Thoughts about death
- Thread starter Ria
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I couldn't have said it better myself... Premature death does frighten me immensely because it disrupts the process, the pursuit. The most unsettling part of death to me is its unfairness -- some people die far too early and for no apparent purpose.
The process of dying seems much more frightening than death itself. I'm fully willing to admit that I do not know what will happen once I die, considering I can't even predict what is going to happen next week. My best guess is that death itself will be like a very deep sleep. Maybe something will happen afterwords, maybe it won't.
Death is just part of life, and it's my belief that all living things have a sort of intrinsic death wish. All living things will want/accept death somepoint down the road in their lives.
I haven't the slightest clue what comes after death, but I doubt that there is hell or fire and brimstone or anything of that nature. Death is peace; be it an eternal sleep or something else. I take comfort in knowing I won't live forever because it gives the time I have here so much more meaning. 70-80 years is a tiny blip in time, so I'm not going to waste it thinking about/fearing death.
I haven't the slightest clue what comes after death, but I doubt that there is hell or fire and brimstone or anything of that nature. Death is peace; be it an eternal sleep or something else. I take comfort in knowing I won't live forever because it gives the time I have here so much more meaning. 70-80 years is a tiny blip in time, so I'm not going to waste it thinking about/fearing death.
Slightly off-topic, but I wonder if after we are all long gone, some researcher sometime, somewhere might connect us to our user names and find untold information about our thoughts, our feelings, our perspectives on life. I know large chunks of my candid thoughts and musings are found in forums like this based on dialogue with friends in the on-line community. Might be a valuable resource (if only for family). Some great ideas can be found here.
I have pondered on that too before. I have also hoped that one day, my journals will be found and appreciated. And yes, this forum site for sure.
I am not worried about death or what happens after death. I'm worried about what happens before those events occur.
If you are actually serious about this question Ria (or anyone else), you should read The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker.
I also think that death ought to be feared. Don't be a martyr like Socrates.
I work with the elderly, the sick and the dying 5 days a week, so I know so very well, the issues around the paliative process. I see it, the pain and the relief and the awe in many cases.
I don't believe I fear it, or need to fear it as it's as natural and as unknown as having a first child. For me, there was some fear around it, but there was a strange, calm acceptance that was present also. I see that same acceptance with many of the residents.
It has been something on my mind lately though Dragon, but I think it's been due to changes in the dynamics of my life at the moment... It's a similar grieving process but obviousely not the same end result, as the change of the end of life as one knows it. So yea, I have been thinking seriousely about it, in mostly a metaphorical sense, as well as how I view the rest of my living years in this world.
Death of a state of being within ones self, and a transition to another way of being without actually losing ones self...
I like what helpful Elf said here,
"I am reassured that it is one thing in life that I have no control over, and in that respect I view death as a blessing - a gift of certainty - perhaps the only thing in life I can have absolute trust in. it is also the one thing that unites all living creatures. We all have the same outcome to life, regardless of our differences, and that knowedge, once accepted leads only to compassion and inner peace."
I like what Moxie and Sumone and other people said too. I don't exactly believe in afterlife but I believe the lingering effects of anyone's life (even people who don't have accomplishments or strong human connections) are meaningful, which I think is kind of similar to the person still being around. They are still around in the minds of the people who are left or in whatever effects they had on earth.
Funny coincidence I just had a conversation w my bf about this topic. I said I think death is scary. I was trying to make a point that sharing your emotions with someone can be good, like when someone close to you dies.
He said thinks death is sad, not scary. He said death is something you eventually have to come to terms with on your own. He said if you think it's sad, you'd want to reflect on it alone more than talk to someone about it. I think it's true. It's nice to feel as at peace as possible about death. Also, I think feeling poignant, painful emotions about death is unavoidable and sometimes it's part of keeping onesself alive, like Grasshopper said. It is part of living, emotionally and physically.
"I am reassured that it is one thing in life that I have no control over, and in that respect I view death as a blessing - a gift of certainty - perhaps the only thing in life I can have absolute trust in. it is also the one thing that unites all living creatures. We all have the same outcome to life, regardless of our differences, and that knowedge, once accepted leads only to compassion and inner peace."
I like what Moxie and Sumone and other people said too. I don't exactly believe in afterlife but I believe the lingering effects of anyone's life (even people who don't have accomplishments or strong human connections) are meaningful, which I think is kind of similar to the person still being around. They are still around in the minds of the people who are left or in whatever effects they had on earth.
Funny coincidence I just had a conversation w my bf about this topic. I said I think death is scary. I was trying to make a point that sharing your emotions with someone can be good, like when someone close to you dies.
He said thinks death is sad, not scary. He said death is something you eventually have to come to terms with on your own. He said if you think it's sad, you'd want to reflect on it alone more than talk to someone about it. I think it's true. It's nice to feel as at peace as possible about death. Also, I think feeling poignant, painful emotions about death is unavoidable and sometimes it's part of keeping onesself alive, like Grasshopper said. It is part of living, emotionally and physically.
I'm not sure if I find the thought of I, myself dying to be truly frightening. What does frighten me though, is when it will come about and how. What frightens me even more that that, is basically the exact same thinking but pertaining to those I love the most.
I think worst case scenario, when you die, you completely shut down. You aren't going to know the difference between happy or sad or living or dead. You won't be conscious to know that there's nothing but blackness. Peace.
If there's an afterlife, hey, I'll see it when I get there and maybe send some of you guys a paranormal postcard.
In the meantime, I haven't made up my mind about death. We're all going to face it one day and there isn't anything we could really do about the when or where. Could be today, could be tomorrow, could be in the next twenty five years. Who knows?
I don't.
And that not knowing is perhaps the only scary bit about it.
If there's an afterlife, hey, I'll see it when I get there and maybe send some of you guys a paranormal postcard.
In the meantime, I haven't made up my mind about death. We're all going to face it one day and there isn't anything we could really do about the when or where. Could be today, could be tomorrow, could be in the next twenty five years. Who knows?
I don't.
And that not knowing is perhaps the only scary bit about it.
If one considers the finiteness of life and that time moves relentlessly forward towards our own end, it can introduce some clarity to how we live. Choices can perhaps be made that will help us find our highest good, our most complete wholeness, the exchange of illusion for "what is". In light of this, even if somehow, somewhere we considered this might help us in the afterlife, it may not matter all that much. No one I know of really knows what is on the other side...we get glimpses, we speculate. But even if there were no afterlife at all, the path of purpose, of enlightenment, of true humanity carries its own wonderful rewards. What comes later can take care of itself.
I'm curious as to why you think one should be fearful of death.
To me there's a big difference between avoiding death and being fearful of it.
I would like to avoid death for as long as possible because I valuing living in such a way, but when the end does find me I don't want to be panicky as the unavoidable sets in. Death (imo) is just another journey in life. You don't get married before you're ready, just like you avoid death the best you can, but neither have any real reason to be feared (once again, just my opinion).
I don't think of an "afterlife" as nothing. If we cannot react, who is to say that there is or isn't anything to react to? If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? I'd like to think that rather we become everything, both physically and spiritually, something that resonates though the cosmos. And in new lives, the everything at once is a universal instant, a forgotten moment that burns a lonely image into our brains and most likely any form of intelligent life.
I'm quite frankly quite frightened about it all...but I know that sometime in my life (far later on) I'm going to feel the same way as you. That's a great thing. I want to be able to live life so fully and so largely that when it's time I can say "I'm not afraid because I'm ready to see the next step. I've had it wonderful..."