Mental Health Thread

Do you fear death, dying, etc.?

  • Yes

    Votes: 12 23.1%

  • No

    Votes: 21 40.4%

  • Trying my best to not think about it

    Votes: 15 28.8%

  • Never really thought about it and I'm unable to come up with an answer on a spot

    Votes: 4 7.7%
  • Total voters
    52
"Do you fear death?" is in fact several questions mixed together.
Am I bothered by the realization of the fact of my own mortality? No, I accept it and fully understand its necessity from a biological, evolutionary, social even point. My beloved ones' mortality is harder to accept, obviously (and being an extremely selfish bastard I hope I'll die before my wife - some might even say I'm seriously working on it). Yes, I'd prefer a quick and painless death, if possible. Still, scared? No. Opposite to what some of you guys have said, the older I get the less I think about such stuff. When I was younger I somehow managed to believe that I was immortal, and that I'd never live beyond 30 - at the same time, take that, Lewis Carroll - now I've really got better things to keep my mind occupied with.

Edit: A few days ago I had put as a signature a quote from Pratchett that seems to be relevant, pity I removed it afterwards: "What don't die can't live. What don't live can't change. What don't change can't learn." Also, Isengard's "Death is certain, life is not"
posted here
Magnus said:
Category: Random.
Probably the most positive and challenging message I've seen from a band. Artwork is beautiful as well.
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 is really positive, if you think about it. Uncertainty is magic.
 
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Not sure how much I can say about this topic (He said and went on to write an essay about it...). Sure, death has been on my mind, the question of what I leave behind and what comes beyond. I've come to the conclusion that if there is something beyond, it can be of no consequence to my life now, because I don't know what it is. If there really was an entity that wants me to think and care about it, I think it would go to greater lengths to convince me of that than some ambiguous statements in a three-times translated book of uncertain authorship written two millennia ago. I don't mean to offend any Christians, Muslims, Jews or others by this, I'm just saying that I'm not convinced. I'm staying open to the possibility that one day, I will be convinced, but it's not happened this far, and a lot of people have tried.

Anyway, like everyone, I've lost people I loved and had my share of grief and pondering on the subject, but it's not led anywhere this far. But there are some recent thoughts/observations I want to share here because they've stuck with me and disturbed me in a way.

One happened when I waited for the traffic light at a very busy street. A guy walked up next to me and, without even looking left or right, he crossed the street, and a car hit the brakes and stopped just centimetres away from him. The driver sounded the horn and the guy just jumped two paces and got to the pavement on the other side, continuing his walk casually. He didn't even look at the car. He couldn't wait for a minute for the light to be green, and yet, he was in no sort of rush. He just felt like it inconvenienced him. He didn't care that he nearly got run over. I stood there staring at him, because I couldn't fathom how little his life mattered to him if he nearly died just to get to the other side of the street. I've observed similar instances since, and each time, I get depressed thinking about it.

Another thought that struck me was one night when I was getting to the airport to fly over to my girlfriends' place. Somewhere along the way, I thought that I could be involved in an accident and die on the spot, and she would be waiting at the airport in cheerful anticipation for me and not know that I would never come out of the door. Thinking of how she would feel made me incredibly sad and still does, considering it could happen at any time.

There are many other such thoughts, but the bottom line is that my thoughts towards this topic revolve mostly around the following: Myself, I can deal with the fact that I won't be here forever, but I don't want to go out in a way that could be avoided or that would hurt people I care for.


LooseCannon said:
While I am not special, I am unique, and I make the universe more interesting by existing.
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You're not unique, we are the same person after all.

Onhell said:
One of my students told me a couple of weeks back that they had a workshop on safety before class. Being aware of your surroundings when going home, downtown, on public transport, etc to be safe. I told them, "If you want to be safe never leave your house, and even then, there's home invasions." Everything on this planet is trying to kill you, it doesn't have to be a thief or car accident. It can literally be ANYTHING. So why stress? Enjoy your time on this rock and when it's over it's over.
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Sorry mate, but I can't agree with you on that, and to tell this to a student in the capacity of a teacher is irresponsible. I get the "enjoy your time" thing, but what's the problem with applying basic safety measures just to make sure you don't get hurt needlessly? Suppose a person neglects safety in order not to be stressed out and gets crippled as a result? How would they enjoy their time on this rock afterwards?
 
Perun said:
Not sure how much I can say about this topic (He said and went on to write an essay about it...). Sure, death has been on

Sorry mate, but I can't agree with you on that, and to tell this to a student in the capacity of a teacher is irresponsible. I get the "enjoy your time" thing, but what's the problem with applying basic safety measures just to make sure you don't get hurt needlessly? Suppose a person neglects safety in order not to be stressed out and gets crippled as a result? How would they enjoy their time on this rock afterwards?
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Wow, I forget that sense of humor and context gets lost on these forums. I should expand by saying, that I applauded the school for teaching safety tips to their students, specially the girls who sadly, worldwide, are targeted more than boys. BUT, I used it as a spring board into a more broad discussion on safety, life/death, existence and how, ultimately, we can be prepared, but ANYTHING can happen. We are not Dr. Strange and can't see all possible outcomes of a situation, so why stress? Control what you can control (very little outside of your self and your reactions/actions) and don't worry about the rest, otherwise, as a few have mentioned, you'll live in a state of constant anxiety.
 
To be honest, there was no indication in your post that you meant it that way. I get it now, but without seeing your facial expression, sound of voice or gesticulation, it's hard to tell.
 
Perun said:
To be honest, there was no indication in your post that you meant it that way. I get it now, but without seeing your facial expression, sound of voice or gesticulation, it's hard to tell.
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Indeed, that was my bad, sorry. I need to keep that in mind.
 
