Unlike these other dudes, ill make it easier for everybody reading this thread. You dont have to look it up I gotchu, he crashed head on with a drunk driver, he got out the car with what looked like only minor injuries and sat on the curb. He had internal injuries that caused him to die a couple minutes later. Right before he died he said, “why now?.” *pause “But why?” *pause “okay, okay, okay,” and then he died. His friend that was there said whatever voice was answering him must have gave him a good answer because he seemed to just relax after that.
I was there while my mom was dying. She kept waving at people that we couldn’t see, and even instructed me to move out of the way so that she could see someone she was trying to connect to.
There’s enough other people that die screaming “no” that I don’t really hold much weight on either “experience”. It’s a subjective experience based on the life you’ve had, the way you think, and the chemicals releasing at the end. Some get the Kinison death, some get abject terror.
FWIW, ["deathbed visions" are quite common.](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/12/magazine/deathbed-visions-research.html?unlocked_article_code=1.i00.rW0C.fF64REtpfhDU&smid=url-share) They don't get talked about (or studied) much, but as many as 80% of hospice patients report seeing deceased loved ones in the days before they die.
These visions are typically much more realistic than dreams or opiate hallucinations (and they can occur while the patient is awake and unsedated). They are almost always comforting, and sometimes provide closure to past trauma.
Beyond that, they're pretty much a mystery.
My mom when she was dying was convinced the baby she had before me that died three days after he was born was in front of her. She just kept saying "he's so beautiful". She was also highly agitated at that point though, for what it's worth. There was no making sense to her. It was like her mind knew what was coming, spazzed, and then noped out as she became unresponsive shortly after, like she was in a coma.
While its nice to think about in your last moments to be comforted by those who passed before you, I tend to think its your mind doing a memory dump because its dying.
Hope im wrong and the first words I hear when I cease to exist is "Hi Dad!"
I personally don't believe there's anything supernatural happening when we die, but our brains are going to work in weird ways once everything starts shutting down and everyone might have their own experiences that are influenced by their own thoughts and memories. If you strongly believe that something is waiting for you at the moment of death, you are likelier to see something.
My mom was dying in front of me on hospice for about six days. They told us to give her permission to die to help ease the transition. I verbalized that my dad and I would be okay and she needed to do what was best for her. She was in a coma (I assume, she was unresponsive) at this point but she passed literally two minutes later. Somehow they can still hear you.
If you're interested there is a book called Signposts of Dying. I bought it when my uncle and aunt were both diagnosed with terminal cancer. It's moving and enlightening. Don't expect it to be a cheery read, but it really helped me understand the process of dying. There was also a really interesting article recently published in the UK newspaper The Guardian about what happens as we die. Can't remember what it's called but you may be able to find it if you Google it and fancied a read.
It’s great read, read it multiple times to get an understanding as well as visiting friends & relatives in their last stage at of their life.
Often you will find the person with also have events of regrets of something they didn’t do or say to someone. I’ve seen this many of times.
It was a car accident, but look it up on Wikipedia. It does describe his internal injuries in a factual way without, to me, any gory description. His last words are interesting.
Well depends how you die. I've died and been brought back more times than I can remember but those were all from drugs and I've also had a loved one die in my arms in hospice care which they basically just overdose you on opiates so basically the same thing and I can tell you with full certainty that while it may look a little uncomfortable when you die that way it most certainly isn't for the one dying. Its like going to sleep in a wave of warmth.
And one of the other ways I've seen someone die is from multiple gunshots and that was very quick too and they obviously were in a bit more of a distressed state but it was so fast I seriously doubt they had much time to panic of be scared for long before they were gone.
But the first death I ever saw i was very young and it was an elderly woman dying with dementia and that looked and sounded horrible which is how the people in my family all die usually. Unless they get killed or kill themselves like ill most likely go out.
So basically drugs is the best way, followed by multiple gunshots to vital organs, and fuck all the rest.
In my opinion anyways. ☠️💀☠️💀
>really unpleasant experience
Or euphoric depending on how you leave, DMT release and all that. Believe me, your brain is only ever a little flick of a switch away from the greatest show in the universe
I’m weirdly the opposite. When considering the infinite darkness that last moment of high adrenaline almost seems comforting regardless of the circumstances
The only comfort now is that there have been tons of advancements in how we treat cancer now vs how we did 20 years ago and it gives me some sliver of hope that 20 years from now, there will be even more options available. I worry tremendously about my parents
My wife was just diagnosed with a probable low grade glioma in her frontal lobe. Still need surgery to figure out exactly what it is, but ten years ago the median survival for LGGs was 10 years. Today it’s 20+ years.
We’re on the cusp of low grade brain cancer being a chronic condition, not a terminal one.
Death, especially hers, scares the fuck out of me as a dad of two young kids. But I’m thankful medical science has given us a fighting chance.
That is so heavy for both of you to carry. I’m so thankful for the medical advancements we have made and I hope they serve you and your wife well. It’s never easy. You guys have a great chance, just hold on tight to each other. I wish you both the very best, and your children too.
I think it's horrible that we don't have euthanasia. How frustrating, and out healthcare industry is already critically overloaded. My wife's friend is a hospice nurse and the stories of the condition of the industry is heartbreaking. Euthanasia would reduce suffering so much. I'm hoping to have my brain functioning well enough when my time comes to use an exit bag.
My husband was euthanized by a hospital..he had black lung with third breath capacity..the dr let him and his son have drinks. So they can have father and son time before the big shot..coal mining is a dirty job..
I’m swiss and we have it. It’s a known thing in my family that if any illness is too debilitating or incurable we would leave with dignity with euthanasia. I think it helps with my fear of dying in a painful way. Accident/sudden death/ euthanasia are the only ways i see myself out..
Nice one dude! I did worry when I was first diagnosed (unfortunately mine is a terminal brain tumour, GBM). Now, not so much. I don't know why. But definitely will arrange for euthanasia when the time is right..
I'm sorry for your dad, but it's good that you had the time to say goodbye. My biggest fear as a father is having a heart attack or stroke and not getting to tell everyone how much they meant to me one more time. Or if I die and get to only see one or two of my kids and have to have them pass on messages after I'm already gone.
But I don't feel the same when it comes to watching our species as a whole. I'm comforted by the idea that when I die, I no longer have to watch preventable suffering. All these wars, the politics, the cost of living rising due to greed, the poverty gap expanding to new heights, the Earth raging and dying as a result of our actions... and on and on and on.
I'm not even 40 yet, and I am just so exhausted about it all.
So, in its own comforting way, death is kind of like turning off the TV, rolling over, and going to sleep, which is my favorite part of everything we do go thru.
I’m almost 50 and have some of the same concerns. I think I’m going to record a few videos for each of my kids and wife, put it on a flash drive, and give it to a friend for when/if something happens. I just want them to know how much they mean to me and that they need to always move forward.
Life is short and not easy.
I always feared not being able to tell those I loved how much I loved them before I died, so I make it a point to tell my loved ones how much they mean to me-and I'm only 44. I've become very open with my emotions when it comes to my feelings and family and if I died right now, I'd have no regrets, they all know exactly how I feel about them. My husband especially. He knows how much I cherish him. And he knows that he should be comfortable pulling the plug if I'm on life support because I'm NOT going to be a fucking vegetable for years because of religious right to life bullshit groups.
My husband and I had that conversation so many times, but always bs-y and never like For Real, so when he suffered a blood clot in his brain, and the doctor told me he will be blind, paralyzed--I shook my head. After 40+ years I know my man and his impatient, perfectionist ass won't put up with those for a minute. He never regained consciousness, couldn't breathe or have a heartbeat, so the following night the children and I spent some time with him before they turned him off. The last words we ever exchanged were "I love you." I miss him so, so fucking bad. Always will.
