Do you feel positive that death is eternal nonexistence, forevermore?

[MasterYoshi]

Death is a subject I try my best not to think about, but I think about it on a daily basis. I force myself to mentally block it out when these thoughts arise, because it always arrives at the worst existential dread imaginable when I arrive at the concept of my existence being this rapidly draining hourglass that never flips over. Once all of the sand is gone, that's it. I don't get to come back. Nothingness for all eternity. I don't get to continue experiencing things I enjoy, and I'll miss out as this world keeps turning. I normally have a mild panic attack when I reach this point. Heart racing, lump in my throat, chills down my spine.

Everyone dies. There should be a comfort in that. From the poorest to the most wealthy, no one can cheat their clock running out. Not yet. Some of the most well remembered people died younger than I currently am. I don't really feel too much sorrow about becoming a forgotten grave after my children's children are gone. Hell, they may not even visit my grave. I don't visit the graves of the 2 grandparents I've lost.

The premise of this thread is what do you believe?

Sometimes I try to comfort myself by making the internal argument that everything is unknown. Perhaps time is a loop and I'm doomed to live this life, this exact moment repeatedly. Maybe I get to live this life repeatedly and alter my choices each time. Maybe my energy carries on and I'm reincarnated as another person, an animal, a plant, an ant, or even a microscopic organism. Who fucking knows.

More likely than not, it's just lights out for me and all living things, nothingness for the rest of eternity as the universe drifts apart forevermore. How tragic.

 

[Deleted member 8861]

The moment it arrives, it's not gonna be your problem anymore. There's a relief in that.

 

[makingmusic476]

That's the position I default to, but that's just an assumption lacking evidence of anything more.

I hope I'm wrong, and that if I'm wrong, what's after death is a positive experience.

 

[Rassilon]

you remember that bit before you were born?

It's probably like that

 

[MasterYoshi]

you remember that bit before you were born?

It's probably like that

Click to shrink...

Alright but am I born again like I was after before I existed? Because I would very much like to be born again.

 

[Doggg]

It seems to me that lights out for everyone would be the closest thing there is justice in this world, being the ultimate equalizer. I guess that's kind of comforting. I just prefer not to pass in an overly terrible way.

 

[Darth Karja]

I believe there's an afterlife. Makes me feel better. And if there isn't, I won't know. So I get to feel better while I'm still alive.

 

[Bear]

Life makes no fucking sense at all so I wouldn't be surprised if death equally makes as little sense.

 

[papertowel]

I think death is like how it was before you were born...just nothing.

 

[Kanann]

Imagine going after life and still remember the embarrassing thing you did when xx years old.

Nah, let's it end.

 

[HStallion]

You started as the guts of a dying star and you'll be made into a new one in due time. Just try to think of it as you're returning to what made you in the first place.

 

[MasterYoshi]

I believe there's an afterlife. Makes me feel better. And if there isn't, I won't know. So I get to feel better while I'm still alive.

Click to shrink...

How do you envision this afterlife? What's it like?

 

[Kaelan]

Alright but am I born again like I was after before I existed? Because I would very much like to be born again.

Click to shrink...

This right here. I would like to do life again. The part that fucks me up is we just wont know if we are born again. We will have a totally other life, that we wont know of our previous life. What if i become a shit head? A worst off person? It sucks but its also part of the journey

 

[____]

I honestly have no idea and won't care until I get there. I wish I could come back and tell ya'll what's up, tho.

 

[Ushojax]

We were all dead for 6 billion years before being born, it's not a big deal. That's assuming we have any real understanding of life and death to begin with, which is probably unlikely as that would be like Sea Monkeys knowing quantum mechanics. Just enjoy the ride.

 

[Krauser Kat]

humans are not special we just fucking dumb animals, living our 1 in a billion existence. None of it matters.

 

[CyborgNumberBlue]

What else could it be?

 

[bane833]

I believe there's an afterlife. Makes me feel better. And if there isn't, I won't know. So I get to feel better while I'm still alive.

