# Nonexistence is a scary thought



## Little Ham

Has anyone ever experienced a panic attack or depression about the fact that we are all doomed in the end? It's hard for me to face the reality that I will die someday, and it's possible that I will not ever exist again for all eternity. Has anyone ever felt the same way? As an Atheist, how do you deal with death? 

Sometimes I feel a little jealous of my Christian friends who take comfort in their beliefs that Jesus will save them and heaven is waiting for them on the other side.


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## Glacial

I find it more scary to believe in a god that would send people to a place called hell to suffer and be tormented for eternity. Dying is not a pleasant thought, but I am assuming it will be just like before I was born--I will be nonexistent and have no knowledge of it.


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## sleepytime

Glacial said:


> Dying is not a pleasant thought, but I am assuming it will be just like before I was born--I will be nonexistent and have no knowledge of it.


Pretty much that.

I can relate to OP being a little envious of your Christian friends though, I feel the same way. I think it must be a great comfort in this life to believe that there is somewhere better awaiting you, where you will be reunited with your loved ones. Truely believing that must make lifes hardships so much easier to bear. If someone could somehow brainwashing me into believing those things, I'd happily allow them to do so.


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## DubnRun

I have that about non existing future, but not about dying.


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## Unkn0wn Pleasures

I don't think about it that often, pobably because not existing is really hard to imagine.


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## rdrr

All the time.


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## Monroee

Not really. Probably the fact that I've been suicidal plenty of times before, the possibility of non-existence doesn't bother me too much but can actually be comforting at times. I'm much more scared by "how" I'm gonna die. I fear the process of dying much more than the actual death. I'd hate, for example, if the last thing I felt before I died was intense fear as a gun is placed to my head. It's a valid fear of mine as I just moved to a rather crime-infested neighborhood. 

But - I believe in a type of re-incarnation that gives me comfort, at least. I find comfort in the fact that my "life force" will live on. To me, energy doesn't die, it just gets transformed into producing other life. Bugs will eat my body, perhaps I'll become source for the soil to produce plant life. I'm probably comforted by this by watching The Lion King all the time when I was a child. "The circle of life". The antelopes eat the grass, the lions eat the antelope, the lions die & become the grass. Ah, loved that explanation from Mufasa. 

But, I'd hate to be cremated. Because it's like my existence never was. I don't even get to help the bugs....


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## coldsorehighlighter

It's kinda funny...I'm the opposite. When I sit and think about simply existing, it drives me insane.
Besides, existing is all you'll ever know. You won't know you don't exist if that's what occurs to "you" after dying.


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## Resonance

Why should non-existence scare you, you have been not-existing for a lot longer than you have been alive. Myself I found the whole being dead thing vastly easier than all this working and paying bills and applying for jobs and things.


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## Neptunus

the cheat said:


> It's kinda funny...I'm the opposite. When I sit and think about simply existing, it drives me insane.
> Besides, existing is all you'll ever know. You won't know you don't exist if that's what occurs to "you" after dying.


Same here. Non-existence is preferable for me.


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## revolutionrocknroll

I'm not going to lie, I agree with the OP. It scares the crap out of me, and I'm not really sure why. I think it has to do with human nature and our fear of the unknown. It also makes me wonder what the point of life is, if nothing I do is going to matter in a hundred, thousand, million years from now.
I try not to think about it. 
As much as I'd like to believe in some sort of afterlife, I can't believe in something that I don't think exists.


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## ShyGirl123

There is nothing, it's hard to imagine but try:
Alright you feel nothing, see nothing, hear, smell and taste nothing, you are nothing. It's like being asleep, only without the dreams and you never wake up. Time passes so fast when you're asleep...


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## bsd3355

Your gonna be dead so I don't think it'll matter to you much lol

Think about it this way: you were nonexistent before you were alive and that didn't seem to bother you, did it?


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## ryobi

not living well with the time I have scares me more than not existing at all


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## Blackout93

Nope, I can think about death and nothing happens, not a feeling rises, nothing, hell, as cliche as it may sound I can hold a gun to my head or a knife to my wrist and not flinch or even feel worried in the slightest way, the way I see it, you're going to die anyway, why worry about the inevitable? Neither you nor anyone can stop that from happening.


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## feliborr

when i was like 16 i got my first anxiety attacks because of fear of death and being a non believer.... then i started to get use to the idea and moved on... recently i almost die from parasites in tropical colombia and the panic disorder triggered in a very bad way... i never prayed or asked any god when on the ER several times, i just watched....no i think death and no life after is the best type of heaven u can ask 4


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## kanra

I didn't care about not existing before I was born because I didn't exist. It'll be just the same after I die. I guess not existing is impossible for us to imagine. Of course, not existing doesn't feel like anything. It doesn't feel like sleeping, and you don't feel like nothing. You don't exist to feel those things...

I'm also kind of relieved in the thought of no afterlife. Do you know how exhausting it would be existing in heaven or hell for all ETERNITY? What a pain... I'd rather rest in peace, thank you very much!

... ^.^; sorry about the captain obvious moment. I'm not really scared of not existing, I'm scared of having wasted my existence.


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## Watercoulour

No, not really. Not for me anyways. Im not afraid of death, though I am afraid of any pain ill have before it D:
If you dont exist, well, you just wont. Its not like youll feel anything afterwords, cuz youre like, gone o.o

Its just something you learn to accept. Death is saddening though, and when I think of it, my mood tends to go down. But that just means to try and enjoy life as much as you can ^^


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## sarafinanickelbocker

Not so much that I will die someday, but that my family will die someday and some of them before me. I also must have some fear of death, because I used to have panic episodes...which was mostly freaking out because I thought I was gonna die. I don't think the belief in an afterlife would help though, not for me.


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## SweatingBullets

The idea of my death's effect on me doesn't bother me. It's the people left behind that suffer, not the one that's dead.


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## LoneWolf111

when i feel that way, i think about the universe. the stars and the planets and all that we DONT know. there is so much that humans dont know, so much that we cant even phrase a question asking what it is. Some people are afraid of that, and they think that once they are dead, angels or god will save them and bring them to heaven. they dont want to beleive that they will die and that will be the end of it.i dont have a problem with them beleiving that, but i personally think that humans made up god and religion to comfort them when they face enormous thoughts and questions that we they cannot answer. i dont beleive in jesus or god, but i beleive in the universe and the power and perserverence of nature. when i feel like that, i remind myself that there is something much larger than myself,but that i am part of. we are all connected to the universe, and nobody knows what happens after you die. thats another question that no body alive can answer! id say just enjoy life, and yes, you will die someday, and so will i. and so will everybody who uses this website and everyone else in the world. Its a lot like living, only dying is something we can be sure of.


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## Rossy

Not at all.


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## Cub

@OP:

An extremely basic and excellent guideline for life, is this: are you living in the moment, where you are now, or are you living (and predicting) the future (whatever its degree of likeliness)? If the answer is the latter, then you are not living in the moment, where you are now, and therefore nobody is currently living your life.

Life is meant to be lived, not predicted and moaned over hours on end. Get back to reality, to where you are _now_. xP


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## KelsKels

Glacial said:


> I find it more scary to believe in a god that would send people to a place called hell to suffer and be tormented for eternity. Dying is not a pleasant thought, but I am assuming it will be just like before I was born--I will be nonexistent and have no knowledge of it.


Yeah what he said.

My boyfriend is just like the OP though. He freaks out all the time over death, and he doesnt even have anxiety. I personally dont think its that scary though. You wont be aware of not existing. But if the giant narcissist in the sky does turn out to be real, burning forever is a much scarier thought.


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## Noca

sleepytime said:


> Pretty much that.
> 
> I can relate to OP being a little envious of your Christian friends though, I feel the same way. I think it must be a great comfort in this life to believe that there is somewhere better awaiting you, where you will be reunited with your loved ones. Truely believing that must make lifes hardships so much easier to bear. If someone could somehow brainwashing me into believing those things, I'd happily allow them to do so.


I would too, it's just unfortunate religion wasn't able to brainwash me too. Ignorance truly is bliss. No one's mind can seem to truly accept their mortality because the thought of such is painful; so the mind does everything in its power to defend itself from that pain, that includes deluding into the belief of religion.


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## Noca

KelsKels said:


> Yeah what he said.
> 
> My boyfriend is just like the OP though. He freaks out all the time over death, and he doesnt even have anxiety. I personally dont think its that scary though. You wont be aware of not existing. But if the giant narcissist in the sky does turn out to be real, burning forever is a much scarier thought.


People think that by dying that they will somehow regret not being alive to experience happiness. Fortunately, regret is a feeling you have to be alive to be able to experience as well.


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## StayingMotivated

yeah it's a scary thought. last time i checked no human knows for certain what awaits after death. why dwell now and waste your present life?


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## Your dreaming WAKE UP

I'm more scared of how I'll die and not death itself. 
"I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it." 
― Mark Twain


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## missbianca

I have no idea if this is going to help or just freak people out more. 

But to be honest, the concept of living forever in Heaven scares the crap out of me. I'm human. Forever is a long time for a human to live, and to not get bored with my heavenly existence, I would have to be stripped of all the things that make me myself. That's scary.

I think, if I had to choose between being infinite and finite, I would remain finite. To not exist is to not feel anything. And yeah, it's still a little scary, and still a little hard to wrap my brain around, so the solid ground I've found is knowing that once it happens, none of it will matter. I will not exist to worry about it. And for a person that worries so much, that is the greatest comfort-- _never _worrying again.


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## Mich123

the unknown scares me, but death is inevitable so im not scared of it or what happens after.


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## sparkplug74

Your dreaming WAKE UP said:


> I'm more scared of how I'll die and not death itself.


This. The idea of nonexistence doesn't scare me one bit, but how will I get in that state does. I don't want to endure a long duration of pain before death comes to me, I want it to happen really nice and quick.


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## Help please

I don't worry about it much, because I know I won't know that I don't exist when I cease to exist... If that makes sense.


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## Your dreaming WAKE UP

Help please said:


> I don't worry about it much, because I know I won't know that I don't exist when I cease to exist... If that makes sense.


of course It makes perfect sense. :yes


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## jg43i9jghy0t4555

Dr House said:


> I would too, it's just unfortunate religion wasn't able to brainwash me too. Ignorance truly is bliss. No one's mind can seem to truly accept their mortality because the thought of such is painful; so the mind does everything in its power to defend itself from that pain, that includes deluding into the belief of religion.


 it's a very human thing.


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## cafune

Help please said:


> I don't worry about it much, because I know I won't know that I don't exist when I cease to exist... If that makes sense.


Basically that.

It doesn't scare me anymore. As long as I do everything that I've set out to do with my life, I'm fine with the thought of non-existence. And Jesus will save them from what exactly? There really isn't anything to be saved from.


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## Smoothie

It scares me a lot,not knowing what happens and knowing that WILL happens
freaks me out,but I try no to think about that.
I'm atheist with no opinions on the spiritual side,maybe I will try getting deep in myself about my spirituality.


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## DarknessVisible

The thought of non existence is the only thing that makes existence bearable.


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## arnie

I like to think that life after death will be a lot like life before birth. Nothing. Your non-existence in the past doesn't bother you, so why should you non-existence in the future?


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## enzo

.

sorry... forgot the section


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## daevidd

*Yeah, Me Too*

I have to admit that I share your fear. It is odd, in a way, how after billions of years of not existing, all the while not minding it in the least, now that I am alive, I'm absolutely terrified of the inevitable. There is no grand reason, such as "unfinished business", or anything, just raw animal fear. I can't help hating that it is coming one day, no matter how philosophical I try to be about it. I can only hope that either I am unaware of it at the time, or that somehow I can come to accept it, so that I can watch it as a sort of final entertainment. One hopes that the body, when it is ready to die affects the brain in some way so as to make it feel natural and desirable.


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## Rossificus

I love musing over what 'nothing' could be like. It would be like nothing. Nothingness. How would you know? I guess you wouldn't. I don't want to die but in a way I look forward to it, or rather am not afraid of it, if only to find out what happens - or not.

Perhaps I'm wrong, though. When I was young I was an Atheist but as I got older I realised that people can't prove God exists just as much as they can't prove he doesn't. So I became Agnostic. The prevalence of logic is imperative in my life!

Also, the fact that I believe I'm going to hell had nothing to do with my decision to become Agnostic


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## eh3120

It does bother me mostly because of the people I love...I so desperately want there to be something else for them to go on to.


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## Akane

I really have no desire for an afterlife. Just let things end. That would be fine.


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## Sean89

I am absolutely terrified of death. I'm talking true bone-chilling FEAR. Some of the other people in this thread raised good points; that I didn't exist before I was born, so dying's not any different. But I can't reconcile the logical and emotional parts of my brain. The idea that my life is utterly meaningless, that nothing awaits us but a cold, infinite black void terrifies me. I wish I could find comfort in religion, but I can't accept anything without hard evidence.


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## Slytherclaw

Yes it is indeed scary...without well-defined boundaries and rules like you have with religion, things aren't so black and white like people tend to take comfort in. I think some of it also comes from the fact that it's just so difficult to imagine nonexistence. It's arrogant in a way to assume you'll always exist, but extremely dumbfounding...if not heaven or hell or whatever kind of afterlife you believe in, what?? That really is terrifying to think about just nothing. Not even sleeping or dreaming. Just nothing.