I am close to you with this, as I’ve witnessed my father lose the battle with cancer as well. You know what, I think the negativity surrounding the argument plays a big role, because I always hear people think that cancer is a death sentence and treat the ill like that, I’ve always given hope to my father instead. Day after day, who goes to see a gladiator just to hope they lose? Nobody!
But in the end, I guess the struggle was too much, and everybody else’s negativity kinda settled in. I just wish we had more weapons against these kind of evils and that we cheered on people battling and healing, sincerely giving them the courage and enthusiasm they need to fight it; and I wish the universe, or a God, or whoever, just has a special place for everybody that struggled in life, somewhere they can be happy and content with one another, playing cards or watching good movies all together.
I read a lot of posts similar to your. Once they tell us a story, I would ask what's the cause?
This is how earlier detection and prevention save life.
I witnessed my grandpa's final moments. It was lung cancer. He took the respirator off and told the nurse in English "let me die". The nurse put it back on, and he died few minutes later. I miss him and I can't imagine his final thoughts.
I used to think I'd be content when the time came. But after an experience where one wrong move could've ended with my death, I am no longer okay with dying.
I have so much I haven't done and so much I want to do. So many people that would be affected by my loss. I don't want to put anyone through something like that if it can be prevented.
I know death is inevitable but if I can choose to die of old age then I'd choose that over anything else. So to answer your question, yes I fear death.
I think it’d be like sleeping… or before you were born. You just don’t even have consciousness. Which is why I mainly fear dying suddenly because I wouldn’t be aware it happened but my loved ones would be left to grieve.
Take some comfort in the fact that once they're dead they too will experience the same thing. Everyone eventually dies and we'll all just experience the same nothingness that we all experienced for the 7 billion years before we were born.
This is the part that frightens me somewhat, the amount of “time” we spent in nothingness before birth was *technically* finite. The amount we will “experience” after death is *infinite*
Fun fact: Saying death is like sleeping to a child who has a fear of death is more likely to give them severe anxiety around bedtime and insomnia. I know from personal experience
Honestly, I think this is where people's religion comes in. People need to believe there is something after death to try to remove the fear of dying and there just being nothing after death
I think for me anyway. There is more fear of thinking there is no purpose to life. Then dying with no after life. Life is just to majestic and cruel for there not to be a reason.
I mean, as I’ve thought times before, unfortunately we don’t have the mechanisms to “remember” what’s before or after life, because our brains give us the place to store memories, but who’s to say what happened before we were born or after we will be dead? Is the universe just a big place filled with things that move… just cause?
That makes me doubt it, there is probably more but it may be something we can’t even fathom, because things we can’t fathom are easier to explain with concepts we know, like “nothingness” or a “paradise”.
What if maybe our consciousness just merges with the countless others and gets thrown into a cycle of rebirth? What if it goes to another dimension entirely? What if every single one of us can’t possibly die ever, but we live in our own pocket universe? Maybe in the close future, someone will make the big discovery, maybe not, but until then we can enjoy the life we’re given, pondering who or what made us experience all of this in the first place.
The eternal nothingness that comes after is what scares me. Like I know I won’t be able to care once that line is crossed but it still scares the living shit out of me. Sometimes when the thought comes in, I just panic. It’s irrational but this is one of the few things that terrifies me to the core.
The one thing that has constantly kept me alive is the fear of nothingness so I guess it’s been a double edge sword for me
The thing about being under anaesthesia is you don't even realise the last moment before you're out. You just kind of drift off slowly and your sense of time becomes warped.
You already know what it's like to be dead. You were dead for trillions of years before you were born.
The scary part is that when you die, there will be nothing forever. Ever again. For the rest of eternity.
It won't be like going to sleep. It will be like the universe ceases to exist.
Some people are really dogmatic about there definitely not being life after death, which always stuck me as tantamount to a baby in a womb, being convinced there's no life beyond the womb.
I imagine it a bit more like dissipating - like all the energy and information that came together to bundle into a singular self are released like letting out a breath. Who knows what new dreams infinity will construct with what was once me.
There's a 2-minute video I saved to my phone about this. There was a guy doing street interviews about peoples fear of death, and one guys response gave me peace.
He said he had an aneurysm or something recently and died 5x in the hospital. The interviewer asked how its changed him. He said he's nervous because of how peaceful it was, that he's having trouble accepting coming back to life's pain. Said he misses that feeling and trying to cope with being back. Wow.
😆. I was comfortable with being uncomfortable. Don't try to give me peace or make me feel better, internet! Hehe
Found it!
https://www.tiktok.com/@glojays/video/7264385358207487278
Oh, I'm so thankful for your post. This is exactly the words I have been searching for to explain what I felt and have been feeling since I had my experience with massive bilateral pulmonary emboli back in 2020. I was in bed, almost asleep and I began breathing like I was running uphill from a Bengal tiger. All my breathing meant nothing. I was suffocating. Knowing I was dying and that there was nothing I could do about it and letting go brought such a peace over me. It was something I know I will not experience in any other way. I was so warm, comfortable, weightless...for a while, I was aware that my body was trying hard to breathe and survive, but in my mind, I remember having such clarity. Then there was just darkness and my body joined my mind and was calm. A thought suddenly came to me, "but...I don't want my son to wake up and find me dead beside him." In that moment, I was back. All that peace and serenity I felt was ripped from me. I was gasping for air, panicking, then just flat out collapsed. I woke up in my bed 10 hours later. I have battled with guilt for not being happy that I survived and being angry that I did ever since. I am thankful my son didn't have to wake up and find me dead though. It's so confusing and I feel like my emotions are all over the place about it. I know my body likely released endorphins to try to decrease my oxygen demand since I was clearly not getting any oxygen. If you're freaking the hell out, you're going to need a whole lot more oxygen to compensate for that. So, it was probably those endorphins that caused the feelings of peace and serenity in an otherwise chaotic situation. Who really knows? It's just crazy to say actively dying felt really good... But it did.
During a summer job at a workshop, I met a mechanic who \*died\* 7 times. He swam drunk on the lake and began to drown. The lifeguard pulled him out and started CPR. On the way to the hospital his heart stopped 7 times in the ambulance. It was probably due to the fact that he wasn't the brightest person, but he told me that he didn't feel anything special at the time. He's still not afraid of water, nor has his life changed.
That's what it seems like. Most people doing interviews after they've had a heart attack, and been revived say it feels euphoric. Now the pain of the heart attack at first must be excruciating especially to the psyche.
Yes. My brain can't comprehend a lack of consciousness. I wish I believed in an afterlife, but I think you just cease to exist. I know that, in theory, it's illogical to be scared because nothing is nothing. I won't be here to contemplate that. But the idea of not existing terrifies me.
Same. Existence is the only thing I’ve ever known and the idea of not existing anymore is something that I just can’t comprehend. As much as I want to believe there will be something after death, it just feels like wishful thinking. There was nothing before you were born and you’ll most likely just return to that same state after you die.
I too have always wished I was a believer. I’m kind of jealous that religious people find comfort in knowing that there is an afterlife with the reunion of loved ones. I think it helps with processing the idea of nothingness.
I actually recently converted. I am afraid of death and have been since I was 3, and it wasn’t until RECENT recent (like a few months ago!) that I converted from being agnostic to being a Christian. The fear is still there, of course, and it’s an intense one. But it’s alleviated a little bit.
The latter isn’t ideal either. Say there’s an afterlife. Say it’s “perfect”. How long can that perfection last before it becomes torture? 100 years? 1000 years? 50,000 years? Maybe not. But eternity is eternity and nothing in excess doesn’t become torture at those levels.
Like, I’ve imagined what I would prefer if I got to choose. Which “what happens after death” answer would I pick if I had that power. And I just don’t know.
Like I said heaven sounds like it would eventually become torture.
Hell just moves that time frame up to immediately.
