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I'm less fearful of death now because I'm a agnostic/atheist . Several years ago I collapsed with a cardiac condition which has since been resolved. I woke up the following day in a intensive care unit . I remembered collapsing to the floor and then nothing , just a vacuum . The was no judgment , no light , no punishment , no sensation. If that's death I'm really not bothered or fearful of the day . Enjoy life as much as you can by being considerate to others as they also have one life and why would you want to make that a unpleasant experience for them ? The kinder you are to others the more rewarding life is . All schools should ban religious education and teach humanity , the world would be a much better place to live .

Lemonhead526 4 Oct 14
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8

I have similar feelings and experiences. Since I do not believe in religion, I do not fear death. Some 12 years ago I passed out 3 times within a week,and was diagnosed as having had a heart attack at some time -- and had a pacemaker implanted. When I was "out", the sensation I had was one of utterly peaceful, deep sleep.

At the age of 81, I have long since learned to live in the moment. But, because I believe that some things do matter, I do become deeply emotional and involved in fighting against the intrusion of the culture of greed, corruption, ethnocentrism and ultra-nationalism. I would rather die fighting against those things than stand by and let it destroy the world I value.

Wise words x

Recently had a pacemaker installed as well . The only time I was unconscious , was under anesthesia .

7

To an A-theists, when we die we simply cease to exist any longer. I think death is a little unnerving even to some A-theist, as it is impossible to imagine yourself not existing.

I'm personally very comfortable with the idea of not existing. But understand we all feel differently

I don’t find it unnerving. I find it liberating. For me to know I only have one chance and this is it is an awesome thought. Those who believe they have to believe a certain way or follow stupid commandments are hampered by their own shame and societies expectations. I am the person I wish to be and not because of eternal punishment or glory. I am that person because it is right and the world is open to anything you have the desire to do

7

Been there, done that. SCA a year ago last July. Talking to my supervisor, got dizzy, next thing I'm waking in an ambulance with someone shining a f'in penlight in my eyes and asking questions like "what's your name?", "how old are you?", "where do you work?", and "what's the last thing you remember?". Then they told me I had a sudden cardiac arrest probably from vfib.

I was already agnostic but it only solidified it more toward atheistic . No tunnel with bright light, no out of body experience, nothing. I already didn't worry much about death, we all end up there, nobody is immune, it is a part of life. I guess it took the last little worry away.

The attitude changes are difficult to explain to others. All I can say is live for the day, treat others kindly, and go forward knowing that we all will leave someday, hopefully leaving the world a better place then when we arrived.

Wow , they truly are wise words . Wishing you a long and happy fulfilled life .

7

Some people turn to god out of fear after a near death experience, some people are no longer fearful so they can give up the security blanket that is religion. Celebrate life everyday and enjoy your new found freedom. 👍

6

I wish the best for you and your heart. I am glad you feel better about life and death.

6

I am glad you recovered from your near death experience and I’m sure you now value every precious minute of life. I can’t disagree with anything you say, I have always been an advocate of secular education and believe we should stop emphasising our political, cultural, ethnic and religious differences and concentrate on the common humanity that binds all of us together.

Very well said

5

I faced that "rite of passage" when I was 23 years old. Took a slug through my chest in the service of The Empire. Since then, Death holds no fear.

5

I have had similar experiences...just nice & peaceful, coming back to pain, fear, possible disability, yuck.
Although the first time involved being strangled & there was distinctly irritation in my mind!

Sorry to hear you were strangled !!! I have no fear of death but don't want to suffer prolonged pain before it ( which is obvious) I've always said when I'm no longer useful to my family or society and have a poor quality of life I will comfortably take matters in to my own hands . And being a paramedic I know the easiest way .
Im enjoying life more now without the burden of religion constantly playing on my mind . It's as though I can now see life in colour and before it was black and white .
Religion is so damaging to people's mental health and it's ridiculous that it's still taught in schools.
Great to hear from you , I hope you are still getting as much pleasure as you can from the wonder of living and experiencing life itself x

@Lemonhead526 Tha think you! The very best time of my life, no comparison, is right now!

