We're All Going To Die

by Garrett 35 Replies latest jw friends

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  Garrett

  Hi all,

  It's been a while since I've been here. Life has been busy, but I am now on 2 weeks vacation which allowed me some thinking room. And here's what's been on my mind.

  We're all going to die. No matter what we do, our fate is sealed. I don't know about any of you who have more years of wisdom than me, but this hit me hard. Sure, we all say we're going to die some day, but how many of us actually dwell on the idea and on what it actually means? For the past week, that's what I've been doing. Everything I've done in my life and everything I will do will be forgotten, everything that I am and will be, will fade into nothingness. Everything I've worked on in life, everything I thought was important, everything I stressed and worried about, would have been for naught.

  Now, from a thiestic point of view, our life here serves as a passage into the next realm. Yes, there are many takes on the core idea, but most faiths are quite similar. So, after death, we get reincarnated, we go to heaven, we go to hell, etc. But there is still the issue that everything we held dear while on Earth was futile, everything we stressed and worried about was pointless.

  From an athiestic perspective, we have our life and when it's done, it's done. Which makes the reality of death all that much harsher.

  So, what should we be doing with our life. What is the best way to make use of our life, to make it meaningful, to make it worthwhile?

  Wealth? Success? Knowledge? Friends? Fame? Health? I think there is only one thing that we can do to make our life truly meaningful and that is to do our utmost to make a positive impact in the lives of those that we frequent. All the above mentioned things will be nothing when we are gone, however, changing someone else's life, and impacting it for the better will remain with that person(s) for their life and perhaps their children's lives. Yes, everything fades in the end, but at least we helped someone, we were selfless instead of selfish which too many people are today.

  So, personally, I am going to do my very best not to worry about mundane things that I know will be meaningless in the end, and do my very best to help and positively impact anyone's life that I can. I want to focus on others instead of myself. Yes, a balance must be found, but I don't want to be known as someone who was successful, but didn't have time for others.

  Those are my thoughts, I'd love to hear your take. I know it's a morbid subject, but it's something that has been weighing on my mind. Have you thought about this? What conclusion did you come to?

  Peace,

  Garrett
• 

  TD

  Yes. The older you get, the more it weighs on your mind, but also the easier it becomes to accept as in simply going to sleep after a very long and very hard day's work...
  
• 

  breakfast of champions

  You know, if I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die.

  Just don't lie to me.
• 

  StrongHaiku

  “Do not act as if you were going to live ten thousand years. Death hangs over you. While you live, while it is in your power, be good.” - Marcus Aurelius
• 

  DesirousOfChange

  So, what should we be doing with our life. What is the best way to make use of our life, to make it meaningful, to make it worthwhile?

  Wealth? Success? Knowledge? Friends? Fame? Health? I think there is only one thing that we can do to make our life truly meaningful and that is to do our utmost to make a positive impact in the lives of those that we frequent. All the above mentioned things will be nothing when we are gone, however, changing someone else's life, and impacting it for the better will remain with that person(s) for their life and perhaps their children's lives.

  Yes, we're going to die. That promise of living forever in Paradise was just a lie. Thus your comment pretty well sums up our conclusion on things.

  By the time we had awakened to TTATT, my wife and I were too old to dramatically change the course of our lives. By this time, it was pretty much set. We could go to college now (never did because The End of the World was soooo close), but it would not allow a change to a more meaningful career or for greater success. We're just too damn old.

  But even before awakening, we had observed how The End had "delayed" and how that combined with our (bad) decisions/choices had affected our lives so we were determined that our children would get a good education and careers and have a more promising future. They all awakened to TTATT even before we did. (Probably because they went to college!!) Now we are all free of the enslavement to this religion's false prophecy and false promises. Now we have grandchildren, too, which gives us more interest in the future.

  Our goal now is to use what we have left in our lives to help make our children's and grandchildrens' lives more successful and meaningful. We hope that what we do will continue to have a positive impact on their lives.

  Something that another poster said on this board had an even greater impact on me: "There will never be justice."

  As a JW, we always believe that all the wrong an unjust things that happened to anyone in "this life" would be rectified by Jehovah/CJ in the Paradise New World. Yes, even those who died prematurely in life by disease or by the wicked actions of others would be resurrected. Everything would be "made right"!

  It's not gonna happen. Facing that reality was sad. I feel bad when I see an injustice. I have pity for those less fortunate. But now I know that those things will never change. There will always be injustice. Be glad for what you have!

  The greatest revenge is living a happy & successful life!

