November Rain

Let's assume that there is no afterlife, or at least consider it a possibility that there is no life after death. Are you afraid to die? Does the thought of being gone forever horrify you?

Personally, I like to think that there is some sort of afterlife, particularly a place where we can be reunited with long lost loved ones, but it doesn't bother me much to think that once I'm dead, that's it. Admittedly it would seem extremely wasteful, but I wouldn't be around to care, it'll be just like going into a deep sleep.

How does everyone else feel?

NotConvinced

I'd say yes and no. There are definately times where I feel stronger in one direction than the other, though when I'm leaning more toward 'no' is usually when I'm in some kind of philosphical thinking, of which I'm torn on the life importance of such.


I think fear drives us in many more ways than we know, and the fear of death HAS to be the most powerful among those. We definately tend to fear the unknown, and what the hell is more unknown to us than death?

Although I think it's funny that a while back a public poll was conducted about what Americans fear most. Death came in at #2. Can anyone guess what #1 was? What would we fear MORE than death?


I think our fear of death was majorly responsible for the creation of most religions, that and the search for meaning in life. Most religions attempt to answer both. Some questions are such that they shouldn't have answers. Relgion attempts to fill in the holes that are supposed to be holes. There are indeed some things we Do...Not...Know.

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<insert meaning of life here>

romansh

A little bit apprehensive about the bit before death, whether its the years or minutes.
Death itself not a problem.... would not be here without it.

But NR, I think you are asking the wrong question.

The question should be "Are we afraid to live?" You know, take life by the balls and squeeze with all one's might. Make the most of life!

all the best

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There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened. ........... Douglas Adams

NotConvinced

Can you elaborate a bit on that?



More to the point...
Are you afraid to attack your own fears?


Make more of your life. I like that one also, 'most' implies there's a limit to what you can make out of your life. I think 'more' more accurately reflects our nature.

Both the fear of life and death play into unknowns, but to not fear them would be quite irrational, yes?

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<insert meaning of life here>

Buddha

Of course I fear change to a degree. If there is an afterlife(wich is a bad word for it because I think it will still be a life)I don't think it would be negative. Life is nothing without Experiences.

To die might be a great experience.

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Compromise, conformity, assimilation, submission
Ignorance, hypocrisy, brutality, the elite
All of which are american dreams

AB517

I guess I do. I have some splainin to do if I see my Dad.

I didn’t grabbed life the balls, I punched it the face. You would not believe half the **** I did and seen. I mean I wasn’t a bad guy, just a young and a know it all city boy.

Now I try to gently pat life on the upper back and put my around its shoulder and walk with it.

Maybe even lean on it, my body is broken. After I punched it in the mouth it responded by kickin my arsze from one side of Philly to the other.

shadowind

na, im more afraid of the pain of death, and what would be created by my death for the people still alive. i'm also more afraid of not doing the things i want to do before death then death itself.

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remember "for mere impulse of appetite is slavery, while obedience to a law which we prescirbe to oursleves is liberty"-rousseau: the concept of the general will "if we can not reconcile all opions, then let us endeavour to unite all hearts."-?"to be is to be perceived"-? "‘We can be as honest as we are ignorant. If we are, when asked what is beyond the horizon of the known, we must say that we do not know’-Robert G. Ingersoll

Jasen777

Public speaking. But it's not really accurate to say people fear it more. More people fear public speaking than death, but I'd bet the most people fear death more than public speaking. Otherwise they'd kill themselves before doing public speaking.

NotConvinced

Speculative at best. But I wish they would have had to label their top 5 fears in order 1-5, then we could name the one with the most accumulated 'points.'

Either people have grown more comfortable dealing with unknowns like death, or people have grown to label death as more of a known than unknown.

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<insert meaning of life here>

evil wiener

If you waste time fearing the inevitable, you are indeed wasting your time. People should be more afraid of wasting their life or leaving things unsaid, in my opinion.
I don't fear death, but I am still relatively young ... I have a feeling that might change a bit as the reaper gathers steam in my rear view, if you know what I mean.

When death comes, I will only be afraid if I have left chips on the table.

"You wasted life, why wouldn't you waste the after-life?" - Modest Mouse

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nobody gets out alive