Why is it so hard to imagine nothing or nonexistence?

[Muffinnz 3,219]

Why is it so hard to imagine nothing or nonexistence?

 

I really want to take a look into it but unfortunately cant

[Fluttershutter 2,118]

because your mind is something

[Here No Longer 5,270]

Because we exist and experience something, and our very consciousness existing wouldn't be anyways. Kind of hard for your conscious mind to grasp just not existing. 

[Quinch 1,119]

Because imagining requires using our mind, and not existing involves an absence of mind - the two are mutually exclusive. Even in a sensory deprivation tank, with no outside stimuli, you'd still have your thoughts. It's much like trying to imagine what it's like when you're in a dreamless sleep. With the part of your brain that processes thought shut down, what you experience is simply a timeskip from the point of when you've fallen asleep to the point where you wake up.

[Lucky Bolt 34,914]

8 hours ago, Fluttershutter said:

because your mind is something

Yeah....pretty much my answer. 

[They call me Loyalty 1,941]

To imagine is to create. Cease with imagination. Silence the mind.

[Splashee 28,537]

Well, first you have to think what makes you aware of existence in the first place...

Who knows about existence? Well, our species are called "Homo sapiens sapiens" because we know that we know. We are the only species that are known to know that we know things. But we still doesn't know why we know things. We still haven't evolved into "Homo sapiens sapiens sapiens". So understanding why we exist, and why we don't exist, or what existing means, are just out of our minds of thinking. It is not just hard to think about, but we are limited as human beings to think certain things.

 

Thankfully, we have math, which defines "things" that we cannot really think.

[Samurai Equine 45,849]

Because I want to exist? 

I've lived so long, made a lifetime of memories, still have so many things to experience, still have so many kinds of people to meet. I don't want to be nonexistent in any way, and it's hard for me to imagine. Even the religion I grew up with talked about how everyone will become ghosts after death, and how often have you heard phrases about ghosts smiling down on the living? Maybe part of me would like to continue watching and experiencing the world and how it'll change. I know I'll die, but the thought of complete nonexistence in any and every capacity is scary.

[Oblivion 20,265]

Existing is existing! we simply cannot stop existing! just because we want to know what it would be like! That's silly! 

[Quinch 1,119]

2 hours ago, Samurai Equine said:

Because I want to exist?

I think the thread is more about the inability to imagine nonexistence, rather than wanting to not exist.

[Samurai Equine 45,849]

3 minutes ago, Quinch said:

I think the thread is more about the inability to imagine nonexistence, rather than wanting to not exist.

But they are connected, aren't they? Whether it's our personal existence or just existence in a general sense, nonexistence can happen to either one. If we're just talking about the mere concept of nonexistence without ending the existence of other lifeforms; then it's easy to imagine or comprehend it, but I don't think there's much discussion value to be had. Is there?

[applesjck 5,601]

To imagine nothing/nonexistence would require our minds to know what that's actually like. Considering that all of our thoughts and feelings are somthing, our minds can't conjure up what nonexistence is like because our brains can't process it.

If that even makes any sense?

[Splashee 28,537]

On 1/6/2020 at 5:29 AM, Muffinnz said:

Why is it so hard to imagine nothing or nonexistence?

@Muffinnz Why are you so interested in such a topic?

You know, before your time, you were once non-existing. And someday far into the future, when you have been forgotten by everyone, you might be in that state again. While this is very depressing to think about, I think you should focus on understanding more interesting stuff instead, like how electricity "just knows" where it will end up. Life is so full of wonderful things!