I think this is why people can't get a firm grasp on the way I think as well as quite a few others. They can't understand not being here, or anywhere.

This is pretty ironic but I find comfort in the quote "The last enemy that shall be defeated is death," even though it's from a) Harry Potter and b) the bible. I guess I've always interpreted it as conquering the fear of death rather than reassuring myself there is life after death.


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## Milco

Pain, fear and sorrow are scary - Being dead is not.
You can be scared that it will hurt.
You can be scared of the fear when you realise that all you held dear in life is now fading away from you, just as you are fading away from it.
And you can be scared of the feelings in those left behind, empathising with their sorrow.
But being dead in itself is really just release and absolution.


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## rawrguy




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## Kingofallmedia

*it was a scary transormation from a life dedicated to Mormanism, to being a complete atheist. Like Christopher Hitchens wrote, once you truly realize the overwhelming beauty and wonder of science, and what can be proven empiracially, sisnging the praises of an unseen man/woman/it becomes trite and boring. A torture in itself. He says it's like being a party and being informed you can never leave. That would be hell to me.
Then again, life sucks even now, but at least when I pass I'll be safely out of the realm of self awareness.
Peace at last, pain no more, no more suffering to endure, and no sins to be concerned with since no almighty is waiting to dole out eternal damnations on a population that had no proof of his/her/it's existence to begin with.
The grave is what to look forward to, with the key to get there humanly as possible. In the meanwhile, enjoy science, art, music, and the drugs of choice to alter your conscience onto higher planes. It makes reality a bit more bearable before we all decide how and where I lives will end.*


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## stranger17

I find assurance in the words of the ancient philosopher Epicurus:

"Death is nothing to me, for when I am death has not come. When death has come, I am not."


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## jg43i9jghy0t4555

Well, fear and all is entirely human.


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## lisa anne

I don't believe in afterlife but we live on in other ways. You live through memories people have, stories passed down, the photo on the wall, that song you recorded, that painting you did. You might not be there in the form you once were and presence is physically subdued. But nothings ever forgotten or gone.


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## kc1296426

Honestly, it could be scary thinking about it deeply and whatnot. But isn't that apart of life? Not everyone is going to know the answers to life and why certain things happen and what is going to happen after life, or what happened before life, etc. It's nice to go ahead and think about sometimes, but what's the point? We are NEVER going to know what's going to happen after we die and what's out there in world (at least for a long time), so why dwell on it?

Why dwell we can go out and the best times of our lives with the people we love and have nights we will never forget and be happy and successful and make the people you love proud of you.

Stop dwelling on what's scary and unknown and peace in mind that life is here for a reason, and there's a reason for everything, and we are still living breathing are here now, so just enjoy life as is! God and life has a plan for everything, and so far, it's been pretty good. Enjoy it!


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## loraxian

I didn't read through the thread, so I apologize if this was already mentioned.



Little Ham said:


> Has anyone ever experienced a panic attack or depression about the fact that we are all doomed in the end? It's hard for me to face the reality that I will die someday, and it's possible that I will not ever exist again for all eternity. Has anyone ever felt the same way? As an Atheist, how do you deal with death?
> 
> Sometimes I feel a little jealous of my Christian friends who take comfort in their beliefs that Jesus will save them and heaven is waiting for them on the other side.


Consider the time before you were born. You didn't exist then, and I doubt that's as worrisome as death. But it's really the same.


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## Karliee

Little Ham said:


> Has anyone ever experienced a panic attack or depression about the fact that we are all doomed in the end? It's hard for me to face the reality that I will die someday, and it's possible that I will not ever exist again for all eternity. Has anyone ever felt the same way? As an Atheist, how do you deal with death?
> 
> Sometimes I feel a little jealous of my Christian friends who take comfort in their beliefs that Jesus will save them and heaven is waiting for them on the other side.


I sincerely can't help that I freak out inside, when i think about death. and i think about it a lot because i'm just a generally gloomy person inside. i often think that "i could die any second and that would be it, and what if i didn't feel fulfilled with my life at the time?" But i've found a way to make it kind of a positive thing, because it makes me always wanna strive for greatness and happiness


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## lazy

it only sucks thinking about it when things are going good

but it's funny because when things are going good you'd be too busy feeling enjoyment instead of pondering the absurd


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## Kingofallmedia

Four four decades I was a true believing Mormon. I had all the answers to life and death.

To make a very long story short, I went through a brutal transition from being a believer to being a committed atheiest. It was the seond hardest thing I've ever went through, forcing to accept all the lies handed down from my familys' morrmon roots going back to when we joined in 1845.
After breaking free, mourning, and at beautiful last, accepting science and fact into my life, I know fully know how brainwashed I was and that the truth will really set you free.
Not the truth of jesus, mohammed, moses, blah, blah, but the truth of reason. The beauty of fact. The glory of the scientific method and peer review. No more eternal singing the praises of a muderous, jealous, invisible vindictive god, but the mind blowing beauty of what our wonderful earthly men and women worldwide uncover for us undergound, above ground, in the heavens, and in the complex systems we cannot see or measure with our eyes, yet is every bit there.

Love science, nature, inquiry, free thought, humanisms, etc. 

Reject all god and believe in what MANKIND has discovered.


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## becky07

The thiught of no longer being on the earth to smell fresh cut grass or to gaze at a cloudy blue sky or to eat a hotdog or no longer feeling anxious or sas or happy is very weird. Its hard to believe we'll just be gone, and over time we will be forgotten.

People who have kids tend to pass on a legacy, but i want no kids so it all stops with me i suppose. No one will ever remember me or be part of me.


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## katkins

Monroee said:


> Not really. Probably the fact that I've been suicidal plenty of times before, the possibility of non-existence doesn't bother me too much but can actually be comforting at times. I'm much more scared by "how" I'm gonna die. I fear the process of dying much more than the actual death. I'd hate, for example, if the last thing I felt before I died was intense fear as a gun is placed to my head. It's a valid fear of mine as I just moved to a rather crime-infested neighborhood.
> 
> But - I believe in a type of re-incarnation that gives me comfort, at least. I find comfort in the fact that my "life force" will live on. To me, energy doesn't die, it just gets transformed into producing other life. Bugs will eat my body, perhaps I'll become source for the soil to produce plant life. I'm probably comforted by this by watching The Lion King all the time when I was a child. "The circle of life". The antelopes eat the grass, the lions eat the antelope, the lions die & become the grass. Ah, loved that explanation from Mufasa.
> 
> But, I'd hate to be cremated. Because it's like my existence never was. I don't even get to help the bugs....


I very much agree with this :yes When things get bad, the thought of non-existence makes me feel like I'm not trapped against a wall. As a scifi geek, I find it mindblowing that the atoms our bodies are composed of were mostly forged inside stars aeons ago, and those atoms will keep on existing forever basically. In a way some part of us will always exist out there, even if it's just a teeny-weeny bit, and help form new life. I think Carl Sagan said it best: "The cosmos is also within us." A bit less poetically, Dawkins had a go with: "Matter flows from place to place and momentarily comes together to be you." All things said though, the only thing bothering me a bit about non-existence is the apparent finality of it all.


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## squidd

I find nothing appealing in the thought of eternity.
Maybe look at it this way: your body is constantly screaming energy at the universe pulsing ever outwards, a signature that is uniquely yours. you are already one with the universe around you, with the closest thing to infinity that our tiny little brains can comprehend and one day you will die. Your consciousness will disapate but the fact that you have existed will remain part of the universe until its theorised heat death. Nothing lasts for ever even infinity, learn to embrace the inevitable.


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## Pennywise

Little Ham said:


> Has anyone ever experienced a panic attack or depression about the fact that we are all doomed in the end? It's hard for me to face the reality that I will die someday, and it's possible that I will not ever exist again for all eternity. Has anyone ever felt the same way? As an Atheist, how do you deal with death?
> 
> Sometimes I feel a little jealous of my Christian friends who take comfort in their beliefs that Jesus will save them and heaven is waiting for them on the other side.


I've though about this, and it used to bother me. But now, I actually find it liberating to know that our entire existance is absolutely meaningless. Our planet could literally explode tomorrow and it wouldn't matter in the least. It gives me a "who cares" attitude about life that makes me less stressed out and angry about everything.


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## Jpapi

I've been an atheist most of my life, but until a couple months ago, I didn't care about death. Had a meh feeling about it. Had no clue how it would feel. Then it hit me, this is it. No afterlife. Nothing. I now think I know what death will feel like.

The feeling is nothing. It would be like how you feel when you fall alseep until the dream starts. You don't feel or remember anything. Not even thoughts. Completely nonexistent. Only reason I don't think about suicide is instincts.

Instincts make death scary. Nothing is born/hatched and purposely kills themselves. Your body does not want to die even if you want to. Which makes me wonder if maybe there is an afterlife, but it is not a good place to be or our minds stay with our bodies even after death, so you get stuck living in a coffin forever. Or your body knows that being gone forever is going to suck, so instincts try to help.

Frustrating having to guess what happens.


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## mmk

i was just thinking about this a couple of weeks ago, actually. to be honest, the idea of death terrifies me. i hate thinking that in sixty years or whatever, no one will remember me. i'll just be six feet under, and that's that. the thing i'm scared most of is running out of time. seems that with SA and all that, i put off so much stuff. i'm jealous of animals who don't get to think about this type of thing. but i do remind myself that i'll (hopefully) go to heaven and be with my grandpa and puppy and all that. i don't know for sure if it's true, but it calms me down.


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## Meta14

Did it go something like this?


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## John316C

... and an "udderly" useless one. haha


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## Shadow2009

It worries me. I used to stay up all night taking panic attacks because I couldn't handle the thought of it. The idea that i'll never be able to see anyone again, or simply wake up in my bedroom terrifies me. Looking outside, it kinda breaks my heart that the world will just continue to run as normal without me and that in 100 years, i'll be completely forgotten and i'll never get to experience life again.


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## Jnmcda0

I have no fear of death, only fear of the process of dying. Mark Twain once remarked "I was dead for billions of years before I was born and it did not cause me the slightest inconvenience". Being dead does not worry me in the least because I have no reason to suspect that I'll be consciously aware of the fact that I'm dead. When you are asleep, you aren't worrying that you won't wake up, are you?

Personally, I'd rather cease to exist at some point than live for eternity. I can't envision living for eternity and not getting bored from the monotony. You could do everything there possibly is to do a trillion times and you'd still have an eternity left. On the other hand, perhaps you'd learn to accept your eternal fate and be happy. As Albert Camus suggested in _The Myth of Sisyphus_, at some point, you would cease to think about what might have been and accept your fate. Your fate would become your thing and you would come to rely upon it, sort of like the way prisoners become institutionalized when they've been in prison for decades doing the same routines over and over, such as Brooks in _Shawshank Redemption_.


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## RyanJ

Jnmcda0 said:


> I have no fear of death, only fear of the process of dying. Mark Twain once remarked "I was dead for billions of years before I was born and it did not cause me the slightest inconvenience". Being dead does not worry me in the least because I have no reason to suspect that I'll be consciously aware of the fact that I'm dead. When you are asleep, you aren't worrying that you won't wake up, are you?
> 
> Personally, I'd rather cease to exist at some point than live for eternity. I can't envision living for eternity and not getting bored from the monotony. You could do everything there possibly is to do a trillion times and you'd still have an eternity left. On the other hand, perhaps you'd learn to accept your eternal fate and be happy. As Albert Camus suggested in _The Myth of Sisyphus_, at some point, you would cease to think about what might have been and accept your fate. Your fate would become your thing and you would come to rely upon it, sort of like the way prisoners become institutionalized when they've been in prison for decades doing the same routines over and over, such as Brooks in _Shawshank Redemption_.


We worry about the loss of conscious awareness / self / identity (whatever those things are, I know I know...), however, from the perspective of having it. I don't think it's a concern that non-existence will be painful, but rather the pain of knowing that we will never be able to think, or experience, or be self-aware ever again. It it quite literally the end of the world on a very personal level.

I will never understand the "argument from boredom" either. The idea that eternity would become boring or monotonous and that we would run out of things that make life meaningful. Maybe it's my inability to understand the concept of eternity itself. There is nothing in life that enables me wrap my head around what that would be like. Sometimes I think these are very modern/western concerns too. What about the rhythm of cycles and seasons? Seeing a sunset does not dull my appreciation for subsequent sunsets. Certainly there are things that I would rather do a limited number of times (diminishing marginal utility, etc), but that does not seem to be universally the case.


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## Jnmcda0

RyanJ said:


> I don't think it's a concern that non-existence will be painful, but rather the pain of knowing that we will never be able to think, or experience, or be self-aware ever again.


I don't understand why one would worry about that. When you are dead, you won't be self-aware to experience the pain of not being self-aware, so why worry about it now? Live life in the present.



> Maybe it's my inability to understand the concept of eternity itself. There is nothing in life that enables me wrap my head around what that would be like. Sometimes I think these are very modern/western concerns too.


I agree. It is a difficult concept to conceive in your mind.



