Thoughts on Death.

[The Flutterlands]

Even now as a young adult, I struggle to come to terms with my mortality. As a Catholic, I know that after death, depending on one's faith and deeds, one will ether go to purgatory for an unknown amount of time to purge their sins before going to heaven, go straight to heaven or go to hell. Now while Hell is not only horrifying but also depressing to think about, the atheist idea of eternal oblivion, meaning that you'll just cease to exist when you die, is not only horrifying but also inconceivable!

I'm not really afraid of dying but the idea of eternal oblivion is just extremely bothersome because the idea of eternal nonexistence is just so incompatible with what we know, which is existence.

So, what is your opinion on death?

[Donut section]

Death isn't an issue, everything that lives dies. It's generally a good thing, allowing us to produce burgers which don't cry out in pain when we eat them.

[Ifreann]

Even now as a young adult, I struggle to come to terms with my mortality. As a Catholic, I know that after death, depending on one's faith and deeds, one will ether go to purgatory for an unknown amount of time to purge their sins before going to heaven, go straight to heaven or go to hell. Now while Hell is not only horrifying but also depressing to think about, the atheist idea of eternal oblivion, meaning that you'll just cease to exist when you die, is not only horrifying but also inconceivable!

I suspect you're not trying very hard to conceive of it. Can you conceive of a time before you existed? It's like that, but later.

I'm not really afraid of dying

You're not afraid of suffering in hell for eternity? You're not afraid of suffering an indeterminate amount of time in purgatory?

but the idea of eternal oblivion is just extremely bothersome because the idea of eternal nonexistence is just so incompatible with what we know, which is existence.

Stuff stops existing around us all the time. You think the fish you ate last Good Friday still exists?

So, what is your opinion on death?

Death sounds shit, I'd rather avoid it.

[Tsaraine]

I fear you're misapprehending the nature of humanity and what it means to be a living organism. People are not singular, discrete objects; we're composed of zillions of cells, uncounted gajillions of tiny chemical processes going about their business. From the point of view of atoms and molecules, humans (and indeed living beings) are not privileged.

If you stop driving your car, take the keys out of the ignition, and then disassemble your car for parts, there is no singular Essence of Car that continues to exist: you have a pile of car parts. We know enough about neurology, these days, to know that consciousness is based in the interplay of electrical and chemical signalling in the brain. If a person dies and rots and crumbles to dust, there is no singular Essence of Person that remains; we are the interplay of our many parts, and those parts fundamentally just aren't special.

Heck, you yourself have experienced many periods in which you lose consciousness and cease to exist as a thinking entity. So far, you've always woken up afterwards. One day, you will lose consciousness and not wake up afterwards, because the processes which sustain your consciousness will have broken down in some way.

We fear death because we are conditioned to do so - human beings more than most creatures. We're one of the very few species which has menopause, or much of any use for people sticking about after they're no longer capable of reproduction. It turns out grandmothers are useful as information storage devices in preliterate societies. We are useful to other humans beyond our immediate families, which is a rather nice thought.

I am in no hurry to die - there's still a lot I want to do, enough to fill at least thirty or forty years. But when I die, I will not die in fear of oblivion, just as I did not fear the oblivion before I was born. We come from nothing and return to nothing, it's the bit in between that's important.

Personally I find the idea of nonexistence vastly preferable to the idea that our universe is an ant farm run by some cosmic tyrant, that free will is a lie and that the punishment for finite wrongdoings is infinite suffering. I like this vast complicated indifferent universe in which humans are a happy accident much more than the alternative. To quote the Book of Connor, Chapter Two: "The future is uncertain. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves."

[Aalmark]

All I know is that when I'm dead, I sure as hell won't be thinking.

[Nierra]

I fear you're misapprehending the nature of humanity and what it means to be a living organism. People are not singular, discrete objects; we're composed of zillions of cells, uncounted gajillions of tiny chemical processes going about their business. From the point of view of atoms and molecules, humans (and indeed living beings) are not privileged.

