Death

[wub]

The only people scared of dying are those who regret how they lived, IMO.

Bullshit imo. Too much of a generalisation.

Acts as a counterpoint to Wolf's point...one could argue that the only people not scared of dying are those who had any experience of death.

[dickman69]

and yet thirteen ninjas and millions/billions of others don't/haven't. Can you explain that?

Yes ur all lying

[Genevieve]

yes absolutely scared of dying. i think you guys are kidding yourselves if you say otherwise.

Nah, not scared at all. death means moving on from a world full of pain and suffering.

in my 26 years ive been through and seen a lot, and at least i know, that when i die i will be free from that.

Not really. You stop existing, the concept of being 'free' of it stops since you're incapable of experiencing what you would call 'freedom'.

Exactly

Its like the ONLY thing you should actually fear

and yet thirteen ninjas and millions/billions of others don't/haven't. Can you explain that?

Say they don't. Big difference. Not saying that they actually do fear it. But when it comes to something like 'fearing death', I would be rather open to the possibility that they're lying. To other people or to themselves.

A lot of people have the misconception that death is a release from suffering too. If you approach it like that, then yeah, it won't seem like such a bad thing. But suffering is only known as suffering if you've experienced the opposite. So saying that death releases you from suffering really doesn't paint an accurate picture of what happens when you're dying.

You stop being you. We spend all our lives finding ourselves, working on ourselves, better ourselves and make us and the people around us happy. Why would you then not fear the end of 'you' if clearly, the 'you' is so important to you to begin with? There's a logical inconsitency there.

[Laszlo]

So it's bravado and/or self delusion?

[Johnlenham]

Odd one for me. Its not something I ever put much thought into because I have no "real" control over it. I mean sure health related like not doing crack helps and that but really anytime you do anything there is an inhernet risk to it so if you realise you cant control it and just let go, its not quite so daunting.

I could (and oddly I dont even like typing it out as it make me feel like your inviting it to happen?!) go out tonight and trip over and smash my brains out across the pavement.
Done in one.
There would be no time to think about loss or regret because Id have been thinking "cant wait to get to bed" and the next thing its curtains. Would i like to think there is something more? sure. But the realist/pessamist in me says its brain goes off- nothing.

Im not really (at this point in my life) keen for a long drawn out death but then Im sure that all changes when your "grandad" to someone. Im sure theres something to be said about me not thinking about it then writing 3 paragraphs about it though

edit: having knives pulled on me, falling off my bikes so hard Ive been ko'd, being beaten in the streets are all just brushes with death compared to say waking up after your heart stopped in AE or something.

I will say Im fucking lucky not to be blind in one eye, an inch to the right and I would be and all i can call that is "luck" same with all the above not leading to me being 6ft under.

[wolf89]

Yeah I am. I've been aware of my mortality since a young age after losing someone close to me as a young child an the idea of leaving this world suddenly like that to never experience anything ever again is scary. To lose everything and everyone around me is a frightening prospect. Of course there are states of existence in which death would be preferable to but really facing the prospect of everything I am and know ending for me now is too much to accept. How could I not fear everything being torn away from me by my life just being switched off? It's all I have. I want to continue experiencing everything and feeling emotions because that's all I have now.

Wolf, you've been on point lately man. Was basically going to write this.

That's funny as I was really drunk when I wrote this. Haha

[Genevieve]

So it's bravado and/or self delusion?

I edited. But I'm not saying that it is, just that it might be. Death is a matter of ego. The end of the ego. An admittance of the fear of death is an admittance of the fear of the end of the ego. And people cherish their ego, they don't want their egos to be touchable or destructible by someone else. Therefore, trying to project the idea that your ego is untouchable acts as a sort of a defense mechanism.

[mIrReN]

one can never know until he/she faces it

no need to be afraid of the unknown, if it was that bad, some ppl would've returned already

[Genevieve]

A better way of putting it is..

Let's say someone's been passed down a special gift from someone dear to them. Everything that could happen to make them lose it did, but still they had the strength and determination to try and do everything in their power to get it back.

Their house was burning down and they had the choice to run immediately, or still look for and save that gift and they took the chance to look for the gift.

Theywere walking around with it and someone threatened them at knife point to give it up; yet they held their ground to fight for it.

Would you believe that person when they say that they don't fear losing it?

And then, if people do everything they can to protect their ego and feed it as much positivity as they can. Would you then believe they would be so careless to not fear losing it?

