Fear and pain and death...

by Cowboy 27 Replies latest jw friends

  • Mindchild
    Mindchild

    Hey Cowboy, interesting thread.

    I don't fear the pain of death, but I fear the great dissappointment that I will miss out on the chance for immortality. I'm an Extropian and think there is a chance that within the next 10-20 years that our lifespans will actually double to about 150 years, and that within 100 years that we will have immortality by means of replicating the total information pattern that makes us...us. We can create then new bodies, flesh if we want by genetics or designer bodies of our choosing including machines or whatever.

    Many people tell me that they wouldn't want to live forever, maybe I wouldn't either but I sure would like several billion years to find out! Anyway, considering the amount of time that I'm expected to live now (80 years) and what might become optional (80 billion years) I don't want to miss out on the fun.

    Skipper

  • Sirona
    Sirona

    Cowboy,

    No I dont fear death. I believe in reincarnation, so I expect some after death experience followed by other lifetimes, if I so wish. Then again, if Im wrong (after all its only a theory! lol) then I wont know anything about it because I will be just ...gone...
    The latter scenario doesnt make any sense to me since I figure that our energy or spirit must go somewhere.

    From books I've read I formed the opinion that if we commit suicide then we dont move on properly on the other side and that if we finally end up on earth again we have to face all the same challenges all over again. So in that case, we should work on it in this lifetime.

    I dont want to think of others mourning my passing. Pain frightens me, of course. I always think that if I can last until a good age at which point I got ill, then that would be much easier than those who suffer illness for a long time from youth or something. In that respect I've been lucky so far.

    Sirona

    ** http://www.religioustolerance.org **

  • Julie
    Julie

    Greetings all,

    My only fear in relation to death is that I may die before my children are grown. If I can be here long enough to see them safely into adulthood the rest will be bonus. As to fearing death itself, I once nearly did die and have not feared it ever since. Don't necessarily *fear* pain, can tolerate it quietly for the most part, I find it extremely irritating. Especially if it is of the incapacitating nature.

    My worst fear would be for something terrible to happen to my children and there are a few adults who I dread losing but know I will eventually.

    Regards to all,
    Julie

  • picosito
    picosito

    Thanks Wallaby Jack.
    Can you give us the URL for the FOCUS site with the 1,000 WT lies?

  • Prisca
    Prisca

    Deep post Cowboy...

    I've seen someone die in front of me too, when I was only 11, and it did have an impact on me.

    It taught me that life is to be lived.

    So many people die everyday, some from unexpected events or accidents. One day they are here, the next - gone. We don't know what will happen tomorrow, or even today. So having seen death firsthand, I have learnt that it isn't something to be feared. It's a part of life, and we have to accept it.

    Instead, I have learnt to enjoy the sunshine, embrace the rain. Cherish the smile of a little child, learn from the wisdom of older persons. Life is a precious thing, and it's to be treasured and to be lived.

    I have been thinking about wills and funerals and stuff as I don't want, nor expect a JW funeral, so this topic has been swimming around in my head. Thanks for raising a very important topic CB.

  • Cowboy
    Cowboy

    Thanks to all for your replies.It does help to hear others opinions when trying to sort one's thoughts.

    Cowboy

    We ride and never worry about the fall
    I guess that's just the cowboy in us all

  • larc
    larc

    The older I get, the less I worry about death, and the more I try to enjoy each day and rid myself of unpleasantness in my life. If I get a painful, terminal illness, I plan to spend time in a closed garage with bourbon, rock and roll on the car radio, and the engine running. My wife knows my thoughts on this subject.

    I do worry how about how I would handle the death of those closest to me if they go first. Two years ago, my wife's younger sister died after three weeks in a coma. We were there at the hospital and I saw the pain and suffering that my wife, the husband and children went through. It was very sad indeed.

  • yrs2long
    yrs2long

    Hi cowboy,

    Up until a couple of months ago, I feared death with a passion and went out of my way to avoid meeting it at all costs. I was very much a believer in being in the wrong place, wrong time. This meant not taking flights even though I love to travel, no general amnesia, nor being caught in 'shady' neighborhoods and so forth. I just never felt that I was in a good enough standing to qualify for eternal life. Since I have turned my back on WT, I find that those fears have abated quite a bit and I've been experiencing 'real' living for once.

    However, I was doing some reverse witnessing to my inactive sister recently and when I expressed the above she revealed feeling just the opposite: she didn't begin experiencing fear of dying until becoming inactive.

Share this

Google+
Pinterest
Reddit