If you stop driving your car, take the keys out of the ignition, and then disassemble your car for parts, there is no singular Essence of Car that continues to exist: you have a pile of car parts. We know enough about neurology, these days, to know that consciousness is based in the interplay of electrical and chemical signalling in the brain. If a person dies and rots and crumbles to dust, there is no singular Essence of Person that remains; we are the interplay of our many parts, and those parts fundamentally just aren't special.

Heck, you yourself have experienced many periods in which you lose consciousness and cease to exist as a thinking entity. So far, you've always woken up afterwards. One day, you will lose consciousness and not wake up afterwards, because the processes which sustain your consciousness will have broken down in some way.

We fear death because we are conditioned to do so - human beings more than most creatures. We're one of the very few species which has menopause, or much of any use for people sticking about after they're no longer capable of reproduction. It turns out grandmothers are useful as information storage devices in preliterate societies. We are useful to other humans beyond our immediate families, which is a rather nice thought.

I am in no hurry to die - there's still a lot I want to do, enough to fill at least thirty or forty years. But when I die, I will not die in fear of oblivion, just as I did not fear the oblivion before I was born. We come from nothing and return to nothing, it's the bit in between that's important.

Personally I find the idea of nonexistence vastly preferable to the idea that our universe is an ant farm run by some cosmic tyrant, that free will is a lie and that the punishment for finite wrongdoings is infinite suffering. I like this vast complicated indifferent universe in which humans are a happy accident much more than the alternative. To quote the Book of Connor, Chapter Two: "The future is uncertain. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves."

That is not comforting at all, however I would argue that existence exists from perception and thus life creates the universe around it rather than the universe being the end all be all and life formulating around it. Something akin to biocentrism.

[Nierra]

All I know is that when I'm dead, I sure as hell won't be thinking.

And I don't like that :c

I sincerely hope at least I have the ability to think for all of eternity. I quite enjoy my thoughts.

[Dooom35796821595]

All I know is that when I'm dead, I sure as hell won't be thinking.

And I don't like that :c

I sincerely hope at least I have the ability to think for all of eternity. I quite enjoy my thoughts.

You know people who are isolated from their senses start losing their mind in 3 days, imagine an eternity alone with only your thoughts and nothing to do.

[Aalmark]

All I know is that when I'm dead, I sure as hell won't be thinking.

And I don't like that :c

I sincerely hope at least I have the ability to think for all of eternity. I quite enjoy my thoughts.

You may like the idea of transhumanism.

I dunno, I think life would become boring for me after a point. Plus, yes, I enjoy myself, but when I die, it's not really my problem. I will not be enjoying or finding displeasure in the thoughts I will not be having. I've been near death plenty of times, attempted suicide on numerous occasions, and as a result, I can say with confidence that live is worth living. However, as a result of these experiences, I'm not afraid of death.

[Aalmark]

And I don't like that :c

I sincerely hope at least I have the ability to think for all of eternity. I quite enjoy my thoughts.

You know people who are isolated from their senses start losing their mind in 3 days, imagine an eternity alone with only your thoughts and nothing to do.

....Maybe that's what hell really is. Philosophy, mofo.

[Ava Ire]

I believe in the afterlife. But if it were true that there's nothing after death, just an eternal oblivion, then yes I admit it does seem scary. Death itself isn't scary, but the thought of not existing for the rest of time is throughly unpleasant.

But what would I care? It'd be no different than before I was born. I surely didn't care then, because I wasn't around to care. And some see eternal oblivion as further incentive to live life to its absolute fullest.

[Crezilivion]

I don't know what is after death, I really can't even speculate. I just hope that there is something so that I'm not a complete waste. It would be incredibly depressing to know that no matter what you do it will eventually be erased and have no permanent use, so no permanent meaning either. If I were sure that there was nothing then there really isn't even a point in living, might as well die now considering the fact that there is more pain and sorrow in the world than joy or happiness. If someone could somehow prove that there was nothing after death, I'd probably off myself.

