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(October 25, 2011 at 8:16 am)ElDinero Wrote: Are you kidding? If you walked from your house to Los Angeles, don't you think you'd experience some pretty amazing things along the way, even if you never reached LA? If you got to the California border and dropped down, ready to die, would you think it was all wasted time even though you met incredible people along the way and experienced things that would make you the envy of everyone you know? This is the entire point. Plus, I don't know of anyone in the world who has ever accomplished all their goals, because as your life continues you come up with more, as you should. In fact, reaching the destination you speak of should be more or less impossible, from my eyes.
What Phaedra is talking about (I believe) is savouring things like a shared moment of closeness with a friend, or looking around you and realising how lucky you are for various reasons, things you normally take for granted.
I find it quite sad that you think your life would have been meaningless if you died today. Are there not people who would remember you fondly and speak of you years from now, reminiscing about that time you did such and such, or the way you used to do that thing you always did, and laugh?
Balls, I was going to make another thread regarding this yesterday, but didn't. I'll do it now. Hang tight.
If that exact scenario happened yeah maybe it would be worth it. But trust me, it hasn't been that great thus far. All I'm saying is I want to fulfill what I believe are my goals and I am afraid of dying before it happens. Sure, people may remember me and I appreciate being alive and knowing the people spend I time with. But that doesn't change the fact I want to EXPERIENCE life. Dying right now I'd miss out on so much. That's the only reason i would "fear" death.
(October 25, 2011 at 9:37 am)searchingforanswers Wrote:
(October 25, 2011 at 8:16 am)ElDinero Wrote: Are you kidding? If you walked from your house to Los Angeles, don't you think you'd experience some pretty amazing things along the way, even if you never reached LA? If you got to the California border and dropped down, ready to die, would you think it was all wasted time even though you met incredible people along the way and experienced things that would make you the envy of everyone you know? This is the entire point. Plus, I don't know of anyone in the world who has ever accomplished all their goals, because as your life continues you come up with more, as you should. In fact, reaching the destination you speak of should be more or less impossible, from my eyes.
What Phaedra is talking about (I believe) is savouring things like a shared moment of closeness with a friend, or looking around you and realising how lucky you are for various reasons, things you normally take for granted.
I find it quite sad that you think your life would have been meaningless if you died today. Are there not people who would remember you fondly and speak of you years from now, reminiscing about that time you did such and such, or the way you used to do that thing you always did, and laugh?
Balls, I was going to make another thread regarding this yesterday, but didn't. I'll do it now. Hang tight.
If that exact scenario happened yeah maybe it would be worth it. But trust me, it hasn't been that great thus far. All I'm saying is I want to fulfill what I believe are my goals and I am afraid of dying before it happens. Sure, people may remember me and I appreciate being alive and knowing the people spend I time with. But that doesn't change the fact I want to EXPERIENCE life. Dying right now I'd miss out on so much. That's the only reason i would "fear" death.
Have to agree with you there SFA.
"The Universe is run by the complex interweaving of three elements: energy, matter, and enlightened self-interest." G'Kar-B5
This is an interesting thread, I think you learn alot about people when they expose their fears and it can be cathartic for them and in the flow of conversation, you can discover things about your own fears that maybe you didn't realise.
I would have to agree that the fear of non existence would play a large part in many peoples fear of death, but I also believe that people fears in life, be they learned or instinctive, have a cumulative effect on their corresponding fear of death. Alot of people are afraid of different things in varying measures depending on the individual, but most people know while they are alive that they can try to manage and adapt if their fears are realised, but this smidgen of hope doesn't exist when people contemplate their own demise.
I think that because the only true reference point we have of the world is through our own perception of it, that it is extremely hard for some people to imagine a world without themselves being in it, and I think they don't even understand how it could be, And people are always afraid of what they don't understand.
As for the conversation about journey vs destination, in my opinion being too concerned with reaching a destinations or a stage in your life that you may never see, is kind of like not being able to see the wood for the trees. And IF reach that ultimate final goal someday, and you might just think to yourself.."OK..NOW WHAT!!??" and you might turn around and realise your whole life has passed you by trying to get to where you were then, and that the thought of achieving/buying/marrying/experiencing something was better than the actual doing of it... (except sex of course lol).
"When did I realize I was God? Well, I was praying and I suddenly realized I was talking to myself." Peter O'Toole.
October 25, 2011 at 12:39 pm (This post was last modified: October 25, 2011 at 12:40 pm by Welsh cake.)
One thing that I can't comprehend is why anyone should fear damnation.
Never a month goes by without receiving a hell threat from a wonderful Bible-thumper, same old same old. Then the thought occurred when examining the concept of this inconceivable afterlife place/state of torment more closely. Hell, within religious doctrine, theology and tradition is supposed to be a place of anguish, of suffering and punishment.
If the soul is indestructible then how can it feel damage or disorder? What is actually causing the pain? If the soul can be destroyed how can Hell be eternal? If the soul can response to stimulus whenever sustaining injury or other why don't we ever feel it hurting like when you bang your toe against something solid for example? If we're dead how is the mental or physical pain happening without any kind of body to experience the sensation?
It never ceases to amaze me how a few minutes of critical thinking can overthrow thousands of years of silly dogmatic superstition.