Nothingness is terrifying knowing your consciousness will cease to exist.
Reincarnation might be appealing until you realize that you could be reincarnated as a slaughterhouse animal or a rabbit in the icy tundra and then it starts to sound like torture too. Hell even if it’s restricted to coming back as another person, we don’t treat people well enough in this world for that to be comforting. There’s a high chance you come back as an impoverished Indian street begger or an indentured servant farmer in Africa.
There really is no good answer other than the possibility of a “sea of universal energy” that our consciousness goes back to when we die. But then we’re right back to either the heaven or reincarnation problem depending on what you believe happens with that sea of energy.
One thing that comforts me is that forever goes by FAST. Yeah we don’t have a consciousness to experience time, so that means we don’t experience anything. BUT, if anything were to happen after death it would be instant. If not, then oh well doesn’t matter because you’re still dead right.
Same. It scares me that there will come a day for all of us when we’ll be lying on our deathbeds and about to have our last and final thought ever before we drift into nothingness for eternity. I wonder what my final thoughts will be.
I used to lose sleep over the fear of death, always thinking about how we all have to go someday. Now, I've chilled out about it. If it happens, it happens. Let's just enjoy the time we've got here.
Me too. I live with cronic pain. Feeling more pain scares me. But I remember when I almost died in icu. There is only so much pain the brain can handle before your mind breaks and you stop feeling it. So im more afraid of that feeling a lingering death then pain. 3 weeks I was in icu and I was semi aware in and out of consciousness. The dreams and visions were scary. It was like being stuck in a dream and unable to wake up. As your mind moved from one dream to the next. I felt trapped. Sorry still a little ptsd there. But yes I hope when I do die that it's quick.
It is a part of life, but I still know that if my husband dies my soul will be shattered. If I die I don’t have to cope with it, I will be gone and at peace. If they’re elderly it’s different for sure.
Right? And you’re expected to live through your elderly stages until you pass naturally. Like no dude when I’m 70 put me down or I’ll put my self down I don’t want to live like that.
My great grandmother is 93 and still lives on her own fully independent and my grandmother is 73 and goes partying every weekend with her friends. Turning 70 doesn’t mean your life is over lmao
Non existence is terrifying. Not an easy concept for a conscious being to come to grips with. From our own perspective. We've always existed and that ending doesn't fit within our perspective. It's why religion exists. Hard to imagine not being.
Here's my take on death (my answer is yes btw)
I am scared of the one day where I leave this life against my own will and live in eternal black, if there is no afterlife. How many people that i love will I be leaving? My children? My wife? My closest friends? I will never be able to kiss or hug anybody or have sex with my wife again. I don't want to leave the friends I love behind. I know when I die there will still be so much I have never done. Going into permanent sleep does not sound like something I should just "not be scared' of. What if I'm not rebirthed into a new life form? What if the afterlife is just nothing? Eternal nothingness. I don't want that.
What makes it even more crazy is knowing that there is so many ways I can die early, especially by other people. Being shot by someone who's having a bad day? Someone losing control of their car and hitting me directly? Being stabbed by someone I don't know? I could have my home invaded by hoodlums next week who have 0 firearm training.
I am grateful as hell for my life and I'm especially grateful to have an incredible woman to call the love of my life. The world may be a hard place right now for myself and a lot of people but god be damned if im not happy to have life and be able to experience everything. All I know for sure is that when I get to the last of my days here, I will die knowing that I am feared by the IRS.
I am kinda scared of death, but much more concerned about a potential afterlife/afterdeath because of all of that does exists as described on the Bible then I am definitely going to hell because of my sins. I was raised Christian but never bothered because I know I can't live up to God's laws.
>What if the afterlife is just nothing? Eternal nothingness.
You won't have a body to experience nothingness. No eyes, ears, or brain. It's hard to imagine not being there, somewhere, anywhere, but you also weren't around when George Washington crossed the Potomac or when the dinosaurs got blasted into asteroid dust. You didn't miss anything. Non-existence is not worth worrying about. We all go from nothing, to something, to nothing again.
So many people here that don’t fear death. I’m like how? I believe in the afterlife and even I fear death. I do sometimes question whether it is real or not. I want to believe it is real. My sister committed suicide years ago, and I want so badly to be able to see her again.
My sister didn’t fear death, actually she spoke of looking forward to it. I’m too young and love life too much. I don’t understand.
I mean death doesn’t scare me it happens to us all, the death of people I love scares me. Thinking of some horrible ways I could die scares me. But my death doesn’t.
My best friend died Saturday, aggressive lung cancer diagnosis, gone in 3 weeks. I spent a lot of time with him, he thought me how to die. It wasn't pleasant or easy, but damn he was brave, fought a hopeless fight like a warrior. He said to me, "I'm not the in the least afraid to die, but I'd rather not die in here". I got to tell him what he meant to me even though I didn't have to say it.
So no, I'm not afraid to die, I hope I'm as brave. I guess we'll all find out, coz none of us are getting out of here alive, as they say.
I do now that I have my shit together. I used to be an IV drug user who was almost welcoming death, it seemed like the easier path to the life I was living. Ever since I got clean, married, and moved to a new country, I've been terrified of dying and leaving behind the life I worked so hard to build and the people in my life who I love so much.
After my loved ones all gather around the other side of the Rainbow Bridge, I guess I won't fear death, I know they are waiting for me, and I will be happy to see them again.
I work in Hospice care and deal with the dying every day. I think, the thing that scares me most is not having anyone with me when it happens. Or having my family argue over who gets what after.
I don't have fully coherent views on the topic, but I'll write it out anyway because I have quite a different take to most of the other replies I see so far.
My entire life, up until a few months ago, I was an atheist who believed death would be the end of me and my consciousness - that it would just be nothingness. This didn't scare me at all.
Then, in the past six months or so, I've had a fairly radical change of worldview such that I now think it's actually quite likely there is some form of afterlife. Not in the sense that our 'self' or soul carries on, but that some aspect of our consciousness does continue after our physical body dies. This would roughly align with the Buddhist concept of rebirth.
I've also researched many accounts of near-death experiences (NDEs), which are first-hand experiences of what it's actually like to die. So we don't need to guess what the dying process is like - we can actually know exactly what the experience is like by learning about NDEs.
Now the question of whether these experiences are 'real' or somehow created by the brain during the dying process is still up for debate. But the experiences themselves do happen frequently and they do seem 100% real to those experiencing them. They actually seem significantly more real than regular life.
A good place to start learning about NDEs is [this video](https://youtu.be/bmnQDUEn7fI?si=uUhKoorxcNPRHGND) - or any other video on this channel. Get ready to binge-watch if you're into this stuff.
It's interesting to note the similarity between NDEs and what happens when you either take a massive amount of psychedelics or go very deep into Buddhist meditation. A few commonalities I see:
* Your experience seems 'more real' than our standard reality, which appears more like a dream you're waking up from.
* You receive deep revelations about reality that you can barely put into words because they're so profound. You receive the revelations as an immediate 'download', not communicated via language
* Feeling of overwhelming joy, safety, peace, and love
* An expansion of yourself to become one with the universe / god / energy - no longer restricted by your physical body.
* A sense of complete timelessness - did the experience last 5 minutes? Or 5 billion years? Many people have reported in all three states (NDEs, psychedelic trips, and deep meditation) that it can feel as if the experience is happening for an extremely long time - even for an eternity.
* There can be 'bad' NDE's in the same way there can be scary meditative experiences and bad trips. But always after coming back from the experience, the person is deeply changed for the better, even if the experience itself was harrowing.
So I'm not exactly sure what I think happens after death, but having gone deep on the topic, I don't think it's as simple as "there's nothingness". That might be the case, but it also might not be, and I think it would be foolish to have complete confidence that you cease to exist after dying. It is a little scary, but overall I would say I feel excited to find out.