[nowaysj]

A lot of people speaking with seeming absolute certainty about something they have not experienced. Have none of you been out of your body? Experienced entities that other people have experienced for thousands of years? In all seriousness?

[Genevieve]

A lot of people speaking with seeming absolute certainty about something they have not experienced. Have none of you been out of your body? Experienced entities that other people have experienced for thousands of years? In all seriousness?

Oh come on, man. That's one of the weakest devices in debating ever. You spoke with certainty that you don't fear death. Then you're saying something that amounts to "if you experienced what I experience, you will agree with me". Where's the uncertainty in that?

[nowaysj]

I'm asking champ.

[Laszlo]

A lot of people have the misconception that death is a release from suffering too. If you approach it like that, then yeah, it won't seem like such a bad thing. But suffering is only known as suffering if you've experienced the opposite. So saying that death releases you from suffering really doesn't paint an accurate picture of what happens when you're dying.

You stop being you. We spend all our lives finding ourselves, working on ourselves, better ourselves and make us and the people around us happy. Why would you then not fear the end of 'you' if clearly, the 'you' is so important to you to begin with? There's a logical inconsitency there.

While I understand what you're saying, and agree to a certain extent (as in the causes of fear of death), you are still working on an assumption of what happens after death.
Many people are religious/deeply philosophical and reject the generally western-held dualistic outlook. Perhaps the people that voted no are among them.

[Genevieve]

A lot of people have the misconception that death is a release from suffering too. If you approach it like that, then yeah, it won't seem like such a bad thing. But suffering is only known as suffering if you've experienced the opposite. So saying that death releases you from suffering really doesn't paint an accurate picture of what happens when you're dying.

You stop being you. We spend all our lives finding ourselves, working on ourselves, better ourselves and make us and the people around us happy. Why would you then not fear the end of 'you' if clearly, the 'you' is so important to you to begin with? There's a logical inconsitency there.

While I understand what you're saying, and agree to a certain extent (as in the causes of fear of death), you are still working on an assumption of what happens after death.
Many people are religious/deeply philosophical and reject the generally western-held dualistic outlook. Perhaps the people that voted no are among them.

I'm basing my argument on what appears to be the consensus view in this thread. That death is the end. My post itself said that it's in response to people who view death as the end of suffering because it's the end of existence. I'm saying that it's more complex than that.

I'm asking champ.

You did it implying a number of things. One of them was your disdain for voicing their views with certainy. Even if you expressed your own views with certainy, following up your views with a question that basically implied 'if you had experienced what I experienced, you wouldn't be so certain'.

Is certainy the problem, or people being certain of the opposite you're certain of?

[Johnlenham]

Theywere walking around with it and someone threatened them at knife point to give it up; yet they held their ground to fight for it.

Would you believe that person when they say that they don't fear losing it?

Hmm didnt really think of it like that, but then that is having an active role in having it taken from you as opposed to something being beyond your control (like my falling example) or being hit by a car by some nutter driving on the pavement etc

[dickman69]

yea thats like saying you're not afraid of being burned alive if someone runs behind you and sets you on fire without knowing about it

youre still afraid of it

[Genevieve]

Theywere walking around with it and someone threatened them at knife point to give it up; yet they held their ground to fight for it.

Would you believe that person when they say that they don't fear losing it?

Hmm didnt really think of it like that, but then that is having an active role in having it taken from you as opposed to something being beyond your control (like my falling example) or being hit by a car by some nutter driving on the pavement etc

Well it's more about people being given a choice; to either protect the gift with their lives (where they value it enough to gamble on their life) or to give it up to spare their own life with (presumed) certainty.

I don't think someone would risk their own life on something they don't FEAR losing.

[ultraspatial]

Nah, at least in heaven I can skate

And that's now in my head for the rest of the day, you fucker

yeah this lol

[Nihilism]

A lot of people speaking with seeming absolute certainty about something they have not experienced. Have none of you been out of your body? Experienced entities that other people have experienced for thousands of years? In all seriousness?

I once did Lucy and tripped so hard that i stepped out of my body in my trip. Shit is scary as hell. But also fun, in a not good way.

[magma]

Theywere walking around with it and someone threatened them at knife point to give it up; yet they held their ground to fight for it.

Would you believe that person when they say that they don't fear losing it?

They might be, but they might just as well value their existence and deem it worth fighting for. You're effectively defending yourself against the theft of your existence; that doesn't imply fear any more than a willingness to fight for fairness.

I'm not "scared" of many things that I'd fight to prevent.