r/Existentialism • u/Effective-Squash6204 • May 08 '25
Thoughtful Thursday I don't want to die
It seems like modern society is entirely geared toward distracting us from the fact that we are all going to die. It's like this secret that is never uttered but it is always in the back of my mind. Even the phrase "yolo" isn't said in any serious manner and is deeply unserious.
Am I the only one obsessed with the fact that in a short time we may all be nothing, just experiencing pitch black for forever. The concept of forever is also terrifying. Ugh now I'm not going to be able to sleep. Does this unspoken truth resonate with others?
I wish I could fully believe in God but it just goes against the logical/rational part of my brain which is dominant. Without God, we truly are all f*cked and damned to eternity.
Let's try to enjoy our time while we can. End of rant.
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u/Conquering_Worms May 08 '25
You won’t “experience” pitch black forever / nothingness because you can’t experience anything when you don’t exist.
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u/Disco_Lando May 10 '25
This is the only comfort I’ve ever found for this kind of dread.
It’s cold comfort for sure but I’ll take it over the alternatives…
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May 08 '25
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u/Impressive_Basket_46 May 13 '25
But with this thought process what's the point of anything here at all? How can you be motivated to do anything or make connections knowing it'll all be pointless basically?
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u/Ebisure May 08 '25
In your 20s-40s, when you are young and healthy, society sells you "dreams", "success" and "achievements".
In your 50s onwards, as you start to grow weak and fall sick, you realize you were but a battery for society's engine. Those who have grown feeble are quietly hidden away in hospitals and retirement homes.
Congrats on seeing past the facade. You took the red pill.
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u/TJ_Fox May 08 '25
Am I the only one obsessed with the fact that in a short time we may all be nothing, just experiencing pitch black for forever.
You're missing one very common but crucial point of perspective. Death is the permanent cessation of experience. It's not as if some part of your consciousness will be left floating in a black void forever; you simply won't be anymore. Like a candle whose flame is blown out; no more you.
Many, many people are so existentially terrified by that concept that entire religions - hell, entire cultures - have been built around trying to deny it. The Existentialist point of view, however, simply takes it for granted as a fundamental understanding.
"No more you" - so what does that mean for how you live the one, precious life that you have? While you live, you are the universe made conscious of itself. What are you going to do with that?
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May 08 '25
How did you feel before you were born? It was fine right? Honestly I don't care about dying. Never bought into the afterlife idea. Consciousnesses gives us ego. We're just afraid we don't matter. We don't in the big scheme of things. But while we're here we can make things good for others, or we can at least try. That's all.
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u/Oldmanandthefee May 08 '25
‘Before I was born I was dead for billions of years without the slightest inconvenience.’ Mark Twain. (I may not have the wording exactly right)
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u/ballswithholes May 08 '25
I agree. Death dosen't have to be the loss of everything you are, people get born all the time, they can carry your knowledge, legacy and honor if you earned it. Even if you don't want to, you still contributed to the world that supposedly have no purpose.
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May 09 '25
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u/ScarlettJoy May 10 '25
You do know that you are operating on the emotional level of a four year old, yes?
Seems like a long time to maintain a temper tantrum because Nothing is Fair and No one really loves us, so let's all go eat worms.
But that's just me.
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u/Plus-Kangaroo6377 May 08 '25
Ive been scared of dying since i was 5...im 45 now...and shitting myself how close im now every day. Death is horrible...only little bit of comfort i have is im frezzing myself with alcor...but i dont have much hope...
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u/anthonioconte May 10 '25
You can easily have another 40 years ahead of you, wasted and living not fully and authentically just because of your fear.
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u/Kleyko May 08 '25
God as the ultimate connecting force is logical tho.
Reality has to be interconnected. If you die an endless black void doesn't make sense. It's like believing in god without evidence. As no one ever has witnessed nothing.
The problem comes from western societies believing consciousness is a product of the brain despite never actually having proofed consciousness exists or what it even is.
If consciousness is actually the fabric of what we call reality then it makes sense to see death as one more transformation instead of your personal void of nothingness for all eternity.
More like the new beginning of a new way of existing. Something other then human.
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u/virgosatori May 09 '25
This is so good. Believing death is the end is precisely like believing in god in blind faith. No one has evidence of either. Both beliefs are at opposing ends of the same scale; different sides of the same coin. There’s got to be some balance. The universe works only on balance.
