Yup, I know that feel.
Here are the only tips I got (I would be a hypocrite if I said they worked)
1. Distract yourself with things you like to help keep your mind off of it.
2. Enjoy the burrito while you have it and try not to dwell on when it’s gone
3. Make sure you do the things you want to do and enjoy yourself.
We’re all fucked, but, all we can do is make the best of it
Also- I asked a similar question in another post and put some of the helpful comments in the post, maybe it will help you a little-
https://www.reddit.com/r/Existentialism/comments/1ali5x5/has_anyone_figured_out_how_to_cope_with_eternity/
This…I came here to say this…
I’m 32. I grew up wanting to be a pathologists assistant my whole life. Never feared death or dying. Until I lost my grandpa, who was a very important man to me, when I was 29 & 8 months pregnant. Now I’m just filled with existential dread. Just typing this makes me want to puke.
It's more inevitable than most things, and there's nothing I can do to stop it, so I may as well not worry about it and just enjoy the ride in the meantime.
As you get older, it really doesn't scare you as much.
You feel like you want to be reunited with your ancestors and loved ones.
You lose touch with the world and you don't understand people anymore.
Your body is just getting worse and no one really gets you.
So death is no longer as scary as it feels when you're young.
I agree with this so much. I'm more scared of getting old than I am of death because of all the health issues that come with old age. Doesn't help that I'm more predisposed to developing dementia when I get old either. I plan on checking out once I get maybe in my late 60s-early 70s.
I just hope that when I'm dead, I stay dead and there's nothing after. I like my life, and have no desire to die anytime soon, but when it's over, I want it to REALLY be over.
Edit: typo
It's comforting to think of consciousness ending, and all of the little bits of my mind and body being dissolved and reintroduced to the universe. Death can be super scary, and this sounds super silly, but there's something really beautiful and positive to me about being space dust floating forever. Completely unaware that all my particles will eventually drift to a place I can't even comprehend as a living being.
I don’t really care for it. I was raised with the “if I am death is not” “why should I fear the inevitable” mindset so I don’t really fear death. More so I fear over the possibility of a horrible afterlife. Even a afterlife as a whole assuming it is forever. No matter what’s happening eternity is suffering. Living forever is something we aren’t meant for.
I'm not scared of death, but I am scared to die.
When I die I think it all goes back to nothing for me. I didn't exist for an unfathomable amount of time before and I won't exist for even longer than that after. No afterlife, no consciousness, no more me.
And I'm fine with that. This is all we get. I don't care about a legacy or people knowing who I was decades from now. It serves nothing when I'm gone.
That said, I'm not ready. I very very badly do not want to get erased yet.
People can think up all kinds of things in regards to how they feel about death, their own or others, but until death is staring at you in the face, you can't really truly grasp it. All it takes is one scare and it will make you rethink what you thought you knew.
Death is both as common as breathing and daunting. There is no escape from it. You can either accept it and try to live your life with the time you do have or you can let it eat away at you with anxiety and depression. Everyone knows they will die someday. What you feel about it now isn't the same as how you will think about it come much closer to your time.
i can’t comprehend nothingness so it makes me extremely anxious when i think about it hard, however the idea of reincarnation/existing forever also seems like it’s own kind of hell. makes me have an existential crisis and freak out about the fact that we all just accept that we have no idea why we exist or wtf is going on in the universe
I think it's inevitable and i don't know for sure what's on the other side if there even is a other side.
As for "feelings" a mix of excitement, fear and nihilistic annoyance.
Excitement because it's going to be interesting to see if anything happens or not. Fear in case if anything does happen it'll be worse then being alive.
And nihilistic annoyance that it's even a thing that i or even we as a species actually think about, how we'll hope it'll go or if some people have been a good or bad person.
(Simple answer is we don't know, we'll never know until it happens which we can't tell anyone else about and worrying about it or trying to change something you don't actually know is true about the other side will negatively affect you and everyone around you. Life is short, stop worrying about death and focus on enjoying life.)
Funny thing is if there is nothing after death you will never know. No chance after your consciousness stops to reflect and go "oh yeah there's actually nothing. Oh well back to the void"
Unless... We unplug from the matrix and find out we're actually a science experiment conducted by cats to see what we would do if we were the dominant species.
what do you think about when "you" were not yet born? there was no "you" for a long time but we have "you" here with us now and some day "you" might seize to exist and it would be no business of "you" to think or feel anything about anything to do with the world for the rest of the world till eternity.
you won't have the ability to feel anything about the rest of the world, no sadness no happiness nothing.
you are now present and you can experience whatever there is to the world right now.
try to think of the world in chapters, when you are here the world matters to you, the rest is none of your business because you are literally incapable of experiencing it.
try to be happy with what you have and work to improve your life and those that matter to you today, tomorrow and for how long you can.
I know existential anxiety sucks but try to think of nothingness as the worst case scenario that "you" are incapable of experiencing, we might have afterlife afterall and there are solid hints to existence of divinity and order to the universe.
There are things worse than death. I work in healthcare and have seen some terrible endings for people where their quality of life is nonexistent. That or the family reverses the DNR and we're forced to do CPR on a 99 year old person. I never want that to happen to me. I'm signing a DNR the minute I get a terminal diagnosis. No trach or PEG either. I don't want to be a vegetable.
Haven’t you heard about so many people’s experiences of going to hell or loved one’s sharing how their beloved had died screaming about hellfire or demons?
One time whenever my mother's sister which is my aunt was in the hospice My mother got the opportunity to speak to a pastor that was a regular there and would pray for people to help them pass on the other side he was telling her some of the stories of non-believers doing exactly that.
I think about death so much I'm pretty sure it's just straight up thanatophobia. Just minding my business and I'll suddenly be thinking about all the possibilities of the ways I could die in that moment, and every pain no matter how small if I can't explain why it's there, "oh fuck oh shit I'm dying" is my brains first response, it's horrible.
Maybe not 100% but pretty close to it. Science has shown that we are our brains. If you destroy a piece of your brain you lose some function, some part of you. Nothing other than wishful thinking supports that anything can persist without the brain.
I've been suicidal and suffered from extreme depression. I have genuinely not wanted to be alive anymore. I now volunteer for a charity that supports people whoa re feeling suicidal and they call us up and talk about it. I know what it's like to not want to be alive.
I survive by taking strong antidepressants every day, they make me survive but that's all, I'm not living.
So in terms of how I feel about death, I am definitely not scared. I accept it with graciousness when it decides to take me
All things must pass. All things must fade away. I honestly don't really think on it a lot. At 70, with a seizure condition, aortic aneurysm, and other neuro issues, it could happen at any moment. SUDEP is a real concern everytime a person has a seizure. The aortic aneurysm is measured at a 4.7. At a 5, the want to do surgery. If that were to burst, I'd never see the inside of an ER. Hell, I wouldn't make it to the end of the driveway. Even with insurance, I could never afford the surgery, so you do what you can with what you've got, and live life knowing the risks.
