I have these random I guess you can call “episodes” where i have this almost out of body experience where i start saying to myself, you’re just you, you’re literally just you, and start thinking about how minuscule i am and then it eventually leads to how i am so fearful of dying one day. I understand I wasn’t around for the Korean War, or world war 2, or the Roman Empire, and that makes sense, since I simply wasnt existing, but now that I exist, the thought of me not existing, and quite frankly never being able to exist again terrifies me. I went to a religious school for a few years and went to church etc, but science tells me that my body make up is unique, and just being born is winning the lottery in its own right. As nice as it is to think my body protrudes this soul is going to rise up and say what up Jesus am I in? or my very unique dna that can profile me as a murderer is going to somehow leak out of my dead composing body, and makes its way into some other woman’s vagina to again try to fight off another 1 million other contestants (assuming dad didn’t jerk off that day) just really gets to me that I have this one chance and this limited, aka very limited time to live a good life. I have a good life mind you. Great wife, supportive family, 2 kids now, great house, but this whole death thing just makes me say sometimes like, wtf man, I want to experience this love and life forever, why does it gotta be so short. Just would like to hear your guys’ thoughts on the manner. Thanks. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Chiefsfan1:
Those who have had near death experiences (NDEs) or spontaneous or deliberately induced out of body experiences (OBEs) often say they no longer have any fear of death because they "know they are more than their physical body." A good book on this subject is "Journeys Out of the Body" by Robert Monroe as well his two books after that (https://libgen.is/search.php?req=Rob...e=1&column=def). There are also other books (like "Journey of Souls", "Destiny of Souls" and "Life Between Lives") on the overall subject of life after death by a hypnotherapist named Michael Newton who had 7,000 clients that he drew this material from (https://libgen.is/search.php?req=Mic...e=1&column=def).
So do people who have done a sufficient amount of drugs, or entered a sufficient level of samadhi.
Personally, one thing I feel comfortable saying with certainty, Unless it's either a simulation or I've completely lost touch with whatever reality there is, a purely materialistic framework can't explain some phenomena I've directly experienced. OP, I personally don't believe you are your body, and encourage you to keep exploring this question as preparation for what you and nearly everyone fears. Confront the fear head on. [Reply]
Originally Posted by frozenchief:
This is a DC thread answer but I figure I’ll address this answer respectfully and OP at the end.
Bertrand Russell, hardly a Christian, once said that without God, it is meaningless to talk about the purpose of life. I cannot live a life without purpose. We just ride this rock around the sun and then die? Truly believing that is a good way to go insane.
Just gonna drop the full quote off here...
"Unless you assume a God, the question of life’s purpose is meaningless, and like Laplace, ‘I have no need of that hypothesis.'”
Now for some context...
Who was Laplace? He was a physicist who, when asked by Napoleon Bonaparte...
Originally Posted by :
“I am told that in this great book you have written on the system of the world there is no mention of God, its creator”,
to which Laplace replied: “Sire, I have had no need of that hypothesis”.
---
Now, this post isn't to made to refute your belief system, dissuade you from it, or even get into a theological discussion in the Lounge. I have thoughts about other parts of your post but this isn't the forum for them thus they were not quoted. The only reason this post is being made is to highlight the importance of a full quote and context.
Russell wasn't advocating the idea of intelligent creation by God in that statement nor was he acknowledging a deity at all. It wasn't an admission that life is meaningless without God. He was replying to a letter in a sharp and sarcastic manner in the same way that Laplace did to Napoleon. The fact he quoted Laplace makes that evident. [Reply]
Super strange this thread was created. I have been feeling down lately thinking about death etc. I am afraid to die. I also think things, like did I waste my time on earth, could I have done things better. Now I am seeing things pop up all the time about death and dying. I am not sure why I am dwelling on it now. It never really consumed my mind that much before, but as of recent it has. [Reply]
crazy thing is 80 years after you die, there won't be anyone on earth that will remember you or anything you accomplished unless you are famous now. [Reply]
Originally Posted by RocKhawks:
Super strange this thread was created. I have been feeling down lately thinking about death etc. I am afraid to die. I also think things, like did I waste my time on earth, could I have done things better. Now I am seeing things pop up all the time about death and dying. I am not sure why I am dwelling on it now. It never really consumed my mind that much before, but as of recent it has.