> What about the rhythm of cycles and seasons? Seeing a sunset does not dull my appreciation for subsequent sunsets. Certainly there are things that I would rather do a limited number of times (diminishing marginal utility, etc), but that does not seem to be universally the case.


Good point.


----------



## Squirrelevant

I find existence to be far more disturbing than non-existance. We are brought into existence without having any say in the matter, granted the capacity to experience immense suffering (the majority of people who have ever existed have experienced a great deal of suffering) and despite this we are compelled by our biology to go on living, some of us even choosing to perpetrate this on others by bringing new life into the world.


----------



## minimized

Non-existence is a comforting thought.

In fact, I agree that existence is cruel... it would be completely creepy to believe that we must exist while this strange bearded man in the sky takes his voyeuristic pleasure out of it... and then he takes you up as if nothing bad ever happened and has the nerve to act like your buddy.


----------



## tsahi

some one thinking about it affects me mostly in the night just when about to sleep , i would wonder how will i die, and when i die what will happen and it goes on and on to the point when my chest feels tight, i feel like crying and then i would get a mild anxiety attack and i would have to get up and turn on the light , sit in the living room and think happy thoughts. but at day, i would be like some day we all have to die and i would feel fine, i guess because im going to sleep the fear of me not waking up, or some one coming into my room, to kidnap me and kill me or put me in a SAW scenario freaks me out.


----------



## RyanJ

Jnmcda0 said:


> I don't understand why one would worry about that. When you are dead, you won't be self-aware to experience the pain of not being self-aware, so why worry about it now? Live life in the present.


I aspire to do just that, but it doesn't always work out that way. For me, it's kind of like worrying about vacation ending. I know there is probably some time left before it ends, but I still think about it. I see people around me getting older and I know how fast the years fly by. I was talking to my over-90 grandfather the other day. He pointed to a picture of himself at around my age and talked about that era as if it was yesterday. I think it is for him. He is still active too, and has a daily routine that is clearly more fulfilling than a drag.

I suppose a vacation is not the best metaphor for life either. It's just that even at my darkest moments, I can't imagine being indifferent to (or worse, comforted by) the idea of non-existence. I want to view time on a geologic scale. I want to see what happens to humanity. I want to understand the nature of who we are, what we are, and I suppose the nature of existence and the place we exist in, etc, etc... However, just being alive and conscious at all is the greatest thing I can imagine. It's the universe observing itself. I can't understand why anyone would want to give that up. Even if my suffering is great, it seems small in comparison to everything mentioned above.

I suppose I'm a prime candidate for religion. Now if only I could bring myself to believe in one.


----------



## ignatz

It used to give me panic attacks all the time, but then I realized that when I actually am dead it won't bother me much. I guess I'm just more upset that I'm gonna miss stuff. Now I only get panic attacks when there are too many people at the grocery store.


----------



## fetisha




----------



## The Sleeping Dragon

fetisha said:


>


That... was... hilarious...


----------



## Quinn the Eskimo

existence is the scary thought, if ya ask me


----------



## TryingMara

I've felt depressed about it before. Now, it just makes me feel some relief. I'm not afraid to die now as opposed to when I was a believer and was scared I might burn in hell or in purgatory (I was raised Catholic). That was terrifying. 

What has bothered more is that for years I truly believed I would be reunited with loved ones who have passed away. Then when I deconverted, the realization hit that I wouldn't see them again. I'm at peace with it now, but it was tough at first. It's even worse to think that I won't always be with the people I'm close to now. It might sound silly, but when you've grown up believing in an afterlife and forever being with the people you love, it's hard to let that go.


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## The Sleeping Dragon

Jnmcda0 said:


> I have no fear of death, only fear of the process of dying. Mark Twain once remarked "I was dead for billions of years before I was born and it did not cause me the slightest inconvenience". Being dead does not worry me in the least because I have no reason to suspect that I'll be consciously aware of the fact that I'm dead. When you are asleep, you aren't worrying that you won't wake up, are you?
> 
> Personally, I'd rather cease to exist at some point than live for eternity. I can't envision living for eternity and not getting bored from the monotony. You could do everything there possibly is to do a trillion times and you'd still have an eternity left. On the other hand, perhaps you'd learn to accept your eternal fate and be happy. As Albert Camus suggested in _The Myth of Sisyphus_, at some point, you would cease to think about what might have been and accept your fate. Your fate would become your thing and you would come to rely upon it, sort of like the way prisoners become institutionalized when they've been in prison for decades doing the same routines over and over, such as Brooks in _Shawshank Redemption_.


Well I couldn't have said it better. This is precisely how I think of it. But I'd like to add that it is said that heaven there is only joy and no negative emotions. But without the negative you have no positive. How can you enjoy laughing if you can't remember crying? Heaven is the real hell. At least in hell you'll get non-existance when the rapture begins. 

I think dying is exiting. You never know what is going to happen to you. It's the last adventure you will have. And like you said, I'm more concerned hów I will die. But even that doesn't bother me much. You can't do anything about it anyway.


----------



## HarryStanluv25

I try not to fear death since it's something each one of us will experience sometime. We can't avoid it. So I'm trying to learn what I can and not be as afraid of it as I used to be. And it's working. I have seen and watched and read things and it's not as scary as it used to be. Of course I don't want to die but I don't want to be afraid of something I can't avoid. I believe we all go to our own version of 'heaven', of eternal happiness once we die. But I don't call it heaven, I call it nirvana. So it comforts me I may go to my ultimate happy place once I die. But I also believe in reincarnation too and perhaps if your soul has a task to do in the living world it did not do in the body it was in before, you can come back and be reborn until the purpose your soul had, is completed. 

These are just my thoughts though. And it comforts me since I don't think we are nonexistent once we die.


----------



## Ess

Sean89 said:


> I am absolutely terrified of death. I'm talking true bone-chilling FEAR. Some of the other people in this thread raised good points; that I didn't exist before I was born, so dying's not any different. But I can't reconcile the logical and emotional parts of my brain. The idea that my life is utterly meaningless, that nothing awaits us but a cold, infinite black void terrifies me. I wish I could find comfort in religion, but I can't accept anything without hard evidence.


Pretty much sums up what I want to say. The only way I can get over it is to look forward and try and enjoy living now but it's a periodic hang up for me with bouts of anxiety and depression, mainly at night.
I may not have known consciousness before but dammit, now that I have it I'll fight (shamelessly) tooth and nail to keep it!


----------



## Insanityonthego

HarryStanluv25 said:


> I try not to fear death since it's something each one of us will experience sometime. We can't avoid it. So I'm trying to learn what I can and not be as afraid of it as I used to be. And it's working. I have seen and watched and read things and it's not as scary as it used to be. Of course I don't want to die but I don't want to be afraid of something I can't avoid. I believe we all go to our own version of 'heaven', of eternal happiness once we die. But I don't call it heaven, I call it nirvana. So it comforts me I may go to my ultimate happy place once I die. But I also believe in reincarnation too and perhaps if your soul has a task to do in the living world it did not do in the body it was in before, you can come back and be reborn until the purpose your soul had, is completed.
> 
> These are just my thoughts though. And it comforts me since I don't think we are nonexistent once we die.


I agree. Best thing you can do is get your mind off it and not dwell on it because it's a neverending cycle of questions. That's why enjoying the present is important. When you live fully, you have minimal complications and do not fear death because you're living in the moment. I'd rather die with confident steps than to live regretting everything I've done or said. This physical life is too short to dwell on past things or people, you know? Spirituality does help.


----------



## lkkxm

Sean89 said:


> I am absolutely terrified of death. I'm talking true bone-chilling FEAR. Some of the other people in this thread raised good points; that I didn't exist before I was born, so dying's not any different. But I can't reconcile the logical and emotional parts of my brain. The idea that my life is utterly meaningless, that nothing awaits us but a cold, infinite black void terrifies me. I wish I could find comfort in religion, but I can't accept anything without hard evidence.


Not to be a smartass, but I don't think the void can be any of those things. A void is an absence. So think of it this way. It's not cold, it's not anything. It's not infinite, it's not even there. It's not black, because it's nothing.


----------



## geon106

I agree with the OP and it scares me all the time


----------



## Knowbody

nonexistence consist of no thought whatsoever


----------



## Post_Punk_Proclivity

Only ever fear regret.


----------



## Post_Punk_Proclivity

lkkxm said:


> Not to be a smartass, but I don't think the void can be any of those things. A void is an absence. So think of it this way. It's not cold, it's not anything. It's not infinite, it's not even there. It's not black, because it's nothing.


Don't forget that physical matter is still here, so it is _something. _We are merely not aware of it in death. The sun will rise after us.


----------



## Foh_Teej

what scares me the most are people willing to accept something for no good reason only to make themselves feel better about something else.


----------



## adam28

This reminds me of a quotes I heard once, maybe it was by Mark Twain I can't remember. It goes something like why should I be afraid of dieing? I wasn't around for nearly 14 billion years before my birth and it didnt inconvienance me in the slightest.


----------



## AmericanZero

Little Ham said:


> Has anyone ever experienced a panic attack or depression about the fact that we are all doomed in the end? It's hard for me to face the reality that I will die someday, and it's possible that I will not ever exist again for all eternity. Has anyone ever felt the same way? As an Atheist, how do you deal with death?
> 
> Sometimes I feel a little jealous of my Christian friends who take comfort in their beliefs that Jesus will save them and heaven is waiting for them on the other side.


I actually take comfort in the idea of dying someday. It helps me keep life in perspective and allows me to take pretty much NOTHING seriously. When I get into this "mode" or state of being, nothing gets me down.


----------



## arnie

adam28 said:


> This reminds me of a quotes I heard once, maybe it was by Mark Twain I can't remember. It goes something like why should I be afraid of dieing? I wasn't around for nearly 14 billion years before my birth and it didnt inconvienance me in the slightest.


Exactly. Asking about what will "life after death" be like is like asking about "life before birth"


----------



## Post_Punk_Proclivity

I think the idea of reincarnation is most 'believable' to me. I figure I got here somehow. We're made of chemicals that form a brain which forms consciousness, thoughts and reflection. I feel I could just as easily be an ant in my next existence, but there's no telling. Only a human mind would think these things anyway.


----------



## Tyler Bro

There has been enough evidence of ghosts and spirits so maybe that has a link to something?


----------



## theJdogg

I always read some Irvin Yalom's stuff. It tends to help me with my death anxiety. I wouldn't recomend it for everyone. His stuff is very existential and a lot of deals with death fears.


----------



## lkkxm

Nidhoggr said:


> Don't forget that physical matter is still here, so it is _something. _We are merely not aware of it in death. The sun will rise after us.


I don't think that response makes any sense with what I wrote and what I was responding to . I see your point, of course, in terms of what happens after you die and life goes on and what not, but that wasn't what I was getting at. What I was responding to was someone fear of their being stuck NOWHERE after death. I was merely saying that you wouldn't be stuck there, because a void is something that ISN'T. So you can't be stuck there. Somehow I don't think I've made myself clearer, but I seem to be good at that so... :stu


----------



## Grimsey

I've never shared this nice little belief with anyone, but online seems a good place! I'm sure it sounds mental but oh well.

My only willfully unsubstantiated belief is that the universe is cyclical. (When it comes to most anything else, I'm quite a nihilist). There is some theories to support this belief, such as the nature of dark energy, but they're way over my head. I also think I actually like being willfully ignorant about this point, because it's comforting in a way. I've been in a short coma before, and to me it was as if no time had passed. So, basically, I believe that when we die, the next thing we know is that we are born again into the same life.

The implications are that you experience everything over and over again. But I'm also a hard determinist, so I don't believe anyone truly has control over how their life goes. My view of the nature of life is also unique, to put it mildly.

I'm sure if anyone read that, they were weirded the hell out. Oh well, it feels good to finally express the thought.


----------



## whattothink

When you die, that's the end for your life, your human, for your individuality. The dream is over. However, time/space is an illusion, and _everything_ (not just our little dream) always is and always was. We've been doing this for an eternity and will continue to. Our reality is but one of an infinite amount, all a layer separated from the infinite nothingness of everything. Humans are a trap for 'being', the infinite, or in a very loosely connected way, consciousness. Although humans can't know what consciousness truly is, they can be it. The truth, or 'before and after death' is just waiting to be known. The 'afterlife' - sitting there available to anyone right now!

disclaimer: I'm not crazy, or am i


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## NoHeart

I wouldn't say it scares me, but it is definately an interesting thought. After all it is something no live person can ever truly comprehend. 

The thing is, i am one of the few people who would like to live forever ( yes go ahead and laugh ) so i am not looking forward to dying in the sense that i would like to keep on living.


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## Witan

I feel the exact opposite: I take *great* comfort in knowing that one day I will simply cease to exist, forever  In fact, it is the thought of anything that might hinder that permanent end of my consciousness that I find threatening and that terrifies me :afr

Not existing isn't anything to be afraid of. Our consciousness didn't exist before we were born. Our consciousness shuts down every night when we go to sleep.

I worry more about *how* I might die, and the suffering that might go with it.