Click to shrink...

Imagine that afterlife is horrible and lasts forever. No fucking thanks.

 

[Zeckett]

I believe in non-existence, just like before we were born. And I am fine with that.

 

[Deleted member 13798]

Don't know.

I used to think about it a lot, I don't really anymore. I would like to hope this isn't all there is but I also think that there's a finality to it. That would truly unjust for so many though, so I keep some hope that maybe there's more.

 

[Deleted member 2254]

I have no convincing reason to believe otherwise. Seems pure science.

 

[Briareos]

More likely than not, it's just lights out for me and all living things, nothingness for the rest of eternity as the universe drifts apart forevermore. How tragic.

Click to shrink...

You will always exist in the universe in one form or another.

 

[Lothar]

Unfortunately, why wouldn't it be? There's zero reason to think it would be anything else other than pure want. 0.000 % likelihood of it being anything else.

 

[MasterYoshi]

humans are not special we just fucking dumb animals, living our 1 in a billion existence. None of it matters.

Click to shrink...

Seems like we are special, some how. I'm discussing death with you from a thousand miles away on a device that can tell me practically anything I want to know except the meaning of life.

But I do know exactly what you mean. We will all perish no matter how far we advance. It's inevitable.

 

[Jegriva]

What if everyone awakes again in a different dimension...?

 

[Clefargle]

Nothing is forever

 

[Mauricio_Magus]

We don't have evidence of there being anything after death, so there is no reason to believe in an afterlife.

We can't be absolutely certain of anything so it's not like I will say that it's a fact but it's probably the end and that's okay.

 

[MoG EclipsE]

you remember that bit before you were born?

It's probably like that

Click to shrink...

I also don't remember being 6 months old crawling around, or even 3 years old for that matter. This argument is weak imo and means nothing.

 

[Aurongel]

Non-existence doesn't bother me, if life continued in perpetuity via some dated notion of a Christian afterlife then it wouldn't provide us any reason to cherish the time we have here in the present moment. Being conscious for an eternity will inevitably become some I Have No Mouth and Must Scream shit after a while.

 

[OhSatan]

Yes

there is nothing more so enjoy life.

 

[Deleted member 47654]

No, but its better than an eternity in paradise, perfect life is boring, remember, humans rejected a perfect world in the first iteration of the Matrix, the same could happen to us im christian afterlife. A bit of struggle is always good.

 

[Smurf]

it's whatever

 

[onadesertedisland]

I also don't remember being 6 months old crawling around, or even 3 years old for that matter. This argument is weak imo and means nothing.

Click to shrink...

Development of awareness and consciousness is where we derive the fear of not being from.

 

[kai3345]

im not sure but it seems the most likely

 

[amoy]

The moment it arrives, it's not gonna be your problem anymore. There's a relief in that.

Click to shrink...

First post something something.

In the world's current state, I couldn't care less to be honest. Just be the best "you" you can be now.

 

[MasterYoshi]

I will also add another layer to this thread if anyone will read it;

The only thing more frightening than the thought of non-existence is the thought of immortality.

 

[teruterubozu]

Can't wait to reincarnate as a sperm cell and get ejected into a dirty sock.

 

[Bitanator]

I've fought with the idea of an eternal afterlife, I just get stressed out thinking about forever, and the thought of just being gone and not being at all, I guess is more enticing to me.

 

[The Albatross]

Positive? I dunno. Confident? Yes. I'm cool with it. But, who knows what your consciousness does in its final moments. Time may stretch to an eternity. Nano-seconds could feel like a lifetime of experience, and maybe by the time you realize you're dead it's already over so you can't remember or forget it.

My grandmother was dead for about a minute once, and then came back, and she always talked about her experience in those moments, and it felt very real and much longer to her. She wasn't a bull shit artist and didn't make things up. She wasn't afraid of death after that.

