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are you afraid of death?

being atheist or agnostic we know that chriatainality and angels and demons gods and devils and most likely an afterlife are all just wishful thinking. seeing as we know that death is indeed the end for us does that idea frightend you ? what are your thoughts on death ? personaly i gotta admitt it scares me . i know there is nothing i can do to avoid it . im so sad when a relative dies knowing ill never see them again. and this is why i think so many people wanna believe in a god and heaven. we want so badly to believe us and our loved ones will live on that many do so just to comfort themselfs. your thoughts ?

DavidDeLa89 6 Dec 28
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371 comments (226 - 250)

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2

I agree that there is nothing to fear. If you imagine what it was like before you were born, that's what it will be like when you die. Alas, I am still terrified of death. Sometimes I fixate on my mortality and it fucks up my whole day. I'm not afraid I'll go to Hell or any other bad place. It's more about missing people and worrying about them. I guess there is no escaping the inevitable.

2

I fear dying a bit, the process can be really unpleasant.

I don't fearing being dead at all. I'll be unaware.

2

Do you fear 1756?

2

I am not afraid of death. I am afraid of lingering with some horrible disease that people will have to watch me suffer and insteand of just putting out my little light and saying good bye all, I will just be able to lay around with little control of my body. Suddenly, your bodiy becomes a prison. If I become incapable of living, I will have a method planned to take my life. Quality of life is very important to me..

2

I think that there is some sort of serenity that is triggered in people who are close to death.

I felt it once when I had an allergic reaction to some medication, my BP dropped to nearly undetectable levels, I lost most of my vision and I felt like I was about to die. I felt a kind of peacefulness settle in, and I understand how people might view it as supernatural, but I guess I am really a stubborn non believer, lol.

I am afraid of loss, and dying slowly and/or painfully.

2

To quote Bob Dylan, "I don't mind dyin' but I hate to leave my children cryin'"

2

Right now, yes. Death would suck. Annihilation is something I never looked forward to and would like to avoid. The prospect of an afterlife is attractive but unsubstantial. Read too much Lovecraft to trust the bipolar Heaven/Hell model. Staying centered in the here and now is how I cope.

2

I don't look forward to the process of dying, but I have no fear of death. I hope that I'm cognitively and physically able to choose when the time has come.

2

I'm afraid of not living, but I'm not afraid of dying.

2

"...ill never see them again. and this is why I think so many people wanna believe in a god and heaven. we want so badly to believe us and our loved ones will live on that many do so just to comfort themselfs. "

I think that is one of the precursor ideas that need be present for religions to develop. So, yes, I think it's an indefinite comforting mechanism.

But more to the point, you have to make your time matter. Make your relationships and your time shared meaningful. That's all you can do.

There's a popular saying that goes something like "people seldom remember what you did, but will always remember how you made them feel" -- on that note, whenever you get "feelings", revel in it. Don't despair that they're now gone, but just remember that feeling that they gave you. Those memories of feelings help you immensely.

My mom passed away about 5 years ago and I can still vividly remember ONE TIME when she was washing dishes and I walked up and hugged her from behind, and I remember feeling that connection. To this day, I can replay that moment over and over and it never fails to bring me peace.

2

Not really, no. I wouldn't presume to know what happens for sure after but if there is absolutely nothing then there isn't anything to fear anyway. No pain, no memory, no nothing. If there really is something I'd like to lean towards reincarnation myself. Being reborn over and over for different experiences you might not be able to have from different perspectives seems like a more welcoming thing to come after death so again... no, not really afraid.

All that said, I don't care for pain. I do not fancy a painful kind of death at all. What I'd like is to go peacefully and quietly one night in my sleep, preferably many years from now. But death itself, no, not something I fear.

AmyLF Level 7 Jan 19, 2018
2

I cannot even relate to a fear of death (being dead)...I worry more, perhaps over a lingering death? spending days trapped, barely alive, under a car, off the beaten path... but that is plain old suffering, and aversion to that seems quite rational.
Fear of death? Why should anyone fear not being? Before you were born, you were not. Does that 'not being' leave any fear in anyone? It did not in me. why fear what we cannot know? you were not before..were you afraid then? Didn't think so...

2

I don't fear death just kind of scared of how it will happen. And when, if soon will my kids be split and never see each other growing up with a since that they are missing someone. But who? That is what I fear because I am the only thing keeping them together. .. And if there is a after life will I see them again and they know who each other are. I do not fear death it is the only thing that is not a lie. I do fear what happens after death.

2

Not really. In the case there is no afterlife and our brains would just shut off, there would be nothing really negative about death. Your brain cannot process negativity, in fact, it cannot process anything, once you are dead. When you are dead there is no good and bad because there is nothing to process that good and bad. I highly doubt life will be blackness like some people claim simply because blackness would imply you're still able to experience something. When we are alive, we are constantly NOT experiencing things. I am not experiencing the wedding of a woman named Mary in Tennessee, I am not experiencing what my friends are doing while I am not around them - I can only try to picture it. That's probably what death will be like - except your own life will be added onto all the things you are not experiencing.

2

I am not afraid of death, but I am afraid of dying. What I mean by this is that if I can just die in my sleep, or have a quick and painless death, that would be fine. However, if dying means suffering, agony, dementia, long periods of time spent in a hospital bed, or any bed for that matter, that scares the crap out of me.

2

Nope.

2

Haven’t thought much about dying... but after reading your comments, I also I don’t fear death, but I do fear dying the way an ALS patient dies. (aka Lou Gerhirg’s Disease)
Caring for a loved one for a couple years, watching a portion of her body shut down (die), one muscle group at a time, increased pain, anger, hatred... all the while your brain seems to function. That’s the nightmare most ALS sufferers endure, truly an ugly way to die.

Tomas Level 7 Jan 15, 2018

This is why I like the idea of supported suicide. If the mind still functions and there is no cure or help, I'd definitely choose it.

2

I'm not afraid of death but I am afraid about how I will die. I'm terrified about the likelihood of losing control of my circumstances and being subjected to faulty palliative care or heroic measures that prolong suffering, anxiety, fear and often create a horror show for loved ones. However, I have become excited about what is to come next because it will be so far beyond our ability to imagine it will surely be wonderful.

2

Being dead doesn't scare me, reckon there will come a time when I'll welcome it, I know when my father had cancer he begged for it and he, like me, was an atheist. Doesn't even scare me if I've been wrong all these years and there is something after, I've always been true to my own morals and if that isn't good enough so be it.
Prefer to avoid a painful, lingering death and would hate it if my son died before me, but death itself is by no means the worst thing that can happen to someone.

Kimba Level 7 Jan 13, 2018
2

The universe existed before I was born. It will exist afterward. Death is like not being born yet.

2

I'm more afraid of the cause than the outcome. I'd rather die with as little suffering as possible.

2

No. I am afraid of suffering before I die, but not of being dead.

2

I am more afraid of what can happen when I am alive than dead.I do not fear non existence

2

Hell yes !

ROND0 Level 2 Jan 12, 2018
2

I was afraid of dying when I was younger and being raised in a very violent home. once I got out of that and grew up the fear got less. I think I'm not afraid to die, but I'm terrified of getting ill and lingering. I'm hoping I go in my sleep or suddenly somehow. Other than suffering, my biggest fear is the hurt my death will cause my children ,especially my daughter who will struggle emotionally when I'm gone. But the absolute worst fear is that I will outlive my children. That will cause me to want to die as soon as possible.

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