"_Death smiles at us all. All a man can do is smile back._" -- Maximus, "_Gladiator_"


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## Witan

NoHeart said:


> The thing is,* i am one of the few people who would like to live forever* ( yes go ahead and laugh ) so i am not looking forward to dying in the sense that *i would like to keep on living*.


Be careful what you wish for. If Hugh Everett was right, then you may get it. No god needed, just quantum physics.


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## olesilentone

Witan said:


> Not existing isn't anything to be afraid of. Our consciousness didn't exist before we were born. Our consciousness shuts down every night when we go to sleep.
> 
> I worry more about *how* I might die, and the suffering that might go with it.


I hate being contentious but since I find this topic pretty significant, I gotta ask how you can really care about how you will die in terms of sensation , yet don't seem to mind the fact that you're just going to become zilch at any point in time? Who gives a **** if you experience 45 minutes of agony when really it is nothing of matter in the universe (since your consciousness never preceded this life and won't proceed from it either)? That is how I see such a view (not directing it completely at your expression of it.)

I don't know, I just always feel like most people don't really get the urgency of what death with no continuation has. I am not saying I do, I am certain I don't, but any atheist I have seen describe their views on life sound more opposed or indifferent to life than embracing what they have decided is the truth of it.

Non-existence isn't even scary to me, it's just unfathomable. It's the arrogance of my ego that probably really compels me to feel that way, but it is the only reason/process by which I have even created a contrast of existence and non-existence in the first place, so how can I flat out deny it's demands? I think it requires a kind of faith to actually implement an acceptance of non-existence into your life (since our consciousness prioritizes itself so much, and not because of any epistemological basis for this thought.)


----------



## Witan

olesilentone said:


> Who gives a **** if you experience 45 minutes of agony when really it is nothing of matter in the universe (since your consciousness never preceded this life and won't proceed from it either)?


I do


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## McdonaldMiller

Wow good topic. The people who believe in God are usually happier people. I fear my existence more actually . Kind of joking but serious also.


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## RawrJessiRawr

Shadow2009:1059744284 said:


> It worries me. I used to stay up all night taking panic attacks because I couldn't handle the thought of it. The idea that i'll never be able to see anyone again, or simply wake up in my bedroom terrifies me. Looking outside, it kinda breaks my heart that the world will just continue to run as normal without me and that in 100 years, i'll be completely forgotten and i'll never get to experience life again.


This  what also scares me is how I will die, hopefully not painful since I hate pain.


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## Noca

arnie said:


> I like to think that life after death will be a lot like life before birth. Nothing. Your non-existence in the past doesn't bother you, so why should you non-existence in the future?


Can't agree more =)


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## HarryStanluv25

I mean what is scary is even though you may believe or not believe something, no one really knows what it's like to die. It's not like we die and come back alive (not counting near-death experiences). When you die- you're gone and can't tell anyone how it was. And that's scary. I wish I knew what I was in for. The thought I may be struggling between life and death as I'm taking my final breath, not knowing what I'll see and hear and feel... so scary. But as long as I believe in what I do, in the end, that should help. It's just all the fear of the unknown.


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## The Sleeping Dragon

I never was worried about nonexistence before I was born so I figure the same can be said _after_ my life. After I loose consciousness the material that makes my body will not just fade. They will be reabsorbed by the environment. All my parts will be reused. Maybe when you die you will be born again. Be it in another time, billions of years later in another galaxy, another universe, another dimension, whatever may be possible.

Living is harder than nonexistence. That I do know.


----------



## forbidden

Little Ham:1059630894 said:


> Has anyone ever experienced a panic attack or depression about the fact that we are all doomed in the end? It's hard for me to face the reality that I will die someday, and it's possible that I will not ever exist again for all eternity. Has anyone ever felt the same way? As an Atheist, how do you deal with death?
> 
> Sometimes I feel a little jealous of my Christian friends who take comfort in their beliefs that Jesus will save them and heaven is waiting for them on the other side.


Feel like this every day...and yes, very envious of people who believe in something...sounds comforting..


----------



## forbidden

It actually comforts me to know that every single person on this planet right now will die just like me. We are all going to die.


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## olesilentone

I have had some scary *** dreams where I wake up in the same bed and same house but nobody else is the same (and the whole world seems alien somehow too), so my whole identity has absolutely no relevance to the world, since all my associations to it are immediately gone. A side tangent, but that really frightens me. 

Surely someone has experimented with certain drugs and had a bad trip? I imagine that comes close, but I have yet to try.


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## fredbloggs02

It might scare you at the time you thought this. I think the fear of nonexistence is a religious thought. Not every human being desires to outlive the instant, people die of ecstasy and sorrow, after a short time lived well or a long time lived poorly and who decides one state takes precedence over another? Provided other states of mind exist and neither they nor the state of mind during which you wrote this take precedence over an extreme state of ecstasy or sorrow, why should the lingering prove the necessity of the desire for eternity for you?... This is a popular arguement for creationists because(in my opinion) most people are miserable in this recurring state; but that state may not recur, even without extreme ecstasy or sorrow. However, the bible was written for kings-people know that. Like double-speak when people speak of "good" or "bad" and immediately a psychopath's thought differs from that of a "normal" individual, so too with a "life after death", a king thinks differently from your average Christian. The life after death in Christian doctrine was designed for people who continuously accept a state of mind apart from pleasure(the same state of mind you wrote this). That is why a will to life is a mistake because you can take so much away from a person that they no longer desire life- it isn't universal, not as a concept at least, intinctively this may not be the case but then what bearing have our instincts to the state of fearing nonexistence? I can't fear death or nonexistence(I don't think), I am as I write this(like most Christians) in the state of perpetual reprieve of ecstasy and sorrow, it doesn't exceed my existence and that is the tragedy, if it did I wouldn't be here, I would run away, collapse, die swiftly, or injure myself further, and states of mind exist conceptually I still live without fear, or the reprieve returns and terror with it. The guiding principle of Schopenhauer's philosphy was, understood simply: "the will to life", Nietzsche's: "the will to power" or a state of "overcoming". Which wins depends on the individuals existence. When you look ahead, when you have more faith in the idea of the grand HUMAN CONDITION and the sum of every state of mind as more relevant to you than the state during which you apprehended the idea of them, then nonexistence starts to look appealing.... So I try to stay in the moment and as the moment is a miserable prospect, I don't renounce the possibility of better(even temporarily unfortunately)- don't trust the stoics or the Epicureans, they maintain a state through an the idea of the futility of life. Drinking from Lethe like that to compensate, to stave off a greater deprivation, I don't trust people don't change qualitatively through their thoughts. The thought of reincarnation, afterlife or nothingness is a whole lot more appealing to someone who wants to live than someone who wants to die or doesn't care. I would always favour the will to life in the highest sense over sated, unconsummated, apathy facing the instant.


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## MrGilligan

It's not too bad. It seems weird to think about a world without me in it, but since I won't be there, I won't really be aware of it, so I guess it won't matter to me...


----------



## anomalous

Witan said:


> I feel the exact opposite: I take *great* comfort in knowing that one day I will simply cease to exist, forever  In fact, it is the thought of anything that might hinder that permanent end of my consciousness that I find threatening and that terrifies me :afr
> 
> Not existing isn't anything to be afraid of. Our consciousness didn't exist before we were born. Our consciousness shuts down every night when we go to sleep.
> 
> I worry more about *how* I might die, and the suffering that might go with it.
> 
> "_Death smiles at us all. All a man can do is smile back._" -- Maximus, "_Gladiator_"


Yes, yes, and yes.

To me, the absence of an afterlife is both logical _and_ appealing.


----------



## Hamtown

Every single organism that has lived on this planet, has died so it can't be that bad. We do die as a constructive entity but we don't really end.. if you die in the woods, the worms are going to get fatter by eating you, nutrients of your body will transfer into the soil and the tree might grow a little faster. Essentially the earth(you)is just recycling itself. Plus energy can't be created or destroyed, physical forms or vehicles can break down eventually but energy moves on.

If i was non existant before i was born, then i will probably be back again as some animal. And death is everywhere if you think about it.

I have thought about it in my anxiety stages and the idea of non existance has scared me to the point i was terrified to sleep...sleep i guess is the same as death. You are returning to the source.So i guess it is our job to prepare for death..because if you aren't, you are going to get a huge wake up call. I have never known anyone close die..when my dog died that was something, so i cant imagine a family member.


----------



## regimes

I wouldn't say nonexistence is doom.. I imagine it's something like how it was before we were born. It's not really a bad thing.

This is coming from a person with an anxiety disorder.


----------



## JamesTheLoner

I personally don't believe in the concepts of non-existence or nothing. How can there ever be nothing if there is something now? For me, the more frightening idea is that it is impossible to not exist; to imagine yourself as this sort of ever present potentiality of becoming, in fact always becoming, never ceasing to become. That is sort of what I imagine existence to be. However, this really means nothing in relation to being conscious of your self now. That will end, and naturally dissolution will take place i.e decomposition of the body, but completely and totally not existing is impossible in my view. Existence is a fact, non-existence is an idea. That's my two cents.


----------



## Earl of Lemongrab

I used to think it would be nice if there was nothing after death and that was simply the end of it. Having had the experiences I've had, I'm now more inclined to believe in theories of parallel universes or multiverse. I truly think it would be shameful if this was the only universe there was, because the one I am living in now is just so arbitrarily cruel and thoughtless towards the majority of its inhabitants. It doesn't make sense to me. If each one of our circumstances is a product of randomness, how could the overwhelming majority of us have been dealt such a **** hand? If randomness is to be the answer, then it ought to be far more balanced imo.


----------



## PickleNose

Doesn't really bother me much. The thing that is truly frightening to contemplate is the moment when you know in the next instant you will cease. If you've ever been there, you might know things like regret, a deep sadness and sentimentality will invariably kick in whether you want them to or not. 

Nonexistence is not scary. It isn't anything. It's a concept that the human mind can't really fully process. It could be scary, I guess. I think it would be more frightening to believe there will never be any end to this. You didn't exist before you did. When you don't exist again, it will be just like it was before.


----------



## jsmoothz

*Personally*

I would rather burn in hell forever, than not exist....


----------



## VanGogh

Little Ham said:


> Has anyone ever experienced a panic attack or depression about the fact that we are all doomed in the end? It's hard for me to face the reality that I will die someday, and it's possible that I will not ever exist again for all eternity. Has anyone ever felt the same way? As an Atheist, how do you deal with death?
> 
> Sometimes I feel a little jealous of my Christian friends who take comfort in their beliefs that Jesus will save them and heaven is waiting for them on the other side.


I've been having sort of mini-panics this past year of this exact sort - not so much panics as my anxieties reaching a point of becoming physical. I never had them before. I think it's because my loneliness is finally feeling unsolvable where before I had a believable hope that kept me motivated. This past year has been emotionally rough on me.

They haven't hit me too often, just a few times so far. Usually it's at night when I'm hit with a feeling like I'll never be loved and will die alone with nobody around and then just cease. No feeling, nothing. The thought of not existing then sends me into that mini panic and I don't know what to do other than open a window for fresh air or desperately want someone to be there with me, but nobody is.

Objectively, if we cease and disappear into oblivion then we won't know it so it's not like the actual oblivion is what I fear. It's the transition. It's going from being here to not being here. The most painful emotional feeling I have about it is that I know it's tied to my loneliness and depression. I feel like if I had a significant other who loves me the way I love them that I would have no such panics. I could face eventual death knowing that I left something behind in this existence that was beyond physical, something that could never be taken away.


----------



## VanGogh

olesilentone said:


> I have had some scary *** dreams where I wake up in the same bed and same house but nobody else is the same (and the whole world seems alien somehow too), so my whole identity has absolutely no relevance to the world, since all my associations to it are immediately gone. A side tangent, but that really frightens me.
> 
> Surely someone has experimented with certain drugs and had a bad trip? I imagine that comes close, but I have yet to try.


There are a few times in my life where I woke up (actually woke up, not still in a dream) and had this feeling like I couldn't remember who I was, where I was, what my name was or anything about my life. I guess sort of like a computer turning on but the operating system hasn't loaded into memory yet. All those times it took me what felt like a minute or so to collect my thoughts and start "remembering". Followed by wishing I didn't remember or was someone else.


----------



## Mersault

I do not think we have any real notion of non-existence. Even sleep with no dreams is still a real form of existence.

We do not recall the first moments of existence- if such a thing was not continious.

So the great mystery is to find what happens when you die. I look at it positively, death is something negative, but at least you will get to know the answer to one of the eternal questions


----------



## lzzy

Cogito ergo sum, and I'm sticking to that 

(I think, therefore I am -René Descartes)


----------



## AxeDroid

We came from nothing and we will return to nothing. 

We are all dust in the wind.


----------



## PerfectDark

Little Ham said:


> Has anyone ever experienced a panic attack or depression about the fact that we are all doomed in the end? It's hard for me to face the reality that I will die someday, and it's possible that I will not ever exist again for all eternity. Has anyone ever felt the same way? As an Atheist, how do you deal with death?
> 
> Sometimes I feel a little jealous of my Christian friends who take comfort in their beliefs that Jesus will save them and heaven is waiting for them on the other side.