[Nierra]

And I don't like that :c

I sincerely hope at least I have the ability to think for all of eternity. I quite enjoy my thoughts.

You know people who are isolated from their senses start losing their mind in 3 days, imagine an eternity alone with only your thoughts and nothing to do.

We'll I'm fairly introverted so if I had access to unlimited knowledge I guess I could be pretty happy. Though you are right, I would much rather be a person and have people in my life I can share this appreciation of knowledge with.

[Aalmark]

I don't know what is after death, I really can't even speculate. I just hope that there is something so that I'm not a complete waste. It would be incredibly depressing to know that no matter what you do it will eventually be erased and have no permanent use, so no permanent meaning either. If I were sure that there was nothing then there really isn't even a point in living, might as well die now considering the fact that there is more pain and sorrow in the world than joy or happiness. If someone could somehow prove that there was nothing after death, I'd probably off myself.

Well, it's not depressing, in my view. Your life was worthwhile if you contributed to the betterment of society as a whole, and if you were happy. If anything, the idea that life is meaningless shouldn't be depressing, as we all know that life has no objective meaning. Rather, we should seek to find our own meanings, our own ways to be happy, etc.

Offing yourself because of a lack of an afterlife seems incredibly counterproductive and futile, maybe even contradictory. You're penalizing yourself to eternity without being yourself because you don't want that to happen? What? You value life so much that you kill yourself when you hear that you can't be you forever. It sounds...strange.

[Neutraligon]

Life existed millions, even billions of years before I ever came into being. It will likely exist for a very long time after "I" have ceased to exist. I do not find the thought scary. Part of what makes life so precious is that at one point it will end, thus we must make use of every moment that we are here.

We have a limited time to do things. Right before I die I want to be able to look back on my life and say I did not waste it.

[Aalmark]

Life existed millions, even billions of years before I ever came into being. It will likely exist for a very long time after "I" have ceased to exist. I do not find the thought scary. Part of what makes life so precious is that at one point it will end, thus we must make use of every moment that we are here.

By wanking, drinking, posting on nsg, and calling yourself the real "og".

Hehe.

[Idzequitch]

In all honesty, it's not so much my death as the deaths of the people I care about that worries me. When I die, I believe I'll go to heaven. If I'm mistaken and there's no afterlife, then I suppose it's nothing really to look forward to, or anything to dread. The world will be fine without me.

On the other hand, the thought of my friends and family dying is about the least pleasant subject I can think of. I don't form close relationships with a lot of people, so I resist strongly every time some force tries to separate me and those with whom I have nurtured a relationship. I can bear it when it's a matter of moving, and the possibility of further contact remains. Death on the other hand, is notoriously permanent. No further contact possible. That's what I hate.

Long story short, our fear of death seems rather irrational. If people do go to hell, they're mostly the people who don't think hell exists, so either way, there's no reason to worry about it. I will live until something ends my life, and I'm comfortable with that. If there's something after death, I'm as prepared as I can be. If not, there's really no harm done.

[Neutraligon]

Life existed millions, even billions of years before I ever came into being. It will likely exist for a very long time after "I" have ceased to exist. I do not find the thought scary. Part of what makes life so precious is that at one point it will end, thus we must make use of every moment that we are here.

By wanking, drinking, posting on nsg, and calling yourself the real "og".

Hehe.

I enjoy wanking and posting on nsg, thus I do not see it as a waste.

[Galloism]

You mortals think too much. Drink more, think less.

[Aalmark]

By wanking, drinking, posting on nsg, and calling yourself the real "og".

Hehe.

I enjoy wanking and posting on nsg, thus I do not see it as a waste.

Then we're on that same boat.