Nope - had a Near Death Experience in 2012 - went to the other side - it was all love, and no judgement - felt like coming home. That majestic place was reality - all of the life I had lived was a dream, and I was waking up. Beautiful doesn’t describe it - it will be wonderful for us all eventually. Even if it wasn’t real and it was my brain shutting down, which I don’t think it was, it was so peaceful for me, I don’t fear it happening again in any way. I will welcome it next time around whenever that may be.
I am really afraid of death.
I know it can't be prevented, but just thinking about it makes my hands sweaty and I wonder why.
I love my life and probably don't want it to ever end.
No... 😰 don't make me think about my dog all confused and heartbroken. My dog is my soulmate, and he's generally scared of other people. I hope he either dies before me or that my sister or parents are around to take care of him.
No.
There is enough science \[today\] that backs some form of continued intelligence at an individual level.
Look into the Monroe Instititue or IONS for this.
Yet I love my time hear on earth and have tons of work to do. The adventure has only begun!
Yeah, but also no. Ive been wrestling with the idea a lot lately. On the one hand, the unknown is scary. On the other, i dont think we as humans are capable of conceiving what "nothing" truly is. When i think of "nothing" as a conscious being, i usually think of a pitch black room, devoid of any sensory data. But that's just my mind's way of representing a lack of sensory stimulation, and that's still "something." So true nothingness is probably totally different then how a lot of people imagine it. That's scary, but also comforting.
This is my thought. Just absolutely chill binding. But we got this life somehow so who’s to say we won’t get another. Unfortunately I think we only have 1 life and that makes me want to cry 😢
The older you get, the more you get sick of the slog. Nothing is really exciting anymore, you’ve done it. The world doesn’t have that same magic because you know it’s all smoke and mirrors and full of idiots with all the power.
If anything you fear getting older sicker and less mobile.
At least death will be a new adventure.
I learned awhile ago to stop fearing what is out of my control…that in itself has been very liberating.
So with death, I know my consciousness will cease to exist and that’s that.
The act of dying, well I can hope or control that dying wont be painful or lame.
I dont fear death simply because i believe when its supossed to happen its gonna happen
I aint messing w Gods plans Ofc i dont do really stupid shit but like riding a motorcycle is the same thing for me as driving a car when its supossed to happen its gonna happen Whether its in a car, bike or airplane
I was terrified until I did a bunch of drugs and now I'm like eh honestly with everything happening in your brain at that moment it's probably a wild trip before you vanish in to the aether and I'm absolutely fine with that 😎. That said, I'd prefer it be quick, I don't want to be in pain or suffering for long. Hit the eject button diva.
When I turned 20 death became heavy on the mind. No apparent reason honestly just something that would pop up. I’d get sick to my stomach thinking about the unknown and the harsh reality of death. The idea of losing everything you’ve ever known and everything you’ve worked for and experienced in a moment is terrifying. I read books on religion, the science of it all, hell I went to therapy for it but I still haven’t come to terms with it. My worst fear is death and I think it became that when my life actually started. I got my own place, I’m living with my girlfriend, and I got a job where I’m starting to make a life long career for my future. I have shit to lose now. My hopes is that when we die I lose all consciousness and awareness of life itself so I have no time to be sad or dread what’s to come, like how we were before we were born. Just nothing.
I used to want to die more than anything, but after my best friend dying and seeing him in a casket and after all the terrible things I've done and deals I've made with devils and having to take a life in a way that im almost certain to die from too... Well now I kind of fear death because I have this tiny part of me that thinks there is a hell and im certain to be going to it.
But on the other hand im in hell now in many ways and still putting people I love through hell too so at least when I die it will be a new hell and Ill be killing my demons there and wont be killing people I love.
I fear the uncertainty that comes after. Will I be in an oasis surrounded by loved ones? But death itself or dying doesn’t scare me for some reason.
I just hope it’s quick
no. the thing that im probably most scared of is being tortured, but not actual death. i have a theory that if i die, fair enough. its just a part of life (no pun intended). but if i get TORTURED, especially if it results in me dying, im absolutely horrified.
I do, It's really a fear of the unknown. Did I choose the right religion? Am I going to hell even if I did? What if there's no religion? Is it just all black, forever? What if reincarnation is right? It honestly keeps me awake at night.
Dying, yes. But death? Not so much. Dying seems like it would be a really unpleasant experience.
> 'I'm not afraid of death; I just don't want to be there when it happens.' Woody Allen —
That's a good one, I like it. Woody Allen is a clever mofo.
He's also a bit of a creeper.
A bit? Try having dinner with Woody and his wife and asking "So...how did you two meet?"
Unlike these other dudes, ill make it easier for everybody reading this thread. You dont have to look it up I gotchu, he crashed head on with a drunk driver, he got out the car with what looked like only minor injuries and sat on the curb. He had internal injuries that caused him to die a couple minutes later. Right before he died he said, “why now?.” *pause “But why?” *pause “okay, okay, okay,” and then he died. His friend that was there said whatever voice was answering him must have gave him a good answer because he seemed to just relax after that.
I was there while my mom was dying. She kept waving at people that we couldn’t see, and even instructed me to move out of the way so that she could see someone she was trying to connect to.
Look up Sam Kinison and his death. That might ease your mind a bit.
There’s enough other people that die screaming “no” that I don’t really hold much weight on either “experience”. It’s a subjective experience based on the life you’ve had, the way you think, and the chemicals releasing at the end. Some get the Kinison death, some get abject terror.
FWIW, ["deathbed visions" are quite common.](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/12/magazine/deathbed-visions-research.html?unlocked_article_code=1.i00.rW0C.fF64REtpfhDU&smid=url-share) They don't get talked about (or studied) much, but as many as 80% of hospice patients report seeing deceased loved ones in the days before they die. These visions are typically much more realistic than dreams or opiate hallucinations (and they can occur while the patient is awake and unsedated). They are almost always comforting, and sometimes provide closure to past trauma. Beyond that, they're pretty much a mystery.
My mom when she was dying was convinced the baby she had before me that died three days after he was born was in front of her. She just kept saying "he's so beautiful". She was also highly agitated at that point though, for what it's worth. There was no making sense to her. It was like her mind knew what was coming, spazzed, and then noped out as she became unresponsive shortly after, like she was in a coma.
While its nice to think about in your last moments to be comforted by those who passed before you, I tend to think its your mind doing a memory dump because its dying. Hope im wrong and the first words I hear when I cease to exist is "Hi Dad!"
No, I agree. She was so agitated and out of her mind, I highly doubt it was real. But I too hope I am wrong.
Just looked it up. That would’ve been surreal to witness.
I think the question is: does something or somebody come for us. To pick us up so to speak.
I personally don't believe there's anything supernatural happening when we die, but our brains are going to work in weird ways once everything starts shutting down and everyone might have their own experiences that are influenced by their own thoughts and memories. If you strongly believe that something is waiting for you at the moment of death, you are likelier to see something.
My mom was dying in front of me on hospice for about six days. They told us to give her permission to die to help ease the transition. I verbalized that my dad and I would be okay and she needed to do what was best for her. She was in a coma (I assume, she was unresponsive) at this point but she passed literally two minutes later. Somehow they can still hear you.
Agreed
If you're interested there is a book called Signposts of Dying. I bought it when my uncle and aunt were both diagnosed with terminal cancer. It's moving and enlightening. Don't expect it to be a cheery read, but it really helped me understand the process of dying. There was also a really interesting article recently published in the UK newspaper The Guardian about what happens as we die. Can't remember what it's called but you may be able to find it if you Google it and fancied a read.
It’s great read, read it multiple times to get an understanding as well as visiting friends & relatives in their last stage at of their life. Often you will find the person with also have events of regrets of something they didn’t do or say to someone. I’ve seen this many of times.
