Are you afraid of death?

Page 5 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar

Are you afraid of death?

  • Yes

  • No

  • Unsure

Results are only viewable after voting.
SlitheryDee

SlitheryDee

Lifer
Feb 2, 2005
17,252
19
81
People keep saying that they don't fear death because nonexistence is akin to sleep, and is to be no more feared than sleep. I say that the only reason we don't fear sleep is because we have a reasonable certainty of waking up. Nonexistence is a state that we have no real experience with, because by definition it can't be experienced. It is therefore the most horrible type of unknowable unknown that can confront a living, thinking, existing thing.

Consequently, I'm terrified of death. It's why I always thought the christian hell was kind of laughable as a punishment. Living in terrible pain seems much better to me than nonexistence. At least hell is much more comprehensible, and therefor less frightening than nothingness. I know without a doubt that, if given a choice between the christian hell and what I think is really going to happen, I would choose hell every time. I don't want to sleep the unending sleep. I want to go on thinking, feeling, and existing in some form forever. Death is completely unacceptable to someone like me.
 
shiner

shiner

Lifer
Jul 18, 2000
17,112
1
0
MagnusTheBrewer said:
I'm afraid of living too long.
Click to expand...

This. No way I want to end up like my paternal grandmother and be healthy physically but mentally gone. God damn Alzheimer's had her in that state for nearly 17 years before she finally, mercifully died.

I've told my wife that if I fail to do a nature walk and just disappear when I start getting like that to make sure I have some sort of "accident" that takes me out.
 
TridenT

TridenT

Lifer
Sep 4, 2006
16,800
45
91
SlitheryDee said:
People keep saying that they don't fear death because nonexistence is akin to sleep, and is to be no more feared than sleep. I say that the only reason we don't fear sleep is because we have a reasonable certainty of waking up. Nonexistence is a state that we have no real experience with, because by definition it can't be experienced. It is therefore the most horrible type of unknowable unknown that can confront a living, thinking, existing thing.

Consequently, I'm terrified of death. It's why I always thought the christian hell was kind of laughable as a punishment. Living in terrible pain seems much better to me than nonexistence. At least hell is much more comprehensible, and therefor less frightening than nothingness. I know without a doubt that, if given a choice between the christian hell and what I think is really going to happen, I would choose hell every time. I don't want to sleep the unending sleep. I want to go on thinking, feeling, and existing in some form forever. Death is completely unacceptable to someone like me.
Click to expand...

You really don't know get how death works.

Once you die, you cannot even experience suffering or anything. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO KNOW THAT YOU DIED. It's painless, joyless, everythingless. It's nothing.
 
dpodblood

dpodblood

Diamond Member
May 20, 2010
4,020
1
81
SlitheryDee said:
People keep saying that they don't fear death because nonexistence is akin to sleep, and is to be no more feared than sleep. I say that the only reason we don't fear sleep is because we have a reasonable certainty of waking up. Nonexistence is a state that we have no real experience with, because by definition it can't be experienced. It is therefore the most horrible type of unknowable unknown that can confront a living, thinking, existing thing.

Consequently, I'm terrified of death. It's why I always thought the christian hell was kind of laughable as a punishment. Living in terrible pain seems much better to me than nonexistence. At least hell is much more comprehensible, and therefor less frightening than nothingness. I know without a doubt that, if given a choice between the christian hell and what I think is really going to happen, I would choose hell every time. I don't want to sleep the unending sleep. I want to go on thinking, feeling, and existing in some form forever. Death is completely unacceptable to someone like me.
Click to expand...

I can understand this point of view, and I have friends that feel the same way as well. Personally I feel the opposite though. I would much rather have one shot at life and then pass on to eternal nothingness, than move on to eternal torment.
 
Cerpin Taxt

Cerpin Taxt

Lifer
Feb 23, 2005
11,940
542
126
TridenT said:
You really don't know get how death works.

Once you die, you cannot even experience suffering or anything. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO KNOW THAT YOU DIED. It's painless, joyless, everythingless. It's nothing.
Click to expand...
The above statement is exactly as certain as the notion that after death everyone will receive halos and wings and sit on clouds playing golden harps for all eternity.
 
shiner

shiner

Lifer
Jul 18, 2000
17,112
1
0
Cerpin Taxt said:
The above statement is exactly as certain as the notion that after death everyone will receive halos and wings and sit on clouds playing golden harps for all eternity.
Click to expand...

Fuck that harp bullshit...if I can't take my Gibson with me I'm not going!
 
SlitheryDee

SlitheryDee

Lifer
Feb 2, 2005
17,252
19
81
TridenT said:
You really don't know get how death works.

