Death is a Terrible thing... (page 3)

Dansk

Hi Karl,

Why is death such a terrible thing? For whom is it terrible? I'll tell you, for the people left behind NOT for those who died!

It's true that when a person dies young much potential could have gone from the world - but those left behind MUST get on with their own lives.

We all know death is inevitable, but terrible???? Death might actually turn out to be a really pleasant thing? Who knows?

Every night we sort of die in that we go to sleep and don't remember too much about it. For me, death is similar to sleep. Truth is, I believe most of us are afriad of the way we might die, rather than death itself. I know I am!

I'm the wrong side of 50 and, as you know, came very close to death a year or so ago. Buddhists say that life is dukkha (pain/suffering). Think about it! Life really is pain or suffering. While there are many happy and loving moments they are fleeting. They cannot possibly last forever. This is what the Buddhists mean. So, we must strive to live a good life. By doing so we won't think too much about the negative aspects.

Ian

Awakened07

I don't think I'm afraid of death, but more mourning the fact that I won't be here to experience anything anymore, and see how humanity etc. change through time.

Being an atheist, this prospect should probably be infinitely more terrifying than for someone who believes they'll just wake up in some other place afterward, and in time even meet the people they love again.

On the other hand, I have no trouble knowing and accepting that I used to not exist(!). On a geological and universal time scale, my whole lifetime is very close to nothing. If you condensed the age of the universe down to 24 hours, my life wouldn't register even as a blink of an eye.

But when we are here and alive, the past (billions of years past) seems to somehow be 'part of our lives' simply because we are aware of it and know the outlines of what has happened before our birth. But the future is (more or less) totally unknown, and therefore more 'terrifying'. If there is nothing for me after death however, it will be the same as before birth. It's a rather absurd thought, but it is what it is.

If it was up to me, I would love to live on, actually. I mean - - - there's really no contest in my mind; eternal non-existence, or eternal (or at least very very long) possibilities for new discoveries and experiences? If I could choose, I would live.

But I can't choose, and I haven't found any proof or even sign that anyone will grant me that life, or that that life is a natural 'followup' to this one. But it would be nice.

In the meantime, I'll try to live as good and fulfilling a life as possible. It's easy to say, and I certainly could do better in that respect, but I think I still probably suffer slightly from the 'shell shock' of losing my eternal future. Still a little apathetic. Hopefully that will change.

Death is thankfully not something I'm preoccupied with though. It is whatever it is, and it comes whenever it comes. Out of my control. You can't live life constantly being afraid of things that are out of your control, death included.

diamondblue1974

I dont fear death in the slightest and certainly do not equate death with stopping.

Just like the seasons, life and death are just part of a never ending process. I know when I was part of the borg I had a horrendous fear of death in case I had not done enough. As a pagan I dont see the need to fear something so natural.

Gary /|\

LouBelle

yup death is inevitable!!!! Death & taxes, death & taxes. And once everyone who knew me dies, it would be as if I never existed - perhaps the only trace of me would be on the internet.

I've made peace with it - I'm going to die one day and the world will lose a very happy, wonderful person.

Crumpet

((((Karl))))

Last night I was listening to late night radio and heard a song which said exactly what I feel: You can't live until you are ready to die.

I'm not deliberately fatalistic or wanting to die but flying back from America when we hit really bad turbulence for an hour I really enjoyed it. I knew if the plane started freefall I'd still be smiling.

I'm ready. Not in a hurry, but I'm totally okay with it. I wouldnt have been a few years ago because I wasnt at peace, but in so many ways I am at peace now.

lonelysheep

Crumpet, I know what you mean.

Reverend Warhawk

Yeah, we will all die. So, let's make this life good, fun, and make other people happy, because it's their only life, too. I won't worry if there's anything after death, or even more odd, before birth. What matters is here, now. You, your family, your friends, your community. What about all the problems we have? Hey, that's called LIFE. And part of living your life is toughing it out through all your problems. Let's face it, after we face hardship, we feel pride when we tell out story to others. So it's all good, in the end. I have a wonderful wife, and two children, and all I want now is for us to be happy. Happiness is not something you actually get, but it is rather a by-product of how you live. So make it good. Everything in the universe has a birth, life and death. From galaxies to micro-organisms. We're all part of a freakin' huge cycle. Let's embrace this and enjoy what we have, and look forward to whatever good things we can bring to our lives and to the lives of others...

Younglove1999

I actually feared the idea of living forever and ever and ever and ever. Also, as a JW, I feared dying because I didn't understand the ressurection. Especially when it came to losing a spouse. If my husband died, that was it. We would never be married again. So in the back of my mind, the whole death thing terrified me because as a JW, there was no room to question all the what ifs. Dead=sleeping, it's finite, nothing else and you get ressurected later. It seemed odd to me.

Now that i'm out, I still obviously don't look forward to dying or losing loved ones, but death itself perplexes me and the idea of unanswered questions in some odd way, fascinates me. I find death easier to cope with now out of the organization than I did when I was in the organization. Maybe it's because I surround myself with people who really take to heart to live life to the fullest and I know when people go, they "go" satisfied with their lives and THAT is comforting to me.

feenx

I think death as a reality probably is not a terrible thing. The fear that we as humans create and maintain throughout our lives of death is most likely much worse. And I agree with the sentiment Challenging posted earlier, I have to quote from my favorite movie, Braveheart (it's a little cliche, but true): "Every man dies, not every man really lives." Because of the cirumstances when I was young I never even thought I would live to this age. It hit me when I turned 25, and I think since then I've started to and continue to make plans to make the best out of this life I feel right now, rather than dwelling on the "what if's" of questions that no can ever fully answer about death.

dogisgod

Not afraid of death. Just the process. I'm just "doin time" here anyway.

Death is a Terrible thing...

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