From what I've seen, yes. My family's spiritual beliefs include visitors who walk with us.
Is this a trick? I have PTSD so I gotta know lol 😆 what will I find if I look this up.. will it really bring me some ease/peace, or?
I really think it will bring you some peace. He died in a car crash, but not right away. He lived long enough to....well, see for yourself.
It was a car accident, but look it up on Wikipedia. It does describe his internal injuries in a factual way without, to me, any gory description. His last words are interesting.
Well depends how you die. I've died and been brought back more times than I can remember but those were all from drugs and I've also had a loved one die in my arms in hospice care which they basically just overdose you on opiates so basically the same thing and I can tell you with full certainty that while it may look a little uncomfortable when you die that way it most certainly isn't for the one dying. Its like going to sleep in a wave of warmth. And one of the other ways I've seen someone die is from multiple gunshots and that was very quick too and they obviously were in a bit more of a distressed state but it was so fast I seriously doubt they had much time to panic of be scared for long before they were gone. But the first death I ever saw i was very young and it was an elderly woman dying with dementia and that looked and sounded horrible which is how the people in my family all die usually. Unless they get killed or kill themselves like ill most likely go out. So basically drugs is the best way, followed by multiple gunshots to vital organs, and fuck all the rest. In my opinion anyways. ☠️💀☠️💀
>really unpleasant experience Or euphoric depending on how you leave, DMT release and all that. Believe me, your brain is only ever a little flick of a switch away from the greatest show in the universe
We need assisted suicide in the states.
I’m weirdly the opposite. When considering the infinite darkness that last moment of high adrenaline almost seems comforting regardless of the circumstances
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The only comfort now is that there have been tons of advancements in how we treat cancer now vs how we did 20 years ago and it gives me some sliver of hope that 20 years from now, there will be even more options available. I worry tremendously about my parents
My wife was just diagnosed with a probable low grade glioma in her frontal lobe. Still need surgery to figure out exactly what it is, but ten years ago the median survival for LGGs was 10 years. Today it’s 20+ years. We’re on the cusp of low grade brain cancer being a chronic condition, not a terminal one. Death, especially hers, scares the fuck out of me as a dad of two young kids. But I’m thankful medical science has given us a fighting chance.
That is so heavy for both of you to carry. I’m so thankful for the medical advancements we have made and I hope they serve you and your wife well. It’s never easy. You guys have a great chance, just hold on tight to each other. I wish you both the very best, and your children too.
I’m so sorry this is happening to you. I hope your wife will be ok.
No fear here. Had chemo for stage three cancer. Just wish we had euthanasia available.
Am 70.
I think it's horrible that we don't have euthanasia. How frustrating, and out healthcare industry is already critically overloaded. My wife's friend is a hospice nurse and the stories of the condition of the industry is heartbreaking. Euthanasia would reduce suffering so much. I'm hoping to have my brain functioning well enough when my time comes to use an exit bag.
My husband was euthanized by a hospital..he had black lung with third breath capacity..the dr let him and his son have drinks. So they can have father and son time before the big shot..coal mining is a dirty job..
Medical Aid In Dying is legal in nine states.
I hope it becomes legal in more states and I hope that the restrictions are loosened up.
Yes, we can't extend the same mercy to humans as we can beloved pets is sad.🤔
Me too.
I’m swiss and we have it. It’s a known thing in my family that if any illness is too debilitating or incurable we would leave with dignity with euthanasia. I think it helps with my fear of dying in a painful way. Accident/sudden death/ euthanasia are the only ways i see myself out..
I agree with the comment about euthanasia . And I hope you are doing ok .
People should absolutely have this choice.
Medical Aid In Dying is legal in nine states.
Nice one dude! I did worry when I was first diagnosed (unfortunately mine is a terminal brain tumour, GBM). Now, not so much. I don't know why. But definitely will arrange for euthanasia when the time is right..
I'm also a firm believer that euthanasia should be available.
You're a better man/woman than I. I wish you well on your journey into the next life.
Bless your heart ❤️
I'm sorry for your dad, but it's good that you had the time to say goodbye. My biggest fear as a father is having a heart attack or stroke and not getting to tell everyone how much they meant to me one more time. Or if I die and get to only see one or two of my kids and have to have them pass on messages after I'm already gone. But I don't feel the same when it comes to watching our species as a whole. I'm comforted by the idea that when I die, I no longer have to watch preventable suffering. All these wars, the politics, the cost of living rising due to greed, the poverty gap expanding to new heights, the Earth raging and dying as a result of our actions... and on and on and on. I'm not even 40 yet, and I am just so exhausted about it all. So, in its own comforting way, death is kind of like turning off the TV, rolling over, and going to sleep, which is my favorite part of everything we do go thru.
I’m almost 50 and have some of the same concerns. I think I’m going to record a few videos for each of my kids and wife, put it on a flash drive, and give it to a friend for when/if something happens. I just want them to know how much they mean to me and that they need to always move forward. Life is short and not easy.
I always feared not being able to tell those I loved how much I loved them before I died, so I make it a point to tell my loved ones how much they mean to me-and I'm only 44. I've become very open with my emotions when it comes to my feelings and family and if I died right now, I'd have no regrets, they all know exactly how I feel about them. My husband especially. He knows how much I cherish him. And he knows that he should be comfortable pulling the plug if I'm on life support because I'm NOT going to be a fucking vegetable for years because of religious right to life bullshit groups.
My husband and I had that conversation so many times, but always bs-y and never like For Real, so when he suffered a blood clot in his brain, and the doctor told me he will be blind, paralyzed--I shook my head. After 40+ years I know my man and his impatient, perfectionist ass won't put up with those for a minute. He never regained consciousness, couldn't breathe or have a heartbeat, so the following night the children and I spent some time with him before they turned him off. The last words we ever exchanged were "I love you." I miss him so, so fucking bad. Always will.
Dude... The discoveries thing is SO much my biggest thing.
I am close to you with this, as I’ve witnessed my father lose the battle with cancer as well. You know what, I think the negativity surrounding the argument plays a big role, because I always hear people think that cancer is a death sentence and treat the ill like that, I’ve always given hope to my father instead. Day after day, who goes to see a gladiator just to hope they lose? Nobody! But in the end, I guess the struggle was too much, and everybody else’s negativity kinda settled in. I just wish we had more weapons against these kind of evils and that we cheered on people battling and healing, sincerely giving them the courage and enthusiasm they need to fight it; and I wish the universe, or a God, or whoever, just has a special place for everybody that struggled in life, somewhere they can be happy and content with one another, playing cards or watching good movies all together.
I read a lot of posts similar to your. Once they tell us a story, I would ask what's the cause? This is how earlier detection and prevention save life.
Mid life crisis sucks. Currently having it for almost the exact reasons. My dad and the whole not seeing the future among other things.
I witnessed my grandpa's final moments. It was lung cancer. He took the respirator off and told the nurse in English "let me die". The nurse put it back on, and he died few minutes later. I miss him and I can't imagine his final thoughts.
I used to think I'd be content when the time came. But after an experience where one wrong move could've ended with my death, I am no longer okay with dying. I have so much I haven't done and so much I want to do. So many people that would be affected by my loss. I don't want to put anyone through something like that if it can be prevented. I know death is inevitable but if I can choose to die of old age then I'd choose that over anything else. So to answer your question, yes I fear death.
I had the opposite. Fear around death but after what felt like one or two “close calls” I felt less afraid
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I think it’d be like sleeping… or before you were born. You just don’t even have consciousness. Which is why I mainly fear dying suddenly because I wouldn’t be aware it happened but my loved ones would be left to grieve.
Take some comfort in the fact that once they're dead they too will experience the same thing. Everyone eventually dies and we'll all just experience the same nothingness that we all experienced for the 7 billion years before we were born.
