general Fear of Death

[rcollinz13 428]

The fear of death is the most common fear shared amongst people. It is the epitome of the human condition. No matter your race, sex, social class, favourite sports team, etc. we all die. Despite this, many people, including myself, are afraid of dying. For some of it goes beyond just being afraid and starts to screw with your sanity. 

 

For myself, I have always been afraid of death to some degree or another. However, it is only in recent years that it has become a source of great stress for me. Though I am afraid of death in general, I am very afraid of dying young. At this point in time I am 21 years old. I am very young and have so much left that I hope to experience before dying. This is not to say that my fear of death ends with dying young. My feeling is that if I live a relatively long and fulfilled life, then I will be prepared to leave this world. I'm afraid that if I die young, I will potentially miss out on life's great milestones. i think what scares me more than anything is the uncertainty of what happens when we breathe our last breath. Although I grew up as a Protestant Christian, I have since taken a step back from my religious upbringing. I would not go as far to say I'm an Atheist, because I don't object to possibility of a God, I just feel a bit disillusioned by religion. Regardless of which religion it is. I had always found comfort in the idea of a heaven, or any sort of afterlife, but I don't have that sort of comfort anymore. I am a creature of routine and meticulous planning ahead of time. Thus, it is easy to see why uncertainty is so frightening for me. The idea of reaching a point where I cease to be conscious is baffling. Despite the fact that it would be no different than the hundreds of years that passed before I took my first breath. In a way, we were all dead before we were born. 

 

I want to hear what the rest of you think about all of this. I'm sure I'm not the only one who struggles with this fear. It would be really nice to hear any input that others may have on how they have dealt with this fear. I welcome your thoughtful discussion. Cheers. 

[El Duderino 878]

I don't see death as something to fear. I see it as just a natural thing, and there is no point in being afraid of it.

 

I've never been in a near death experience, though. 

[Ethan Tran 949]

I am not afraid of death. for me it's something calm & chill... something that brings peace to my soul.

i think of religion as a long-time tradition and culture of many nations through time and whole world.

are you afraid of something that you didn't do? really? 'cause even if you did all this things you wanted, how can you be sure, that there ain't will be more after that?..

nobody can complete that "to-do list" 'cause it doesn't matter, just help anybody you can (including yourself first) with anything you can. make people around you happy.

and in the end, we'll build a ship that will take us to another galaxy (before our sun dies, or some cranky president start a nuclear war).. etc.

[The Colt Following 7]

"The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time."

 

This is a quote by Mark Twain that I highly agree with. I live life to analyze what need analysis, and criticize what needs criticism, and for this, I welcome death with open arms.

Edited October 2, 2016 by The Colt Following

[zerox 1,050]

I'm not afraid of dying but I am afraid of being alone when my parents die.

Edited September 23, 2016 by zerox

[Snow 5,305]

i don't really have anything in this world to live for exept mlp so.. When the show ends... I'll have nothing...

as far as being scared of death on my end? Ehh it's a circumstantial thing I guess

I'm afraid to get killed/murdered or die in pain, but genraly the though of death isn't much of an issue for me

 

But trust me you got nothing to worrie about your still young. just do what you wanna do before you have kids lol coz that WILL be the death of you ^-^

(It's a joke don't take it to heart guys X3)

 

Just remember that is better to die doing what you love instead of missing out on what you loved and dying anyway

[They call me Loyalty 1,941]

Life is cyclic, it dies to be reborn. Watch in nature itself. In weathers and seasons. There's much wisdom to be learned from the animal kingdom as well.

My advice, enjoy life the best you can. Don't live solely from fear, but from joy, passion, creativity and respect. Great sense of humor is also equally important.

Let go of mental filters and dogmatic tools. Live life instead. Wisdom is product of experience and challenge. Growth.

When it's well taken care of, life flows like an act of inspiration. Events present themselves like coincidences. And people feel light in their feet, yet very grounded.

Don't be too dramatic, yet don't be careless either. A nice balance might achieve good experiences. For this, fear is important in the right amount, so you keep spinning, good pizzazz.

You might say, a gigantic cosmic dance.

How do you feel right now? That'll tell how well you're doing.

