How does your mind deal with the concept of “nothing.” Since we don’t believe in an after life, it’s hard to imagine dying and not existing...
I do ponder on the thought that my energy would be reused and I’d come back as something else, but I’m kinda done with this planet, so that’s not comforting, lol.
You will simply quit thinking - the brain dies, and EVERYTHING that made you "aware" will cease to exist for you. Each person's world dies when they die. You more than likely will not know you are dying (if you're lucky), so the best thing to do is to treat each day as though it's your last... IMHO.
Ok, just for kicks let's say reincarnation is a reality, and we have had and will have countless moments of existence. It would seem that the conscious mind would immensely be cluttered if it could recall past or future existence. So for me, just because I have know recollection of past or future existence, dismiss this possibility I can not.
I don't think it's possible to ponder "nothing." And I don't "don't believe" in an afterlife (sorry, I couldn't think of a better way to say it). Everything that we know about "us" happens in the mind, so it makes sense that whatever is "us" would cease to exist if there were no mind to create that. However, we've yet to be able to measure beyond death. So for now, it's the "null" hypothesis, and that's where I am. I accept the "null" hypothesis, but I still wonder what might or might not happen once the mind and body stop functioning.