Poll of the Day > Scared to die?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Ever experience so much success, so many good experiences, work promotions, gotten so much pussy from a few different sources, gained the admiration and respect of so many others, and cemented your reputation as hard working, trustworthy and charming so much so that you begin to fear that one day youll die and itll all be over?

Not scared to die. Scared of how and when. I don't care ti live to be really old but I don't wanna die tomorrow either. As I don't want it to be slow and painful. And that ranges from a injury that just takes a while to die from (i.e. stabbed) or a terminal illness that makes life miserable

Most scared that I dont know whats after Like is it darkness forever, like sleep? Thats pretty terrifying

Is there something after? Thats more hopeful

Maybe reincarnation into another human? Id be happy with that, even though I wouldnt remember

But not knowing is the worrying part

LinkPizza posted...

terrifying

As long as it isn't hell or limbo I'm cool with it. Endless sleep sounds good to me. I don't get enough sleep lol

I have accomplished absolutely nothing in my life and Im scared to die. It doesnt matter if one is successful or not.

Sufferedphoneix posted...

As long as it isn't hell or limbo I'm cool with it. Endless sleep sounds good to me. I don't get enough sleep lol

The only time sleep feels great for me if after I wake up and know I was asleep In this case, you never wake up, therefore never know you were sleep Just darkness forever

LinkPizza posted...

The only time sleep feels great for me if after I wake up and know I was asleep In this case, you never wake up, therefore never know you were sleep Just darkness forever

Seems cool to me. Not like I'll have thr thought process to be upset about it

Sufferedphoneix posted...

Seems cool to me. Not like I'll have thr thought process to be upset about it

Maybe Just scares me to think of nothingness forever

Unconscious nothingness. Have you ever been put out for surgery such that time passes immediately from the gas mask going on to waking up with no wisdom teeth? There you have it.

I wouldn't say I'm excited about that, but it's hard to be too scared either. Thinking about that makes everything feel pretty pointless, and it probably is, but what can you do?

wpot posted...

Unconscious nothingness. Have you ever been put out for surgery such that time passes immediately from the gas mask going on to waking up with no wisdom teeth? There you have it.

I wouldn't say I'm excited about that, but it's hard to be too scared either. Thinking about that makes everything feel pretty pointless, and it probably is, but what can you do?

Thats the problem, though I know what unconscious nothingness is. Thats why Im scared When youre sleeping or unconscious for surgery, you barely notice. But thats only because you wake up. It feels like no time has really passed, even though you know it has But thats when you wake up. With death, you never do Sleeping forever Thats why its scary Forever is a long time

..forever.isalong..time

LinkPizza posted...

Forever is a long time

It's hard to wrap our heads around as conscious beings, but forever is neither long nor short if you don't perceive it...or anything else. I've gotten to the point where the lack of caring bothers me more than the perception that I would be sleeping/immobile/etc, as I don't think that's really it. Just nothing nothing.

I am less scared of dying and more scared about the process leading up to it. It is very rare that you have an instant "painless" death. It is usually a long process where you gradually lose your facilities and are in extreme pain up until the point where every ounce of energy you have is devoted to try and hang on to your life long enough for your loved ones to say their final goodbyes. By that point, death is the reward, not what you fear.

The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had

wpot posted...

It's hard to wrap our heads around as conscious beings, but forever is neither long nor short if you don't perceive it...or anything else. I've gotten to the point where the lack of caring bothers me more than the perception that I would be sleeping/immobile/etc, as I don't think that's really it. Just nothing nothing.

Sure. Its hard to perceive once youre dead. Which is the scary part You wont even ever know. To me, thats terrifying

LinkPizza posted...

Sure. Its hard to perceive once youre dead. Which is the scary part You wont even ever know. To me, thats terrifying

You won't be once it happens. You won't ever think about it infact

Dikitain posted...

I am less scared of dying and more scared about the process leading up to it. It is very rare that you have an instant "painless" death. It is usually a long process where you gradually lose your facilities and are in extreme pain up until the point where every ounce of energy you have is devoted to try and hang on to your life long enough for your loved ones to say their final goodbyes. By that point, death is the reward, not what you fear.

I'm no great fan of the medical industry but I think hospice is usually a bit better than that. Once you accept it (and surrender the fight) they keep you relatively drugged up and 'comfortable'.

I can't fully decide what I think of euthanasia (I'm hearing some downsides from Canada) but here's hoping that we can at least allow it in situations like the worst case scenario you're describing.

