What is so frightening about nonexistence?

[Pinkamena]

I really don't see how nonexistance is frightening.

 

[DAPLR]

I was wikiwalking on a certain hazardously readable website when I found this in the Real-Life section of the Fridge Horror page:

Take a moment to imagine that there is no afterlife. That there are no souls. That means that after you die... nothing. Absolutely nothing. And even if you get that, it's almost as if you still think you'll be living or you'll get another life. But what if you don't? Then it's literally NOTHING left. When this hits you, it's one of the scariest feelings you can ever have. And the fact that most people on this site are already in their 20s, 30s, 40s etc, it feels like time has flown by and your already half-way through your life. Then take in account the fact that people constantly die from unnatural causes.

I don't understand this fear. There are so many ways that being conscious for eternity could be worse (remember the mind-prison in KOTOR?), even in an afterlife that starts out pretty nice. To me it sounds not much different than the timeless, thoughtless state one is in between closing one's eyes and opening them a few moments later, only to realize that 5 or so hours have passed. What's so bad about that?

Anybody have thoughts on this?

EDIT: Reading further on the page, there seem to be a lot of things that people worry about too much or for strange reasons. Getting scared into veganism from the realization that you're made of meat as well? Isn't that like being afraid of nuclear fission because you're all atoms too?

Give me a link. PLEASE! I thought I was the only one to experience that!

 

[cgentero]

I like existing, I want to continue existing, if I could I would have liked to have existed even before I was born. I'm really talking about my consciousness and not my physical self. Non existence is the greatest threat to my existence, hence my fear.

 

[HardkorSB]

I was wikiwalking on a certain hazardously readable website when I found this in the Real-Life section of the Fridge Horror page:

Take a moment to imagine that there is no afterlife. That there are no souls. That means that after you die... nothing. Absolutely nothing. And even if you get that, it's almost as if you still think you'll be living or you'll get another life. But what if you don't? Then it's literally NOTHING left. When this hits you, it's one of the scariest feelings you can ever have. And the fact that most people on this site are already in their 20s, 30s, 40s etc, it feels like time has flown by and your already half-way through your life. Then take in account the fact that people constantly die from unnatural causes.

I don't understand this fear. There are so many ways that being conscious for eternity could be worse (remember the mind-prison in KOTOR?), even in an afterlife that starts out pretty nice. To me it sounds not much different than the timeless, thoughtless state one is in between closing one's eyes and opening them a few moments later, only to realize that 5 or so hours have passed. What's so bad about that?

Anybody have thoughts on this?

EDIT: Reading further on the page, there seem to be a lot of things that people worry about too much or for strange reasons. Getting scared into veganism from the realization that you're made of meat as well? Isn't that like being afraid of nuclear fission because you're all atoms too?

What might be the most frightening thing is the inability to imagine non-existence.
Plus, people don't want to not exist (most of them, at least).

 

[Chezza]

- As a christian I like to think all the good decisions people make are not for nothing. Otherwise being selfish is the pragmatic way of life and donating or helping someone without expecting a reward or same treatment simply means your a fool. I sure don't want that to be true. And vise-versa I do not want horrible people to go completely unpunished.

squeekenator said:

"But isn't that what makes it the right thing to do? You do good because you want to do good and because you care about others, not because you want to be rewarded. Doing the right thing because you get something out of it is just selfishness in disguise, and being a good person is/should be its own reward."

***My Reply*** (Sorry I screwed up the quote)

That's correct but I think you misunderstood me. Perhaps I should of explained it better. My point being, selflessly donating or doing good deeds would be "foolish" there is no rationale behind the very meaning of being "good". Without a meaning then the pragmatic thing to do is to only do good if you earn something back.

That's regarding those who do it without the constant thought of getting into a paradise after death. But I do find it ok to think of it as a motivator when you question doing a good deed at times

 

[wfpdk]

i don't understand it either. I simply plan to live forever until I die, then i wont care because im dead. it's about as scary as sleeping without remembering your dream, but you just never wake up.

 

[ascorbius]

'Cos as Death says: Life gets under your skin.

We didn't exist for billions of years, we get a brief blip of life and then that's it for the rest of time.. Big concept. Terrifying even. Nothing we can do about it though. The cruel thing is we are aware of it. No-one said Life would be fair. It's happened to everyone so far and it will continue to happen to everyone in the future. Some people get a bigger blip than others, but even if you live for a thousand years, in the grand scheme of things, it's still just a blip to the universe.

 

[Soviet Steve]

I have no recollection of the previous billions of years that passed before I came into being. I don't expect there to be anything when my brain ceases to function, I just hope to be a happy man the last day I lay down, and to sleep in without suffering.

 

[RobCoxxy]

Because I like existing and don't want to cease existing, simples.

 

[AssassinFisH]

We are hardwired with a need to survive. We want to live, and if we did not have this compulsion, the human race could fizzle out. The lack of any afterlife goes utterly against this need for survival and therefore by nature, we are terrified of the prospect.

 

[Shirokurou]

Dude, fear of nonexistence after death is what keeps all the world religions alive...
It's been dyed into our bones.

 

[ZephrC]

Umm... the scary part of nonexistence is the part where I don't exist.

I like existing. Nonexistence has nothing to offer me. Literally nothing. Nonexistence is really the only thing that truly frightens me. And it is inevitable.

Fuck entropy. Fuck entropy so damn much.