I think there is one quick way out of that mindset...volunteer, help someone, make someone's day, week, life better. Check on an elderly person near you...connect. When times get tough, we lose a loved one, the economy stinks, no relief in sight from inflation, we all tend to intensify the vacuum we tend to live in and forget the importance of human connection and how crucial it is to help each other out...it always comes back to you in ways you can't imagine. The main theme of "Defending Your Life" (I mentioned on page 2) is "don't let fear control your life. It will only ruin it". Live every day with a goal of being kind, thoughtful, and caring to others, learn about something you were ignorant of, do something that nourishes your body or soul. If you do, your time will not have been wasted, and if there is a higher plane, you will be welcomed. [Reply]
Originally Posted by RocKhawks:
Super strange this thread was created. I have been feeling down lately thinking about death etc. I am afraid to die. I also think things, like did I waste my time on earth, could I have done things better. Now I am seeing things pop up all the time about death and dying. I am not sure why I am dwelling on it now. It never really consumed my mind that much before, but as of recent it has.
They’ve got a name for that. The frequency illusion (also known as the Baader–Meinhof phenomenon) is a cognitive bias in which a person notices a specific concept, word, or product more frequently after recently becoming aware of it.
Not sure what you’re going through but it’s best not to worry. In case it helps:
“A man who suffers before it is necessary, suffers more than is necessary”
Originally Posted by tooge:
crazy thing is 80 years after you die, there won't be anyone on earth that will remember you or anything you accomplished unless you are famous now.
This is key here. The vast majority of us are just the most minor blip in history.
Notorious made a comment to me in DC about finding “everlasting life” in having children, passing on your culture and ideas, etc. but it’s hard not to think about the little things that make you unique will largely be forgotten within just a generation or two of your death. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mike in SW-MO:
At risk of be dumped off to DC, there is only 1 way to eternal life, & that is through Christ.
If you are up at 3:30 worrying, spend some time in the Bible. Research a church in your area.
But you already knew the answer. It is a personal relationship with the One who prepared a place for you in his Father's Mansion.
Don't believe that science has all the answers. Take it from a chemical engineer married to an ob/gyn. Science is groping in the dark looking for how things work. Some is right some will change as more data is acquired.
Peace comes from your relationship with God.
Go back to bed & hug your wife. Hug your kids in the morning then find a church. Community helps, too.
Let Abraxas into your life and you will be whole [Reply]
This is key here. The vast majority of us are just the most minor blip in history.
Notorious made a comment to me in DC about finding “everlasting life” in having children, passing on your culture and ideas, etc. but it’s hard not to think about the little things that make you unique will largely be forgotten within just a generation or two of your death.
It's funny that the same concept can be frightening to some and comforting for others. I, personally, fall into the latter camp. No one's gonna remember me in 100 years, so what's the point in stressing out about what people think? Just live your life and try to enjoy it without diminishing the lives of others.
Mark Twain: I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it.
Originally Posted by RocKhawks:
Super strange this thread was created. I have been feeling down lately thinking about death etc. I am afraid to die. I also think things, like did I waste my time on earth, could I have done things better. Now I am seeing things pop up all the time about death and dying. I am not sure why I am dwelling on it now. It never really consumed my mind that much before, but as of recent it has.
As someone who has had three heart attacks and two strokes, I have contemplated my mortality and feel content in the life i have led. Could I have done things better, absolutely, but my current situation makes me happy. Not to say that I'm ready to give it up, but chances are the end is coming sooner rather than later. [Reply]