  Doc
  
• 

  LisaRose

  As Ghandi said, you must be the change you wish to see in the world.

  That is enough for me.
• 

  kaik

  I have had accepted a reality that I will die and I am not worried. I do not care about afterlife. What is matter is my life TODAY, making meaningful and influencing positively others. It is the only thing that matter, which is this life. Everything else is unverified, unconfirmed BS. Make your live worth. Channel your knowledge to other generation, plant a trees until someone will cut them down, plant a roses, until someone else is will pluck them out. Life is too short, thus enjoying it to fully responsibly. Many people wanted and want to make this world better, finding cure for HIV, cancer and hep-c, cleaner energy, better civic institutions and functioning democracy, without the need to wait for Armageddon which will never come.
  
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  pepperheart

  how to make an impact with your life

  If you go on youtube and look for Goodsearch.com you will see two reports that ABC news and FOX news have done about Goodsearch.com Over $11 million to charitys for free.Goodsearch is a search engine like google but donates half the profits of each to charity.

  2)Freerice.com again have a look on youtube to see what NBC news has to say.Just by playing a simple word game and getting the answer right means that the sponsors pay for 10 grains of rice and because millions of people around the world are playing the grains mount up.

  If you live in the uk go on any of these charitys websites and look for Everyclick.com

  wwf uk,diabetes uk war on want.over £6 million raised for charity by people using everyclick as their search engine,if you just search with everyclick the charity portion goes into a big pot but if you wish you can enrol on your computer to a chosen charity.Im linked to a local cancer hospital over £2,000 raised just by people going on the web
  
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  CalebInFloroda

  Hi Garrett,

  Not all theists view things the way you mention. After leaving the JWs I went back to my Jewish roots, and the whole idea of an afterlife and this life being futile, and that we have to prepare for the life to come after this--all those things got left behind.

  Now I am not implying or recommending Judaism. It's not just a religion, it's a culture, and though people can convert, for the most part we aren't looking to add new members because we think people are called to make the best out of life and the circumstances in which they live now.

  But I will say this. It was surprisingly comforting for me to discover that there was another way of looking at things. Atheists and other non-Jews can do the same too, and one doesn't have to give up their core values or adopt a certain theology or reject one--well, it might not be too compatible with Christianity and Islam now that I think about it.

  Anyway, the view is that this may the only life we have, the one right now. And isn't it wonderful enough to be thankful for what we have now?

  Why worry about preparing for a future day or afterlife? If there is a G-d, wouldn't it be a little thankless to be concerned about tomorrow when G-d went through all this trouble to build a vast universe so you can have today? And if there is no G-d, isn't it equally stupid to not rejoice in what we have now?

  Did any of us prepare to enter into the life we have now? None of us had any control over being born into this world. If there is no G-d, then we are living the miracle of life now. Don't miss it. And if there is a G-d, well we didn't have to work to get into this life. Why would G-d require us to do anything to get into the next if there is one? If there is a requirement, then the Jews who introduced the world to this G-d surely never heard of one.

  In Jewish tradition there is the understanding that this universe will come to a close one day and a new realm will replace it, a "world to come," Olam Ha Ba in our language. What is it exactly? How do you get there? Beats me. But you don't have to be a Jew or a theist or anything in particular to be a part of it. It is the natural order of things that has yet to be revealed, as natural as when a new day dawns. As long as people do the best they can, are just, and live to their full potential then they will naturally come to be there.

  But preparation for it? Just as you have had no control in regards to entering this one, you will have no control over getting into the next. We do understand that those who work contrary to life and justice in this world won't be a part of the next, but I dare say very few I've ever encountered have anything to worry about.

  If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. If it does, it does. I say if there is anything you are going to take from a theist, take this from us Jews who invented the monotheistic G-d: do your best at life now and enjoy what has been given to you now, and do the same tomorrow, and every other tomorrow that is given to you as long as they are given to you. There's nothing more to worry about.

  Oh, and no belief in any G-d is required.

  If there is a G-d, then life surely isn't about believing in G-d. Life would then be evidence that G-d believes in you.
  
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  adjusted knowledge

  I would imagine the early days of philosophy were founded on answering questions about death. It seems to occupy us when we have free alone time to think. I think it is harder for us that for many decades believed there was a true just world coming. It saddens me as I see my parents aging knowing I may have but a couple decades left with them. I cherish our time more than ever.

  Now I view the world like a nature video. It is both cruel unloving and beautiful at the same time. There are very evil people in this world who will never see justice but there isn't much we can do about it.

  I just focus on my family and a career that gives me happiness.