Yes this has been a problem for me for years, "fear of death". No not really, as you very well describe fear of non-existence, forever and ever and ever. That thought just creeps me out at times. I'm uncertain if it is because I can't understand "forever" or because I actually can.

The only good things since I got depressed. That thought rarely ever occurs anymore.


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## Estillum

That thought alone scares me more than anything else, and I have yet to get over it. most nights I can't even sleep due to massive panic attacks I have due to that fear.


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## frank81

There's no need to be afraid of uncertainties. You can't avoid it anyway. Rather than thinking of non-existence, think of it this way. When you die and your body decomposes, you're still a part of mother nature, and will continue to be a part of it for all eternity. I feel good thinking of it this way. (Unless some mysterious being resurrects you for your next life, and you'll be asking the same question of whether you'll be non-existent when you die (again).

Just like before we were born, we wouldn't feel anything. The Universe is probably around 13.7 billion years old, and did you feel anything for the past billion years?

Concentrate and keep yourself busy on life activities. This way you'll live your life meaningfully & get rid of anxieties.


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## thewordsicantsay

This is probably due to me dealing with depression for most of my life, but I actually find the idea of ceasing to exist comforting. Like I'm in pain now, but eventually it will just stop.


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## The Sleeping Dragon

The state I was in before I was born wasn't that unpleasant.  So why should that be any different when I die?

Sometimes I like to ponder a bit about death and the universe. The stuff that we are made of is not gone when we die. Sometimes I visualise the universe as the heart. It contracts. Right now it's expanding. Maybe it will contract one day. Than it will contract again. And so forth. Though that cycle may end as well one day. Nothing is forever as we can learn from our own nature as well in the universe. Even the gods who give life (stars) die.

Following this theory through you could imagion that my building blocks will have a lot of chances to reform again. I won't remember this life or any other. But it might be that when I close my eyes the day I die in this life that I will wake up in another universe on another planet even in another carbon based form, or if it's possible another setup for life. 

I know it's kind of out there. But whatever the case might be. Before I was born will be the same after I die.


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## IHMLILML

For most people death or non-existence is synonymous with words like darkness, burials, void, or abyss. It is natural for people to fear the unknown or the process of dying, but there is no reason to fear nothingness. You have to exist to perceive nothingness. Fearing non-existence is like fearing a point in time before you were born.


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## borntoroam

It is frightening at times, yes, but then I just think about all the great people who have already passed on + it actually brings me a sense of comfort. I think fear is instilled in our minds, but it isn't something that we should really worry about. Live and let live!


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## No Name

I think about how I didn't exist before I was born and that never bothered me. When I do die I won't know and be able to care.


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## BTW

"Death is not an event in life: we do not live to experience death. If we take eternity to mean not infinite temporal duration but timelessness, then eternal life belongs to those who live in the present." 
— Wittgenstein


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## Choa

It doesn't scare me as much as leaving this life without making a change in my backwards society.


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## jarvis42

some author said this or something like this:
"I was dead for billions of years before I was alive and never seemed to complain"


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## Soilwork

jarvis42 said:


> some author said this or something like this:
> "I was dead for billions of years before I was alive and never seemed to complain"


I think it was Mark Twain but I've always hated that quote because it isn't death itself that scares me but the contemplation of it if that makes sense.

There are times when it hits me that one day I'll never wake up and I'll never experience things like music, food or anything else ever again.


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## Barette

I find the idea of nonexistence to be extremely soothing. The idea of an afterlife is what makes me **** my pants. To have an eternity, of being me? **** that ****. I wanna be nothing, I don't want to be an "I" after I die. I can't even wrap my mind around the idea of eternity, of forever, of a constant afterlife where it never stops, ever. And I'm just, me, for a neverending timeline. Like, that sounds horrible. Maybe there's reincarnation or something, where at least it ends and you're someone else, that's the only afterlife I'd be okay with. Anything else and it's like, no thank you. I wanna stop existing, that after I die I'm done. It's hard to conceptualize too, but it's MUCH more comforting than eternity.


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## John316C

i beleive that i am an extension of the divine. i am essentially god. and as god the universe does my bidding within its rules. i beleive that as and expression of god i have the power of eternal life in another form if i choose to by beleiving. i have a choice to beleive in death and die or to choose to beleive in eternal life and live forever.


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## z01210

Barette said:


> I find the idea of nonexistence to be extremely soothing. The idea of an afterlife is what makes me **** my pants. To have an eternity, of being me? **** that ****. I wanna be nothing, I don't want to be an "I" after I die. I can't even wrap my mind around the idea of eternity, of forever, of a constant afterlife where it never stops, ever. And I'm just, me, for a neverending timeline. Like, that sounds horrible. Maybe there's reincarnation or something, where at least it ends and you're someone else, that's the only afterlife I'd be okay with. Anything else and it's like, no thank you. I wanna stop existing, that after I die I'm done. It's hard to conceptualize too, but it's MUCH more comforting than eternity.


What if you're happy in the afterlife will it be horrible then?


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## joey22099

Little Ham said:


> Has anyone ever experienced a panic attack or depression about the fact that we are all doomed in the end? It's hard for me to face the reality that I will die someday, and it's possible that I will not ever exist again for all eternity. Has anyone ever felt the same way? As an Atheist, how do you deal with death?
> 
> Sometimes I feel a little jealous of my Christian friends who take comfort in their beliefs that Jesus will save them and heaven is waiting for them on the other side.


Haven't you heard? Jesus is a psychopath.


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## Barette

Sin said:


> What if you're happy in the afterlife will it be horrible then?


Yes. Because there would be no end. I'd be alright with reincarnation, but just an afterlife? Eff that.


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## inerameia

IHMLILML said:


> For most people death or non-existence is synonymous with words like darkness, burials, void, or abyss. It is natural for people to fear the unknown or the process of dying, but there is no reason to fear nothingness. You have to exist to perceive nothingness. Fearing non-existence is like fearing a point in time before you were born.


:agree


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## zonebox

I'm an atheist, and I am not entirely certain if there is a complete cessation of awareness. I accept that possibility, but then there are a few other possibilities that come to my mind. 

One is, we are just an illusion fooling ourselves into thinking we really exist, which means we really don't exist in the first place. I find this unlikely.

Two, we are a product of our mind distinctly different from everyone and everything else, once the brain ends so does awareness. I find this possible, but a bit too custom tailored for the individual.

Three, all humans and perhaps life rely upon the same laws of nature to function, so in a way we all draw upon the same awareness and never really cease to exist. The only thing that ceases to exist, is our unique perspective and memories. This one seems more likely to me.

Four, duality vs materialist. Our brain is little more than an interface to something that doesn't exist within our universe. Thus, instead of us being a product of our brain, our brain is just the machinery used to interface our true selves to this universe. To me, this is interesting.

No one really knows what happens after death, it could go either way. I remain undecided on the matter. 

Regardless, I don't spend very much time thinking about death. When I have anxiety attacks, they are not centered around death - in fact in the one panic attack I consider legitimate enough to call a panic attack I desired death.


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## Sabreena

I've always thought of death as sort of a long sleep. I know this seems like a rather simplistic view, but I can't accept any ideas about the afterlife. After you're dead, you're gone. You stop existing when your brain stops firing impulses throughout your body and your heart stops pumping blood. Like you're done. That's it. You will never exist again (at least not in this form, if you believe in reincarnation.)


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## TheLone Aji

The only thing about non-existence that scares me a little is knowing that there is no higher power out there that gives a **** about me and my struggles.


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## cosmicslop

I can understand how it can be a mind-boggling or panic inducing thought. Thinking of nonexistence is like thinking of infinity imo. You only have a concept of it, but never a tangible perception of what it truly is. So you can only attempt to wonder about it, and whatever feelings come up will come up.

I've had 5 people in my life die so far but nonexistence still makes me anxious.


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## The Sleeping Dragon

Eternity sounds fun for the first million years. But after you've done it all it must be really boring. And after it has become boring you'll go insane. So you could say that heaven and hell are the same. Eternal life would be a curse. Well maybe not if heaven wasn't static. But it is. It's just praising god forever. Without internet. The horror.


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## Imprisoned Mind

The Sleeping Dragon said:


> Eternity sounds fun for the first million years. But after you've done it all it must be really boring. And after it has become boring you'll go insane. So you could say that heaven and hell are the same. Eternal life would be a curse. Well maybe not if heaven wasn't static. But it is. It's just praising god forever. Without internet. The horror.


And what's wrong with just praising god forever! Hmmm? LoL, no I'm kidding. It sounds horrible.


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## dair

I was scared about non existence because I felt that I had no control over it, and I felt like it meant I don't make a difference in the world. But I realized that my actions affect other things and that everyone affect other things and other people just by being alive. In the very end I might not make the biggest difference, but I was a part of it and its pretty cool for as long as it lasts. Now if only I could choose how long it lasts...


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## Unkn0wn Pleasures

yep


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## Glass Child

I've had my Christian friends just laugh at me for believing we're doomed in the end. I told them I wished Heaven was real.

I think about it here and there, but I can't be too upset about it. Though it seems freaky, when you end up dying, there won't be anything to worry about. Better than a possibility of going to hell, yes?


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## Yori

Hmm.. I can't relate to you since I don't believe in any gods but I also would be like Lucy's siblings denying Narnia despite the fact that she doesn't lie if I were to keep denying that there is no existence after this.

You should be jealous of all non materialist atheists 

Kidding. Instead, keep an open mind and research.


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## Captainmycaptain

Isn't there some sort of thing where they can freeze you and then wake you up once the technology is in place to do that? I think if you save up enough money, you could the freezing thing and live forever sometime in the future, if that's what you want.


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## mesmerize

when i was little most of my panick attacks were because of this..


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## RyanE1991

Yeah i find the thought of non existence scary, but then again like others have said, we were not aware of existence before we were born, so i dont see why it should be any different after we die


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## ItsEasierToRun

I like this athiest section  
Everyone seems really intelligent over here :boogie


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## regimes

well it's not really "nonexistence." your mass doesn't disappear, it doesn't get destroyed. it gets recycled into other things, if you let it. you'll never truly not exist.


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## QuietKid1

SweatingBullets said:


> The idea of my death's effect on me doesn't bother me. It's the people left behind that suffer, not the one that's dead.


:clap I'm regaining hope in humanity:yes


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## brigidpont

I am absolutely mortified at the thought of never existing and my existence not being important to the point of near suicide. But then I heard from a religious man once (bear with me, people) that he made a deal with himself: That he can leave this world whenever he wants. I made the same pact with myself and have found myself fascinated with what will happen next in my life. It makes it easier to cope with if you think that you can control it. I mean, obviously you can't really control it; it just makes the idea of nonexistence more comfortable for me.


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## JEK68

You all remember what it was like before you were born? That's non existence, sure its depressing to think that one day the world will go on and you wont be their to see it but if you realise that you wont even know that your dead you can focus on making your time and other peoples time here more enjoyable.


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## marsvillain

zonebox said:


> I'm an atheist, and I am not entirely certain if there is a complete cessation of awareness. I accept that possibility, but then there are a few other possibilities that come to my mind.
> 
> One is, we are just an illusion fooling ourselves into thinking we really exist, which means we really don't exist in the first place. I find this unlikely.
> 
> Two, we are a product of our mind distinctly different from everyone and everything else, once the brain ends so does awareness. I find this possible, but a bit too custom tailored for the individual.
> 
> Three, all humans and perhaps life rely upon the same laws of nature to function, so in a way we all draw upon the same awareness and never really cease to exist. The only thing that ceases to exist, is our unique perspective and memories. This one seems more likely to me.
> 
> Four, duality vs materialist. Our brain is little more than an interface to something that doesn't exist within our universe. Thus, instead of us being a product of our brain, our brain is just the machinery used to interface our true selves to this universe. To me, this is interesting.
> 
> No one really knows what happens after death, it could go either way. I remain undecided on the matter.
> 
> Regardless, I don't spend very much time thinking about death. When I have anxiety attacks, they are not centered around death - in fact in the one panic attack I consider legitimate enough to call a panic attack I desired death.


I find your interpretation of existence quite interesting and relatable. I agree greatly with the first two things you and said. If anyone here can lucid dream it is easy to question whether or not the "real lives" w are living are just that. As far as our brains being an interface? I also think that this falls in line with the idea that all people are cells of the earth just as human cells work to create one body. Our brains could all be versions of the same brain that are only different in the way they are affected by the environment. If people are products of their environment than we are what surrounds us and nothing more.


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## Galaxyvoyager128

Okay several things. One what makes you think that this is a "fact". A fact would imply you know but you don't know nor does anybody. If someone says they know they are wrong. Secondly I take it you love life and want to continue living? If that's the case you should support developments of life extension and regenerative medicine so you stay young and healthy as long as you are alive. That stuff can keep you alive for as long as you like. Then you won't have to worry about things like this. If you live long enough you should be able to discover things you don't know anything about now. Or you could just cryonically freeze yourself. You can start getting educated here. We don't know what we call "death" is but we know a lot about life so why not focus on preserving it? I suggest looking up the Lifespan Advocacy Foundation for more information. It's very cool


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## WillYouStopDave

It's not nonexistence that bothers me. It's the thought of the transition period. Being nonexistent isn't being anything so that's not hard.