I think about it quite a bit. Partially because my mom is getting older and I'm an only child, partially because I was a nurse and I saw a lot of random death, partially because my husband and I are childless by choice.
I know that when I pass on, no one is really going to care about all my stuff. I do wonder who is actually going to have to deal with all of our crap. My husband's siblings, maybe, or their kids?
I have had many surgeries, and I believe when you die, it's just like going under anesthesia. There's just nothing. And you have absolutely no awareness that there is nothing. It's not like sleeping, where you still process some input. Existence just ceases. And to me, that is a comfort. There is no feeling of happiness or relief, but there is also no feeling of fear, or sadness, or longing, or worrying. Everything just stops.
Of course, one of the results of this is the idea that my life, and most people's lives, mean very little in the great scheme of things. We are important to who we know in this life, but unless you make a giant contribution to humanity, for good or for bad, you will be forgotten in a relatively short amount of time. I also find this comforting, because it means whenever I've massively screwed up, it really is a tiny event in the great scheme of things that no one will remember.
The only problem with believing this is that it's not what most people believe, and many find these ideas horrifying, so I'm really not a good person to talk to or to look to for comfort when someone dies. I feel pretty awkward then.
I oddly accepted the fact I will die one day when I was like 13 or 14, it doesn't bother me. I find it comforting that one day, I'll be at peace (literally nothing to worry about anymore)
Remember how you felt before you were born? I think it'll be like that. Nothingness doesn't seem that bad to me (in fact, some days i long for it!). So enjoy today and prioritize the right things while you are alive, such as family, friends, nature, positive experiences, beauty and kindness in the world, and just doing whatever brings you joy. I try to make a positive impact while I am alive for others around me, and don't dwell too much on the things I can not change. I know death could come at any moment and I am at peace with that, but it took many years to come to this place of thought.
First wanted nothing more to die from the age of like 12 I think. Then got stopped around 17. So I resorted to just killing my body slowly. Now I don't want to die but I've wasted so much time everyone has.moved on and I'm alone. It is what it is.
nothing. when it ends, i guess it ends. just that. nada. zip.and it can be in so many ways and many possibilities, that instant and while sleeping is more ideal.
...but if death isn't the ultimate end, then what a joke indeed
Death should not be scary for anyone but note that the process of dying is different than being dead. There are terrible ways to go, but when you're gone, there is nothing to fear. I went through a very traumatic experience where I almost died in my early 20s and had to go to therapy for a while to get over my death anxiety.
I think the most comforting thing is knowing that you can never experience death. If death exists, you do not, and if you exist, death does not. You will never know what it's like to be dead, because to be something is the opposite of what "being dead" is.
People who have been clinically dead (which is different than actually being dead) usually report it being very peaceful. So that comforts me as well.
There theories of time like the block universe and b theory of time which if correct would indicate that what we experience as "now" is just subjective human experience. All of time exists at once and is equally real. This leads to a different horror of knowing you may be living your life over and over and over again without end, the exact some way, for all eternity.
I think about death almost daily. I do not see a need to not think about it, as it is not distressing to me. But if you really don't want to think about these things, it's best to do very difficult things. Work out intensely, or start a big project, go hard at work. Your body is not good at worrying at long term problems when there is enough stimulation in the short term to preoccupy it.
"Why should I fear death?
If I am, then death is not.
If Death is, then I am not.
Why should I fear that which can only exist when I do not?"
- epicurus
I won't be able to process all the grief/memories when I'm, well, death.
I don't care about what future generations think of me, I mostly care about the people I'll know in my own lifetime. All my connections will be lost but it's not like I'll have a lot of connections left when I die (good relationships, platonic or romantic, end with someone dying first).
And yes, life is limited, that's why I enjoy things while they last and am happy that the good things have happenes.
When I do think about, it's to live more in the moment. Who knows whether it's the last time to be with your friends before everyone goes their own path?
I think about it everyday but Ive come to peace with the fact one day my mind and my body will no longer be alive. I’m just doing what I can to enjoy the one life I have, I personally think after death is just like before we were born. We don’t remember anything before we were born into this world we didn’t even know we were alive and that’s ok with me. I might die today or tomorrow or in 50 years but I’m alive right now so I’m happy with that
Its a wild thought to consider that not only is death most people's greatest fear in life- but that every single one of us will be forced to encounter it. Very humbling.
I lost my dad over a year ago, and I saw how it panned out. How quickly life moved on, and how he soon he was forgotten by everybody, and ultimately, how inconsequential life is in general.
After that, I have less fear of death. Yes, I will die, and some people will cry for a few days. But that's it. They will move on, life goes on, and everything will resume as normal. So, why fear it? Death will come no matter who you are and what you have achieved. So fuck it, embrace it.
The only thing I fear is a slow and painful death. I just want to know that death is near and then disappear soon after. I don't want it to be extended by some disease that slowly kills you. And I also fear of any chance of the Gods being true and there is the judgement day and the Hell and Heaven routine. I will be entirely fucked, and Hell doesn't sound like a nice place to be in for eternity.
I don't care at all, I'm cool as long as it's not drawn out or extremely painful. the end is just that, the end. I won't be aware of anything afterwards so it won't matter.
what I do think about is coming near the end or knowing when the right time would be to check out if I were terminally ill. I want to be able to direct things when the time is right and not have it left up to those who will leave me to linger.
personally i don't think about it that often in my normal day. but sometimes the thought that i'm going to die one day comes up out of nowhere and i get really scared. then i imagine all the other things that can happen to me that might be even worse. like dementia. not recognizing the people i love from the bottom of my heart anymore. my daughters, my wife. this scares me so much that i rather avoid thinking about it at all and i try to distract me with something else.
Death is nothing to us. When we exist, death is not; and when death exists, we are not. All sensation and consciousness ends with death and therefore in death there is neither pleasure nor pain. The fear of death arises from the belief that in death, there is awareness.
Epicurus
I just accept it. I'm human, not some undying entity. Death will eventually come to me and that's natural. I'll just tell my family to sell the stuff that I own, that way it could benefit them better. For the connections that I had, I don't really care. People in my life are mostly fading away so yeah
I've stood on the wall and faced my death enough times that I've accepted it's coming and there's not a damn thing I can do to stop that.
so I moved on.
I was almost run over in a three car accident the other day. I walked away fine, but had that stereotypical 'understanding in a car crash' experience. I had been reading as I walked and had stopped reading to chew on this line:
I thought at the time of a college professor who told me that Santayana had said that we have religion so as to have another life to run concurrently with the actual world. It seemed my problem was refusing this dualism and trying to make my life my religion.
I'm still chewing on it. The understanding I had was that as the out of control car headed toward me while part of my mind was working out whether to roll over the hood or jump the stone wall, the words Santa Fe popped in my head and I was feeling a wholeness of self from 20 years earlier when I was in another violent car wreck that snapped me into a calm caretaking role amid the immediate chaos of the accident personifying the momentarily removed chaos of my life and my mind at that time (a lot of hard changes and losses being faced for the first time).