5

Thanks for sharing and I agree with your every word. My big "fear of death" is locked in on the unfinished business of it. We will all have this because we do not know when death is coming. Otherwise I expect my death to be very much like what you felt during your bad experience. We go from something to nothing.

5

Lemon. You have just said it all.I totally agree with you. Religion is the most deatly form of discrimination and promote, hate, fear, and decrease human conciousness and development.

4

Stephen Colbert: “What do you think happens when you die?”

Jennifer Lawrence: “They give your bed to someone else.”

Marz Level 7 Oct 16, 2018
4

"That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet." -- Emily Dickenson

4

Agreed. And I think death will be exactly like the billions of years that passed before I was born.

So true

4

I have two friends who died and saw Jesus. I have an atheist friend who saw a vision of Jesus when he was in a religious building. He believes he saw a manifestation of the beliefs of people around him. People who have researched near death experiences have noted differences in those experiences based on people's belief systems. Christians are more likely to see Jesus and deceased loved ones. Buddhists are more likely to see the Buddha and less likely to see loved ones (which is interesting given their belief in reincarnation). I'm open to the possibility of life after death. I prefer the idea of reincarnation over a single mortal life. It makes more sense to me.

What makes sense to comfort us might seem attractive. However I will only believe in anything if the is evidence , and the is none

@Lemonhead526 No evidence of existence after death you mean? I agree that there is no evidence that proves it conclusively. But if you go that route, then you also eventually have to face the fact that there's no evidence that proves conclusively that there is no existence after death either. So, evidence wise, the only answer is, we don't know.

Europeans used to believe gorillas were a myth until one of their own "discovered" them. Of course, if they'd just believed the natives in the areas of reported gorillas sightings, they would have accepted the possibility of the existence of hairy man-like animals. But the natives were too dark-skinned, heathenish, and barbarian to take at their word.

I've never had a near death experience. Some have and seen Jesus and some have and had the total oblivion described in the OP. My answer is, I don't know. I'm not going to write it off until I personally am in possession of enough evidence to say one way or another. If it were gorillas, I won't be the one looking like an idiot because I insisted that they didn't exist when I really wasn't in possession of enough evidence to say either way. On the other hand, those who come to hard, fast conclusions without possession of all the facts will be right sometimes but more often than not, they'll find themselves eating crow.

@Meili I understand your keeping a open mind. But I don't see anything beyond the physical existing, the is no evidence for esp , or ghosts or anything beyond the physical mass so that's proof enough for me that death is the end.

@Meili one thing my cardiologist pointed out as there have been studies on it is that people people who report "near-death experiences" tend to have more instances of PTSD and it is more intrusive than those who came close to death without "near-death experiences". His take on it is that the revived person's imagination takes over as a coping mechanism and creates the "near-death experience." The PTSD is because the imagination is still trying to justify what happened.

My take, if there was a deity then all near death occurrences would have the same repeatable story whether not religious or religious and no variance between the religions.

@Lemonhead526 Fair enough. What do you make of NDE? Hallucinations?

@Dougl35534 That's interesting. Certainly the only possible explanation for NDE's outside of them being real incidences is that they are some sort of mental delusion.

From what I've read, NDE's share many similar qualities across culture and age. What varies is that when a deity appears, people tend to see their particular God. Even though people in Asian countries see fewer instances of departed loved ones, they do see them often enough. Tunnels and dividing lines between the living and dead are standard as well. For me, the difference are understandable.

@Meili you might find this interesting [livescience.com]

@Dougl35534 That was interesting. Thanks.

4

I had a similar experience except for mine was extremely painful the whole time I was laying there a lot of things went through my mind but the one thing that didn't was asking a magic man in the sky for help

4

Schools could teach world religions as history, but not as being true.

