I find that I am not scared of death itself or what may come after it(not a lot) but of not having enough time to do all the things I want to do. What are your thoughts about death and why it seems a vast amount of people fear it?
People fear pain and the unknown. I also fear meeting new people and talking to women.
Not afraid to die, at all. It's inevitable. Fearing it would just be a waste of time, and would interfere with the actual living of my life. Granted, I'm not ready to go anytime soon, but that's not my call to make. When your number's up, your number's up. I think so many people (at least believers) fear death because they're afraid they're not going to 'heaven', and they fear 'hell'. They probably know they haven't lived their lives according to the tenets of their belief system, and they fear their hypocrisy will consign them to hell. LOL Sorry, I shouldn't laugh at other people's fears, but if they didn't believe in delusions, they'd have less to worry about.
What's fearful is not having lived a life, being incomplete in things you want to do, places you want to go, and so on.
My fear, like many, is going before I'm ready. I have children I would like to see settled and become pillars in their community. There are places to go and things to do that I've not been able to, and hope to in the near future. I'd like to stave off any unfortunate illness in the interim. Suffering is unkind and the more one ages, the more aware we can become to the necessity of attention to our health. Otherwise, I hope the passing is pain-free.
Yes and no... stupid answer huh! I got startled from a scary ghost movie the other night. I said WHAT!!! There aint no freaking ghost! Why did you jump??? It must of been old reflexes popping up... I tell myself and others that I'm not afraid... but hell. I'm not dying either. I hope I'm not afraid.
Alright Victoria... Thank you.
No control... I defied death in my youth often enough. I will be ready within the circumstances... I will hate leaving behind a loved one while making plans for us in the future... I will feel for her. But as my son told me after a death defying escapade... "do you know what you dying will do to me?". My only fear is the estate of soul, mind and heart of those I leave behind.
From my perspective, we aren't truly the same people from one moment to the next. Personal identity is illusory because our mental states, memories, anticipation, etc., makes it feel like the same person persists. But we are different and only very similar. If later today I'm in an accident, that reality at this moment doesn't affect me. That later me isn't present me, even though he has most of the same memories I have and most of the same motivations. I just identify with him more because of that similarity, sort of a super empathy. So I think I've died countless times imperceptibly and another death doesn't have any greater practical impact for me. But, I don't want suffering. I still feel that persistent connection to the person I'll be tomorrow, and I don't want that dude to suffer. Not that I want anyone else to suffer, either, but I have a greater impact and therefore responsibility to the me of tomorrow.