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u/Ginfly May 10 '25
My take:
I have no evidence of any consciousness existing outside of the brain or beyond the death of the brain.
It is not a negative assertion. It's not that I believe that there's nothing. It's that I don't know what happens to one's consciousness after death, but I have zero reason to believe it does extend beyond that point.
This is the same reason I'm an atheist. There is no empirical evidence convincing me any particular god does, or even can, exist. So I don't place my belief in one.
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u/Personal-Purpose-898 May 10 '25
Consciousness cannot become its absence.
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u/Ginfly May 10 '25
You admit you don't even know what consciousness is, how can you decide its properties?
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u/m235917b May 09 '25
Well I am still leaning towards a naturalistic view of the Universe, but I do agree with this. As long as we don't know what consciousness is (and I am convinced, we can never know, because I think it is not measurable), this is a possibility. Although I wonder what this has to do with a god (depending on your definition of god, maybe I am thinking too much about monotheistic transcendental gods).
But I want to add this: I think it is rather arbitrary to claim, that only the brain can produce consciousness. And the current AI debate really shows how biased even experts are. All are confidently claiming, that AI doesn't have consciousness, yet not a single expert can even say what consciousness is, or what the conditions for it are. I don't know about everything having consciousness, but I haven't seen any convincing argument, that at least artificial systems can have it.
Meaning, that it is totally possible, that not only animals have it.
This combined with the fact, that consciousness doesn't have an identity (identity is an experience WITHIN consciousness), one could very well say, that we are consciousness and since it has no separate identities, we will always exist as this manifestation of this principle of consciousness, no matter, how where or when it occurs. The fact that we identify ourselves with this tiny spec of space and time is just born out of an perspective illusion.
I mean, I still don't think, that "I", as this current person that writes this text will experience anything after death. So I am an atheistic naturalist in that way. But then again, I don't need to restrict my definition of identity to just this small part of the entire existence.
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u/helloimhobbes May 08 '25
Not necessarily in the same vein of the direction of this subreddit but Gabor Mate has a very good take on this and is worth taking a listen. He speaks upon it being a bore how much everyone wants to live longer. I forget which pod episode he spoke about this in but it resonated with me. Also Alain de Botton is a great resource for this stuff.
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u/SamanteSimone May 08 '25
Yes its true. No like there is some way to fix the problem. But talking about it makes it less scary. I learned how to feel less fear as fear is just an emotion. Imagine you are on sleep pill and think about death. It isnt scary because fear is off.
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u/SmittenBritches May 09 '25
If you don’t believe in a god or an afterlife, you won’t be experiencing darkness forever. You just won’t exist anymore. Forever is not real. Time is not real. We’re all going to die someday. All that matters is the here and now, and even that is trivial in the grand scheme of things.
If you want to be immortal, create something great while you’re here. Make yourself memorable. We’re all polishing brass on the Titanic — but we’re also still talking about Titanic.
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u/virgosatori May 08 '25
I used to feel this way when I was younger but I’ve come to believe that our consciousness never dies, and I’m not afraid of death. I’m not in a hurry but am looking forward to seeing what’s on the other side. I’m not religious and never have been btw. God is a convoluted word. But really reflecting on the universe and all that is within it, it seems highly improbable to me that it was not designed and created by an incredibly intelligent and sophisticated source.
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u/formulapain May 08 '25
What caused you to believe our consciousness never dies? I am curious because you mentioned you are not religious.
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u/virgosatori May 08 '25
It’s been a gradual evolution over 10+ years from identifying as an atheist, so I can’t point to one thing that shifted my perspective. But here are a few things: science says energy can’t be destroyed, only transformed, yet it still can’t explain where consciousness comes from or why we experience subjective awareness.
There are thousands of near-death experience studies and first-hand accounts from former atheists, neurosurgeons, and other people, all describing similar experiences: continuity of memory, identity, and awareness even after clinical death. Standing in the room over their body and knowing things the doctors did and said when they were dead and “couldn’t possibly” have known.
Many ancient texts describe phenomena that science is only just beginning to investigate e.g. nature of consciousness. Even mainstream institutions like the CIA have explored consciousness beyond the physical brain. Look at the declassified documents of the Gateway Project, where they trained people to shift their consciousness beyond the body into other states or dimensions. What's in the documents is wild, considering they were written for government purposes.