LinkPizza posted...

Sure. Its hard to perceive once youre dead. Which is the scary part You wont even ever know. To me, thats terrifying

Yeah, it's not cool. "You" won't even exist: it will be the same as the entirety of history before you were born. But on the plus side, I wasn't terrified or looking forward to life anxiously a billion years ago, despite 'my' atoms swirling around somewhere. It was just nothing. ....is that a 'plus side'? :)

P.S. On the religious side, I don't see any particular reason to believe that one religion has any more insight regarding life and death than any other. But even if we go fully scientific about it, there are still a lot of questions regarding how (and maybe why) consciousness would have appeared in a universe made up of small particles.

Point being I think it's correct to be agnostic, not atheistic, and admit that there may be a "why". And if there is perhaps there's more to consciousness/life...and maybe death.

wpot posted...

P.S. On the religious side, I don't see any particular reason to believe that one religion has any more insight regarding life and death than any other. But even if we go fully scientific about it, there are still a lot of questions regarding how (and maybe why) consciousness would have appeared in a universe made up of small particles.

Point being I think it's correct to be agnostic, not atheistic, and admit that there may be a "why". And if there is perhaps there's more to consciousness/life.

Talking about atoms you made me think i almost believe in reincarnation in a final fantasy 7 life stream. Kinda way. Our body dies and breaks down but those atoms and energy or whatever always end up somewhere else.

Sufferedphoneix posted...

Our body dies and breaks down but those atoms and energy or whatever always end up somewhere else.

It sounds silly coming out of a video game but that could be closer to the truth of it than what many religions are going with, yes. :)

wpot posted...

It sounds silly coming out of a video game but that could be closer to the truth of it than what many religions are going with, yes. :)

Yeah just wouldn't be reincarnation in the typical sense you'd be split up and parts of you would fuse with parts of other things. Part of you may become grass along with parts of other things. Another part might go to a donkey

Sufferedphoneix posted...

You won't be once it happens. You won't ever think about it infact

wpot posted...

Yeah, it's not cool. "You" won't even exist: it will be the same as the entirety of history before you were born. But on the plus side, I wasn't terrified or looking forward to life anxiously a billion years ago, despite 'my' atoms swirling around somewhere. It was just nothing. ....is that a 'plus side'? :)

I think you guys are misunderstanding what Im saying. I already know I will feel nothing when I die. But that changes nothing I said. The question is if were scared to die. I said yes because I dont like the thought of the nothingness. Saying I wont notice doesnt change anything because part of the fear I have is knowing that I wont notice. It doesnt make me less scared. If anything, that intensifies the fear If youre cool with it, thats good. Im not. The only thing that has the possibility of making it less terrifying is knowing for sure what would happen. And depending on the answer, it could be better or worse

Another part might go into a Taco Bell sauce packet (hopefully not too directly).

Really, though, it has happened already. You're constantly shedding old cells/etc and some might have cycled around into sauce packets.

If you take that logic further you start to wonder if life is basically the central nervous system of Earth and there's not much point in trying to differentiate us from it....or every other kind of matter/energy in the universe.

LinkPizza posted...

It doesnt make me less scared. If anything, that intensifies the fear If youre cool with it, thats good. Im not.

I'm not trying to say that your reaction is right or wrong, I was just trying to explain my view of things whether helpful or not. Certainly everyone is entitled to their own thoughts/feelings.

LinkPizza posted...

I think you guys are misunderstanding what Im saying. I already know I will feel nothing when I die. But that changes nothing I said. The question is if were scared to die. I said yes because I dont like the thought of the nothingness. Saying I wont notice doesnt change anything because part of the fear I have is knowing that I wont notice. It doesnt make me less scared. If anything, that intensifies the fear If youre cool with it, thats good. Im not. The only thing that has the possibility of making it less terrifying is knowing for sure what would happen. And depending on the answer, it could be better or worse

Plus, you wouldnt be scared of dying when youre dead even if you still had consciousness since it would have already happened As for the before I was born thing, I actually get kind of scared thinking about that Knowing that Id be going back to that At least when you think of that, you eventually woke up to consciousness With death, chances are you will never wake from it It is a possibility, though

For me its knowing I won't be able to think about it that makes it not so scary.

Now pure darkness cant move or feel anything but you can think? That would be hell

^ That's more or less where I'm at, although - again - I can't fault anyone else for feeling differently.