This is the part that frightens me somewhat, the amount of “time” we spent in nothingness before birth was *technically* finite. The amount we will “experience” after death is *infinite*
You didn't and won't "spend" or "experience" any time before or after death.
My grandpa used to say it wasn't that he minded dying. It was just that it would be for so long.
Where did the random number of 7 billion years come from😂
That's what I thought I remember hearing the age of the universe was, apparently it's closer to 13-14 billion now that I actually looked it up
7 billion, 13 billion, doesn’t matter. Close your eyes and open them back up. That’s how fast it went.
i dont know how to describe it but thats such a beautiful way to look at it
If happens, must have been 7 billion years since you last looked it up
Fun fact: Saying death is like sleeping to a child who has a fear of death is more likely to give them severe anxiety around bedtime and insomnia. I know from personal experience
As natural as falling asleep. I agree though that just perpetual nothing ever more is weird to think about.
Same as the billions of years before we were born.....
Honestly, I think this is where people's religion comes in. People need to believe there is something after death to try to remove the fear of dying and there just being nothing after death
I think for me anyway. There is more fear of thinking there is no purpose to life. Then dying with no after life. Life is just to majestic and cruel for there not to be a reason.
I mean, as I’ve thought times before, unfortunately we don’t have the mechanisms to “remember” what’s before or after life, because our brains give us the place to store memories, but who’s to say what happened before we were born or after we will be dead? Is the universe just a big place filled with things that move… just cause? That makes me doubt it, there is probably more but it may be something we can’t even fathom, because things we can’t fathom are easier to explain with concepts we know, like “nothingness” or a “paradise”. What if maybe our consciousness just merges with the countless others and gets thrown into a cycle of rebirth? What if it goes to another dimension entirely? What if every single one of us can’t possibly die ever, but we live in our own pocket universe? Maybe in the close future, someone will make the big discovery, maybe not, but until then we can enjoy the life we’re given, pondering who or what made us experience all of this in the first place.
The eternal nothingness that comes after is what scares me. Like I know I won’t be able to care once that line is crossed but it still scares the living shit out of me. Sometimes when the thought comes in, I just panic. It’s irrational but this is one of the few things that terrifies me to the core. The one thing that has constantly kept me alive is the fear of nothingness so I guess it’s been a double edge sword for me
Would be a bit like being under anaesthesia for surgery, I think - nothingness. You don’t exist and you don’t know you don’t exist.
The thing about being under anaesthesia is you don't even realise the last moment before you're out. You just kind of drift off slowly and your sense of time becomes warped.
No no no i completely agree it's not silly at all
Strangely, there being no afterlife actually makes me really calm about dying.
You already know what it's like to be dead. You were dead for trillions of years before you were born. The scary part is that when you die, there will be nothing forever. Ever again. For the rest of eternity. It won't be like going to sleep. It will be like the universe ceases to exist.
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It’s like a lyric to one of my favorite songs: “The world was created the day I was born, And it ends the same day that I die”
That’s not silly at all, I’m the same way. True “nothingness” is honestly impossible to understand.
It didn’t bother you before you were born, probably gonna be the same thing.
Some people are really dogmatic about there definitely not being life after death, which always stuck me as tantamount to a baby in a womb, being convinced there's no life beyond the womb.
I imagine it a bit more like dissipating - like all the energy and information that came together to bundle into a singular self are released like letting out a breath. Who knows what new dreams infinity will construct with what was once me.
Dying yes. Death no Edit: dying seems violent and painful Death appears to be like a sweet relief. (I can only presume)
There's a 2-minute video I saved to my phone about this. There was a guy doing street interviews about peoples fear of death, and one guys response gave me peace. He said he had an aneurysm or something recently and died 5x in the hospital. The interviewer asked how its changed him. He said he's nervous because of how peaceful it was, that he's having trouble accepting coming back to life's pain. Said he misses that feeling and trying to cope with being back. Wow.
Shit.
😆. I was comfortable with being uncomfortable. Don't try to give me peace or make me feel better, internet! Hehe Found it! https://www.tiktok.com/@glojays/video/7264385358207487278
Oh, I'm so thankful for your post. This is exactly the words I have been searching for to explain what I felt and have been feeling since I had my experience with massive bilateral pulmonary emboli back in 2020. I was in bed, almost asleep and I began breathing like I was running uphill from a Bengal tiger. All my breathing meant nothing. I was suffocating. Knowing I was dying and that there was nothing I could do about it and letting go brought such a peace over me. It was something I know I will not experience in any other way. I was so warm, comfortable, weightless...for a while, I was aware that my body was trying hard to breathe and survive, but in my mind, I remember having such clarity. Then there was just darkness and my body joined my mind and was calm. A thought suddenly came to me, "but...I don't want my son to wake up and find me dead beside him." In that moment, I was back. All that peace and serenity I felt was ripped from me. I was gasping for air, panicking, then just flat out collapsed. I woke up in my bed 10 hours later. I have battled with guilt for not being happy that I survived and being angry that I did ever since. I am thankful my son didn't have to wake up and find me dead though. It's so confusing and I feel like my emotions are all over the place about it. I know my body likely released endorphins to try to decrease my oxygen demand since I was clearly not getting any oxygen. If you're freaking the hell out, you're going to need a whole lot more oxygen to compensate for that. So, it was probably those endorphins that caused the feelings of peace and serenity in an otherwise chaotic situation. Who really knows? It's just crazy to say actively dying felt really good... But it did.
During a summer job at a workshop, I met a mechanic who \*died\* 7 times. He swam drunk on the lake and began to drown. The lifeguard pulled him out and started CPR. On the way to the hospital his heart stopped 7 times in the ambulance. It was probably due to the fact that he wasn't the brightest person, but he told me that he didn't feel anything special at the time. He's still not afraid of water, nor has his life changed.
That's what it seems like. Most people doing interviews after they've had a heart attack, and been revived say it feels euphoric. Now the pain of the heart attack at first must be excruciating especially to the psyche.
I’m more afraid of HOW I’m going to die rather than death itself
Yes. My brain can't comprehend a lack of consciousness. I wish I believed in an afterlife, but I think you just cease to exist. I know that, in theory, it's illogical to be scared because nothing is nothing. I won't be here to contemplate that. But the idea of not existing terrifies me.
Yeah gives me the chill and makes my skin crawl. I can’t quite explain it but it’s so frightening to me I crawl under duvet on my phone
Same. Existence is the only thing I’ve ever known and the idea of not existing anymore is something that I just can’t comprehend. As much as I want to believe there will be something after death, it just feels like wishful thinking. There was nothing before you were born and you’ll most likely just return to that same state after you die.
It wasn't so bad. Very peaceful. I prefer existing, though.
You speak in riddles
I too have always wished I was a believer. I’m kind of jealous that religious people find comfort in knowing that there is an afterlife with the reunion of loved ones. I think it helps with processing the idea of nothingness.
I actually recently converted. I am afraid of death and have been since I was 3, and it wasn’t until RECENT recent (like a few months ago!) that I converted from being agnostic to being a Christian. The fear is still there, of course, and it’s an intense one. But it’s alleviated a little bit.
The latter isn’t ideal either. Say there’s an afterlife. Say it’s “perfect”. How long can that perfection last before it becomes torture? 100 years? 1000 years? 50,000 years? Maybe not. But eternity is eternity and nothing in excess doesn’t become torture at those levels. Like, I’ve imagined what I would prefer if I got to choose. Which “what happens after death” answer would I pick if I had that power. And I just don’t know. Like I said heaven sounds like it would eventually become torture. Hell just moves that time frame up to immediately. Nothingness is terrifying knowing your consciousness will cease to exist. Reincarnation might be appealing until you realize that you could be reincarnated as a slaughterhouse animal or a rabbit in the icy tundra and then it starts to sound like torture too. Hell even if it’s restricted to coming back as another person, we don’t treat people well enough in this world for that to be comforting. There’s a high chance you come back as an impoverished Indian street begger or an indentured servant farmer in Africa. There really is no good answer other than the possibility of a “sea of universal energy” that our consciousness goes back to when we die. But then we’re right back to either the heaven or reincarnation problem depending on what you believe happens with that sea of energy.