[Guest]

Nope, no fear of death whatsoever, infact thinking of being dead kind of relaxes me... I'm scared of pain that might come along with it, who knows what'll kill me, it might hurt, lol.

[BastementSparkle 20,310]

I'm terrified of it, honestly. Always have been. I don't really believe in an Afterlife or anything. I'm more agnostic than Atheist, but still, the thought of a death with nothing after is terrifying to me. I know I won't "Feel" it, that I won't care or think about it after it happens, but that's exactly why it's so scary. All my memories, my personality, literally everything I am gone in a moment, leaving me as nothing. It makes it harder for me to enjoy things, why bother when even my most precious memories can be taken away from me at a moment's notice? Sometimes, I feel like even my own body and thoughts don't really "Belong" to me because of this.

 

 It actually gives me a bit of a tough time with dead relatives, or people/animals I've cared about that have passed. Once I'm past the initial grief, I honestly have a hard time...caring about them? Even when it was someone I really loved, and have good memories of, the memories feel like they lose all meaning. Why care about someone who might as well have never existed in the first place?

 

 But honestly, I find most versions of the afterlife I've heard of to be also terrifying in their own ways, so it's not like believing in one would help me, unless it was something I basically made up myself.

[Bob the Changeling 47]

I used to have panic attacks from thinking about death.. I would freak out! Then! My aunt said "You have a long way to go" and I instantly felt so much better.. When im 80 and have a short way to go.. I don't know what I would do..

[Justin_Case001 4,855]

I've never been afraid of death.  I'm afraid of living and being miserable.  I'm afraid of being alone.  But once I'm dead, I won't care.  I won't be scared or alone or in pain.

 

I think many people are afraid of the nothingness of death.  I think it's natural to imagine that one will somehow be conscious and aware in some way, but trapped in eternal darkness.  But we know that this is false.  It won't be scary, or dark, or silent.  It just...won't be anything.  It's very unintuitive and unnatural for humans to imagine not having consciousness, but it's that's how we imagine anything.  Being conscious is all we know and our only means of perceiving or knowing anything.  Even someone who's blind, deaf, and has no sense of touch, taste, or smell still has consciousness.  A person with no senses would be trapped in darkness, a terrifying thought.  But being dead isn't like that.  There is no perception or thought or anything.  Because of this, there's really nothing to fear.  If one is having trouble imagining what it would be like to be dead, just ask them what they felt like before they were born.

 

 

Despite the fact that it would be no different than the hundreds of years that passed before I took my first breath. In a way, we were all dead before we were born.

Oh, a hell of a lot more time passed than that before we were born, but yes, you absolutely hit the nail on the head.  I think a lot of people miss this point.  It should be a comforting fact, but it's understandable to still be scared.

 

 

I am very afraid of dying young. At this point in time I am 21 years old. I am very young and have so much left that I hope to experience before dying.

Well, try to look at it this way--the instant that you die, be it tomorrow or 90 years from now, you won't be thinking to yourself, "Aw, dammit, now I'm gonna miss out on this, that, and the other."  Being dead isn't like sitting home alone, missing out on all the fun while your friends are off at a party.  The fact is, from a certain point of view, no one ever misses out on anything, because once one is dead, there is no one to do the missing.  It's natural to think about someone who died young and say, "They could have experienced so much more," and while it makes sense to us to think about it in this way, it doesn't really make sense from the universe's perspective.  We live in a deterministic universe, and libertarian free will as we've come to think about it is an illusion, so the person in question couldn't have lived any more.  If we rewound time a trillion times, they would die at the same moment, in the same way, every time.  It is what it is, and once a person is gone, they don't care anymore.  It's the people who are left behind that suffer.  Again, it's understandable if this doesn't really come as consolation.  What makes sense, though, is just to do what you want, be yourself, and live as much as you can, while you can, and just take comfort in the fact that when it ends, whenever that is, you won't miss life nor wish you could have lived longer.  Once it's over, it won't matter what you did or how long you lived, so just enjoy it now and try not to worry about it too much.

 

 

why bother when even my most precious memories can be taken away from me at a moment's notice?

Why bother leveling up some MMO game character when they could shut down the servers at any time?  Why play any game when the data could be lost?  Because it's fun.  I know this is horribly tripe, but the journey is important.