Generally, people who are dying are aware of what's happening on some level. That's gotta suck.


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## lackofflife

“I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it."

― Mark Twain

i think this quote says everything about nonexistence after death


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## sad1231234

Yeah i have had mild panic attacks or anxiety attacks from thinking about it, and i have been depressed by that notion before. But thats just the way life is, so screw it. We are just a bunch of subatomic particles which formed into organic matter which evolved a brain, everything we have ever felt/percieved is due to a bunch of chemicals and nerve cells in the body. But it doesnt matter, just take whatever you can of life and make the most of it, and then when we die it will be like as if we never existed. We wont have to live in this cruel world anymore or live into the dark, scary future that awaits humanity. We get to live, absorb as much as we can from the experience of life whether, good or bad just enjoy it. And then we fade away into nothingness. We arent some kind of god or divine entity that lives forever, we are just temporary pieces of matter. Find good people to go through the journey of life with, enjoy the experience of life such as emotions(good and bad), feelings, pleasure, etc, let go of all your problems and worries and negative emotions, and enjoy life. Life is too short to waste, to feel miserable, etc. The cosmos put us here with the limited lifespans we have in a world full of good and bad things, and we are left to make what we can of it. Life is a journey, so sit back and enjoy the ride, better yet enjoy it with good people in your life. Make the most of each moment, cherish your memories, and then when we die, we will fade away into eternal nothingness. We wont even be conscious to experience it, every moment we are alive on this earth is like we are alive for eternity, and then when we do die, we wont even notice it lol.


Besides, there is literally chance that some kind of awesome, eternal afterlife might exist.


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## blue2

Not really, I don't remember being scared when I didn't exist before.


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## harrison

zonebox said:


> I'm an atheist, and I am not entirely certain if there is a complete cessation of awareness. I accept that possibility, but then there are a few other possibilities that come to my mind.
> 
> One is, we are just an illusion fooling ourselves into thinking we really exist, which means we really don't exist in the first place. I find this unlikely.
> 
> Two, we are a product of our mind distinctly different from everyone and everything else, once the brain ends so does awareness. I find this possible, but a bit too custom tailored for the individual.
> 
> Three, all humans and perhaps life rely upon the same laws of nature to function, so in a way we all draw upon the same awareness and never really cease to exist. The only thing that ceases to exist, is our unique perspective and memories. This one seems more likely to me.
> 
> Four, duality vs materialist. Our brain is little more than an interface to something that doesn't exist within our universe. Thus, instead of us being a product of our brain, our brain is just the machinery used to interface our true selves to this universe. To me, this is interesting.
> 
> No one really knows what happens after death, it could go either way. I remain undecided on the matter.
> 
> Regardless, I don't spend very much time thinking about death. When I have anxiety attacks, they are not centered around death - in fact in the one panic attack I consider legitimate enough to call a panic attack I desired death.


Wow - I know this is a bit of an old post mate but it's great. 

Didn't you say recently that at school they used to tell you you had a learning disability or something? Was that you that posted that recently?

Somehow I think those blockheads got it very wrong!


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## Milco

It doesn't have to be scary.
I think it's kind of beautiful and fascinating how life and consciousness emerges as a result of local biological processes. That excludes the possibility of being 'alive' again, but anything else seems like wishful thinking.

It sucks that there isn't enough time and we don't have enough resources/possibilities to experience everything we want in life and ageing can be scary, but non-existence in the meta-physical sense isn't really scary to me - perhaps because I won't be there to experience it and I never was religious, so I don't have any broken dreams in that regard.


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## WillYouStopDave

KillerCode said:


> what if we are reliving what we already experienced or what if we are living in a computer?


 What if consciousness is a signal and our brains are just receivers?

It's odd because I came up with that thought on my own because I think about really dumb things sometimes. I looked it up on gurgle and there it was. It's not a new idea and I'm disappointed.


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## Recipe For Disaster

To start off I havent read this thread only the thread title. But I just wanted to comment. 

Non existence is not a scary thought, it's existence that is scary (the fear of non existence is part of existence). If you did not exist, you would be free from the fear of non existence, as well as all the problems of existence so it would not be scary or bad at all. 

Is non existence what happens after death though? Unfortunately, I am 99% sure its not what happens. Instead I believe at death consciousness expands beyond the limitations of the brain, revealing it's true spiritual and boundless nature. Rather than producing consciousness, the brain actually limits consciousness and confines it to mainly focusing on the 3d physical world and survival concerns of the organism.

Of course this is much scarier than non existence. And while it is certainly possible there is a heaven, that also means its possible there is a hell or any number of other places and experiences one might go, possibly extremely torturous. Very scary if you ask me.


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## sad1231234

Milco said:


> It doesn't have to be scary.
> I think it's kind of beautiful and fascinating how life and consciousness emerges as a result of local biological processes. That excludes the possibility of being 'alive' again, but anything else seems like wishful thinking.
> 
> It sucks that there isn't enough time and we don't have enough resources/possibilities to experience everything we want in life and ageing can be scary, but non-existence in the meta-physical sense isn't really scary to me - perhaps because I won't be there to experience it and I never was religious, so I don't have any broken dreams in that regard.


I think we wouldnt become alive again in that case, since consciousness probably emerges from each individual's neural networks. But when you think about it, all it takes is for the atoms to arrange themselves a specific order to replicate our own consciousness, and that might make us alive again. And we would appear probably trillions of years in the future, and we wouldnt even notice any time passage. Scary as hell.

Well at least we can experience anything at all. Yes we cant quite right now experience relationships friendships etc, but we are alive, breathing, mobile, able to see etc. We can view our world from billions of subatomic particles hitting our eyes.


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## sad1231234

Recipe For Disaster said:


> Of course this is much scarier than non existence. And while it is certainly possible there is a heaven, that also means its possible there is a hell or any number of other places and experiences one might go, possibly extremely torturous. Very scary if you ask me.


This is the kind of stuff i think about. That's what is scary about the universe - whatever the hell put us here, we are here, and we are at the mercy of things which we cannot control. Things which are chaotic/random in nature. This is why i am afraid of humanity reaching the technology of biological immortalty, or of whole brain emulation where they might be able to upload your consciousness to a computer. The universe is scary, life is scary. We arent living in candy land, we are pieces of organic matter getting - or about to get - thrown around mercilessly by the laws of the cosmos.

I think there are 4 ways in which we could be absolutely screwed:

1. the universe spawned into existence "on its own", which means that life will inevitably reach the stage of technology where anything in the universe can be manipulated to the extent of the most fundamental, unbreakable universal laws. For example, people might develop the technology to live forever. It isnt impossible, all they need to do is replenish/regenerate the cells in the body to prevent them from aging. When people can live forever, tragedies will have an extremely large impact. Terrorists etc could kidnap people and torture them forever, literally.

2. There is some kind of evil god. I think it is unlikely but if it were the truth, we would all be doomed on a level transcending our comprehension to a post-infinite extent.

3. We are in a simulation of some sort. The "game makers" can do whatever the hell they want with us. There is no evidence against this theory, in fact, there seems to be some evidence to suggest it.

4. The universe is biocentric, and when we die, our consciousness reaches its full potential like you said, and we exist in a higher level of consciousness in a chaotic, random, messed up plane/dimension/matrix which has no regard for our suffering. God knows what kind of crazy **** could happen if that were the case.


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## Recipe For Disaster

Haha exactly. I've had tha exact same thought, and based off some of my experiences in both dreams and on hallucinogenic drugs, there are almost no limits to the amount of pain, suffering, madness, confusion and existential horror that it is possible to experience. And it can be experienced on a truly cosmic scale. 


In terms of those possibilities, I learn toward situation #3, I think it's highly likely we are living in a simulated reality like a virtual reality playground of sorts. In fact that there are conspiracy theories that we are being farmed for our energy like cattle. A website you might be interested in is trickedbythelight.com, it goes into more detail about some theories of this nature and there is a lot of research on NDEs and from other areas collected together.

As for living forever biologically, I think that would be very difficult because isn't the planet itself and also the sun finite? And forever is a long time. It seems likely that between now and then there would likely be some sort of technical failure that would interrupt the process. Even if we developed bodies that didn't age or break down naturally, what would happen if for example your head got cut off or even blown up by a nuclear bomb. How would you survive that? It seems like certain accidents would still pose a major threat, at least in the early days of the technology. I also question whether people would really want to live forever. I mean don't you think after 100 trillion years (if not sooner) it might get boring and you might want to experience death and see what the other side has to offer? 

As for option 2, I want to comment on that as well. The idea of an evil god, is actually part of Christianity although it was condemned as heresy by the Orthodox churches. But the gnostic Christians believed this world was created by a lessor god called the demiurge, which some sects saw as evil and that was their explanation for why there is so much suffering in the world and why life is so crappy in general. Considering the fact that as you say, we are at the mercy of cosmic forces human life can be seen and felt as quite a precarious, even terrifying predicament. The spiritual teacher G. I. Gurdjieff taught this and his goal was to get man to realize what a horrifying situation he was in and thus be motivated to seek liberation. That's why I think our only hope is that there is some sort of rhyme or reason to existence we just can't see right now, and that things work will out in the end. Perhaps there is a good God who is the true reality behind all simulated universes. But even then, the question remains will things work out for all of us or do we need to meet certain criteria (such as acting morally, purifying ourselves, raising our consciousness or becoming enlightened) in order to find eventual peace/rest/happiness as most religions say. If the latter is true, it is extremely frightening to think of what could happen if we fail to meet those criteria.

Most people go through their lives half asleep, in an existential daze, concerned with the most petty, trivial and temporal things. People are for the most part, unaware of the cosmic implications of the game they are playing.


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## DeathBill

Hi there, I'm not scared at all about dying & going to my Eternal Everlasting Sleep.. Most of my family are going to be already in there Eternal sleep before I get to mine, so unless my girlfriend dies too with me, she'd be really only one left behind if she' still alive. 

I believe in life & enjoy life & make the most out of life the best I can & enjoy it.. But I'll be also first to tell you I am in big respect to nature & big respect towards Death.. I am looking forward to going to my Death & going to my Eternal Ever lasting sleep someday.. I look forward too it.. although once I'm in it, I won't know nothing more whats going on around me. I'll be glad to be in my eternal everlasting sleep & be done with Earth once in for all.. I've had a good run & made the most of it & still having fun & making the most of it too this day doing things I enjoy doing.. I'm not trying to eat a certain way or do something thats going to keep me around longer, because really you have no control of that anyways.. I've seen the healthiest people fall over dead in their teens or 20's.. no i'm eating what I want to eat, when I want to eat, it, I get plenty of movement at work to balance out whatever I eat anyway.. I'm going to die soon enough anyway & want to die infact when the time comes.. I'm ready to go to my eternal sleep, just enjoying what ever time I have left which should be still long enough but you never know.. but when ever it is, I am ready to go.. I am also a naturalist.. I came into this world nude & I plan on going to my death if possible but definitly plan on being buried nude just as I sleep in this world, I will sleep eternally in my eternal bed which be 6 feet under in casket bed.. 


So see, I am no way afraid to Die or go to my Eternal Everlasting sleep.. There really is nothing to fear. every living thing dies, & every living person will eventually Die.. Its just a matter of when & how they will leave this world.. I hope mine is from a massive heart attack.. 

I am Spiritual I do believe in Jesus & God & Heaven & Hell.. I do not believe there is anything though between Death & awaiting judgment day. I believe if & when that day comes it will come later on if it comes at all.. When it does, Jesus the only person who can awake the Dead will raise us those who have died & then we will be judged on how we lived our lives here on earth. I don't believe by the things I have done or believe in that I will ever see Heaven but I'm not blaming God or Jesus for sending me to Hell.. No I'm basically sent myself to Hell if anything.. However I don't believe in changing anything i currently believe in or changing my ways just to get to Heaven.. There for I am certain if Judgment day does happen which I'm sure it will sometime, I will be going to Hell but I am ok with this.. I am not changing just to go to Heaven.. I am standing firm in what I believe in right now which when I die, you cannot change later there for I will be more than likely going to Hell after Judgment day but like I just said this on my accord not anyone else's.. Not blaming Jesus or God.. This is me.. I will Die with what I believe in & if it cost me Heaven then so be it.. I believe in the Death Penalty, I believe in the right to die, for those who are suffering from illness there going to die of anyways, they should be allowed to die & end there pain & misery. then of course any sins i have sinned. well they could be forgiven but seeing I really don't believe in forgiveness because I always feel for the most part if we didn't mean to do something we wouldn't have done it too begin with, now something like an accident, where you truly didn't mean to do something yea I believe in forgiving that but like if I hurt someone on purpose cause they did something to me like hell am I forgiving them or do I expect any forgiveness from them.. So no I don't really believe in forgiveness.. So right there is 3 or 4 good reasons why I WILL Be Hell bound someday.. After Judgment day, I'll be going to face my 2nd Death. The death of all Deaths.. Burning in Hell & destroying me once in for all & I expect it.. I'd be very surprised if I made it into Heaven but very blessed at same time if I did somehow receive forgiveness for all I believe in or any sins I have sinned.. Also seeing I don't attend any kind of church service anymore.. nor do I plan too really.. pray on my own to God but through mass or anything anymore.. Priest ruined that with there messing with kids. I decided I don't want to be part of something where priest are molesting children, so I went from Being Catholic & grown more into just being Spiritual driven.. Keeping God & Jesus in my life but on my own accord not being part of a mass or church service.. 