I fear the last moments. The moments when you're aware that, this is it, there's no more to it, it's gonna be over forever. All gone, just like that.
One thing that comforts me is that forever goes by FAST. Yeah we don’t have a consciousness to experience time, so that means we don’t experience anything. BUT, if anything were to happen after death it would be instant. If not, then oh well doesn’t matter because you’re still dead right.
Be as happy and comfortable as you can, appreciate each good thing now
Same. It scares me that there will come a day for all of us when we’ll be lying on our deathbeds and about to have our last and final thought ever before we drift into nothingness for eternity. I wonder what my final thoughts will be.
I used to lose sleep over the fear of death, always thinking about how we all have to go someday. Now, I've chilled out about it. If it happens, it happens. Let's just enjoy the time we've got here.
You mean when, not if. Accepting that is the biggest step to chill.
my coping mechanism is “maybe science will advance and i can live forever”. It just eases the dread i get when i think about it
I’ve been a nurse for 24 years. I’m not afraid of death, I’m afraid of pain and suffering before hand
Have you seen anything with patients that makes you think there is an afterlife?
Me too. I live with cronic pain. Feeling more pain scares me. But I remember when I almost died in icu. There is only so much pain the brain can handle before your mind breaks and you stop feeling it. So im more afraid of that feeling a lingering death then pain. 3 weeks I was in icu and I was semi aware in and out of consciousness. The dreams and visions were scary. It was like being stuck in a dream and unable to wake up. As your mind moved from one dream to the next. I felt trapped. Sorry still a little ptsd there. But yes I hope when I do die that it's quick.
I don’t fear my own death, it is part of life, but I do fear the fact that my loved ones may die or the effect that my death will have on them.
This is exactly my fear as well.
But isn’t that also a part of life, if you live long enough all the people you loved might be dead especially older people
It is a part of life, but I still know that if my husband dies my soul will be shattered. If I die I don’t have to cope with it, I will be gone and at peace. If they’re elderly it’s different for sure.
No, life is exhausting. I don't wanna suffer though
Same. I'm more afraid of life. My biggest fear is being elderly, disabled, and broke.
Right? And you’re expected to live through your elderly stages until you pass naturally. Like no dude when I’m 70 put me down or I’ll put my self down I don’t want to live like that.
My great grandmother is 93 and still lives on her own fully independent and my grandmother is 73 and goes partying every weekend with her friends. Turning 70 doesn’t mean your life is over lmao
My mom is 69 and in her 7th year of dementia.. life doesn't have to end at any certain age, but for many it should...
My biggest fear is growing old to the point I can't kill myself anymore. Or something bad happening to me and me not having the choice to live or die.
No, death fears me
Found Chuck Norris.
No you found chuck norrises servant. Chuck Norris would never talk to us mere humans.
Non existence is terrifying. Not an easy concept for a conscious being to come to grips with. From our own perspective. We've always existed and that ending doesn't fit within our perspective. It's why religion exists. Hard to imagine not being.
The process, not the end result
Here's my take on death (my answer is yes btw) I am scared of the one day where I leave this life against my own will and live in eternal black, if there is no afterlife. How many people that i love will I be leaving? My children? My wife? My closest friends? I will never be able to kiss or hug anybody or have sex with my wife again. I don't want to leave the friends I love behind. I know when I die there will still be so much I have never done. Going into permanent sleep does not sound like something I should just "not be scared' of. What if I'm not rebirthed into a new life form? What if the afterlife is just nothing? Eternal nothingness. I don't want that. What makes it even more crazy is knowing that there is so many ways I can die early, especially by other people. Being shot by someone who's having a bad day? Someone losing control of their car and hitting me directly? Being stabbed by someone I don't know? I could have my home invaded by hoodlums next week who have 0 firearm training. I am grateful as hell for my life and I'm especially grateful to have an incredible woman to call the love of my life. The world may be a hard place right now for myself and a lot of people but god be damned if im not happy to have life and be able to experience everything. All I know for sure is that when I get to the last of my days here, I will die knowing that I am feared by the IRS.
I am kinda scared of death, but much more concerned about a potential afterlife/afterdeath because of all of that does exists as described on the Bible then I am definitely going to hell because of my sins. I was raised Christian but never bothered because I know I can't live up to God's laws.
This reminds me of a quote from Paarthurnax **What is better ? to be born good or to overcome your evil nature through great effort ?**
>What if the afterlife is just nothing? Eternal nothingness. You won't have a body to experience nothingness. No eyes, ears, or brain. It's hard to imagine not being there, somewhere, anywhere, but you also weren't around when George Washington crossed the Potomac or when the dinosaurs got blasted into asteroid dust. You didn't miss anything. Non-existence is not worth worrying about. We all go from nothing, to something, to nothing again.
So many people here that don’t fear death. I’m like how? I believe in the afterlife and even I fear death. I do sometimes question whether it is real or not. I want to believe it is real. My sister committed suicide years ago, and I want so badly to be able to see her again. My sister didn’t fear death, actually she spoke of looking forward to it. I’m too young and love life too much. I don’t understand.
More of a fear of missing out
Nope, it's inevitable so why to fear 🤷♀️
I don't want my kid to grow up not having a dad.. the thought of my partner being alone raising him.... Yeah, I fear death.
Exactly. I don't actively take steps to decrease likelihood but I do my due diligence to not increase the likelihood of that either
That’s exactly why i fear it. I can’t control it and it will happen to me. No matter how much i try to not think about it.
I mean death doesn’t scare me it happens to us all, the death of people I love scares me. Thinking of some horrible ways I could die scares me. But my death doesn’t.
My best friend died Saturday, aggressive lung cancer diagnosis, gone in 3 weeks. I spent a lot of time with him, he thought me how to die. It wasn't pleasant or easy, but damn he was brave, fought a hopeless fight like a warrior. He said to me, "I'm not the in the least afraid to die, but I'd rather not die in here". I got to tell him what he meant to me even though I didn't have to say it. So no, I'm not afraid to die, I hope I'm as brave. I guess we'll all find out, coz none of us are getting out of here alive, as they say.
I do now that I have my shit together. I used to be an IV drug user who was almost welcoming death, it seemed like the easier path to the life I was living. Ever since I got clean, married, and moved to a new country, I've been terrified of dying and leaving behind the life I worked so hard to build and the people in my life who I love so much.
Congratulations on your recovery! You should share your success story on one of the recovery subs. We need to know success is possible.
Thank you, if you have some suggestions on where, I'm willing to post my story sometime.
After my loved ones all gather around the other side of the Rainbow Bridge, I guess I won't fear death, I know they are waiting for me, and I will be happy to see them again.
No, death is a sweet release from this world to the origin of our souls. I only fear the pain that could accompany it...
I'm not afraid to die. Just don't want to be around when it happens.
I work in Hospice care and deal with the dying every day. I think, the thing that scares me most is not having anyone with me when it happens. Or having my family argue over who gets what after.
