Does the fact that one day you will cease to exist scare you? I am agnostic and I realize it won't matter when we die because we won't experience anything, but the fact that we are conscious of our own eventual desmie is a bit frightening. Am I alone here or does anyone else fear death?
2006-10-28 04:45:07 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
We atheists are nothing like what the church leaders are fond of charicaturing us as. We are freethinking individuals who are able to see the Big Picture without the blinders of religion. We do not live in despair, quite the contrary; freethought is incredibly refreshing, liberating, and empowering. We are not nihilists, but lovers of life who see it as all the more precious because there's no eternal afterlife. We do not need the bribe of heaven or the threat of hell to be good people, we believe in being good for its own sake. Through science and reason, we know more about the true nature of the world we live in than your religion could ever hope to offer.
The fear of death is a natural thing, which is why you need to think hard about living your life for the moment. We are not the enemy of christians and other theists. Our quarrel is with irrationality, wishful thinking, superstitions, intellectual dishonesty, and all other forms of thinking that keep mankind mired in darkness, ignorance and hate. Sometimes i do get depressed over our utter death and annihilation, but it just renews my zest to make the most of this life.
2006-10-28 07:58:10 · answer #1 · answered by Its not me Its u 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I'm agnostic but I believe in some kind of system --- a cycle. Sure, I fear death but when I think about, it's the how of death that's truely scary. How can one fear nothing? If there really is a Judeo-Christian God, chances are you're going to hell. Non-existance is great compared to eternal suffering, I think. Nothing, not even nothingness, lasts forever. The fact that we're here proves that much. You probably get reincarnated eventually; just as a radio frequency band continues to exist after the statation goes off the air. Another station can come along and broadcast onto that band.
2006-10-28 05:04:26 · answer #2 · answered by Lightbringer 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It used to, but to be fair, death used to scare me worse when I was a believer. I don't fear death now. After all, why fear something that's so natural that crosses all walks of life, whether you believe or not?
I consider myself realistic, logical, and pragmatic. None of us truly know what's gonna happen to us when we die. Obviously, if someone could survive death and come back from whatever follows, the question would've been answered a long time ago. Maybe there's an afterlife, maybe not. It's pretty pointless in my opinion to waste time wondering about it 'cause we'll all find out sooner or later.
If there happens to be an afterlife, wonderful. Oh, and this doesn't mean I'm saying I believe any certain thing happens after death, in case anyone thinks I believe in things like Heaven or Hell. I don't. I'm just saying, if there's any sort of afterlife, swell.
But if we cease to exist, well, that's just part of the human condition. We all live painfully short lives in this world. Essentially, we're all mere droplets in the lake of history. We're all very small in the rank of things, though admittedly, as a collective, humanity is a force to be reckoned with, both good and bad.
Point is, if we cease to exist, we're just byproducts of this experiment called existence and life. Logically, there probably isn't anything there. But likewise logically, we can't do a thing about it, so, scary or not, better to accept one's inevitable fate than waste time in life worrying about it when we can be doing something else more worth our time.
Like leaving this world better than we came into it for future generations.
2006-10-28 17:20:28 · answer #3 · answered by Ophelia 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i don't fear death. what would be the point of fearing the inevitable? life, i have feared life at times. But that can be expedient. I know people of course that fear death..people that fear change too. I think they fear the pain that might cause their death more than anything else. maybe i am wrong. but fearing pain is an universal constant. my husband fears death. i think because he believes in hell and stuff and lacks faith in any other option. but no the fact that one day i will cease to exist doesn't scare me..existing is the scary unknown.
2006-10-28 04:56:59 · answer #4 · answered by Cheryl E 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The fear of death is a natural reaction. Those that say they don't fear death are telling you what they think rationally not what they feel emotionally.
The fear of death has evolved in animals and humans so that they are very protective of their life and cautious. Or else all animals and humans would do reckless things and die out.
Even if there are no reasons to fear death it's still a natural thing to fear death. The best thing to do is to try not think about it but if you do and find yourself scared then good, you're being normal.
Anyone that insist they don't fear death the slightest are hiding their feelings in order to sound tough/enlightened/fearless.
2006-10-28 04:53:57 · answer #5 · answered by 13o 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is natural to fear the act of dying. No one really wants to know what it feels like for their heart to stop, or to suffocate, or to bleed to death, or to be mangled in some horrible accident. As far as the effects of death, however, I am not afraid. I am not afraid of the fact that I will cease to walk the earth one day. The world will get along without me as it did before me, and death is an inevitable and natural part of the ecological cycle.
2006-10-28 06:06:31 · answer #6 · answered by Subconsciousless 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you fear life?
If you don't, then there is no reason to fear death because death is a part of life.
We all live and die and the strangest things is that nobody understands life ( and nobody ever will ).
2006-10-28 04:57:37 · answer #7 · answered by jimmy_siddhartha 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The AFTERLIFE is the most effective marketing tool ever known.
That's why I'm agnostic.. Because I'm not afraid of ceasing to exist.
2006-10-28 08:30:50 · answer #8 · answered by Hondo for President 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you're not alone. i'm very afraid of death. some people may think that the fear of death is irrational, but who says fear has to be rational? anxiety disorders prove that it doesn't.
the best you can do is distract yourself from thinking about it.
2006-10-28 14:24:33 · answer #9 · answered by Doris 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am not Atheists nor agnostics, that is why I am not fear of death.
In your statement that you realize it won't matter when you die, why are you so frighten?
2006-10-28 04:55:25 · answer #10 · answered by he he he 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