Really though mostly all about going to my Eternal Ever lasting sleep.. If the other happens later, deal with it then.. Knowing I'm more than likely Hell bound anyway... I'm not afraid of going to Hell either. Although I'm not going to lie kind of always hope for the better place but I am not willing to change my ways so mise well face the facts & be ready for Hell someday..


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## QueenEtna

I'm more scared if there is an afterlife I just don't want to exist anymore. But I do believe in reincarnation mostly because I remember not being born yet (in my mums stomach) i remember I was thinking and was telling myself to "remember" remember what I don't know...
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## DeathBill

I don't believe in any after life... I think your safe.. Only afterlife there is.. you would want to be part of & its called living in Heaven.. Thats when & if it even happens.. Those going to Hell don't go to live in Hell forever, there going to their 2nd Death the death of all deaths in which the soul as well as body will be destroyed in lake of fire once & for all.. So Heaven is the only afterlife there is.. If there is too be any..


I am confident there is no afterlife other than possibility of going to Heaven.. If no Judgment day, then you will still be in your ETERNAL EVERLASTING SLEEP non existant.. So if your never woken up by Jesus, then there is no possibility of an afterlife..


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## Chevy396

I believe that it's likely I will be "resurrected" one day by some future AI who figures out how to transfer my consciousness into a new synthetic body. It's name will probably be Jesus in good fun too.


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## Lohikaarme

I'll have to agree with lackofflife, blue2 and Myosr, as nihilistic as it sounds. Non-existence is an almost comforting concept to me. I didn't always exist--I was none the wiser before being born. How is my passing away any different? You'd have good reason to fear death itself, depending on whether you have a quick one or not, and how conscious you'll be through the whole process. The state of non-existence though? That isn't scary. It would sure be nice not to have to struggle any longer when my time comes.


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## sad1231234

Recipe For Disaster said:


> Haha exactly. I've had tha exact same thought, and based off some of my experiences in both dreams and on hallucinogenic drugs, there are almost no limits to the amount of pain, suffering, madness, confusion and existential horror that it is possible to experience. And it can be experienced on a truly cosmic scale.
> 
> In terms of those possibilities, I learn toward situation #3, I think it's highly likely we are living in a simulated reality like a virtual reality playground of sorts. In fact that there are conspiracy theories that we are being farmed for our energy like cattle. A website you might be interested in is trickedbythelight.com, it goes into more detail about some theories of this nature and there is a lot of research on NDEs and from other areas collected together.
> 
> As for living forever biologically, I think that would be very difficult because isn't the planet itself and also the sun finite? And forever is a long time. It seems likely that between now and then there would likely be some sort of technical failure that would interrupt the process. Even if we developed bodies that didn't age or break down naturally, what would happen if for example your head got cut off or even blown up by a nuclear bomb. How would you survive that? It seems like certain accidents would still pose a major threat, at least in the early days of the technology. I also question whether people would really want to live forever. I mean don't you think after 100 trillion years (if not sooner) it might get boring and you might want to experience death and see what the other side has to offer?
> 
> As for option 2, I want to comment on that as well. The idea of an evil god, is actually part of Christianity although it was condemned as heresy by the Orthodox churches. But the gnostic Christians believed this world was created by a lessor god called the demiurge, which some sects saw as evil and that was their explanation for why there is so much suffering in the world and why life is so crappy in general. Considering the fact that as you say, we are at the mercy of cosmic forces human life can be seen and felt as quite a precarious, even terrifying predicament. The spiritual teacher G. I. Gurdjieff taught this and his goal was to get man to realize what a horrifying situation he was in and thus be motivated to seek liberation. That's why I think our only hope is that there is some sort of rhyme or reason to existence we just can't see right now, and that things work will out in the end. Perhaps there is a good God who is the true reality behind all simulated universes. But even then, the question remains will things work out for all of us or do we need to meet certain criteria (such as acting morally, purifying ourselves, raising our consciousness or becoming enlightened) in order to find eventual peace/rest/happiness as most religions say. If the latter is true, it is extremely frightening to think of what could happen if we fail to meet those criteria.
> 
> Most people go through their lives half asleep, in an existential daze, concerned with the most petty, trivial and temporal things. People are for the most part, unaware of the cosmic implications of the game they are playing.


I like the way you put it as "existential horror". I think those two words describe it better than anything. Pleasure and boredom/mundane experiences are pretty much the only experiences which are not a level of suffering. We think our universe is so safe and comprehendible etc but really even the very worst things which we can experience are literally almodt nothing when compared to a cosmic scale of what suffering we can percieve.

It is likely that we are in a simulation, but only if consciousness can be generated from the kind of simulators that they would have in the "future". I will definately check out that website! It looks very fascinating.

Yes the sun is finite, but it has about 5 billion years left. Many scientists suggest that even within a thousand years or tens of thousands of years, we will develop the technology to control astronomical bodies such as stars. And all biological immortality would require is the coreect arrangement of subatomic particles within the body. The ability to createe and maintain that arrangement might be impossible to our current or even future technology, but the universe does not prohibit it at all. And yeah i would hate to live forever and all sorts of nightmarish "existential horrors" could be lead to from biological immortality.

I think if there was a lesser God, then the ultimate supreme God would make sure that all his/her/etc creations were doing well, unless of course it was an evil God. Human life is a terrifying predicament. Any life, any consciousness, or even whatever extends beyond consciousness. Existence is a completely horrifying predicament. We can only hope that there is a good God, if God exists at all. And if there is a criteria, i believe that most likely we will meet that criteria if we are generally good people at heart.

The implications of life, existence, anything really, are the only things that really matter in the long run. All the good and suffering that we experience is finite and limited, whereas whatever possible implications of the cosmos might be just completely horrific.


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## Sacrieur

I just sorta live every day.

You should just stop thinking about it, because you'll have plenty of time to not think about it when you're dead. It's silly to use that time thinking about the time you'll be spending not being able to think.


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## Gorecki

When i was about 9-12 i experienced depression and panic attacks because of the thought that after i die i would cease to exist... but i was taking the wrong perspective. Death is when you cease to exist, you have no conscious experience, experience of time or feelings. It's impossible to imagine death, since death is not something you actually experience. Everything there is is compressed between the moment you are born and the moment you die.


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## discoveryother

existence (as in identity) is only instrumental, not real.

as they say, the molecules you are made of now are different to the ones you were made of many years ago. in those thought experiments about teleportation, the old body disappears and the new body is created. it doesn't matter that your body dies because the illusion continues.

dying could be personally horrible. death could be unpleasant for those left behind. death (of an identity) only exists in the minds left behind, which are the only ones who hold the idea of your identity coming to an end. this functions the same way that anti-abortion people are able to construct an identity of a newly conceived child. the clue is even in the word "conceived". as in its a concept - and that is all that it is. if you think death is horrible, then its horrible. if you think its great, then its great.


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## WillYouStopDave

The scariest thing about nonexistence is you won't know when it happens because it won't happen to you.


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## Club Tropicana

You're programmed to want to survive, it's very understandable to be scared. I believe religions are in part so attractive is because people love the idea of not having to die. Unfortunately though we have no reason at all to believe that an afterlife exists but after your permanent death your brain including the chemistry that creates the feeling of fear will cease to function and you won't care one bit.


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## That Random Guy

*Yes.*

In fact, death is probably my top fear.

From time to time, I'll try and imagine death, and I wind up sweating with a racing heart beat.

It's not fun, and I hate the concept, but I try not to think about it.

Every now and then however, it does come to mind.


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## humblebee

Yeah. But it's how I could die that scares me the most. For the nonexistence aspect of death, it will probably be like sleeping without dreams. We all love to sleep, right? There was a time when we didn't exist and none of us remember any of that. So it shouldn't be that bad. 
Actually when I was younger the concept of heaven and hell scared me even though I believed in it. I don't like the idea of existing forever.


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## Franz Ferdinand

Death doesn't scare me, die without having had sex scares me. :grin2:


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## hunterjumper11

Yep, I get panic attacks about this all the time. I'm agnostic but a part of me truly hopes and wishes that there is something after we die because the thought of there being NOTHING is just terrifying. :um


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## AvoidantGuy

No the thought of death is relaxing to me. Certain ways of dying is what scares me, but the actual death part, the unknown is calming in a weird way. It is going to be like before I was born, and that nothingness is peaceful.


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## Skygrinder

I'm agnostic, so I'm not completely close minded to existence of God. But If there is a God, I don't believe it would be any kind of God from religions, though. I am scared of death, but I'm kinda grateful for it because it completely removes the possibility of me committing suicide, which is great because I do get suicidal thoughts quite often. Fear in this situation is a really nice silver lining for me.


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## Gamgee

I used to have periods where I couldn't sleep because I thought of death, having severe anxiety over it etc. Nowadays, however, it's not death that scares me. Not my own, at least. I dread the death of close ones, of course. For my own sake, what I fear the most, is getting crippled by age and not being able to take care of myself. I'd almost rather die before that happens.
Death is inevitable. Nobody can really do anything about that. I've realised that panicking over something that's out of my control is pointless.


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## DeathBill

I am not afraid of non existence.. It doesn't scare me at all.. Mostly because I believe in going to Death & Eternal everlasting sleep that we will never awaken from.. We will know nothing going on around us after were dead.. Our bodies will rot or decay & eventually return back to dust.. We will be gone forever & will cease to exist from that moment of Death you will be in Eternal everlasting sleep in Death.. 

I actually looking forward to Death someday but for now enjoying this life & making the most of it doing things I enjoy doing while I still have a life to live.. But when that day comes no matter how death comes my way, I am looking forward to going to my Eternal Sleep in Death..


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## DeathBill

Gamgee said:


> I used to have periods where I couldn't sleep because I thought of death, having severe anxiety over it etc. Nowadays, however, it's not death that scares me. Not my own, at least. I dread the death of close ones, of course. For my own sake, what I fear the most, is getting crippled by age and not being able to take care of myself. I'd almost rather die before that happens.
> Death is inevitable. Nobody can really do anything about that. I've realised that panicking over something that's out of my control is pointless.


For my own sake, what I fear the most, is getting crippled by age and not being able to take care of myself. I'd almost rather die before that happens. I couldn't agree more.. I do hope to Die before that happens.. That like you is what I fear, growing old to the point you can't be who you are today. I'm sorry I don't want to be taken care of or be a burden.. I want to be in my eternal sleep before that..


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## DeathBill

I am not afraid of death either, infact I look forward too it someday, I mean yet I am not rushing it as I still have somethings I want to do here first before I die, but I do look forward too death both the onset of death & death itself.. I look forward to going to an ever eternal sleep aka death non existence.. when I say eternal sleep, its definitely not like the sleep we do here on earth but greater & deeper & everlasting sleep you never ever will wake up from ever again.. Here in this world we subject to dreams on occasion, there is no dreaming in death sleep.. Your out of it for good.. So just wanted to make sure that was cleared up cause I mention it before in other parts of this forum and it was scrutinized a lot. 

So yes I am absolutely not afraid of dying, death, going to my death, and when time comes I am more than ready to die & go to that eternal sleep in death and be non existent.. I am hoping it comes sooner rather than later, I mean I want some time but I would hope my death comes before 70, I really don't want to get too old.. I'm more afraid of getting old than I am of dying and going to my grave.. I am sorry but I don't want to be old and have so much wrong with you, that you can't enjoy doing things. **** retirement, rather be in my grave than be old and senial or have lots of health issues.. l already think it was a mistake that they got people living too long for their own good.. should of left where basic life span was 65, instead of increasing the life span too in the 100;s, what kind of life is that.. Your lucky if you an even move when your 100.. sorry no thank you.. Rather be in my eternal everlasting sleep long before that.. 

I want to say no matter how harsh the pain is of a massive heart attack will be but I am ready to endure the pain to get too death & eternal sleep in death.. Or if I am to be executed by someone who wishes to shoot and kill me, I can't say I won't be totally not frighten by the situation more than I am of dying from it but at same time I'd like to think I won't be frighten too die from it.. 

my only 2 wishes is that esp natural causes death, I wish to die natural and nude just as I was born, & too also go to my grave & eternal sleep nude or naked just as I was born into this world nude before they put clothes on me, I was natural, I did not come here in clothing, I came out of my mom's womb nude, I want to and believe in returning to the earth nude or natural.. There is no reason too have clothing on my body after death.. Far as decency or modest, I am modest nude. Its people with dirty minds that make nudism dirty not being natural itself.. if that person wishes not see a nude dead body, then they don't have to come up too the casket. they can stay back.. There choice. but its my choice I believe in going to my death and my eternal sleep in the grave nude or natural however you want too call it.. 


Like everyone been saying you don't know what goes on after death.. Your non existent, its not scary at all.. Looking forward too it.. Long lasting eternal sleep once in for all..