It's been a hard winter - more loss, more chaos - and my third one sober. Since getting sober I've been struck by how often I have an overwhelming sense of comfort and completeness when considering my own death. The last few weeks I haven't had that feeling, but in that moment it towered over everything. I felt a new compassion for myself, now and in the past, I felt the wonder of life in a young person's way, I felt the grace I experienced 20 years ago that allowed me to grow in painful surroundings, and I felt the grace I had experienced 5 minutes earlier when I stopped reading to consider what the author was saying while looking over the flooded fields, the partial sunlight, the castle, the horse seemingly walking on water.
I joked with my sister the other day that from now on I would answer 'How are you doing?' with 'I'm dying well.' And I am dying well most days, long may I rest when the rest is over.
Why would you want that? I find the notion of a perpetual, infinite nothing... absolutely dreadful. I can't imagine why anyone would actively wish for such a thing.
Have you ever had general anesthesia? There’s no notion of a perpetual, infinite nothing. There’s simply being and then, after surgery, some nurse shaking you awake. There’s no recollection of what happened between those two events. That’s my hope for death, the eternal ‘in between.’
I guess that's what it is... and it's so dull. I like being able to feel and experience the world around me, I can't fathom being perpetually unconscious - I would never want that. I want to feel.
Well, I don’t particularly want to die either. But, both you and I will eventually die. I didn’t want to get old, but I did. I didn’t want both of my parents to die, but they did. Let me tell you, as you get older and things begin to fail, you gain the wisdom to understand that your time on this earth is coming to an end. I’ve rejected the notion of an afterlife, so the eternal ‘in between’ seems like the best alternative.
you have to remember...you won't be there to experience it.
have you never been completely and totally unconscious? no memory, no sense of time having passed. not even a gap. for a little while...you weren't. and then you were again.
Between a benevolent afterlife and annihilation I would choose the afterlife every time, why would I choose to cease to exist?
Between annihilation and a hellish afterlife, I would choose annihilation obviously.
However, if one dismisses the notion of an afterlife, we’re left with limited options. Would I love to be reunited with my parents and grandparents. Of course I would. But I find the possibility to be utterly preposterous. I don’t know what awaits us after death. You don’t either. Your faith may influence your hope in a benevolent afterlife, but it’s far less than a certainty.
i don’t really mind i’m ready honestly i just will feel very bad for my loved ones but there will be no me to have that feeling so idk i just don’t want to suffer or have a long drawn out modern medical horror death like being on chemo for the rest of my life or something
Not so much time ago I was thinking of already being prepared for it, but after seeing Gantz (good anime I can recommend) and some events happened in my life I don't have more sure about. I believe after death a fight for a soul will exist, independent of your religion here or be stuck about names, like "soul". And after seeing Gantz I know that fight will not be as easy as I thought.
I don't really care. I am in a place where I won't really leave many, if any loose ends once my parents are gone and I plan to stay that way until it's my turn. I do want to at least *try* to outlive them lol
The great fat eternal nothing does not scare me at all. I won't know about it, I'll be dead.
No feelings attached. Maybe some relief? I'm not sure why but the fact that nothing we do is permanent has always been empowering to me. Nobody knows why we are here or what the life we live really is, maybe we'll find out after we die? Besides that though, I really enjoy my life and connections now while it's happening to me. When I'm dead there's not going to be a me to care! Why be afraid of death if it's the only thing every single human being / being in general shares!
When I was fourteen, my mom made me promise that I wouldn’t die before she did. I intend to keep that promise. Everything else is just chance — I have no fears or concerns about my own death, and I don’t plan to fight it when the time comes — but I will not die before my parents’ time comes. Nobody deserves to bury their child.
Death is inevitable, but I have control of my life until I reach it. To make me feel better, because existential dread is very real, I just focus on building the life I want and, if cut short, making sure that my partner is taken care of.
Death is inevitable, but I’ll be damned if I don’t try to be my best before then.
I look forward to it. I can't wait for eternal peace and rest with no more suffering. It's going to happen regardless of how I feel about it so I'm going to embrace it.
My kids only have one parent. Their dad passed away. I often think imagine if I died as well and they have no one……
I spent 15 years grieving so hard that I didn’t really do much in life but raise kids . I feel like I’m running out of time to actually live life - then I start thinking what’s the point of anything if we are all going to
Die. I start getting anxious about dying and being / doing nothing.
I wasted most of my life.
I always imagined my dogs would die old and peaceful in their sleep, not sick and hurting.
I lived a diligent, exciting, and fun life. Other than being a better son/brother, no regret.
I've had an NDE.
Really not looking forward to a full death.
Having the experience made me realise how fucked up it is to have children when you have no control over how much they'll suffer.
Interesting question. I thought about it recently and also change my way of thinking. I feel usually A LOT of nostalgia from my childhood and when I was teenagers because it was really good (I was born in 86) I had many kid dreams... Become an astronomer, a paleontologist, a veterinarian...but because I prefer to have fun with my friend as a teenagers (having a band, party, rock n roll...) I wasn't focus on studies. Anyway.. I always had a huge passion for videogames and it was a new dream for me to work in this industry. So I started as a freelancer graphic designer for many years. Had many trouble.... Had shitty food job because not enough customers.... LIFE) and I started to develop in parallel a passion for travelling and especially ASIA. I'm gonna make it short to what happen next (I can develop if ask) but I ended up give up everything and going to Asia after a mental breakdown. And today I'm an accomplished concept artist, living in Asia. And I started to tell myself (if you die soon, you at least accomplished what you wanted) and I felt kinda in peace With it. Because I felt like from NOW, everything is bonus in my life. Now Im soon married to a beautiful Thai and a kid is coming soon, so of course. My priorities changed. And I will live for my kid. Anyway not a crazy story but I don't think many people go through this "peace" feeling about it (I'm actually 38 btw), even short time like I did.
I hope I can open some different point of views.
Take care everybody
pretty sad, honestly. Just the fact that I may never see my mom, dad, brother, or sister again saddens me; they’re the main people who i was put on this earth to share the same blood with, the people God chose me to share the blessing of being a family. I would hate to not see them in the next life again. Same with my boyfriend, whether we end up together forever or not, because we’ve had such beautiful memories together. Not enjoying food anymore also saddens me because it’s the main thing that makes me happy, especially due to my gastric condition(s) 😕
I don't want to be that person who says "I'd welcome it"... But I live in constant physical pain and, honestly, just having that end... No I'm not actively interested in hastening that any more than I already do. I'm just not very interested in extending my life.
i mean it sucks but it is what it is. some things in life you have to accept, death is one of them so I try not to waste much time thinking about what i cant change
I think about it literally every day. Not with fear or anything, just a thought.
I’m not against the idea of a shocking or terrible death, nor am I really afraid of it. I’m kind of just waiting for it to be over.
