going to die young, I'm afraid of it. If I'm going to die when 100 years old while chasing my grand-grandchildren or while I'm climbing a tree, I'm not. Link to post Share on other sites
maiden of rohan Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 No, I do not fear death. There is an element of the unknown about it that I suppose I find a tad daunting, but as an atheist, I think when we die, we cease to exist. It is what it is. A path we all must someday tread. Link to post Share on other sites
beach Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 I'm not afraid of death or dying. There's a plan and I trust what it brings my way while I'm here. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Keenly Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 This is my first discovery of this thread. Honestly I worry about death sometimes. When, where, fast, slow. Will I see it coming? Will I be asleep? Who knows. Today, this very day, I was handling some legal images of a guy who had been run over by the train. He was not a pretty sight. It humbled me. Link to post Share on other sites
notthathard Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 No not at all. After reading about near death experiences I'm actually looking forward to what is after life. Link to post Share on other sites
TaraMaiden Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Be sure to come back and give us all the salient facts. ~ ~ ~ Right now? There are moments I'd welcome it. Link to post Share on other sites
MyEvilTwin Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Since I've lost people I have loved, it saddens me to think that they are simply "no more". It feels to me that they deserve more than just to be worm food. However what I feel they deserve, and what they may or may not be, is out of my hands. I really liked Robert z's answer that we become part of a universal conscious. That's much sweeter than the annihilation. It is the end of our growth that bothers me in the worm food possibility. Everyone I have ever known that has died had so much potential for so much more growth beyond what they achieved in their time. They could have become much more--of themselves, of who they already were, but were not reconciled yet within themselves. I dislike thinking that their time was simply up, and this work towards resolving all inner-conflict was over, when they weren't finished yet, and probably none of us ever will be finished making ourselves whole. Many religions try to answer this in a comforting way. I believe they achieve that for many. However I am not Christian as I was raised to be, and can't simply embrace it because it will then give me a pleasant view of an afterlife. I'm too scientific in my views for that. The only true thing that bothers me this moment about the thought of death is if I died right now. My thought is wait! I have stuff I have to get done, I'm not finished. My hope is that I will have enough time to accomplish what I feel is the most important to me and then be able to die feeling I am satisfied with what I have accomplished with relationships and personal achievements. Link to post Share on other sites
MyEvilTwin Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Right now? There are moments I'd welcome it. Why? How sad. I hope that feeling passes for you. Link to post Share on other sites
Never Again Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 I'm not scared of my own death. However, the death of others scares me at times. I've lost of lot of people for many different reasons, and I've seen the affect it can have. One death in particular shook me to the core so deeply that it changed who I was. It was a slow, creeping sort of malignancy that ate at me from the inside out. It left me hollow, miserable and weak. It made my life wildly more stressful and destroyed the best relationship I'd ever had. Link to post Share on other sites
misternoname Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Nope...I think death will be just like it was before I was conceived. Link to post Share on other sites
TaraMaiden Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 Why? How sad. I hope that feeling passes for you. Actually, I went back to edit, and found I couldn't.... Buddhism has some traditions recommending its followers try meditating in Charnel Grounds. It's very morbid by Western standards, but followers are encouraged to see corpses and view death at first hand. It's a way of teaching that beauty is only skin deep, and that nobody gets out alive. we can do everything possible, from plastic surgery to vitamins, from promotinal Keep-fit videos to cosmetics. It merely delays - or denies - the inevitable. Meditating on the distasteful aspects of being terminally ill, dying and the dead is actually a way of teaching that every moment is precious, should be appreciated and valued as fleeting, transitory and irretrievable. Sometimes I can be quite dismissive, blasé, and disrespectful to others, both here and elsewhere. A good healthy dose of 'death' helps me put things into perspective and brings me sharply into the present. Thus, it prevents me from being carried away by all things 'dukkha'.... I'm fine. It's fair to say we all have our moments. I was actually bringing myself out of one! Link to post Share on other sites
TaraMaiden Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 (edited) My aunt is very close to death with recently-diagnosed advanced cancer of several major organs. 'Suffering' as she does from senility, she never brought any pain, discomfort or anxiety to anyone's attention. My cousin, keeping an eye on her mother, was giving her a bath about 2 weeks ago. My aunt needed the toilet, and my cousin noticed an abnormality in her bowel movements, took her to hospital later that day, and by the evening, discovered her mother had advanced, inoperable cancer, which could actually take her... at any time. This saddened me enormously to hear, because this particular aunt has a long, chequered and difficult life behind her. She never had it easy, either emotionally or financially, but has a heart as big as the whole outdoors, a relentless sense of good humour and never an unkind word for anyone. She is and always has been, my favourite aunt. I was at my father's side, when he died, and supported my mother through that grief; she now has the additional burden of seeing her beloved sister die. Death always finds us; it is a constant and ever-present companion. I often 'take tea with Yama'. He and I have become good friends, and I know, one day, it will be my turn to dine with him. The "trick" is to become so familiar with the thought of death, that it becomes as great a part of your life as breathing is. Edited February 15, 2014 by TaraMaiden Link to post Share on other sites
TheFinalWord Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 My aunt is very close to death with recently-diagnosed advanced cancer of several major organs. 'Suffering' as she does from senility, she never brought any pain, discomfort or anxiety to anyone's attention. My cousin, keeping an eye on her mother, was giving her a bath about 2 weeks ago. My aunt needed the toilet, and my cousin noticed an abnormality in her bowel movements, took her to hospital later that day, and by the evening, discovered her mother had advanced, inoperable cancer, which could actually take her... at any time. This saddened me enormously to hear, because this particular aunt has a long, chequered and difficult life behind her. She never had it easy, either emotionally or financially, but has a heart as big as the whole outdoors, a relentless sense of good humour and never an unkind word for anyone. She is and always has been, my favourite aunt. I was at my father's side, when he died, and supported my mother through that grief; she now has the additional burden of seeing her beloved sister die. . My sincere condolences Tara. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
TaraMaiden Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Thank you and bless you for your kindness 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Stranger516 Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Death scares the hell out of me. I work in a hospital and I see people die of old age and people die at a younger age from health problems or accidents. I saw a 52 year old man die right in front of my eyes at work and trying to bring him back was unsuccessful. I am used to seeing death at this point, but it doesn't help ease the fear of dying myself one day. I'd like to try and force myself to believe that there is heaven because the thought of no afterlife is too depressing. Link to post Share on other sites
Lucretius Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 How can you be scared of death when you are already familiar with it? I don't know how old you are so let's just say for the record you're 21. Well 22 years ago for sure you were dead So can you remember being scared of it then? Just an angle i came up with that answered the same question I thought about when I was a teenager. Get busy living, not busy dying!!! 1 Link to post Share on other sites
TylerDurdenn Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 No I am not scared. Link to post Share on other sites
quankanne Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 death – to me – is just the next step in the journey; we were born dying, if you really think about it. what does scare the crap out of me is the thought that I could be deaf and blind, and people would decide that my life was useless because I was no longer a productive member of society. Even worse, I would lose my ability to communicate ... because if you knew me in real life, you would know that is precisely who I am: A communicator. so no, death doesn't scare me. Link to post Share on other sites
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