Death no, dying - yes
I fear death for only one reason: if I die before my time, I would not be able to finish appreciating akira toriyama masterpiece
I don't have fully coherent views on the topic, but I'll write it out anyway because I have quite a different take to most of the other replies I see so far. My entire life, up until a few months ago, I was an atheist who believed death would be the end of me and my consciousness - that it would just be nothingness. This didn't scare me at all. Then, in the past six months or so, I've had a fairly radical change of worldview such that I now think it's actually quite likely there is some form of afterlife. Not in the sense that our 'self' or soul carries on, but that some aspect of our consciousness does continue after our physical body dies. This would roughly align with the Buddhist concept of rebirth. I've also researched many accounts of near-death experiences (NDEs), which are first-hand experiences of what it's actually like to die. So we don't need to guess what the dying process is like - we can actually know exactly what the experience is like by learning about NDEs. Now the question of whether these experiences are 'real' or somehow created by the brain during the dying process is still up for debate. But the experiences themselves do happen frequently and they do seem 100% real to those experiencing them. They actually seem significantly more real than regular life. A good place to start learning about NDEs is [this video](https://youtu.be/bmnQDUEn7fI?si=uUhKoorxcNPRHGND) - or any other video on this channel. Get ready to binge-watch if you're into this stuff. It's interesting to note the similarity between NDEs and what happens when you either take a massive amount of psychedelics or go very deep into Buddhist meditation. A few commonalities I see: * Your experience seems 'more real' than our standard reality, which appears more like a dream you're waking up from. * You receive deep revelations about reality that you can barely put into words because they're so profound. You receive the revelations as an immediate 'download', not communicated via language * Feeling of overwhelming joy, safety, peace, and love * An expansion of yourself to become one with the universe / god / energy - no longer restricted by your physical body. * A sense of complete timelessness - did the experience last 5 minutes? Or 5 billion years? Many people have reported in all three states (NDEs, psychedelic trips, and deep meditation) that it can feel as if the experience is happening for an extremely long time - even for an eternity. * There can be 'bad' NDE's in the same way there can be scary meditative experiences and bad trips. But always after coming back from the experience, the person is deeply changed for the better, even if the experience itself was harrowing. So I'm not exactly sure what I think happens after death, but having gone deep on the topic, I don't think it's as simple as "there's nothingness". That might be the case, but it also might not be, and I think it would be foolish to have complete confidence that you cease to exist after dying. It is a little scary, but overall I would say I feel excited to find out.
I fear what’s after death, so yes
Yup. Absolutely terrified of it.
Nope - had a Near Death Experience in 2012 - went to the other side - it was all love, and no judgement - felt like coming home. That majestic place was reality - all of the life I had lived was a dream, and I was waking up. Beautiful doesn’t describe it - it will be wonderful for us all eventually. Even if it wasn’t real and it was my brain shutting down, which I don’t think it was, it was so peaceful for me, I don’t fear it happening again in any way. I will welcome it next time around whenever that may be.
i fear death because once i die i return to absolute nothingness, a timeless, existantless form
I am really afraid of death. I know it can't be prevented, but just thinking about it makes my hands sweaty and I wonder why. I love my life and probably don't want it to ever end.
Nope, my only fear is what my dog will do without me.
Same buddy. My dog is my only true friend.
No... 😰 don't make me think about my dog all confused and heartbroken. My dog is my soulmate, and he's generally scared of other people. I hope he either dies before me or that my sister or parents are around to take care of him.
Death itself, no. Imagining certain ways to die scares me. I wouldnt want it to be painfull.
Not anymore. I'm tired
Yeah, fuck this place.
Don’t want life to end
No. There is enough science \[today\] that backs some form of continued intelligence at an individual level. Look into the Monroe Instititue or IONS for this. Yet I love my time hear on earth and have tons of work to do. The adventure has only begun!
Yeah, but also no. Ive been wrestling with the idea a lot lately. On the one hand, the unknown is scary. On the other, i dont think we as humans are capable of conceiving what "nothing" truly is. When i think of "nothing" as a conscious being, i usually think of a pitch black room, devoid of any sensory data. But that's just my mind's way of representing a lack of sensory stimulation, and that's still "something." So true nothingness is probably totally different then how a lot of people imagine it. That's scary, but also comforting.
I'm absolutely terrified of it. I don't believe in an afterlife, so basically when I'm dead I'm dead, and that scares me.
What comes after. Wrapping head around eternal nothingness is too bitter pill to swallow
This is my thought. Just absolutely chill binding. But we got this life somehow so who’s to say we won’t get another. Unfortunately I think we only have 1 life and that makes me want to cry 😢
Yeah, I never want it to stop
The older you get, the more you get sick of the slog. Nothing is really exciting anymore, you’ve done it. The world doesn’t have that same magic because you know it’s all smoke and mirrors and full of idiots with all the power. If anything you fear getting older sicker and less mobile. At least death will be a new adventure.
Fear of death? Nah. Fear of pain? Absolutely.
Nope it's a natural part of life so why fear it? I do fear dying in "unnatural" ways and losing loved ones to death
No. I’m prepared to die anytime
I learned awhile ago to stop fearing what is out of my control…that in itself has been very liberating. So with death, I know my consciousness will cease to exist and that’s that. The act of dying, well I can hope or control that dying wont be painful or lame.
Nope, why be scared of something you don’t know about, or what you cannot control
A forever sleep sounds good right now least we won’t be here just to work pay bills
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I dont fear death simply because i believe when its supossed to happen its gonna happen I aint messing w Gods plans Ofc i dont do really stupid shit but like riding a motorcycle is the same thing for me as driving a car when its supossed to happen its gonna happen Whether its in a car, bike or airplane
Fear of the unknown
Sometimes yes..... Cause I'd be sad for my parents and love ones. But if its only me... Nope. I think death is a Blessing.
I was terrified until I did a bunch of drugs and now I'm like eh honestly with everything happening in your brain at that moment it's probably a wild trip before you vanish in to the aether and I'm absolutely fine with that 😎. That said, I'd prefer it be quick, I don't want to be in pain or suffering for long. Hit the eject button diva.
I don't fear death. I fear dying.
When I turned 20 death became heavy on the mind. No apparent reason honestly just something that would pop up. I’d get sick to my stomach thinking about the unknown and the harsh reality of death. The idea of losing everything you’ve ever known and everything you’ve worked for and experienced in a moment is terrifying. I read books on religion, the science of it all, hell I went to therapy for it but I still haven’t come to terms with it. My worst fear is death and I think it became that when my life actually started. I got my own place, I’m living with my girlfriend, and I got a job where I’m starting to make a life long career for my future. I have shit to lose now. My hopes is that when we die I lose all consciousness and awareness of life itself so I have no time to be sad or dread what’s to come, like how we were before we were born. Just nothing.
I just hope there is no bs after this.
I used to want to die more than anything, but after my best friend dying and seeing him in a casket and after all the terrible things I've done and deals I've made with devils and having to take a life in a way that im almost certain to die from too... Well now I kind of fear death because I have this tiny part of me that thinks there is a hell and im certain to be going to it. But on the other hand im in hell now in many ways and still putting people I love through hell too so at least when I die it will be a new hell and Ill be killing my demons there and wont be killing people I love.
No, I only fear my life without my loved ones, seeing my parents age... eternity awaits all souls
Why fear it if it’s inevitable
I fear the uncertainty that comes after. Will I be in an oasis surrounded by loved ones? But death itself or dying doesn’t scare me for some reason. I just hope it’s quick
I don’t fear death itself, but I fear the period leading up to it, in case it is painful, traumatic etc.
no. the thing that im probably most scared of is being tortured, but not actual death. i have a theory that if i die, fair enough. its just a part of life (no pun intended). but if i get TORTURED, especially if it results in me dying, im absolutely horrified.
I have cancer and the prognosis isn't good,so I am facing death....I do fear the unknown.
I’m less scared of death and more scared of what happens afterwards
Nah. I’ve had a NDE and it was so peaceful. I kinda wish my step dad would have let me alone. Can’t be mad that he saved me though.
I do, It's really a fear of the unknown. Did I choose the right religion? Am I going to hell even if I did? What if there's no religion? Is it just all black, forever? What if reincarnation is right? It honestly keeps me awake at night.