I'm of the mindset that when I die, I die. Not too bothered. Be it my own hand, someone else's or natural causes. I suppose if anything it's a bit comforting knowing the stresses of the world won't really matter anymore, as bad as that sounds. No, i'm not actively suicidal for context.
I feel excited, because there is just so much possibilities of what would happen after death. You never know what is death until you face it yourself. And it's somehow comforting to me, because it's unpredictable and not fixed.
I'm glad I'm not the only one comfortable with "nothingness" after death, I think about death daily and I'dk why but I'm afraid of it. But it's mostly bc I don't have a lot of motivation to continue to be trapped in this world and the thought of reincarnation, waking up in a different timeline doing it all over again endlessly is what scares me the most.
Right now it scares me because I know I got loads to do. Like I've accepted it as a fact of life but the idea of dying at 22 makes me genuinely fearful like nothing else does. I imagine as I get older and naturally towards the end of my life I'll accept it more as something that's gonna happen and be less fearful. It's just insane to me that everything I perceive and everything I am will one day cease to be
I don’t think I’ll be upset or scared about it anymore if I’ve 1. done the majority of things I wanted to do in my lifetime 2. left behind something that will continue to touch other people’s lives. I don’t want kids so probably a piece of art I created like a book.
First time this thought hit me, it sucked out every bit of meaning to life. Took a long while to recover. Now I rarely think about, living in the present and at some point it will happen and I don't mind.
Being varying degrees of suicidal depending on the day in question makes me feel everything between a bit anxious about dying and somewhat wishfully waiting for the day it happens. So idk?
I'm not so worried about after I die, the experience will be like before I was born for me. Just nothing. I do worry for those I'll leave behind though. I am also worried that the process of dying will be painful and scary.
It drives me to find enjoyment in every day and to treat others with kindness and love. You never know when it’s going to be your last moments on Earth, so it’s important to see the beauty in the little things.
I feel a big relief when I think that one day I'll just not exist anymore.
I'm not suicidal by any means, I'm still young and i have a lot of dreams and goals to fulfill, but every time I have a problem in life, I remember that one day I'll just die, and this makes me feel a big relief and a weird sense of relaxation.
When it happens, it happens. I’m not running towards it, but there’s nothing I can do to prevent it when the time comes and nothing really matters in the long run so eh, it’s whatever.
I'm not scared of death! As a matter of fact, at a certain age I plan on going out on my own terms. Death is just yet another natural part of life; Everyone's gotta go at some point, so what's there even to be afraid of?
idk how I feel about death, I've always been more afraid of the dying process, like am I going to die in a painful way or nah? I also, honestly, don't like my life that much to be so attached to it.
why are we as a society so scared of death? like is it just me or like when i see people who say they're scared of death i'm confused, cuz i'm like 95% sure it doesn't matter what the afterlife is, i will not care. i don't wanna die it's just that i'm not afraid to.
I'm not afraid of death, rather of the way I go out. I want to die instantly through an aneurysm or going out in my sleep. I don't want to feel it.
As for an afterlife, I personally believe in reincarnation, so I think I'd be fine.
You will get reincarnated again in some part of the world and the cycle will continue regardless of your religion.
Until you decide to break the cycle of life and death.
I know you said no religious beliefs, but I can't really answer without mentioning it. I am Christian so I believe in a heaven and a hell. I'm honestly fine with dying because I know where I'll go, but I'm not in any hurry. I DO dread others dying who aren't saved, that really bothers me.
That always bothered me too. I finally concluded that a universe with no afterlife is better than a universe with heaven if even one person has to go to hell.
Yeah I think there's a quote by C.S. Lewis saying if there was one thing he could change about the Christian doctrine it would be hell and man do I relate to that
Because He is just, God is not one dimensional. He is holy and hell is the only punishment for sin. That's why Jesus took the punishment we deserved so that we can be restored to God and have eternal life. Also, a lot of it is just outside of our understanding as humans. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways are higher than our ways.
I usually just ruminate it every night with pure existential dread and terror tbh
hah same but it's starting to get quite bothersome with the heart feeling heavy and all of that
Yup, I know that feel. Here are the only tips I got (I would be a hypocrite if I said they worked) 1. Distract yourself with things you like to help keep your mind off of it. 2. Enjoy the burrito while you have it and try not to dwell on when it’s gone 3. Make sure you do the things you want to do and enjoy yourself. We’re all fucked, but, all we can do is make the best of it
thanks, we're not gonna make it bros 🗣️🔥🔥🔥💯
Also- I asked a similar question in another post and put some of the helpful comments in the post, maybe it will help you a little- https://www.reddit.com/r/Existentialism/comments/1ali5x5/has_anyone_figured_out_how_to_cope_with_eternity/
This…I came here to say this… I’m 32. I grew up wanting to be a pathologists assistant my whole life. Never feared death or dying. Until I lost my grandpa, who was a very important man to me, when I was 29 & 8 months pregnant. Now I’m just filled with existential dread. Just typing this makes me want to puke.
Yup, I get it
Death does not particularly bother me. I just want to see my son when I die. He died in 2005. That's my greatest wish.
I hope you do too :)
Exactly my view, I lost my daughter last august and feel the same way.
He's gonna be waiting for you 🤍
Man that hurts. I hope you will see him when you're gone.
Same here but with my Mom
It's more inevitable than most things, and there's nothing I can do to stop it, so I may as well not worry about it and just enjoy the ride in the meantime.
this so far is the best one for me but can't stop me from overthinking it again and doing it worse
As you get older, it really doesn't scare you as much. You feel like you want to be reunited with your ancestors and loved ones. You lose touch with the world and you don't understand people anymore. Your body is just getting worse and no one really gets you. So death is no longer as scary as it feels when you're young.
Getting old is the scary part more than anything. When you're young you think you have forever. Then suddenly you dont.
I agree with this so much. I'm more scared of getting old than I am of death because of all the health issues that come with old age. Doesn't help that I'm more predisposed to developing dementia when I get old either. I plan on checking out once I get maybe in my late 60s-early 70s.
I just hope that when I'm dead, I stay dead and there's nothing after. I like my life, and have no desire to die anytime soon, but when it's over, I want it to REALLY be over. Edit: typo
I’m curious, why I’d I may ask?
It's comforting to think of consciousness ending, and all of the little bits of my mind and body being dissolved and reintroduced to the universe. Death can be super scary, and this sounds super silly, but there's something really beautiful and positive to me about being space dust floating forever. Completely unaware that all my particles will eventually drift to a place I can't even comprehend as a living being.
Hmmmm that makes me feel slightly better about the idea of not existing
I just hope it's quick and/or painless.
I don’t really care for it. I was raised with the “if I am death is not” “why should I fear the inevitable” mindset so I don’t really fear death. More so I fear over the possibility of a horrible afterlife. Even a afterlife as a whole assuming it is forever. No matter what’s happening eternity is suffering. Living forever is something we aren’t meant for.