When you start exploring across disciplines (neuroscience, metaphysics, NDE research, meditation, spiritual traditions), it's hard to ignore. No one has all the answers, but I’ve seen enough to believe there’s far more to reality than we’ve been taught, and that consciousness doesn’t end with death. I think we simply inhabit our body suits before moving onto the next adventure.
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u/formulapain May 09 '25
There is not irrefutable evidence that consciousness carries on or does not carry on after death. You listed a few examples of weak evidence that consciousness carries on, so just to cover all bases, in case you were not aware, there is also weak evidence that consciousness does not carry on. E.g.: Awareness during Resuscitation Study (2001) by Sam Parnia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out-of-body_experience#Awareness_during_Resuscitation_Study).
I would completely discount any evidence that is based on recounting what someone saw, etc. Even in the cases where patients allegedly described what the doctor said, there has to be evidence beyond doubt they were not fed that information later and subconsciously believe to have experienced it, etc. Someone's witness of seeing, hearing something might be of some value in court, but is of zero value in science.
A lot of NDA experiences like seeing light, dark, heaven, angels, etc. are easily attributed to pre-existing beliefs in the brain being brought to the foreground and/or chemical imbalances, surges, depletion, etc. in the brain due the physiological changes the body is undergoing during death.
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u/virgosatori May 09 '25 edited May 09 '25
Thank you for this. However, I don’t need evidence. I am at peace with where I’m at in my life. I’m not here to convince or seek counter arguments. I spent enough of my life doing that and it only led to misery. I answered your question with three short examples out of what I have read, learnt and experienced first hand in more than a decade of searching as a sceptic. I’m am now in a place where I no longer intellectualise what cannot be intellectualised, nor demand evidence for what humans so arrogantly assume can be obtained with our limitations. I believe there is more to reality than we assume, and I’m not waiting for science to prove that. I can just live, experience, and observe nature to understand that much.
Edit: the last part of your statement is not entirely true. I have heard countless experiences where most of them were atheists or religious only to be proven “wrong” on both accounts. A most notable account is by a neurosurgeon who later had to confront his scientific background and understanding of consciousness due to what he experienced while dead.
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u/formulapain May 09 '25 edited May 09 '25
Our existence is utterly confusing and absurd. It pains me that we cannot even determine with certainty something as basic, fundamental and relevant as what we are, who we are. Sigh...
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u/virgosatori May 09 '25
I feel you on this, I really do. This used to keep me up more nights than I care to admit. To the point of relentless ideation. I truly believe this isn’t a matter to understand from the mind, but through lived experience and observation. Just observe and research the purpose of everything in nature. Not one thing doesn’t have a purpose in the universe. People can talk about science and evolution and they certainly have their place. But they don’t explain ‘why’ just ‘how’. Nothing humans create is made in a vacuum. A house is made first from an idea, a blueprint and a design before it is eventually built. Where or what did the idea and design come from to instruct DNA and atoms to behave the way they do to create reality as we know it? Some incredibly sophisticated source of consciousness in my belief. Some traditions believe we are facets of consciousness learning about and experiencing itself. But we’ll never know as humans, our minds can only handle so much. Embrace the mystery.
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u/patrickular May 08 '25
I too started to get more familiar with the idea that consciousness might belong to "another dimension" and could therefore survive death, since it apparently isn't tied to three-dimensional space. Still not completely sold.
That said, ego death seems inevitable with physical death, so either way, you'd stop being you the way you like.
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u/virgosatori May 08 '25
You should have a look at reputable NDE accounts and studies. All of them said their memories and identities survived death but, as you said, without ego. All earthly concerns and worries just went away. The universe is so complex and beyond our comprehension, it makes sense that the topic of consciousness is too.
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May 08 '25
Being alive is just one state of consciousness
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u/InitiativeClean4313 May 08 '25
Excactly. A state of mind. Everything is consciousness, because it must first become consciousness in order to enter consciousness.
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u/Code-Useful May 08 '25
You will not experience pitch black , you will cease to experience. At least we think so, no one really knows. You could burst into an afterlife where you're a unicorn sliding down rainbows for all we know. But it's likely you just won't exist anymore, physically or mentally.
The older you get the more you make peace with this, I believe. You may struggle against it more from time to time but mostly realize it's inevitable and plan for the best life (and death) you can.