4

Glad to see you have recovered. May I again take this opportunity to big up the NHS? I agree, being kind makes life so much better for us all.

NHS is truly fantastic , it has its problems due lack of funding but is the best value health care system in the world .

@Lemonhead526 Thank you.

4

kindness is the key 🙂) fear or no fear, glad you're still with us.

g

3

I don't believe bad things will happen when one dies. The real point is to live life as best possible every day. Any fear could be of not making the best of the life we get - but life is best lived without a sense of fear but with a positive attitude and energy to make it happen.

Stig Level 5 Oct 14, 2018

Wise words

3

I have a fear that as I get closer to death, my brain will betray me and seek forgiveness. I was encouraged lately when I had some intense pain that sent me to the hospital. Afterward iI me not once did I plea to god for relief. Your experience gives me hope as well

I understand that fear of being desperate enough to latch on to any hope in a desperate moment.But remember that once you die the will be no pain , no fear not anything. Stay strong in the evidence of science and stay clear of myths with no foundation

3

I hear that.

3

O my goodness I so agree with not being afraid of death. I am so thankful for being so free from that. I suffered from it for a good 40yrs. No matter what I did or believed, I still thought I wasn't good enough to get to heaven. Now I know without a doubt I am good, dead or alive. Yes be kind as you can and make this life a good one if you can. I try much more now than before because this is it and if I am happy maybe others might be too. We are all special

@JennyJohnson -- I preface this with: I am not being a smart ass or critical. It struck me as being insanely humorous. So, with that said, consider this:

The line, "We are all special." What does it tell us? It's seems to be saying that we are all special and that would indicate that none of us are special. Think about it, then grin. 😛

@evidentialist no.no we are all special. just ask johnny with an iq of 92 who has had that drummed into his head since he was little got pushed thru the school system & even has some kind of a secondary school diploma/degree. problem now he has to face reality in the workplace. life is harsh.

Religion is so damaging to one's mental health worrying about sin , freeung yourself from this myth is very liberating and makes life more pleasurable.im happier now than I've ever been which makes me a much more pleasant to spend time with.

3

It still frightens me but not certain why. Have had plenty of low sugar episodes I could have just as easily died from and it was nothing that bad. It sure seems a lot more peaceful than this world could ever be.

I understand you have a irrational fear , I suppose that's just man's natural instinct to survive .
I thought my vacuum of nothingness was reassuring , it was like a very deep sleep. And I love sleep .

@Lemonhead526
Yeah I get it is irrational. I guess it's about getting to the sleep part, the discomfort or pain likely involved. But I also think the instinct to survive is definitely a part.

3

No no no you Immortality is in your children I hope you have kids because they will remember you .

Yes I have 3 very happy boys , and I take on board what your saying .

@Lemonhead526 Then you're Immortality is holding them by the hand.

knowing the direction this world is headed i'm sorry i have children/grandchildren.
my generation was the lucky generation. everything improved after WW2 for the average
citizen. this prosperity & peace continued into the 1970s. since then it levelled off & is now headed down. there's a long list of reasons why. the main 1 is that pensions/healthcare won't be there. & this incredible income inequality is going to come to a boil in the fairly near future.
good luck to all.

3

I like the saying of Neil deGrasse Tyson: “I would request that my body in death be buried not cremated, so that the energy content contained within it gets returned to the earth, so that flora and fauna can dine upon it, just as I have dined upon flora and fauna during my lifetime”

Don't get that. If you rot in a box, it a hell of long time before the matter gets recycled. But cremated, the fumes are dispersed and the ashes can get scattered. I don't see the advantage of being a dumper instead of a burner myself. No actual energy is lost in the long term

@David1955 I have also thought about that and that I should have my cremated remains given to a river.

@gsiamne me too, actually. I prefer a river in Thailand, at place I know well.

@David1955 It takes a lot of energy in the form of fuel to cremate a body. Adds to the carbon footprint as almost all carbon is converted to CO2. Mostly just minerals are left.

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