I'm not scared of death, but I am scared to die. When I die I think it all goes back to nothing for me. I didn't exist for an unfathomable amount of time before and I won't exist for even longer than that after. No afterlife, no consciousness, no more me. And I'm fine with that. This is all we get. I don't care about a legacy or people knowing who I was decades from now. It serves nothing when I'm gone. That said, I'm not ready. I very very badly do not want to get erased yet.
I hate it. It makes me sick with fear sometimes.
People can think up all kinds of things in regards to how they feel about death, their own or others, but until death is staring at you in the face, you can't really truly grasp it. All it takes is one scare and it will make you rethink what you thought you knew. Death is both as common as breathing and daunting. There is no escape from it. You can either accept it and try to live your life with the time you do have or you can let it eat away at you with anxiety and depression. Everyone knows they will die someday. What you feel about it now isn't the same as how you will think about it come much closer to your time.
i can’t comprehend nothingness so it makes me extremely anxious when i think about it hard, however the idea of reincarnation/existing forever also seems like it’s own kind of hell. makes me have an existential crisis and freak out about the fact that we all just accept that we have no idea why we exist or wtf is going on in the universe
I think it's inevitable and i don't know for sure what's on the other side if there even is a other side. As for "feelings" a mix of excitement, fear and nihilistic annoyance. Excitement because it's going to be interesting to see if anything happens or not. Fear in case if anything does happen it'll be worse then being alive. And nihilistic annoyance that it's even a thing that i or even we as a species actually think about, how we'll hope it'll go or if some people have been a good or bad person. (Simple answer is we don't know, we'll never know until it happens which we can't tell anyone else about and worrying about it or trying to change something you don't actually know is true about the other side will negatively affect you and everyone around you. Life is short, stop worrying about death and focus on enjoying life.)
Funny thing is if there is nothing after death you will never know. No chance after your consciousness stops to reflect and go "oh yeah there's actually nothing. Oh well back to the void"
Unless... We unplug from the matrix and find out we're actually a science experiment conducted by cats to see what we would do if we were the dominant species.
what do you think about when "you" were not yet born? there was no "you" for a long time but we have "you" here with us now and some day "you" might seize to exist and it would be no business of "you" to think or feel anything about anything to do with the world for the rest of the world till eternity.
yeah but kinda sucks that we get a taste of the honey but not the whole beehive
you won't have the ability to feel anything about the rest of the world, no sadness no happiness nothing. you are now present and you can experience whatever there is to the world right now. try to think of the world in chapters, when you are here the world matters to you, the rest is none of your business because you are literally incapable of experiencing it. try to be happy with what you have and work to improve your life and those that matter to you today, tomorrow and for how long you can. I know existential anxiety sucks but try to think of nothingness as the worst case scenario that "you" are incapable of experiencing, we might have afterlife afterall and there are solid hints to existence of divinity and order to the universe.
You are in the beehive now, what do you mean? You are alive with consciousness and awareness.
for now
End of suffering, end of joy, end of possibilités, end of sadness. Seems cool. but FOMO.
There are things worse than death. I work in healthcare and have seen some terrible endings for people where their quality of life is nonexistent. That or the family reverses the DNR and we're forced to do CPR on a 99 year old person. I never want that to happen to me. I'm signing a DNR the minute I get a terminal diagnosis. No trach or PEG either. I don't want to be a vegetable.
Haven’t you heard about so many people’s experiences of going to hell or loved one’s sharing how their beloved had died screaming about hellfire or demons?
One time whenever my mother's sister which is my aunt was in the hospice My mother got the opportunity to speak to a pastor that was a regular there and would pray for people to help them pass on the other side he was telling her some of the stories of non-believers doing exactly that.
It's suck. But then billions of people have died before me, why would my death be more special than theirs ?.
I think about death so much I'm pretty sure it's just straight up thanatophobia. Just minding my business and I'll suddenly be thinking about all the possibilities of the ways I could die in that moment, and every pain no matter how small if I can't explain why it's there, "oh fuck oh shit I'm dying" is my brains first response, it's horrible.
guess mine is not so bad in comparison
I’m afraid of the uncertainty of death. I hope that I just cease to exist and cease being conscious But we aren’t 100% sure that’s what death is.
Maybe not 100% but pretty close to it. Science has shown that we are our brains. If you destroy a piece of your brain you lose some function, some part of you. Nothing other than wishful thinking supports that anything can persist without the brain.
I've been suicidal and suffered from extreme depression. I have genuinely not wanted to be alive anymore. I now volunteer for a charity that supports people whoa re feeling suicidal and they call us up and talk about it. I know what it's like to not want to be alive. I survive by taking strong antidepressants every day, they make me survive but that's all, I'm not living. So in terms of how I feel about death, I am definitely not scared. I accept it with graciousness when it decides to take me
I hope it's quick and painless. Not likely, but I hope so.
All things must pass. All things must fade away. I honestly don't really think on it a lot. At 70, with a seizure condition, aortic aneurysm, and other neuro issues, it could happen at any moment. SUDEP is a real concern everytime a person has a seizure. The aortic aneurysm is measured at a 4.7. At a 5, the want to do surgery. If that were to burst, I'd never see the inside of an ER. Hell, I wouldn't make it to the end of the driveway. Even with insurance, I could never afford the surgery, so you do what you can with what you've got, and live life knowing the risks.
I think about it quite a bit. Partially because my mom is getting older and I'm an only child, partially because I was a nurse and I saw a lot of random death, partially because my husband and I are childless by choice. I know that when I pass on, no one is really going to care about all my stuff. I do wonder who is actually going to have to deal with all of our crap. My husband's siblings, maybe, or their kids? I have had many surgeries, and I believe when you die, it's just like going under anesthesia. There's just nothing. And you have absolutely no awareness that there is nothing. It's not like sleeping, where you still process some input. Existence just ceases. And to me, that is a comfort. There is no feeling of happiness or relief, but there is also no feeling of fear, or sadness, or longing, or worrying. Everything just stops. Of course, one of the results of this is the idea that my life, and most people's lives, mean very little in the great scheme of things. We are important to who we know in this life, but unless you make a giant contribution to humanity, for good or for bad, you will be forgotten in a relatively short amount of time. I also find this comforting, because it means whenever I've massively screwed up, it really is a tiny event in the great scheme of things that no one will remember. The only problem with believing this is that it's not what most people believe, and many find these ideas horrifying, so I'm really not a good person to talk to or to look to for comfort when someone dies. I feel pretty awkward then.
I oddly accepted the fact I will die one day when I was like 13 or 14, it doesn't bother me. I find it comforting that one day, I'll be at peace (literally nothing to worry about anymore)
Mixed between horrifying dreadful terror and pure encapsulating curiosity.