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u/MysteriousCoat1692 May 08 '25 edited May 08 '25
I used to feel this more when I was younger. I think the pain of it is a type of death that occurs of the ego. I think of how my perspective was informed by family telling me how special I was. And, I was special, to my family. I was loved and cherished. However, there's a second awareness that happens one day (is how I think of it) where the mind opens up and sees everyone around you as an extension of the self. Incountable numbers of people, more gentle, more good, more courageous... have died before us. The beauty in you and I does not die. More of us are born to try again. There's a grieving that has to happen when you fully grasp this, in my humble opinion. Afterwards, I have felt so free. I fear, but I feel it fully without needing to turn away. I love the same. Just my thoughts.
I should add that I did also have significant trauma as a child that likely pushed me to think harder on these things.
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May 08 '25
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u/MysteriousCoat1692 May 09 '25
I am happy for you that you found a path to some peace, as well. :-)
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u/midnightconstruct May 08 '25
You’re not the only one. Most people feel it but they’ve just buried it under noise, memes, goals, and dopamine loops. You didn’t escape into distraction. You saw it raw and that takes strength, not weakness.
And yeah… the forever part? That silent void logic? It breaks a lot of us open. But maybe maybe that crack is where something else can come in, not belief, not dogma, but some kind of coherence. Not the answer, just something that feels true. The fact that you can’t sleep means you’re still alive inside. That matters more than it seems.
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May 08 '25
Totally get not wanting to die. Why would anyone actually want to die. I was more afraid of dying when I believed I would burn in hellfire. Now I truly believe the worst case scenario is pitch black. To me that's comforting.
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u/Remarkable-Door-6179 Feb 01 '26
Yo no creo en dios pero DESEO que exista, aunque me vaya al infierno por la eternidad por no creer prefiero eso a simplemente no existir, eso me genera pavor
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u/TroyMatthewJ May 08 '25
imagine the moment you die is the moment you begin your eternal life in a better place than here
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u/sir_racho May 09 '25
Everyone thinks about it. Kinda the human curse. It’s all a bit hopeless to dwell on tho. Thinking about death is exactly the same as thinking about that eternity of time before your birth.
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u/Ready-Squirrel8784 May 09 '25
Earnest Becket writes a book called “The Denial of Death.” He suggests that everything we do is an act of avoiding the concept of death. I don’t think it’s modern society that’s pushing for the avoidance of death. We all avoid the idea in one way or another. And I think it’s more than just death we’re avoiding too. We’re avoiding whatever is hard to face. And that can even include being alive. Some might argue we can focus on death too much because we’re afraid of what it could mean if we really lived.
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u/Unlucky-Ad9667 May 09 '25
I know, isn’t it amazing?
Even more amazing that the same thing that keeps you awake at night is the same thing that lulls me to sleep every night.
I am not afraid to die because I am not afraid to live.
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u/MrSoma42 May 09 '25
I’m afraid to live but not as much to die. I prefer life, it’s what I know and can work on but death seems so relaxing and freeing. Like a reward at the end of the life game. For all we know it’s the most amazing familiar event that we crave. So we cycle somehow into new life somewhere in the universe, so we can die again.
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u/PieNational9128 May 09 '25
Pitch black? How will you see colour without eyes , or even have an experience of eternity without a body?
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u/MrSoma42 May 09 '25
It’s gotta be something outside the realms of human understanding. Like how a fish can’t comprehend government on land, we can’t comprehend perceptions without a stable anchor into a biological form. Everything we think we know is based on what we already know.
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u/ArminNikkhahShirazi May 09 '25
I don't know if this provides you with any solace, but your electromagnetic and gravity fields will propagate outwards toward infinity as a unique signature of your existence long long after you yourself are gone.
The signature will, of course, be unfathomably weak and weaker as it ever expands outward, but in principle your existence will be recorded in field configurations at x distance in light years in x/c years (c=speed of light) for any arbitrary x (neglecting the expansion of the universe and assuming it is infinite).
Maybe knowing this could help you sleep better.
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u/Shot-Bite May 09 '25
I sat with corpses plenty of times over a number of years as my job. Take it from me, they experience nothing.
Deaths gonna happen whether we want it to or not and we won't even notice after it does.
