Are you afraid of death? Ever think about it?

[Liquid Blue]

When I was little (10 or so), my sister freaked me out by saying that each second that passes is you getting closer to dying, or something to that effect. I wasn't too bright back then so I couldn't really grasp the fact that one day I wouldn't be moving anymore, that I wouldn't be able to use my hands, breathe through my nose or do any of the normal things I do. So for like a month I had some crazy fear of death. Every time I went to sleep I wondered if that was what it was like in a coffin, or to be dead. You know, crazy shit.

Anyway, what I'm getting to is, have you ever thought about dying? Are you afraid of death? Do you believe in an afterlife, or reincarnation, or some other phase beyond our lives right now?

I say I wasn't too bright back then but I sill can't really imagine not breathing, not even having a brain to think with, not being able to dream or just be alive. It's still unsettling to me, but it doesn't freak me out as nearly as much as it did then.

[NaiLed]

i don't believe in the afterlife but I'm not afriad of dying. I mean when I am dead, i won't know about it

although it does seem a bit "woah" when you consider that you will be dead for the rest of eternity. but, can't do anything about it, so why worry?

[Pandagirl!]

I believe in Heaven of course. I have thought about the concept of death before - and it's really unfathomable. An eternity... wow. It's never really scared me though, it's just a new experience that I can't even begin to think about what it would be like.

[Kyace]

Ever have a fever so that everything you see around you looks strange and out of place, and you have trouble focusing or thinking deeply about objects or events?
That what I would imagine death to be like.

Why? Why not.

[Battlecat]

Ever since I realized organized religion is complete and utter bullshit, death was always an interesting mystery to me. Since I don't believe in Heaven, or Hell for that matter, I have no flipping clue what happens when we die. I'm not scared of dying, I'm actually looking forward to it because I want to know what happens, but at the same time, I enjoy life and want to live as long as possible.

[Liquid Blue]

The eternity thing really never bothered me, it was more the whole line of not being able to do anything ever again. Or is that the same thing? Eh, woops :fear:

[Superted]

Death, it's a funny yet cruel thing. When I was young I didn't even know it existed, and when I became aware of mortality it didn't seem real. Through puberty death was firstly something I wished upon everyone else, then myself, then it becamse something I'd simply accept if it were to happen. A little after that I had my first experience with it, a close freind passed away then it became so real, not simply a fact like 'everything dies' but more like 'he will never breath, or experience love or see a sunset'. A while ago as I was slipping into the land of nod a thought occured to me, for the first time in my memorable life I can say 'I don't want to die', I don't want to cease to exist, I don't want to stop breathing in this wonderful life. I guess one could go as far to say that I'm actually afraid of death. Funny I used to think it was stupid to be afraid of the inevitable, now I see that it's what makes us human, it's what makes us alive.

As for an afterlife, originally I hated such an idea because "one life is bad enough". But now I believe in heaven, but not hell; after death you just have your own version of heaven but without other "real" people, after all your heaven may be someone elses hell. That's not to say that I won't try and enjoy this life while I have it though, plus there's always a small chance that I could be wrong.

[Ephemeral]

Humans usually fear three things, pain, death and God. I presume that very early humanoids only feared pain and death and that religious evolution has taken advantage of the situation and tied God into it.

I have always been interested in how strong the fear emotion is, how it is not unusual that we will spend more time and energy worrying about the fear than the fearful event itself. For example, it is fearful to love something that death can touch.

Personally, I like to believe that any day is a good day to die.

[Troll King]

Ode to a Proper Eulogy

Visions of the future, I’m lying in my coffin,
People walking by to bid farewell.
I can’t help but wonder what they say when I am sleeping,
Now I wonder what they’ll say when I’m gone.
Will they sing the praises of things that never happened?
Friendliness from folk I hardly knew.
Or will they think of memories of things that I’ve forgotten?
Of times when I flew higher than I belonged?

And I can’t help but ask myself
How much I meant to you.
Did we stop to talk a while,
Or were we only passing through each other?
Now I know: there’s one way to find out.
I’ll wait until I’m gone,
To hear the things you say about me.
All I need,
If you’ll accept my apologies,
Could you please deliver me,
Deliver me a proper eulogy.

Visions of the future, I’m lying six feet under,
Sleeping in a bed of pine and nail.
I wake up to the footsteps of someone walking over
To lay a wreath of daisies over my head.
And then I hear a whisper, a voice I can’t remember,
A tone I recognize as faint regret.
It said: “I really miss you, and I wish you never left me;
I never had the chance to let you know.”

And I can’t help but ask myself
How much I meant to you.
Did we stop to talk a while,
Or were we only passing through each other?
Now I know: there’s one way to find out.
I’ll wait until I’m gone,
To hear the things you say about me.
All I need,
If you’ll accept my apologies,
Could you please deliver me,
Deliver me a proper eulogy.

Visions of the future, I’m sitting in a hallway,
Watching time go by in fancy shoes.
I just sit there waiting, and wasting all my virtues
Until someone takes the time to say “hello”.

After I’m gone, will you remember me?
Did I touch your life
The way I let you touch me.
After I’m gone, will you cry for me?
Will you deliver me
A proper eulogy?

[Richard Creager]

Mortality is an unfortunately unconsidered and accepted disease. There is nothing good about the loss of all consiousness for eternity. Not enough people actually think about the fact the one day everyone will be dead, and though it seems the justification for turning a blind eye to death is reproduction, it won't be possible for humanity to do anything other than barely exist when we run out of oil and we're still using internal combustion to get around. Can you believe it's been 100 years? That fact makes me doubt we'll ever get off this rock and away from its cancer causing background radiation and achieve something as a species. One good thing about it is that we'll be able to get a laugh out of anyone who comes and observes the ruins of our civillization.

[ZeUs!!]

I'm not scared about the process of dying, although I want to make sure I get the most out of life before it happens

[Ilya]

i'm dead atm

[Tone]

Live long enough to live forever

Hey what would god think or do if people just cured aging and lived forever?

FANTASTIC VOYAGE: Live Long Enough to Live Forever RAY KURZWEIL AND TERRY GROSSMAN

Within the next 20 years, we will have the technology to stop and perhaps even reverse aging, assert Kurzweil and Grossman. The authors outline three bridges to that future. The first is a longevity plan to stave off diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and stroke and start to reverse the aging process until scientific advances mature enough to cure and avert such illnesses. This plan advocates healthy eating, exercising, avoiding stress, and taking nutritional supplements. Bridge two is the biotechnology revolution, which Kurzweil and Grossman predict will provide cures for a host of diseases and allow people to turn off the aging process by altering their genetic programs. Bridge three is nanotechnology, which will someday send nanoscale repair robots into people's bodies, the authors say. Kurzweil, an inventor and futurist, and Grossman, a physician who studies longevity, present a wide-ranging overview of each of these bridges to life extension and provide a plan for reaching them. Rodale Pr Inc., 2004, 452 p., b&w illus., hardcover, $24.95.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Science Service, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group

[NaiLed]

predicting future technology never works

[Tone]

predicting future technology never works

yes it does. the genome and present day computers and many things were predicted quite well. you can just say there are going to be flying cars in 20 and all that without a clear trend to follow. but this is a different story, with nanotechnology. this forum better still be here in 5, 10 , 20 years, and ill revive this thread