I'm an existential crisis kind of guy, though. Or maybe more accurate to say "existential accepter". :)

The only reason I'd be scared to die is the bills my death would cause for my family.

trodi_911 posted...

The only reason I'd be scared to die is the bills my death would cause for my family.

I always tell my family do whatever cheapest. Toss it in the woods and let the vultures feast for all I care

Last couple seizures I had really made me painfully aware of my mortality. I've come to grips with the fact that I have a higher than most chance of dying 'young', but I still don't want it to happen. As Tyrion said, 'death is so boring'.

Sufferedphoneix posted...

I always tell my family do whatever cheapest. Toss it in the woods and let the vultures feast for all I care

Quickest route back to the lifestream. :)

wpot posted...

Quickest route back to the lifestream. :)

It's also the same mindset of some crazy philosopher. He told them to toss his body over the city walls when he died. They said but the dogs/wolves (can't remember which) will eat you. So he responded give me a stick to beat them with. But you can't cause you're dead. Why should I care then?

wpot posted...

Quickest route back to the lifestream. :)

In a couple states, human composting has been legalized. Would that make carnivorous trees?

Scared not to die. Soon they may have the tech to keep you living forever, or bring you back if you do die digitally.

wolfy42 posted...

Scared not to die. Soon they may have the tech to keep you living forever, or bring you back if you do die digitally.

I shouldn't admit this but what the heck. I have slowly (key word: slowly) been writing a book and that's basically what it's about. A scientist discovers a way to keep people alive more or less indefinitely, barring accidents, but he realizes that if he just gave it out to the world we'd use up all of the earth's resources instantly and it would be terrible. Not to mention that the benefits of staying alive indefinitely are not as great as people imagine them to be, either for individuals or for society. It's a bunch of tortured moralizing. :)

Yes. I watched both my parents die and there was very little that was peaceful or comforting about it. I'll keep trying to put it off for as long as possible, thanks.

I'd only be scared be scared before dying anyway

Don't think it would be a problem afterwards.

It's hardly a hypothetical question though, because it's the one absolute certainty for all of us: it will happen to you at some point, no matter how long you manage to dodge it for. Every single one of us will, sooner or later, join that infinitely long line shuffling its way into eternal darkness. It's the absolute, inescapable inevitability of it that's terrifying: you have zero hope of avoiding it, it's impossible to bargain your way out of it, all you can do is to focus on the bit that happens before it and maybe try not thinking about it too much.

Vampire_Chicken posted...

It's hardly a hypothetical question though, because it's the one absolute certainty for all of us: it will happen to you at some point, no matter how long you manage to dodge it for. Every single one of us will, sooner or later, join that infinitely long line shuffling its way into eternal darkness. It's the absolute, inescapable inevitability of it that's terrifying: you have zero hope of avoiding it, it's impossible to bargain your way out of it, all you can do is to focus on the bit that happens before it and maybe try not thinking about it too much.

Sadly so many ways this could not be true.

For instance if a universe exists for every possible choice (Even the direction an atom travels etc), then there are countless copies of you that are living the exact same lives, there are also ones the at just a bit behind and ahead of you. If you die in this life, there are countless versions that didn't die in other universes, and your consciousness just continues in them.

Or tech advances to the point where we digitalize memories and can transfer them between bodies or even have them in digital created universe that both last forever AND proceed forward through time at a much slower rate (according to your consciousness), much like how dreams can seem to be hours/days long but last only a few moments.

Or the universe just exists in a constant loop and when you die in this loop, you just pop back up in the next loop reliving everything over and over again forever.

Or we are all just 1 person with segregated memories and every time you die you live as another person (so while you may not have the memories of this life, you will continue to live lives over and over forever with no way to stop the madness).

There are plenty of other theories/ways that we could basically never end up dead....hopefully none of them are true. Even many religions believe in afterlives though that are supposedly "eternal" and to me anything eternal sounds like hell.

wolfy42 posted...

Sadly so many ways this could not be true.

Everyone who's ever lived has died, everyone who is alive is going to die. I really don't see how you can deny the reality of that; you'd have to be one hell of a fucking statistical aberration to avoid it. Whatever the nature of the change may be, that change is going to happen to you sooner or later.

I'd love to believe in "afterwards", but to honest I see death as simply the cessation of electrochemical activity in the brain and any hopes that the human personality somehow survives that is wishful thinking.

wolfy42 posted...

Sadly so many ways this could not be true.