Once you die, you cannot even experience suffering or anything. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO KNOW THAT YOU DIED. It's painless, joyless, everythingless. It's nothing.
Click to expand...

You didn't read my post. I fear the nothingness of death because it's completely outside of my capability to comprehend. The fact that I can't suffer after I cease to exist is both obvious and no comfort at all. I will fear it until it happens.

I don't fear the prospect of knowing that I died after I'm dead. I fear not being able to know I died after I'm dead. I don't fear pain or misery after death. I fear not being able to feel those things. I fear no longer being a conscious entity. I fear nonexistence. It has nothing to do with the "experience" of any afterlife. I fear the fact that the word "experience" likely cannot even be applied because I will no longer be something that can experience. I will no longer be anything at all. That's scary to me.
 
shiner

shiner

Lifer
Jul 18, 2000
17,112
1
0
SlitheryDee said:
You didn't read my post. I fear the nothingness of death because it's completely outside of my capability to comprehend. The fact that I can't suffer after I cease to exist is both obvious and no comfort at all. I will fear it until it happens.

I don't fear the prospect of knowing that I died after I'm dead. I fear not being able to know I died after I'm dead. I don't fear pain or misery after death. I fear not being able to feel those things. I fear no longer being a conscious entity. I fear nonexistence. It has nothing to do with the "experience" of any afterlife. I fear the fact that the word "experience" likely cannot even be applied because I will no longer be something that can experience. I will no longer be anything at all. That's scary to me.
Click to expand...

How do you know you aren't already dead or that you were never born in the first place and that your "existence" isn't just some mirage?
 
K

KIAman

Diamond Member
Mar 7, 2001
3,342
23
81
Wow, amazing how many of the "no" responses. LOL. Seriously. Too all those who said no, are you...

1. afraid of flying?
2. afraid of water?
3. afraid to bungee jump?
4. afraid to parachute?
5. afraid to rock climb?
6. afraid to spelunk?
8. afraid to race on track?
9. afraid of bad neighborhoods?
10. afraid of wild animals?
11. afraid of dangerous people?
12. afraid of heights?
13. afraid of spiders?
14. afraid of snakes?
15. afraid of your sister?

Ingorance must be bliss.
 
shiner

shiner

Lifer
Jul 18, 2000
17,112
1
0
KIAman said:
Wow, amazing how many of the "no" responses. LOL. Seriously. Too all those who said no, are you...

1. afraid of flying?
2. afraid of water?
3. afraid to bungee jump?
4. afraid to parachute?
5. afraid to rock climb?
6. afraid to spelunk?
8. afraid to race on track?
9. afraid of bad neighborhoods?
10. afraid of wild animals?
11. afraid of dangerous people?
12. afraid of heights?
13. afraid of spiders?
14. afraid of snakes?
15. afraid of your sister?

Ingorance must be bliss.
Click to expand...

No to all of those, except spiders. Fuck spiders!
 
alkemyst

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,769
19
81
I am not afraid of death...just don't know how those that depend on me will react.

taken today:
Photo0466.jpg
 
BoomerD

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
66,300
14,714
146
KIAman said:
Wow, amazing how many of the "no" responses. LOL. Seriously. Too all those who said no, are you...

1. afraid of flying? NO.
2. afraid of water? NO.
3. afraid to bungee jump? NO. but that doesn't mean I'm gonna do it.
4. afraid to parachute? NO. I made about 50 jumps in my youth.
5. afraid to rock climb? No but that doesn't mean I'm gonna do it.
6. afraid to spelunk? NO but I'm too fat.:p
8. afraid to race on track? NO. I've done it many times.
9. afraid of bad neighborhoods? NO but common sense keeps me out.
10. afraid of wild animals? NO but I know enough to respect them, even in a caged setting.
11. afraid of dangerous people? NO but I know enough to respect them, even in a caged setting.
12. afraid of heights? Sometimes. Flying and parachuting never bothered me, but I could never walk the iron on construction jobs.
13. afraid of spiders? NO but I kill most that I see.
14. afraid of snakes? NO but I give venomous ones plenty of room...and kill the ones that intrude on my space.
15. afraid of your sister? I haz no sister.

Ingorance must be bliss.
Click to expand...

Those are pretty stupid criteria for "being afraid of death."
Most would come under the category of "Oh fuck...that's gonna hurt!"
Self-preservation is a normal response to things that we perceive as a threat/dangerous.
 
bruceb

bruceb

Diamond Member
Aug 20, 2004
8,874
111
106
Not afraid of it, but I don't want to know when it is coming. Nice and quick or better, go to sleep and that is that. As to what awaits afterward, only those that have gone know, and they are not telling us what to expect.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom