Poll: Do you fear death?

[Ekit]

So for the last couple of months I've been thinking more and more about death. More specifically my own. And to be honest I'm terrified of it. I don't believe in any kind of afterlife so when I die, I believe everything will end.

The thought of everything just ending is really scary to me.

Yes, I know that I won't be able to reflect upon it because I will be dead, but still. Something about the very concept of everything ending has me really scared and depressed.

I guess I'm wondering if this is something that's unique to me or if more people have the same fear.

So my question, Escapists is: Do you fear death?

 

[manic_depressive13]

I used to be like you when I was small. It doesn't bother me anymore. You can cure the fear of death simply by losing your will to live; it starts looking less like a terrifying void and more like the embrace of an endless, dreamless sleep.

 

[Crazy]

Do you? Heady tonic, holding life and death in the palm of one's hand.

 

[nukethetuna]

No. I'm horribly disillusioned and definitely depressed a good chunk of the time though. That's not to say I don't enjoy living, it has got its upsides. But I can accept that I am going to die, could be today or could be years, and there's nothing I can do to change that. So while I'm not in any hurry to die, there will be a sense of relief and freedom when I finally do.

I personally hope there isn't an afterlife. Even if it was one filled with all your dreams and desires, there's nothing really appealing to me about being awake forever.

It can be harrowing to think that you simply won't exist when you die (inability to accept this is probably where the entire idea of an afterlife stems from), but there's no point to letting it dictate how you feel while you're alive, man!

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

I seem to remember a thread with this exact title a month ago. Different topic so no need to shout 'search bar' but interesting nonetheless.

Anyway, I don't fear my own death, so much as I fear what I'd leave behind. I fear not being alive. I have a large group of people that love, like and admire me, and I wouldn't want to leave them behind, and I have a lot of things I still want to do.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

While I don't fear dying, I'm not looking forward to it mainly because it seems like it's unavoidably painful. As for what waits afterward, I'll find out when I get there for good or ill. Thinking about dying used to scare the hell out of me as a child but now that I'm older it doesn't really bother me as much.

 

[AlexNora]

So for the last couple of months I've been thinking more and more about death. More specifically my own. And to be honest I'm terrified of it. I don't believe in any kind of afterlife so when I die, everything will end.

The thought of everything just ending is really scary to me.

Yes, I know that I won't be able to reflect upon it because I will be dead, but still. Something about the very concept of everything ending has me really scared and depressed.

I guess I'm wondering if this is something that's unique to me or if more people have the same fear.

So my question, Escapists is: Do you fear death?

what? just because you don't believe in a afterlife doesn't mean there's not one

I'm more confused then afraid I'm curious to know what really does happen when you die, but I'm not that curious so ill put that at the end of my list of things to do.

 

[Bacaruda]

Hell yes I am. Non-existens scares the shit out of me.


Sometimes when I'm in bed trying to sleep I get these thoughts, they just pop up in my head. And one of the thoughts is how would it feel to be dead. And, since I'm an atheist, non-existens feels terrible. It's a concept my brain can't grasp. It's like infinity; dividing something with 0. It's a terrible feeling.

 

[Ekit]

So for the last couple of months I've been thinking more and more about death. More specifically my own. And to be honest I'm terrified of it. I don't believe in any kind of afterlife so when I die, everything will end.

The thought of everything just ending is really scary to me.

Yes, I know that I won't be able to reflect upon it because I will be dead, but still. Something about the very concept of everything ending has me really scared and depressed.

I guess I'm wondering if this is something that's unique to me or if more people have the same fear.

So my question, Escapists is: Do you fear death?

what? just because you don't believe in a afterlife doesn't mean there's not one

I'm more confused then afraid I'm curious to know what really does happen when you die, but I'm not that curious so ill put that at the end of my list of things to do.

Sorry, I'll rephrase my original post.

 

[Kasawd]

As one of the greatest mysteries in my ego-centric perception, yes, it does scare me.

The harder you think of it, the more elusive it becomes. Although, I like telling people to think back to before they were born and it generally soothes that fear, for a moment.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

Do I fear death? Absolutely! You'd have to be a fool not to!

Does it terrify me and stop me from living? No. Because I know it is inevitable. And thus, worrying about it is pointless.

It scares me to think of leaving everything I know behind for either an afterlife I now nothing about, or ending up just "not existing". But I know it's inevitable. So I won't let it disrupt my life.

 

[Phlakes]

Yep. Very. Because if there's no afterlife, everything you're doing will never matter to you once you're dead. You won't even have a perspective to look through, and once it's over, it's all over forever and you'll never exist again. Every now and then it hits me and I feel the worst primal fear in the world.

But, there's one small comfort. There are some bigass things we don't know/can't comprehend about the universe (like how it began- there could never have been nothing, because nothing can't create anything, but if there's always been something then that thing is transcendental).

EDIT: Also, I'm sure at least some people here who say they aren't afraid are lying. It's a human instinct.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

Depends on the mood.

In simplistic terms, the individual's life is largely meaningless. We spend it toiling away to make other people money, rarely rising from the obscurity that birthed us and quickly forgotten.

 

[Bonham79]

I believe in an afterlife, but that's not what makes me unafraid of death. I accept it as a common circle, we have a time to live and a time to die. Though I don't want to die, there is no point in being afraid of it. To fear something is to give it power, death deserves no power over the lives of the living.

 

[Jodah]

I don't fear death, I fear painful deaths. Being dead doesn't scare me, getting killed by a semi while I'm crossing the street does.

 

[SpaceCucumber]

As a cucumber, I am very afraid of death. Mostly because most Cucumber related deaths involve being eaten.

 

[YOUM@D123]

not AFRAID of death per se just very, very, curious.. i once considered suicide jus to see what happens when you die...i never did though because if hell is real i am in no hurry to get to it

 

[Major_Tom]

"It scares the hell out of me
And the end is all I can see"

Actually, no. Everything has to die eventually, it's better to just accept it.