What bugs me about death is that I'll miss stuff. But I'll be dead so I won't know about it.
changeling
Fear of death.
by JeffT 21 Replies latest jw friends
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outnfree
"Here's a news flash world: someday you're going to die. Deal with it."
I dealt with it at age 45 when I said to myself, "You're [at least!] halfway to dead."
It made me think about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life--this time around. I believe I'm eternal, but that doesn't make a painful and/or prolonged death any more palatable.
I hope to live until I'm in my 90's, spry, healthy, and having had a good time living life, traveling a lot, and seeing my grandkids (and great grandkis?) grow up. Then, to go quickly in my sleep.
It may not happen that way, but it could....
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Twitch
I don't recall if that exact line is in that scene, but it is in a song from the soundtrack
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educ8self
Thanks for that link Twitch, it was a good movie.
It's ironic that living is a completelydynamic process, and what people've come to learn is to hold on to or push things away - which is the exact opposite. Here's to living and dying with dignity, security and comfort be damned.
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freeme
every sane person fears death, because its a strong instinct which helps us not do die unnecessarily. ppl who say they arent afraid arent lying because they dont fear it while sitting in a save enviroment reasoning with themselves why death is not very bad at all. if a murderer with a gun is after them they'll run nevertheless. they fear to die. its completely normal.
the fear of pain is similar. noone wants to get hurt for nothing. its dangerous and unpleasent so we fear it.
despite our instincts i too can say that i dont fear death. BUT...
in some way im very sad about it. it makes me feel helpless and out of control. i would like to see the next centuries but i just CANT. i dont have a chance. by 2070 in best case im very likely dead. likely even much earlierer (like 2051 when im 70) or even tomorrow.
i cant control it. it scares me to some degree. what will there be in 1000 years? in 2000? i dont know. i wont know it EVER! but i WANNA know. im too curious :)
thats the only real problem with death for me.
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JeffT
I guess what is getting to me is not so much fear of death, but some societal assumption that it can be avoided if we just played our cards right. People want absolute safety, and it doesn't exist.
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jaguarbass
When I was in my 20's and 30's, I was afraid of dying. In my 50's, I may be fearful staring it in the eye. But not like I was when I was younger and a witnoid. I think the wactower makes people preoccupied with death.
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trevor
Thanks Dog patch - for that excerpt. It does illustrate the hoplesness of the human condition. Shakespear also wrote about the inner turmoil caused by our awareness of death.
Religion flourishes because facing the reality of our own demise is too much to bear. It means our lives have no purpose that is of benefit to us individually.
It make all our efforts redundant unless they bring us pleasure or contentment in the moment. There is the key to coping. The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle is very helpful in making some sense of our brief existence.
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tonic
There's a definite difference, for some, in fearing the process of dying or fearing death itself. While pain, etc. of the process of dying scares me somewhat, what happens after the moment death occurs doesn't scare me...it intrigues me. If dying is the end of all thought and experience, I won't even know it. I believe it's not at all, so I'm looking forward to finding out what the next chapter of existence is like (not prematurely though).
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parakeet
Read Michael Crichton's book, "State of Fear." Fearmonging is often done deliberately to control the population.