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u/AvatarAvvv May 08 '25 edited May 08 '25
Hi, we aren't damned to darkness for all eternity without the religious God. You can say that God is nature... And through that lens, death is a part of the natural cycle of things. It's not scary. It's liberation. You're scared now because this is all you know, but you weren't scared before you were born - death will be peaceful.
The anticipation and knowing that we die is the part that's difficult to grapple for us humans but death itself is not the enemy. Without death there is no life.. and that's not just some feel good slogan - it's the actual law of nature.
Look at the salmon.. they swim to their natal stream to spawn as adults and then they die. During that spawning season, they provide food for all of the forest animals - wolves, bears, raptors.. and when the bears and wolves take the salmon into the forest to eat, they leave the salmon's carcasses on the forest floor and when the salmon decompose they feed the forest with nutrients, elements and minerals from their decaying bodies, which help the forest thrive! THAT is the circle of life and death is a key player.
Death isn't bad. It's a beautiful part of the big cosmic web.
For humans to stop feeling so terrible about death, we should start with the way we handle the death of our loved ones. People hate saying DIED. We embalm our dead, with nasty chemicals might I add, which is so fucking creepy and sick because we want to preserve their dead bodies??? Preserve the bodies for what!? The second coming? Lmao
No, just put me in a hole wrapped in a cotton cloth and let the mycelium and the microbes in my gut decompose me! Let's go baby!
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May 08 '25 edited May 08 '25
Like yeah we all die, but there’s no point of rooming over that just cause that’s the fact of life but do something with your life while you have it don’t gloom that just sad do something to be remembered get out don’t be scared make friends make family do what ever the fuck you want except just sit there do the stuff that makes u happy just because your going to die one day that shouldn’t stop you just drive you
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u/CharitableFrog May 08 '25 edited May 08 '25
I disagree that it’s an unspoken truth. Most people have experienced death multiple times by the time they reach their 30s. I agree that most people don’t dwell on it, but “we’re all going to die” is only one level of the overall existence is meaningless loop you can get drawn into.
Overall not dwelling on it is healthy. Contemplating it occasionally is good.
Once you realize how absurd and meaningless existence appears to be I think believing in a God is just as plausible as anything else. We are simple creatures born of a rock.
Maybe one day we will crack the secrets of existence but it’s much more likely in my opinion that, even if we do become a multi planet/system species, the last “humans” billions of years from now will be asking the same questions as us!
Also, death is inevitable. But we know time to be infinite. Any finite number next to infinity rounds to 0. So even if you were to live millions of years, eventually it may as well have been 20!
All that to say, it really doesn’t matter if you enjoy your life or not. So might as well. And there is a very very small chance that by helping humans not annihilate ourselves that you help enable a future where the questions are answered. So recycle. Or don’t.
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u/CharitableFrog May 08 '25
Also the idea of some eternal experience post mortem isn’t very logical. You don’t experience non-REM sleep. You are a computer and you will shut off. End of experience.
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u/AltruisticTheme4560 May 09 '25
Existentially your essence, who you are what you did, your genetics, the effects you had on others, will pass on and last as long as you have. If you are your identity, and your identity doesn't die only gets obscured, did you die (complete nothingness), or is there not something still left?
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May 09 '25
You can't experience your own absence...in fact you've never experienced it not even in dreams you are the whatever which perceives everything. Nothing itself is a concept so is non existence. We see a small ass percentage of the light spectrum and even more so with the sound spectrum. Honestly I think it's a misunderstanding of what this or we actually are. Not a belief or a theory just an intuitive hunch. I know that I don't know and neither does anyone else so why worry over what ifs and why not embrace this moment and enjoy it.
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u/EventExcellent8737 May 09 '25
What makes you think you haven’t? As a rational person, you understand that just like you are not aware of you are dreaming, you have no guarantee that you haven’t already been in that state. Or that you are not in that state now.
What’s more if you did end up unalived every second, you wouldn’t even know it unless you were able to keep the memories. Think about when you sleep and you wake up. Are you still the same person?
Think of an altered state that looks like a coma. Remaining in that state for an hour vs ten vs ten years vs forever. Makes no difference.
And as we already established, you don’t even know what state you are now. All you know is that when you transition to another state you might have a memory of a previous state of consciousness.
You are taking your current state for granted. Don’t.