It's your brain, not anybody else's, so other than yourself who cares or who knows what it does. Part of you never really dies anyway. Part of you is your molecules, and the same messy soup of atoms and subatomic stuff that constructs you goes onto construct something else, somewhere.

 

[Deleted member 179]

Yep and it terrifies me. I don't want to, just, not be. Rather have the immortality.

 

[I Am Captain America]

Buddhism is your best bet

 

[adj_noun]

I've yet to discover a compelling reason to believe otherwise.

 

[Ultimate Bear Cub]

It has always seemed scary to me too, but it's important to remember that you won't experience dark nothingness. You won't experience anything at all. There is no sensory input once you are properly dead. It's the dying itself that sucks. That's how I view it.

It's important to remember that the building blocks of "you" have always been in this universe and will always continue to. You are the reconstitution of stars and other naturally living creatures here on Earth. Who knows really what parts of you used to be bedrock, dinosaur, plant, or whatever.

This gives me a direct connection and lineage to the universe itself. You may be temporary, but you are a song with a beginning and end. How do you want your song to go? Is it energetic? Is it supportive? That's all up to you.

I consider it so incredibly powerful and fragile that I exist. And I'm grateful for the opportunity. The least I can do is share my positive experience to help those that started life off rough. That's how I feel.

 

[Deleted member 23212]

It's an idea I struggle with, but yes I feel it is non-existence. Then again, I guess it's the deal we make, we take energy with the condition that we'll eventually give it back.

 

[Rassilon]

Alright but am I born again like I was after before I existed? Because I would very much like to be born again.

Click to shrink...

There are indeed believe systems based on that notion, but I personally believe life is linear and finite.

I also don't remember being 6 months old crawling around, or even 3 years old for that matter. This argument is weak imo and means nothing.

Click to shrink...

A doctor might quantify human life as things such as brain function and suggest that a lack thereof prior to a certain point in the womb or post mortem is enough evidence to suggest life is a finite and linear. I am unaware of any evidence of soul etc.

Such things are for the individual to decide.

 

[dragonchild]

I can only hope.

Death is tragic for the young. I'm not being sarcastic here. I still weep for those I know who didn't make it out of high school. Life is a collection of experiences, and they didn't get their fill.

But get to my age today and you see just how little variation there is in humanity, the arrogance, the vapidity, the hard-earned wisdom you gained that younger folk aren't interested in because oh, they got it ALL figured out. They're so woke n' stuff and you're just this stupid bald old guy. Then they make the exact same stupid mistakes humanity's been making for countless generations and all you can do is shake your head and sigh. They'll get their turn to do the same. Well, some of them.

I ain't suicidal by any means but I'm already at the point where as often as not, life just isn't as interesting as it used to be. Gimme another few decades and I'll probably welcome the Reaper's gift of eternal nothingness. At that point, you really can't foist your problems on me anymore. Sort it out yourselves, you selfish melodramatic jackasses, 'cuz I'm done.

 

[Powdered Egg]

The process of dying is what I fear.

I don't care about eternal nothingness. Being dead is the same as being asleep and not remembering your dreams. If I got shot in the head in my sleep I would never know the difference.

 

[Fiksi]

I don't know, but as said I won't have to worry about that much when it happens I guess. I try to make the most of it while it lasts :)

My mind is slightly fascinated with the idea of it being a loop as you mentioned (the eternal return, I think?) but I don't see it as likely. However I do find it a good motivator for self-improvement to imagine it is a thing sometimes.

 

[Ogodei]

I will also add another layer to this thread if anyone will read it;

The only thing more frightening than the thought of non-existence is the thought of immortality.

Click to shrink...

If I couldn't die then there would presumably be fewer consequences for my actions. Depends on how you define immortality. Deathlessness but you still age? Agelessness? Godlike immortality with invulnerability?

The only thing comforting with death is that nothing's your problem anymore, but it is that ultimate cessation of control and experience that's scary.

 

[SatoAilDarko]

Nope.