Strange "What If" Question...(please see details for more information)?

Question

Alright...Here's my question:

Why is it that when people think of the human race dying out, it is such a horrible vision? If we all die, what's the problem? What really would be the big deal if all of us were to die out? Are we really just afraid of the "legacy" dying out? And if you're a Christian you shouldn't fear the extinction of the human race, anyway...because you believe that you're saved. And I'm not just talking about Christianity, either. I'm asking everyone...What is so inherently terrible about the thought of the human race dying out?

And my second question is this:
What is it about death that holds mankind (and womankind, if you want to get technical and deal with semantics....) in fear's grip? Why fear something that is inevitable? (I speak of death, not of the end of existance...just in case that was unclear to anyone).

Please let me know your opinion. Thank you in advance for those that answer...
^.^

I imply nothing with this question...despite prior belief. I only ask this question out of curiosity. I do not imply that there is an afterlife. I only wish to know the answers to my two questions listed above.

To Monc: I know that it is instinctual for humans to survive and I know that because we are animals we act upon that instinct. But we are not like other animals in the sense that we have an bility to rise above instinct. Oh, and I do have empathy. Too much of it, I think...I hate to see people suffer. I was just looking for others' points of view about the subject matter. Thank you for your thorough answer, by the way.

Answer 1

The fear of death is the fear that we cease to exist.

An interesting twist is added by religion with the idea that God could be displeased with you and have a place of eternal punishment.

Then even if you do believe that you continue in spirit after death of the body you still have something to fear.

Personally, I doubt if God is the psychopath these people make Her out to be.

Love and blessings Don

Answer 2

We fear death instinctually. We're supposed to. It keeps us alive, and that's something our instincts are designed to do.

Secondly, those that don't desire the destruction of all mankind do so because they don't desire all the heartbreak and suffering that would accompany it. If you can discuss the various holocausts the world has seen without feeling how horrendous it was that all those people suffered, both those that died and those that survived, I don't know how to explain empathy to you.

We don't want to lose our loved ones, and we don't desire that others lose theirs.

Would it be a big deal for the universe if we were all to die out. Nope. Would it be a big deal for us? Absolutely. We as a species are unique on this planet in that we get to have a hand in determining what it means to be human, and therefore, as a whole, we are pretty happy with what we've spend millenia working on, and we'd hate to see all our hard work go up in a puff of smoke. (How ironic that the puff of smoke may be man made too!)

Anyway, I think you might want to think about shifting the perception from why it would be bad for the world for humanity to die out to why it would be bad for humanity to have humanity die out.

Answer 3

I've never given much thought to the human race dying out and have no particular view on that questioning we all are gone than so be it.
Now your second question is an easy one, We are afraid of the unknown. We live on this earth and have a good grounding in the understanding of life. DEATH? What is it? We won't know until we make that journey so of course we fear it. If we are sky diving for the first time we anticipate , fear sets in, than the jump is made. After landing we fear no more as now we know what to expect. To me it shall be the same with death gotta die to be able to explain better.I'll send an ansewr to you after I've finished with this life I've been so lucky to have at this time. Hey, maybe we are all ALIENS??

Answer 4

In general, you go girl. Let me point out that NOTHING is known for sure. And what you ask about falls into an area, if one chooses to employ a degree of honesty, would say, for example, that I'm so afraid of the unknown that I will build/employ ideas to keep me from being afraid. If I follow a certain path, employ a so called recipe for living a happy life, believing, hoping, etc.--- all this because we really don't KNOW what's going on here. We even have folks saying on one hand--What the (bleep) do we know and in the next breath they are telling you what they DO know. WOW. What helps me is more about understanding and not knowing. Exploring where I find myself in the mix of all the possibilities that consciousness has to offer, applying honesty and effort and see where I go with it. One other thing, in your description you really seem to believe there are other people "out there" producing this perception or pattern of conciousness. Who's consciousness is it that is picking up on these patterns and who's patterns are they really. Cool?

Answer 5

Hm...Good question! I never really thought about that before! Well, your first one is a bit tricker. I guess I'm not really concerned about the human race dying out. I mean, the earth would be a lot better off, wouldn't it?

For your second question, I believe that most people learn to love life so much that they don't want it to be taken away from them. And maybe it's not really being dead that scares people. It's dying. People are afraid of dying painfully. Also, they don't want their loved ones to grieve.

Answer 6

Well, I'm a human with a strong survival instinct. So dying out doesn't appeal to me. Fear is also an instinct. We are animals. There are certain things that cannot be reasoned with for good reason! That is what keeps us alive.

Answer 7

Actually the end of the human race is the only thing that would make me accept death. The thing that I really can't stand about death is the thought that the world would keep going, and sadly yes, death is the end of existance.

Answer 8

When you finish school do you go back to the same school days.No, you pass that stage and go to a higher stage of education. That is what life and death is about. Till you are here living, you are spending a state of life that after some years you have to go to another level and that comes with a disconnection to the living stage to the other stage and the higher level.this is through death. nothing to be worried about .Have you seen a dead person's face by any chance.? The meaning of peace lies there.

Answer 9

1. The same thing that is inherently terrible about the death of your children.

2. "Being inevitable" and "being feared" are two different things. Lots of inevitable stuff are feared like hell, and lots of them are not. You've never feared a future inevitable exam?

Answer 10

We are all programmed to survive, both individually and as tribes, nations, peoples, etc. Even in death's grip, we struggle to take one more breath, regardless of our faith.

To get a complete answer to your question, I think you are going to have to wait until you get to the next phase of your existence...at the end of the tunnel with the light at the end.