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## Rachel NG

No I don't find it scary. Sorry, I don't know how to help you get over worrying about it, because I don't understand being scared of it.


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## peterbutter

From time to time I would freak out about being in the state of non-existence for eternity. I mean for billions and trillions of years, that's kinda scary. Our life is so short and goes by so fast.


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## notBlair

Nonexistence does scare me, but it's more so the fact that "I" will cease to exist, _*forever*_.

I've had these thoughts since I was really young, and had never come across anything that verbalized what I felt until I read an article on Rookiemag years ago and it made me feel a bit better now knowing others felt it too. And I recently learned it had a name (Apeirophobia).

Something that's given me the tiniest bit of consolation is thinking that in a way before I was born I "experienced" this nonexistence for who knows how long. It's only in life that this notion is scary because all you've known is existing and getting to a point where you'll never exist again forever is pretty horrifying to me too.

However, I've never come a cross a way anyway to rationalize or accept this. It's inevitable and all you really _can_ do is live in the interim, in a very literal way because time goes on and it doesn't matter if you're afraid, you'll live and things happen and it will eventually stop. So what you _should_ do is live in the not-so-literal way but in a metaphorical way and try to push back those thoughts and enjoy your cognizant existence in any way possible.


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## gumballhead

It's always scared me. I remember the first time I ever really even considered it, I was 7. I'd read a book about dinosaurs, and had reflected on how they had been dead for millions of years. Then I thought about how at one point, I'll have been dead for millions of years,( an atheist even then!) and yet the universe will still be there, in some way at least. I thought about how eventually our planet will die as well, and even IT will have been dead for millions of years. As sentient beings, it's difficult for us to wrap our minds around a world in which we don't get to exist, so we invent stupid ideas like Heaven of Hell. It's a frightening thing, nonexistence, but you won't be around when it comes your way anyhow, so no reason to focus on something that won't really concern you at all.


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## Kalakotkas

I don't understand what's to be scared about.
You're alive or dead. Why wasting time to worry about a condition of non-existance if you won't even be conscious at that point?


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## Rhythmbat

how can it be scary? if you cannot remember anything before your birth you will not remember anything after dying. Just think about it: there was a time where you didn't exist and suddenly you are here somehow, so it's going to be similar. i think is going to be like "welp... it was nice to exist i suppose". but maybe if you leave something to be remembered you won't actually truly disappear. In a sense you keep living through your work.

the process of dying though, that's the scary part. it's probably going to hurt and su*k a lot for who knows how much time.


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## DeathBill

WillYouStopDave said:


> The scariest thing about nonexistence is you won't know when it happens because it won't happen to you.


I agree. I am not afraid of non existance. Your not going to know nothing, you'll be in your eternal sleep, in non existance. So your not going to know nothing that happens. So really nothing to be afraid of.

I am not afriad to die, because I will be going to Eternal Sleep in Death and Non existance when I die..


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## DeathBill

Don't be afraid.. there is nothing to fear but fear itself.. Once you die you'll be in Eternal Everlasting Sleep or other words non existance, your never going to awake again. So you will not know anything about it.. It'll be alright.. Your worrying yourself for nothing..


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## Chevy396

DeathBill said:


> Don't be afraid.. there is nothing to fear but fear itself.. Once you die you'll be in Eternal Everlasting Sleep or other words non existance, your never going to awake again. So you will not know anything about it.. It'll be alright.. Your worrying yourself for nothing..


How do you know some AI in the future won't resurrect your consciousness from your DNA and stick it in a robot body? And I maintain that it would be pretty funny if the AI was named Jesus (the Spanish pronunciation).

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


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## DeathBill

I really don't see that happening..


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## DeathBill

lisa anne said:


> I don't believe in afterlife but we live on in other ways. You live through memories people have, stories passed down, the photo on the wall, that song you recorded, that painting you did. You might not be there in the form you once were and presence is physically subdued. But nothings ever forgotten or gone.


I totally agree with this.. 

For once In Death forever in Death in Eternal Everlasting sleep.. However memories last a long time with those you leave behind so do not be afraid of taking many pictures with loved ones and making memories that will last their life time..


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## itsonlyamatteroftime

Life is painful, and so is death. Nonexistence will probably be quite nice by comparison.


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## ShadowWraith

It's certainly not scary. In fact, it's not anything.


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## DeathBill

Very True.. Not scary at all.. Simply Eternal Everlasting sleep. Will not ever feel anything or know anything once your dead. Simply non existant in an Eternal Everlasting Sleep that you will never ever wake up from ever..


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## masterridley

If only there was a way to pass to nonexistence with the touch of a button or something. I would smash that button so hard.


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## EggsBenedict

Little Ham said:


> Has anyone ever experienced a panic attack or depression about the fact that we are all doomed in the end? It's hard for me to face the reality that I will die someday, and it's possible that I will not ever exist again for all eternity. Has anyone ever felt the same way? As an Atheist, how do you deal with death?
> 
> Sometimes I feel a little jealous of my Christian friends who take comfort in their beliefs that Jesus will save them and heaven is waiting for them on the other side.


I really never think about this. I have less of a fear of death than most any other time in my life.

Maybe this is because I'm barely existing as it is.


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## BravoTwoZero

Little Ham said:


> Has anyone ever experienced a panic attack or depression about the fact that we are all doomed in the end? It's hard for me to face the reality that I will die someday, and it's possible that I will not ever exist again for all eternity. Has anyone ever felt the same way? As an Atheist, how do you deal with death?
> 
> Sometimes I feel a little jealous of my Christian friends who take comfort in their beliefs that Jesus will save them and heaven is waiting for them on the other side.


You've already not existed before, 13.78 billion years passed before you were born. Put another way all of us haven't existed for 99.9999999999999999999999 percent of the universe. While I'm still afraid of the process leading up to death, I'm not all that afraid of not existing.


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## DeathBill

BravoTwoZero said:


> You've already not existed before, 13.78 billion years passed before you were born. Put another way all of us haven't existed for 99.9999999999999999999999 percent of the universe. While I'm still afraid of the process leading up to death, I'm not all that afraid of not existing.


Simply Eternal everlasting sleep..

I am not really afraid of death like heart attack, I know all death has to have some major pain and true its not going too feel real good in process of dying but it has too be painful unfortuantly because its your body shutting down, so yea its not going to be pleasant and probably alot of pain no matter what kind of death we experience, part of me will be nervous about it but I really don't want to be afraid of it either.. I want to die someday because its a part of life. I want to then after death go too non existence or aka Eternal Everlasting sleep. I am more afraid of getting past 80 and getting alzheimer disease or dementia and become something I'm not or become a bother to others. I want a massive heart attack sometime anywhere in my late 40's any time all the way up till 75 but preferred to be gone before 80.. Yea so I want to live enjoy what time I have left doing things I enjoy doing until the day I get to die and go to my eternal everlasting sleep or as you say Non Existance..


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## truant

If there is nothing after death, then there is no time and the "everlasting sleep" would pass in less "time" than it takes you to blink. I'm not going to spend my life being afraid of literally nothing.


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## WillYouStopDave

truant said:


> If there is nothing after death, then there is no time and the "everlasting sleep" would pass in less "time" than it takes you to blink. I'm not going to spend my life being afraid of literally nothing.


 It's not the after I fear. It's the before after.


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## DeathBill

truant said:


> If there is nothing after death, then there is no time and the "everlasting sleep" would pass in less "time" than it takes you to blink. I'm not going to spend my life being afraid of literally nothing.


Eternal Sleep is non existance.. Your in eternal sleep, meaning you will never awake again.. Its not the same sleep like we do here on earth.. Its Eternal never ending.. Eternal Everlasting sleep aka Non Existance..


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## truant

DeathBill said:


> Eternal Sleep is non existance.. Your in eternal sleep, meaning you will never awake again.. Its not the same sleep like we do here on earth.. Its Eternal never ending.. Eternal Everlasting sleep aka Non Existance..


Well, yeah, it's obviously not the same. By definition, there's no possible way to experience non-existence, so there's no possible way to experience any duration associated with it. So "eternal sleep" is literally over in less than an instant.

People act like winking out when you die is this horrible thing but by comparison getting a needle at the dentist is infinitely more painful and lasts infinitely longer. And if there is a God he put us here so we can experience getting needles at the dentist over and over again until we die. Experiencing the embarrassment of showing up at choir practice in heaven wearing socks and sandals would be hell by comparison to an eternity of non-existence.

It just seems weird for people to be afraid of something that happens so fast and so painlessly that they'll never even know that it happened. The pain beforehand is obviously another matter.

Tbh, I'm too much of a cynic to be entirely convinced of non-existence. I've come all the way back around to religion in my old age. The only thing that makes sense to me now is that there is a God, that he doesn't like me, and that I will spend all of eternity experiencing one or another of the hells he's concocted. It's atheists -- not theists -- who are the optimists, imo.


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## rmb1990

Sadly life isn’t just about learning how to live, it’s also about learning how to die. I have yet to reach that point but I try everyday. Some people just don’t think about it, or if they do just briefly. It’s important we all think about it but when it gets to the point where it ruins your everyday life maybe talking to someone close to you or therapy may help. I’m considering that myself. I think when the time comes we’ll all be ok regardless.


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## DeathBill

rmb1990 said:


> Sadly life isn't just about learning how to live, it's also about learning how to die. I have yet to reach that point but I try everyday. Some people just don't think about it, or if they do just briefly. It's important we all think about it but when it gets to the point where it ruins your everyday life maybe talking to someone close to you or therapy may help. I'm considering that myself. I think when the time comes we'll all be ok regardless.


Agreed.. very true about learning how to die.  I am living and enjoying life doing things I enjoy doing but at the same time I also very much open to death and dying and going to my eternal everlasting sleep someday. I am not afraid to die and I do want too die someday because no one lives forever but mostly I don't want too live too be really too old to live and be bored and have to be cared for too me thats not living life. I want too die before I get too that point, I'd rather die in my 40's, 50's 60's living life and enjoying life and enjoy doing things I enjoy doing and some might say these ages are too young too die, I say not really, not if you have lived a good life and your happy with your life and you got to live most of it but before you get too point where your just alive but not really living and enjoying life than what fun is that.. I don't want to be that old where alzheimer takes away everything from you or dementia takes away everything.. I'll honestly be happier to die in my 40's 50's or 60 or even 70's as long as I am able to be functional and been able to enjoy life doing things I enjoy doing over being basically a living vegetable for someone to have too take care of and be in the way of someone else getting to live their life..


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## WillYouStopDave

truant said:


> Well, yeah, it's obviously not the same. By definition, there's no possible way to experience non-existence, so there's no possible way to experience any duration associated with it. So "eternal sleep" is literally over in less than an instant.


 Well, actually, that kind of implies that "eternal sleep" has an end. The entire language has been mucked up with superstition. Death isn't sleep of any kind. Dead people are not asleep. They're dead. They're not even people anymore. The word "person" implies there's someone in there. It's just a body once death occurs.

Literally nothing happens to the person after death because for them, there isn't an after. This is the scary part. When people are dying, they have to see this coming and they KNOW deep down that they are facing the absolute end.

I mean, I think religious people really know deep down. It's just not easy to live when they know/acknowledge that everything could just plain end in a heartbeat and everything they have accomplished will just be someone else's memories.


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## DeathBill

truant said:


> If there is nothing after death, then there is no time and the "everlasting sleep" would pass in less "time" than it takes you to blink. I'm not going to spend my life being afraid of literally nothing.


Everlasting sleep or Eternal Sleep is Death.. Its not the same sleep that you think of here on earth.. Its Eternal and never ending. You will never awake from Death or Eternal Everlasting sleep. Its forever.. Non Existance..


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## peterbutter

I used to have a great deal of fear of eternal non-existance. I don't really have much fear of that anymore. Not so much because I want to get this life over with - though at times I feel I do want to get this life over with as soon as possible. 

My philosophy of life has changed. I see death as a natural part of life.You should not fear it. In this short life you have on earth, you better make the best of it. I see too many people selfishly living in the moment by chasing after material goods and not giving a damn about their future. Life is about giving to your community and creating a legacy.


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## Gamgee

I try to think that we're all going to die. Nobody is immune to death. If we stop existing - what is there to it? If not - what an adventure!


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## DeathBill

peterbutter said:


> I used to have a great deal of fear of eternal non-existance. I don't really have much fear of that anymore. Not so much because I want to get this life over with - though at times I feel I do want to get this life over with as soon as possible.
> 
> My philosophy of life has changed. I see death as a natural part of life.You should not fear it. In this short life you have on earth, you better make the best of it. I see too many people selfishly living in the moment by chasing after material goods and not giving a damn about their future. Life is about giving to your community and creating a legacy.


Agreed ^^


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## DeathBill

Gamgee said:


> I try to think that we're all going to die. Nobody is immune to death. If we stop existing - what is there to it? If not - what an adventure![/QUO
> 
> Yes you are right. were all going to die true.. I look forward too it someday. The part you have backwards though is non existing.. It comes after death. When your dead your no longer going too exist.. Once we die we will go too eternal sleep in death aka non existance. You will know nothing ever again.. You will not feel cold or hot, you won't feel love or hate.. you know nothing nor will you ever know anything again..


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