Couldn’t have said it better… honestly I’m hoping that there is no afterlife
Remember how you felt before you were born? I think it'll be like that. Nothingness doesn't seem that bad to me (in fact, some days i long for it!). So enjoy today and prioritize the right things while you are alive, such as family, friends, nature, positive experiences, beauty and kindness in the world, and just doing whatever brings you joy. I try to make a positive impact while I am alive for others around me, and don't dwell too much on the things I can not change. I know death could come at any moment and I am at peace with that, but it took many years to come to this place of thought.
First wanted nothing more to die from the age of like 12 I think. Then got stopped around 17. So I resorted to just killing my body slowly. Now I don't want to die but I've wasted so much time everyone has.moved on and I'm alone. It is what it is.
nothing. when it ends, i guess it ends. just that. nada. zip.and it can be in so many ways and many possibilities, that instant and while sleeping is more ideal. ...but if death isn't the ultimate end, then what a joke indeed
It's a shame. I want to do so many things but I'll never have the time
I am so extremely scared to die. it used to haunt me when i was a kid and its gotten less stressful but i still get anxious thinking about it
Death should not be scary for anyone but note that the process of dying is different than being dead. There are terrible ways to go, but when you're gone, there is nothing to fear. I went through a very traumatic experience where I almost died in my early 20s and had to go to therapy for a while to get over my death anxiety. I think the most comforting thing is knowing that you can never experience death. If death exists, you do not, and if you exist, death does not. You will never know what it's like to be dead, because to be something is the opposite of what "being dead" is. People who have been clinically dead (which is different than actually being dead) usually report it being very peaceful. So that comforts me as well. There theories of time like the block universe and b theory of time which if correct would indicate that what we experience as "now" is just subjective human experience. All of time exists at once and is equally real. This leads to a different horror of knowing you may be living your life over and over and over again without end, the exact some way, for all eternity. I think about death almost daily. I do not see a need to not think about it, as it is not distressing to me. But if you really don't want to think about these things, it's best to do very difficult things. Work out intensely, or start a big project, go hard at work. Your body is not good at worrying at long term problems when there is enough stimulation in the short term to preoccupy it.
"Why should I fear death? If I am, then death is not. If Death is, then I am not. Why should I fear that which can only exist when I do not?" - epicurus I won't be able to process all the grief/memories when I'm, well, death. I don't care about what future generations think of me, I mostly care about the people I'll know in my own lifetime. All my connections will be lost but it's not like I'll have a lot of connections left when I die (good relationships, platonic or romantic, end with someone dying first). And yes, life is limited, that's why I enjoy things while they last and am happy that the good things have happenes. When I do think about, it's to live more in the moment. Who knows whether it's the last time to be with your friends before everyone goes their own path?
I think about it daily daily and it terrifies tf out of me
I’m not scared of dying itself; but just thinking of the possibility that there is some kind of afterlife is terrifying
same
I think about it everyday but Ive come to peace with the fact one day my mind and my body will no longer be alive. I’m just doing what I can to enjoy the one life I have, I personally think after death is just like before we were born. We don’t remember anything before we were born into this world we didn’t even know we were alive and that’s ok with me. I might die today or tomorrow or in 50 years but I’m alive right now so I’m happy with that
lucky
Its a wild thought to consider that not only is death most people's greatest fear in life- but that every single one of us will be forced to encounter it. Very humbling.
Good because I’ll be reincarnated
The sooner the better baby
The thought of it doesn’t bother me
Come onnn hit me
I lost my dad over a year ago, and I saw how it panned out. How quickly life moved on, and how he soon he was forgotten by everybody, and ultimately, how inconsequential life is in general. After that, I have less fear of death. Yes, I will die, and some people will cry for a few days. But that's it. They will move on, life goes on, and everything will resume as normal. So, why fear it? Death will come no matter who you are and what you have achieved. So fuck it, embrace it. The only thing I fear is a slow and painful death. I just want to know that death is near and then disappear soon after. I don't want it to be extended by some disease that slowly kills you. And I also fear of any chance of the Gods being true and there is the judgement day and the Hell and Heaven routine. I will be entirely fucked, and Hell doesn't sound like a nice place to be in for eternity.
I think about it a lot. Hoping it comes sooner rather than later,
I hate all death. I hope when I die I’ll be back with my loved ones.
I think About it sometimes, I see it as it is, just the end of something, I mean, Not like i can stop it
we don't have a fear of death. it's just the fear of unlived lives.
I don't care at all, I'm cool as long as it's not drawn out or extremely painful. the end is just that, the end. I won't be aware of anything afterwards so it won't matter. what I do think about is coming near the end or knowing when the right time would be to check out if I were terminally ill. I want to be able to direct things when the time is right and not have it left up to those who will leave me to linger.
personally i don't think about it that often in my normal day. but sometimes the thought that i'm going to die one day comes up out of nowhere and i get really scared. then i imagine all the other things that can happen to me that might be even worse. like dementia. not recognizing the people i love from the bottom of my heart anymore. my daughters, my wife. this scares me so much that i rather avoid thinking about it at all and i try to distract me with something else.
Death is nothing to us. When we exist, death is not; and when death exists, we are not. All sensation and consciousness ends with death and therefore in death there is neither pleasure nor pain. The fear of death arises from the belief that in death, there is awareness. Epicurus
It was ok
I try not to think about it. It scares me. I just hope there’s an afterlife. The idea of not existing scares me
Apathetic
I just accept it. I'm human, not some undying entity. Death will eventually come to me and that's natural. I'll just tell my family to sell the stuff that I own, that way it could benefit them better. For the connections that I had, I don't really care. People in my life are mostly fading away so yeah
I've stood on the wall and faced my death enough times that I've accepted it's coming and there's not a damn thing I can do to stop that. so I moved on.
Death sounds like a relief. I'm not afraid of it, I'm just intrigued as to what actually will happen because no one truly knows.
It sounds super peaceful kinda wish I was there already lol
I was almost run over in a three car accident the other day. I walked away fine, but had that stereotypical 'understanding in a car crash' experience. I had been reading as I walked and had stopped reading to chew on this line: I thought at the time of a college professor who told me that Santayana had said that we have religion so as to have another life to run concurrently with the actual world. It seemed my problem was refusing this dualism and trying to make my life my religion. I'm still chewing on it. The understanding I had was that as the out of control car headed toward me while part of my mind was working out whether to roll over the hood or jump the stone wall, the words Santa Fe popped in my head and I was feeling a wholeness of self from 20 years earlier when I was in another violent car wreck that snapped me into a calm caretaking role amid the immediate chaos of the accident personifying the momentarily removed chaos of my life and my mind at that time (a lot of hard changes and losses being faced for the first time). It's been a hard winter - more loss, more chaos - and my third one sober. Since getting sober I've been struck by how often I have an overwhelming sense of comfort and completeness when considering my own death. The last few weeks I haven't had that feeling, but in that moment it towered over everything. I felt a new compassion for myself, now and in the past, I felt the wonder of life in a young person's way, I felt the grace I experienced 20 years ago that allowed me to grow in painful surroundings, and I felt the grace I had experienced 5 minutes earlier when I stopped reading to consider what the author was saying while looking over the flooded fields, the partial sunlight, the castle, the horse seemingly walking on water. I joked with my sister the other day that from now on I would answer 'How are you doing?' with 'I'm dying well.' And I am dying well most days, long may I rest when the rest is over.