 

 

Why care about someone who might as well have never existed in the first place?

Again, the journey.  The people you knew and loved made you who you are.  Their existence mattered to you.  That's important.  But on the cosmic scale, none of it matters.  Our species and our planet don't matter.  There is no grand purpose to life.  Some find this idea abhorrent, others comforting.  I find it comforting.  The only purpose to life is just to enjoy it while we're here, and everyone in our lives helps us do that, and we help them.  You care because it makes our lives worth living.

 

 

But honestly, I find most versions of the afterlife I've heard of to be also terrifying in their own ways, so it's not like believing in one would help me, unless it was something I basically made up myself.

Yes, as do I.  But to be fair, every vision of the afterlife was made-up.  Each and every one was made-up for the same reason that we're in this thread: people's fear of death.  The afterlife was an invented coping mechanism, and it's really unnecessary, which should be made apparent by the second paragraph of my post.

[\/ 650]

Death isn't something to fear. The thing I fear most is becoming an empty shell of myself. I would hate to come close to death, and then be so disfigured or broken that I couldn't express my thoughts or feelings to the world. To be a living corpse sitting in a moving chair is the worst thing I can imagine.

[Rarity#0284 43]

I'll say this:

 

I was afraid of Death when I was just a Kid, But as I grew up, I started to face Death in the eyes and say ""Bring it on you sad excuse for a natural way of human existence!""

 

I am now enjoying life to the full.. Please enjoy yours, don't let something like Death stand in your path.

 

If Death comes near me, I''l rip his nipples off!

[BastementSparkle 20,310]

 

 

Why bother leveling up some MMO game character when they could shut down the servers at any time?  Why play any game when the data could be lost?  Because it's fun.  I know this is horribly tripe, but the journey is important.

 

 Hey, I'd agree with you on the game part. Because even once the game is over I still have my memories of it, of the good times I had with it. But once I die, I don't even get that. Those go away too, and I won't even be able to care they are missing.

 

 

 

Again, the journey.  The people you knew and loved made you who you are.  Their existence mattered to you.  That's important.  But on the cosmic scale, none of it matters.  Our species and our planet don't matter.  There is no grand purpose to life.  Some find this idea abhorrent, others comforting.  I find it comforting.  The only purpose to life is just to enjoy it while we're here, and everyone in our lives helps us do that, and we help them.  You care because it makes our lives worth living.

 

 

 It's not really the lack of a grand purpose that scares me, honestly I don't even want one. Everyone just making up their own purpose and path for life is fine with me. I just wish I didn't have it all taken away at the end. The longer I spend thinking about death without giving myself a break, the harder I find it to think anything has meaning, even personal meaning. This might be in part due to just me being unhappy about my life in general too, but it's something I've struggled with since I was a kid.

 

 

 

Yes, as do I.  But to be fair, every vision of the afterlife was made-up.  Each and every one was made-up for the same reason that we're in this thread: people's fear of death.  The afterlife was an invented coping mechanism, and it's really unnecessary, which should be made apparent by the second paragraph of my post.

 

 I still find the idea of an Afterlife possible, just...Unlikely. And if it does exist, there's no guarantee at all what it would be like.

 

 Personally, I want to go to Equestria when I die. Probably not gonna happen, but I guess that just means I'll be even more excited if by some magical miracle it does.

[rcollinz13 428]

I'm terrified of it, honestly. Always have been. I don't really believe in an Afterlife or anything. I'm more agnostic than Atheist, but still, the thought of a death with nothing after is terrifying to me. I know I won't "Feel" it, that I won't care or think about it after it happens, but that's exactly why it's so scary. All my memories, my personality, literally everything I am gone in a moment, leaving me as nothing. It makes it harder for me to enjoy things, why bother when even my most precious memories can be taken away from me at a moment's notice? Sometimes, I feel like even my own body and thoughts don't really "Belong" to me because of this.

 

 It actually gives me a bit of a tough time with dead relatives, or people/animals I've cared about that have passed. Once I'm past the initial grief, I honestly have a hard time...caring about them? Even when it was someone I really loved, and have good memories of, the memories feel like they lose all meaning. Why care about someone who might as well have never existed in the first place?