For instance if a universe exists for every possible choice (Even the direction an atom travels etc), then there are countless copies of you that are living the exact same lives, there are also ones the at just a bit behind and ahead of you. If you die in this life, there are countless versions that didn't die in other universes, and your consciousness just continues in them.

Or tech advances to the point where we digitalize memories and can transfer them between bodies or even have them in digital created universe that both last forever AND proceed forward through time at a much slower rate (according to your consciousness), much like how dreams can seem to be hours/days long but last only a few moments.

Or the universe just exists in a constant loop and when you die in this loop, you just pop back up in the next loop reliving everything over and over again forever.

Or we are all just 1 person with segregated memories and every time you die you live as another person (so while you may not have the memories of this life, you will continue to live lives over and over forever with no way to stop the madness).

There are plenty of other theories/ways that we could basically never end up dead....hopefully none of them are true. Even many religions believe in afterlives though that are supposedly "eternal" and to me anything eternal sounds like hell.

Normally, eternal sounds bad But I can think of a few ways it wouldnt be too bad

Vampire_Chicken posted...

Everyone who's ever lived has died, everyone who is alive is going to die. I really don't see how you can deny the reality of that; you'd have to be one hell of a fucking statistical aberration to avoid it. Whatever the nature of the change may be, that change is going to happen to you sooner or later.

I'd love to believe in "afterwards", but to honest I see death as simply the cessation of electrochemical activity in the brain and any hopes that the human personality somehow survives that is wishful thinking.

While I dont think well have the technology anytime soon, there could eventually be technology that lets us stay alive forever How to do this would depend, though

LinkPizza posted...

While I dont think well have the technology anytime soon, there could eventually be technology that lets us stay alive forever

Call me Mr Cynical, but I don't think that technology's going to be freely available to everyone on demand.

Vampire_Chicken posted...

Call me Mr Cynical, but I don't think that technology's going to be freely available to everyone on demand.

I dont think so, either Not at first, at least After all of certain people have it, then it will trickle down to the rest But that wont be for a while But it also depends on what the technology actually is

I mean, alot will change if we can digitalize memories/transfer them and most importantly insert them into digitalized realities. We have VR already, but once we make it even more realistic, so you can't even tell the difference between real life and VR (other then you can fly/cast spells etc in VR), there will be literally infinite resources and no reason to hoard them, or restrict technology that makes everyone immortal.

We are actually not even that far away from making that happen, it could easily be done in the next 20 years.

Hakuna Matata. I'm looking forward to it.

wolfy42 posted...

I mean, alot will change if we can digitalize memories/transfer them and most importantly insert them into digitalized realities. We have VR already, but once we make it even more realistic, so you can't even tell the difference between real life and VR (other then you can fly/cast spells etc in VR), there will be literally infinite resources and no reason to hoard them, or restrict technology that makes everyone immortal.

We are actually not even that far away from making that happen, it could easily be done in the next 20 years.

It would most likely be restricted at first, though To only the rich and powerful After that, it will be available to the rest of the world And even then, someone needs to still make sure the humans outside are taken care of

wolfy42 posted...

there will be literally infinite resources and no reason to hoard them, or restrict technology that makes everyone immortal.

Bro the trillionares would still hoard literally infinite resources and not let the plebs have access to them

wolfy42 posted...

I mean, alot will change if we can digitalize memories/transfer them and most importantly insert them into digitalized realities.

But memory isn't the same thing as consciousness or identity. It's simply a recording. If all your memories were transferred into something or someone else, it wouldn't make it/them you -- any more than someone else would become you by studying an infinitesimally detailed biography of your life.

No need to fear the inevitable because at the end of the day, it doesn't matter how rich you are, how many women you have slept with, how many homes you have owned, promotions you have gotten, etc because "Father Time" and "Death" for millions of years have an undefeated record so that makes them the ultimate winners.

LinkPizza posted...

I dont think so, either Not at first, at least After all of certain people have it, then it will trickle down to the rest

Immortality would be the jealously guarded privilege of a tiny elite, who'll have no desire to see their share of resources constantly shrinking in a world in which the human population explodes because death has been abolished.

BUMPED2002 posted...

No need to fear the inevitable because at the end of the day, it doesn't matter how rich you are, how many women you have slept with, how many homes you have owned, promotions you have gotten, etc because "Father Time" and "Death" for millions of years have an undefeated record so that makes them the ultimate winners.

I dont think that means you dont have to fear it, though That just means its going to happen You can still fear the inevitable