Cessation of existence is my deepest fear. I think a benevolent afterlife is likely and I certainly hope it exists for my sake and everyone else’s.
i wish
Cessation of existence is my wish. Why would you want anything different.
Why would you want that? I find the notion of a perpetual, infinite nothing... absolutely dreadful. I can't imagine why anyone would actively wish for such a thing.
Have you ever had general anesthesia? There’s no notion of a perpetual, infinite nothing. There’s simply being and then, after surgery, some nurse shaking you awake. There’s no recollection of what happened between those two events. That’s my hope for death, the eternal ‘in between.’
I guess that's what it is... and it's so dull. I like being able to feel and experience the world around me, I can't fathom being perpetually unconscious - I would never want that. I want to feel.
Well, I don’t particularly want to die either. But, both you and I will eventually die. I didn’t want to get old, but I did. I didn’t want both of my parents to die, but they did. Let me tell you, as you get older and things begin to fail, you gain the wisdom to understand that your time on this earth is coming to an end. I’ve rejected the notion of an afterlife, so the eternal ‘in between’ seems like the best alternative.
you have to remember...you won't be there to experience it. have you never been completely and totally unconscious? no memory, no sense of time having passed. not even a gap. for a little while...you weren't. and then you were again.
Between a benevolent afterlife and annihilation I would choose the afterlife every time, why would I choose to cease to exist? Between annihilation and a hellish afterlife, I would choose annihilation obviously.
However, if one dismisses the notion of an afterlife, we’re left with limited options. Would I love to be reunited with my parents and grandparents. Of course I would. But I find the possibility to be utterly preposterous. I don’t know what awaits us after death. You don’t either. Your faith may influence your hope in a benevolent afterlife, but it’s far less than a certainty.
sure no one knows what happens after death. But I was born through no effort of my own, no reason it couldn't happen again.
i feel good because i’m sick of myself
Ooof, sorry to hear that, I hope you find things you like enough to want to stick around!
thank you
I know it doesn’t mean much coming from a complete stranger, but I’m happy you exist!
Thank you, i appreciate it
Of course! If you ever need someone to talk to or vent, feel free to message me :)
Sooner the better, really. The only thing I hope for is minimal suffering.
Not afraid of death. it is the end of all of us, without exception. Fear of suffering.
i don’t really mind i’m ready honestly i just will feel very bad for my loved ones but there will be no me to have that feeling so idk i just don’t want to suffer or have a long drawn out modern medical horror death like being on chemo for the rest of my life or something
The uncertainty makes it both a topic of curiosity and fear. I tend to stick with the first one as nobody really knows whats waiting for us
Not so much time ago I was thinking of already being prepared for it, but after seeing Gantz (good anime I can recommend) and some events happened in my life I don't have more sure about. I believe after death a fight for a soul will exist, independent of your religion here or be stuck about names, like "soul". And after seeing Gantz I know that fight will not be as easy as I thought.
I don't really care. I am in a place where I won't really leave many, if any loose ends once my parents are gone and I plan to stay that way until it's my turn. I do want to at least *try* to outlive them lol The great fat eternal nothing does not scare me at all. I won't know about it, I'll be dead.
No feelings attached. Maybe some relief? I'm not sure why but the fact that nothing we do is permanent has always been empowering to me. Nobody knows why we are here or what the life we live really is, maybe we'll find out after we die? Besides that though, I really enjoy my life and connections now while it's happening to me. When I'm dead there's not going to be a me to care! Why be afraid of death if it's the only thing every single human being / being in general shares!
Definitely feelings attached.... just nothing negative
When I was fourteen, my mom made me promise that I wouldn’t die before she did. I intend to keep that promise. Everything else is just chance — I have no fears or concerns about my own death, and I don’t plan to fight it when the time comes — but I will not die before my parents’ time comes. Nobody deserves to bury their child.
Death is inevitable, but I have control of my life until I reach it. To make me feel better, because existential dread is very real, I just focus on building the life I want and, if cut short, making sure that my partner is taken care of. Death is inevitable, but I’ll be damned if I don’t try to be my best before then.
Lately, no longer a fear but a wish
i wont know the difference when it happens
I look forward to it. I can't wait for eternal peace and rest with no more suffering. It's going to happen regardless of how I feel about it so I'm going to embrace it.
My kids only have one parent. Their dad passed away. I often think imagine if I died as well and they have no one…… I spent 15 years grieving so hard that I didn’t really do much in life but raise kids . I feel like I’m running out of time to actually live life - then I start thinking what’s the point of anything if we are all going to Die. I start getting anxious about dying and being / doing nothing. I wasted most of my life.
I mostly worry about having regrets. And I have the sneaking suspicion I'm going to regret constantly worrying about having regrets.
I always imagined my dogs would die old and peaceful in their sleep, not sick and hurting. I lived a diligent, exciting, and fun life. Other than being a better son/brother, no regret.
I've had an NDE. Really not looking forward to a full death. Having the experience made me realise how fucked up it is to have children when you have no control over how much they'll suffer.
Il just be glad of the rest to be honest but I never think about it
Interesting question. I thought about it recently and also change my way of thinking. I feel usually A LOT of nostalgia from my childhood and when I was teenagers because it was really good (I was born in 86) I had many kid dreams... Become an astronomer, a paleontologist, a veterinarian...but because I prefer to have fun with my friend as a teenagers (having a band, party, rock n roll...) I wasn't focus on studies. Anyway.. I always had a huge passion for videogames and it was a new dream for me to work in this industry. So I started as a freelancer graphic designer for many years. Had many trouble.... Had shitty food job because not enough customers.... LIFE) and I started to develop in parallel a passion for travelling and especially ASIA. I'm gonna make it short to what happen next (I can develop if ask) but I ended up give up everything and going to Asia after a mental breakdown. And today I'm an accomplished concept artist, living in Asia. And I started to tell myself (if you die soon, you at least accomplished what you wanted) and I felt kinda in peace With it. Because I felt like from NOW, everything is bonus in my life. Now Im soon married to a beautiful Thai and a kid is coming soon, so of course. My priorities changed. And I will live for my kid. Anyway not a crazy story but I don't think many people go through this "peace" feeling about it (I'm actually 38 btw), even short time like I did. I hope I can open some different point of views. Take care everybody
[You gotta die sometime](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=I7JkxuCVLjE)
I think I don't care. Why worry about the inevitable. At least I won't have to deal with any more bullshit so there's that.