 

 But honestly, I find most versions of the afterlife I've heard of to be also terrifying in their own ways, so it's not like believing in one would help me, unless it was something I basically made up myself.

 

I'll say this:

 

I was afraid of Death when I was just a Kid, But as I grew up, I started to face Death in the eyes and say ""Bring it on you sad excuse for a natural way of human existence!""

 

I am now enjoying life to the full.. Please enjoy yours, don't let something like Death stand in your path.

 

If Death comes near me, I''l rip his nipples off!

I appreciate the kind words. I should also specify that my fear of death doesn't stop me from doing things that I want to. Even though it can cause great discomfort at times, I always never let my fears prevent me from doing things I like. The same way I don't let my anxieties around socialising prevent me from going out with some friends and having fun. These are more or less the late night ramblings of my brain after my busiest day of classes. 

Edited September 23, 2016 by rcollinz13

[Rarity#0284 43]

YEEEEAASS!! That's the spirit!!

[Connie 319]

I almost drowned when I was 9

 

 

Also, I almost got squished to death three days ago. Sounds awesome, right? Meh, everyone will die eventually so I see no point of fearing death.

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 40,208]

Ever since I was about 10 years old and realized my mortality, death is something I have absolutely been horrified by and with my horrid anxiety problems, that stress is only getting worse in time. As I get older, I fear more and more of getting some horrible disease, or something similar. That has been a huge fear of mine. Death is something that purely scares me beyond belief, so I try as much as I can to just enjoy things to distract myself form those thoughts. I friggin hate it when it worries me to the point of absolute stress. :c I really does get to me at times.

[cmarston1 5,951]

As someone who doesn't really have a religion, I don't really know if there is anything after death.

And because of that, it isn't really a topic I try to think about that much.

Luckily I haven't really had to do so very often.

[Victoria Sponge 1,014]

Living forever is a scarier concept to me than dying. Just imagine living forever and ever and knowing that in a billion years you'll still be here.

[BastementSparkle 20,310]

Living forever is a scarier concept to me than dying. Just imagine living forever and ever and knowing that in a billion years you'll still be here.

 

This sounds pretty scary to me too, but only in a certain context. Like if I was the only person who was immortal, or if I was immortal but kept aging. I can see how scary that could be.

 

But if I had some immortal friends and family, and got to keep a, at least somewhat young body? Then it sounds alright to me. The concept of "Living forever" is difficult to grasp, but not frightening.

 

 This is something I do find interesting about life and death. How to one person a certain fate can be their worst nightmare, and yet to another that same idea can be comforting.

Edited September 23, 2016 by Base

[Victoria Sponge 1,014]

This sounds pretty scary to me too, but only in a certain context. Like if I was the only person who was immortal, or if I was immortal but kept aging. I can see how scary that could be.

 

But if I had some immortal friends and family, and got to keep a, at least somewhat young body? Then it sounds alright to me. The concept of "Living forever" is difficult to grasp, but not frightening.

 

 This is something I do find interesting about life and death. How to one person a certain fate can be their worst nightmare, and yet to another that same idea can be comforting.

 

It would definitely be a lot less scary if you had someone who stayed with you and you didn't age but it's still very daunting just thinking about how long a billion years is and how you'd live every one, and after that you would continue to live for another billion and another billion and another etc.

Edited September 23, 2016 by Battenberg

[Dreambiscuit 8,017]

I personally couldn't care less about death. I'd be more afraid of being born into this world than passing away from it. Death is a natural part of life and is inevitable, I therefore don't worry about it. There's no point being concerned about things you can't control, so just enjoy the ride and don't worry. Life doesn't end with 'death' any more than it was non-existent before birth. This life on Earth is just one fleeting chapter of a much bigger story and the best is yet to come. 

[gamecubeguy214 2,511]

I am terrified of the fact that one day I won't be alive anymore. Being dead is either me going to Heaven, which I hope so much (or Hell, that's worst case scenario) or, well, nothing. I hate the idea of not being able to know I exist anymore, and the Smash scene who would miss me.

[Radiance64 7,051]

I actually struggled with a fear of death for a while about a year ago, it was not a fun time. Still comes back to me sometimes, but hey, I'm alive now and that's all that matters. Then will be then. I am a Christian but belief doesn't always hold back the sheer mystery of death for me.