Fear of dying because of my views

[Zen Badger]

@Taqiyya Mockingbird you're a pathetic little child, so full of insecurity that all you can do is sling around a lot of vile language, why don't you grow up and try to have a decent conversation, I really feel sorry for someone like you, living in a world of such frustration.

And I feel sorry for you living in a world of total fantasy.

@ the OP, I've been where you are, so I can sympathise with your plight.

And yes, I had the same fear of non-existence after death.

Until I realised that the whole thing about non-existence is that there won't be a me to experience it.

After that profound insight I relaxed quite a bit.

[Reforged]

@Taqiyya Mockingbird you're a pathetic little child, so full of insecurity that all you can do is sling around a lot of vile language, why don't you grow up and try to have a decent conversation, I really feel sorry for someone like you, living in a world of such frustration.

And you're boring.
No, thats it. I've nothing else to call you, you have no other defining characteristics. You're essentially the personification of a black hole, you suck anything that could be remotely considered interest out of a conversation.
If I were made to witness an hour long conversation between two individuals who can only communicate through blinking about carpet samples in various shades of grey it *still* wouldn't come anywhere close to how much boredom you inspire in every aspect of your boring little life. I'd mail you to a science institute to be studied and weaponized if I wasn't so certain it would create a biohazard area where everyone who enters slips into a coma they never wake up from. They'd dream of being trapped in a colourless room with no doors, no windows and you standing in the centre for all eternity.

[Napoléon]

i have no clue what non-existance is like

You do. Everyone does.

All you have to think of is what it was like before you existed. Woah, mindfuck.

[Thor]

I recall seeing a quote (I believe by Mark Twain) that went something like, "I was not inconvenienced one bit before I was born. And I expect I won't be inconvenienced one bit after I die."

You must also consider that it is the believers who must worry about death. They're the ones who have to fret about being put in front of some deity who will demand that they justify their lives. They have to worry about whether or not skipping church to play golf, or having sex before they were married, or watching a porn movie, or masturbating, or cheating on a test, or any one of a thousand other things will cause them to spend an eternity roasting in a firepit. I have no such concerns because I'm quite certain there will be no "final judgement". Enjoy life while you have it!

[Ace Otana]

i have no clue what non-existance is like ... and don't look forward to it.

We all know what it's like. We've each been dead for billions of years. Try to think back before you were born. That is it. That's what it's like. Total blank! Nothing, zip, nada, fuck all.
Another way of trying to get your head around it is in fact being asleep. When you're asleep, you don't even know you're asleep. Take away the whole dreaming thing. You'll notice that you have no memory of anything, no thought, no feeling. Total blank. Everything kicks in when you wake up. In death you'll never wake up. So essentially, you could say you're in that sleep state except there's no dreaming and no way to come back out of it. Ever.
In death, space and time will no longer have any meaning to you, you'll be beyond such things. Billions of years will pass like seconds and you wouldn't even know. Those 13.7 billion years that have passed before we even existed went by pretty quickly didn't it?

Not really frightening but I can see why some would fear it.

[jackman]

i have no clue what non-existance is like ... and don't look forward to it.

We all know what it's like.
... (cont'd) ...
you have no memory of anything, no thought, no feeling. Total blank.

yep, i'll think about what it's like when i can have no thought. lol. like napoleon said ... whoa, mindfuck.

this isn't a case of me not being able to wrap my head around this idea. this is me saying, i'm not buying the analogy of it being like sleep but without the dream. lol. it's not sleep, it's death and that makes it quite final. i'm also not afraid of being dead (for the reasons that you spoke of), i'm just not looking forward to dying.

[Ace Otana]

i'm just not looking forward to dying.

Huh, that simples. Well then don't dwell on it. Just focus on the beauty and sexyness of gorgeous women. Especially those who are in short skirts and very aroused.

[Cato]

Dean,

I can empathise since I wrestled with this some years ago. As with me, you seem to accept the inevitable, but find the taste unappealing. I don't have a prescription to help; only to share the great relief when I not only accepted the inevitable, but embraced its consequence...truly living and not simply avoiding death.

My mortality requires me to value how I spend my time; I only have so much of it. I also concluded that living forever would become a drag. Christopher Hitchens put it best by describing eternal existence in a place like heaven as the party that you were never allowed to leave.

I still don't like contemplating events that I will fail to experience after I'm gone, but I have no control over that. The best I can do is create the memories that will make me bow out with a smile.

---

@Taqiyya Mockingbird you're a pathetic little child, so full of insecurity that all you can do is sling around a lot of vile language, why don't you grow up and try to have a decent conversation, I really feel sorry for someone like you, living in a world of such frustration.

What's vile is an adult parading the idea of eternal bliss in exchange for a life of subservient ass kissing of those that are the self annointed guardians of the path to the aforementioned eternal bliss. This becomes even more disgusting when you have yet to provide any proof of your claims and assume we haven't heard this tripe before.

Kiss Hank's ass.

While you're at it, go fuck yourself with a thorny crown. Vile enough for you?

[dean211284]

Wow! I can't thank you all enough for such positive replys. I never thought for one minute that so many people are willing to not only share there feelings on a subject like this but to help and inspire me too. As much as I fear death (maybe a little less now) I am proud to be a living human being. Especially almost company of other like minded sain people. Thank you all.

[Napoléon]

I was watching Troy earlier and when I saw this scene it immediately reminded me of this thread.

Thought I would share:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dulxL0t5l7U