I do have a fear of death, and it’s come about for two reasons, both stemming from my brain. It’s the worst sort of brain to have - the one that thinks too much. All the little things bother me. I think about discographies and think about how such and such isn’t a perfect discography, not because there are bad songs in it, because the songs aren’t... songs? Huh? I don’t know. That’s just one instance of my brain acting up. To get on the actual subject:

The first reason isn’t so much a fear of death as it is a fear of Hell. I don’t believe in Heaven, I don’t believe in a God, I don’t believe in any sort of afterlife or powerful being. I think that, at the end of the day, we’re all just flesh, blood, and bones walking right off the edge of a cliff. But this carcass to be - myself - keeps thinking about how it would not like to burn in a lake of fire forever just because it thought the wrong shit. I don’t like pain, I don’t like suffering, and I certainly wouldn’t want all the torment ramped to the max. The knowing that the beyond is open and we the living know not what it is we’ll find in the pits of our graves scares me. I don’t think there is a Hell, but if there is... fuck. Worst of all is that the whole “fire insurance” Christianity is the worst kind of religious person to be. I don’t believe in it, so even if I do some level of dedication to a religion, I’m not gonna be “saved” if there is a pit of perpetual torment. It’s a no-win situation for me.

The second reason I fear death goes two ways: I don’t like the thought of eternity, and I don’t want to stop living. The first one hit me across the head even when I was still a Christian. The idea of a never ending life is just... scary. My mortal mind can’t comprehend it and that’s what makes me so nerve-racked when even trying to think of it. But at the same time, I don’t want this life to end. I don’t want to just stop existing, I want to live and make some sort of mark on the world. The last thing I’d wanna be is just another human in a world full of other humans dying away without any significance whatsoever. And then I start thinking of all the other people who do live like that. And then I start shaking again because I realize that I only have one life to live and if I fuck it up, that’s it. Which also pisses me off when other people try to control other people, but that’s a separate story.

One of my problems is that I seem to have a break from reality. I go throw life not really feeling that it’s real. Right now I know I’m typing up a post, but... it just doesn’t seem real. It feel like I’m living in a 2D world, so to speak. Time goes by fast and I know that soon enough I’m just gonna drop dead. For some this shit would lead them to suicide; to me it makes me want immortality more so I wouldn’t have to worry about all this crap. And then of course the possibilities of other people fucking up and killing me - or worse, paralyzing me or shit like that - it just... fucks with my mind.

Long story short, I’m basically fucked no matter how this bomb explodes.
 
I (like The Flash) have OCD tendencies, so I'm scared of a lot of things. Strangely enough, death has never been one of them.
 
Hello Mr. @JudasMyGuide I wish to ask you can you please add Adrian Smith to possible answers or tell mods to add them so I can log in and vote, I do not like ETC.
 
I don’t fear death. I think we will merge with AI at some point and we will have the choice of eternal life because we will just be that technologically advanced.
 
Collin said:
I don’t fear death. I think we will merge with AI at some point and we will have the choice of eternal life because we will just be that technologically advanced.
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Collin said:
I don’t fear death. I think we will merge with AI at some point and we will have the choice of eternal life because we will just be that technologically advanced.
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I doubt we will get to see that as an option for EVERYBODY. As with everything, first the rich will have it and EVENTUALLY everyone else and even then, many won't be able to have it.

Take the internet. both the industry and people THINK it is a forgone conclusion that EVERYBODY has internet, when the reality is no, not really. Sure more people than say 20, 30 years ago have internet, but far from every single person on the planet. Same with smartphones, hell... CARS. So synergy for all is unlikely.
 
Collin said:
I don’t fear death. I think we will merge with AI at some point and we will have the choice of eternal life because we will just be that technologically advanced.
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I've been thinking a lot about this lately. About the direction of humanity in general. Looking both into our past and to our hypothetical future. Will we continue to expand and reach some post-biology cyberpunk utopia, or destroy ourselves along the way? Are we actually supposed to degrow and lead simpler lives in smaller communities? Are we actually supposed to go back to our primitive lives? Are we somehow going to find a sustainable balance between our technological growth and our biology and psychology? Can we do any of these things if we came to the conclusion that it was the favorable path?

The thought makes me feel a bit lost and at unease, which gives me quite a bit of anxiety.
 
Please stop with the AI, there is no AI and there won't be any until there's a scientific consensus on origins, genesis and maintenance of consciousness. Every computer on this planet is a very dumb machine regardless of the impression its programming can leave on a layman.

I fear dying but I don't fear death.
 
Zare said:
Please stop with the AI, there is no AI and there won't be any until there's a scientific consensus on origins, genesis and maintenance of consciousness. Every computer on this planet is a very dumb machine regardless of the impression its programming can leave on a layman.
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The likes of Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Nick Bostrom are hardly "laymen".

In my case the concern is more about technology than AI specifically. (Don't want to give off an anti-tech impression, I'm not, just contemplating dangers)
 
The only person who is not a layman from your list is Bill Gates. This is not the topic for it, if you want to get a strong opinion on this open a topic and I'll post there. People propagating that AI "will happen" if we continue this development of computers and networking are either full of intentional PR bullshit or they simply don't understand the theory involved. End of story.
 
Yeah, I’m kinda scared of death. I’ve a lovely wife and two small kids that I don’t want them to live without their husband and father for as long as possible. And my youngest child has been close to death three times (he turns four years old this summer) due to multiple birth defects of his inner organs, so I know how to take one day at a time and enjoy it as much as possible
 
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