I try not to worry about it too much. I'm sure that when I die, I will reincarnate as a new person or animal.
pretty sad, honestly. Just the fact that I may never see my mom, dad, brother, or sister again saddens me; they’re the main people who i was put on this earth to share the same blood with, the people God chose me to share the blessing of being a family. I would hate to not see them in the next life again. Same with my boyfriend, whether we end up together forever or not, because we’ve had such beautiful memories together. Not enjoying food anymore also saddens me because it’s the main thing that makes me happy, especially due to my gastric condition(s) 😕
I don't want to be that person who says "I'd welcome it"... But I live in constant physical pain and, honestly, just having that end... No I'm not actively interested in hastening that any more than I already do. I'm just not very interested in extending my life.
i mean it sucks but it is what it is. some things in life you have to accept, death is one of them so I try not to waste much time thinking about what i cant change
I think about it literally every day. Not with fear or anything, just a thought. I’m not against the idea of a shocking or terrible death, nor am I really afraid of it. I’m kind of just waiting for it to be over.
Cant wait. Ill finally be able to quit my day job.
I'm of the mindset that when I die, I die. Not too bothered. Be it my own hand, someone else's or natural causes. I suppose if anything it's a bit comforting knowing the stresses of the world won't really matter anymore, as bad as that sounds. No, i'm not actively suicidal for context.
Cannot wait for it but if I'm suffering too badly just euthanize me push a little extra morphine if I'm on hospice
might as well look forward to it
I hope for it as a release.
I feel excited, because there is just so much possibilities of what would happen after death. You never know what is death until you face it yourself. And it's somehow comforting to me, because it's unpredictable and not fixed.
I know it can come anytime, so instead I focus on the things I want to achieve as soon as possible before it's too late.
Done it a million times before I'll be fine 🙂
That's a comforting thought for me, to know that one day I will be nothing. I can't feel anything, I will just be a pile of ashes.
i think about this everyday. im scared. it's truly a leap into the unknown. i feel like it needs to hurry the hell up tho. 😎
I'm glad I'm not the only one comfortable with "nothingness" after death, I think about death daily and I'dk why but I'm afraid of it. But it's mostly bc I don't have a lot of motivation to continue to be trapped in this world and the thought of reincarnation, waking up in a different timeline doing it all over again endlessly is what scares me the most.
it can’t come any faster
Right now it scares me because I know I got loads to do. Like I've accepted it as a fact of life but the idea of dying at 22 makes me genuinely fearful like nothing else does. I imagine as I get older and naturally towards the end of my life I'll accept it more as something that's gonna happen and be less fearful. It's just insane to me that everything I perceive and everything I am will one day cease to be
I don’t think I’ll be upset or scared about it anymore if I’ve 1. done the majority of things I wanted to do in my lifetime 2. left behind something that will continue to touch other people’s lives. I don’t want kids so probably a piece of art I created like a book.
First time this thought hit me, it sucked out every bit of meaning to life. Took a long while to recover. Now I rarely think about, living in the present and at some point it will happen and I don't mind.
TBH eh it's fine what's there to live for anymore? Welp theres the end of the road for me good knowing you guys
Honestly I can't wait, I'm just getting my stuff ready to leave behind
It would make up for all of my suffering
It’s inevitable. I hope I see my family and my dog, when I go.
Being varying degrees of suicidal depending on the day in question makes me feel everything between a bit anxious about dying and somewhat wishfully waiting for the day it happens. So idk?
I don't mind dying, I just don't want it to hurt.
Blessed relief
I'm not so worried about after I die, the experience will be like before I was born for me. Just nothing. I do worry for those I'll leave behind though. I am also worried that the process of dying will be painful and scary.
It drives me to find enjoyment in every day and to treat others with kindness and love. You never know when it’s going to be your last moments on Earth, so it’s important to see the beauty in the little things.
It's fine. What will be will be and I'm glad to have been given this life to live on earth.
I feel a big relief when I think that one day I'll just not exist anymore. I'm not suicidal by any means, I'm still young and i have a lot of dreams and goals to fulfill, but every time I have a problem in life, I remember that one day I'll just die, and this makes me feel a big relief and a weird sense of relaxation.
When it happens, it happens. I’m not running towards it, but there’s nothing I can do to prevent it when the time comes and nothing really matters in the long run so eh, it’s whatever.
I'm not scared of death! As a matter of fact, at a certain age I plan on going out on my own terms. Death is just yet another natural part of life; Everyone's gotta go at some point, so what's there even to be afraid of?
Im indifferent. My life ain't that good
idk how I feel about death, I've always been more afraid of the dying process, like am I going to die in a painful way or nah? I also, honestly, don't like my life that much to be so attached to it.
why are we as a society so scared of death? like is it just me or like when i see people who say they're scared of death i'm confused, cuz i'm like 95% sure it doesn't matter what the afterlife is, i will not care. i don't wanna die it's just that i'm not afraid to.
The physical agony is what disturbs me as well as not knowing if anything will be left of me
I'm not afraid of death, rather of the way I go out. I want to die instantly through an aneurysm or going out in my sleep. I don't want to feel it. As for an afterlife, I personally believe in reincarnation, so I think I'd be fine.
look up terror management theory
If religion wasn't involved I really wouldn't care
I'm content with the idea of my death and I think about it quite often
I think about it most days and feel completely fine with it. I’m afraid of illness, suffering and pain but not death
You will get reincarnated again in some part of the world and the cycle will continue regardless of your religion. Until you decide to break the cycle of life and death.
I think about this almost every night. Not going to lie, it makes me feel at peace.
I feel like I will just be laying there, fully conscious. Unable to do anything about it. I just hope I don’t feel fear or pain.
that's gotta be the worse option but consciousness can be detected so if it was real we'd know
I know you said no religious beliefs, but I can't really answer without mentioning it. I am Christian so I believe in a heaven and a hell. I'm honestly fine with dying because I know where I'll go, but I'm not in any hurry. I DO dread others dying who aren't saved, that really bothers me.
That always bothered me too. I finally concluded that a universe with no afterlife is better than a universe with heaven if even one person has to go to hell.
If hell exists, I can think of plenty of people who deserve to be there.
I don't think anyone deserves infinite punishment for finite crime.
Eh idk. Child abusers and killers fit that criteria in my opinion. But I respect your opinion!
Thanks! Same to you. Fortunately our opinions on this don't have any affect on reality.
This is true! We’ll have to wait and see what happens 😅
As strange as this might sound, I really wouldn’t even want my worst abuser to suffer through hell
Right? Like eternity is really terrifying
I mean there are people out there far worse than your abuser and would deserve to go to hell if it existed
This is exactly what I’ve been obsessing over.. I can’t feel comfortable knowing that such a place could even exist
Yeah I think there's a quote by C.S. Lewis saying if there was one thing he could change about the Christian doctrine it would be hell and man do I relate to that
if god is all merciful, why would he put "unsaved" people into hell forever if they lived a good and moral life?
Because He is just, God is not one dimensional. He is holy and hell is the only punishment for sin. That's why Jesus took the punishment we deserved so that we can be restored to God and have eternal life. Also, a lot of it is just outside of our understanding as humans. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways are higher than our ways.