[Luminesa]

Even now as a young adult, I struggle to come to terms with my mortality. As a Catholic, I know that after death, depending on one's faith and deeds, one will ether go to purgatory for an unknown amount of time to purge their sins before going to heaven, go straight to heaven or go to hell. Now while Hell is not only horrifying but also depressing to think about, the atheist idea of eternal oblivion, meaning that you'll just cease to exist when you die, is not only horrifying but also inconceivable!

I suspect you're not trying very hard to conceive of it. Can you conceive of a time before you existed? It's like that, but later.

I'm not really afraid of dying

You're not afraid of suffering in hell for eternity? You're not afraid of suffering an indeterminate amount of time in purgatory?

but the idea of eternal oblivion is just extremely bothersome because the idea of eternal nonexistence is just so incompatible with what we know, which is existence.

Stuff stops existing around us all the time. You think the fish you ate last Good Friday still exists?

So, what is your opinion on death?

Death sounds shit, I'd rather avoid it.

The fish we ate on Good Friday? Why...

the law of the conservation of energy says otherwise.

And if you're in Purgatory, it just means you've got to be polished a tiny bit.

[Neutraligon]

I enjoy wanking and posting on nsg, thus I do not see it as a waste.

Then we're on that same boat.

There is a reason I am not against many forms of hedonism. To me unless they like going to services and the such, I see going to church or other similar activities as a waste, since I could have spent my time doing something I enjoy more, and not wasted it on the hopes of an afterlife I do not believe in.

[United Marxist Nations]

I fear death in the same way I fear not existing; that is, I want to exist, so I therefore do not want to die. Nonexistence sounds worse than an afterlife, but what I'd really rather have is a longer (read: eternal) earthly life. An afterlife doesn't seem all that great in comparison to actual life.

[Crezilivion]

I don't know what is after death, I really can't even speculate. I just hope that there is something so that I'm not a complete waste. It would be incredibly depressing to know that no matter what you do it will eventually be erased and have no permanent use, so no permanent meaning either. If I were sure that there was nothing then there really isn't even a point in living, might as well die now considering the fact that there is more pain and sorrow in the world than joy or happiness. If someone could somehow prove that there was nothing after death, I'd probably off myself.

Well, it's not depressing, in my view. Your life was worthwhile if you contributed to the betterment of society as a whole, and if you were happy. If anything, the idea that life is meaningless shouldn't be depressing, as we all know that life has no objective meaning. Rather, we should seek to find our own meanings, our own ways to be happy, etc.

Offing yourself because of a lack of an afterlife seems incredibly counterproductive and futile, maybe even contradictory. You're penalizing yourself to eternity without being yourself because you don't want that to happen? What? You value life so much that you kill yourself when you hear that you can't be you forever. It sounds...strange.

But that society will cease to exist, your "betterment" will cease to exist. It wouldn't be penalizing myself to save myself from the pain I'd feel from being alive. If I'm going to cease to exist then offing myself isn't value of life, it's value of existence. If I didn't go through the pain of living to get anywhere then it's a waste as far as I'm concerned.

[Neutraligon]

Well, it's not depressing, in my view. Your life was worthwhile if you contributed to the betterment of society as a whole, and if you were happy. If anything, the idea that life is meaningless shouldn't be depressing, as we all know that life has no objective meaning. Rather, we should seek to find our own meanings, our own ways to be happy, etc.

Offing yourself because of a lack of an afterlife seems incredibly counterproductive and futile, maybe even contradictory. You're penalizing yourself to eternity without being yourself because you don't want that to happen? What? You value life so much that you kill yourself when you hear that you can't be you forever. It sounds...strange.

But that society will cease to exist, your "betterment" will cease to exist. It wouldn't be penalizing myself to save myself from the pain I'd feel from being alive. If I'm going to cease to exist then offing myself isn't value of life, it's value of existence. If I didn't go through the pain of living to get anywhere then it's a waste as far as I'm concerned.

The society might or might not cease to exist. The point is to enjoy what you have now, since you will not get another chance at it.