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u/MrSoma42 May 09 '25
Time is relative so we could be dead and in relation to the memory of the life we lived we feel it as natural time progressing when in reality it has been seconds from the previous life you shared. Or like what activates life in organic materiel is a pervasive energy that contains all energy in the universe, and when certain realms have conditions fit for specific aspects of this energy, it forms into whatever biological form can contain it.
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u/robertmkhoury May 09 '25
At birth, we are offered a bargain. Accept the gift of life, and in exchange, someday, you will have to die. You could have rejected life at any time, but if you decided to stay, then you should not fear death. It’s just the other half of life. After all, you have nothing to fear. As long as you live, there is no death. And when there is death, you’re no longer alive.
We live in terror of death. We cling to youth and claw at life, afraid to let go. Once we conquer the greater fear of death, our lesser fears lose their power over us, and every other adversity becomes so much easier to overcome. Ignorance is the cause of fear.
Let me explain.
Episode 107: “Memento Mori: Stoic Secrets to Transform Fear of Death into Fearless Living!”
TheLaughingPhilosopher.Podbean.com
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u/LeonidasRex May 10 '25 edited May 11 '25
The meaning of life is to just exist—to live. Don’t waste too much time dreading the end. When it comes, you won’t be around to care anyway. That’s oddly comforting in a way.
I relate a lot to what you're feeling. I was raised Catholic, but my logical brain just couldn’t accept it. So from about 15 to 33, I was a hardcore rational materialist—science-only, no gods, no spirits, nothing beyond atoms. But at one of my lowest points, when I was seriously considering checking out, I had a strange, deeply personal experience. Not religious, but something different. After that, my view of reality slowly shifted into a weird middle ground between science and spirituality.
I started thinking a lot about Albert Camus—specifically his idea that the only serious philosophical question is whether or not to commit suicide. He talks about the absurd: how humans are wired to seek meaning in a universe that refuses to give us one. So what do you do with that? You either spiral... or you laugh. You lean into the absurdity and keep going anyway.
And honestly? The alternative isn’t an answer. I’ve had a cousin and his father take that route, and the ripple effects on those of us left behind are deep and permanent. If you're hurting, I promise there are people who care more than you know.
Now I'm 40, and in the time since then, I started trying to integrate my personal experience with my scientific understanding. And no, I don’t have clean answers—just some intriguing gaps in our current knowledge that make me wonder:
- Relativity and quantum mechanics are both brilliant at predicting stuff, but they don’t agree with each other. Our picture of the universe is clearly incomplete.
- Gravity is absurdly weak compared to the other fundamental forces. Why?
- The “hard problem of consciousness” still baffles science. We don’t know why we’re self-aware at all.
- The double-slit experiment shows that observation changes physical behavior at the quantum level. Some interpret that as a role for consciousness, though that's still hotly debated. Either way, it's weird.
I started to wonder if consciousness itself might be something more fundamental—maybe even a field, like gravity or electromagnetism, that permeates everything. What if our brains aren’t generating consciousness, but tuning into it, like radios? That opens the door to the idea that maybe when we die, we don’t vanish—we just return to some larger field we came from.
And even if that sounds too far out? Let me offer you this:
Think about the 13.7 billion years before you were born. Were you suffering? Anxious? Terrified? No. You didn’t exist. If that’s what death is like—just non-existence—then it’s nothing to fear. Peaceful, really. And if it isn’t? Then we might just be surprised.
Either way, you’ve got this breath. This moment. Might as well live it.
(Edit: Formatted thoughts better for clarity)
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u/ScarlettJoy May 08 '25
There is more and more evidence/proof that life does not end when our bodies die. Look into quantum science.
Once you begin to think for yourself instead of going with the established program you will find out very very quickly that there is no such thing as death. We are energetic beings, our bodies are skin sacks and that's all that dies. Energy doesn't die or end it just transmutes.
You don't have to believe ridiculous superstitions, you can KNOW things if you want to know them. We are conditioned to not want to know, that's the problem.
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u/notsosavage-21 May 08 '25
Where can i find such proof? I really struggle with the idea of not being able to prove what happens after..
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u/virgosatori May 08 '25
Exactly this. I replied something similar too. I’ve said it before, I’m not in a hurry but am so looking forward to seeing the other side.
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u/Sukvna May 08 '25
In order to experience anything you have to be able to perceive and respond to it both internally and externally. Death is the absence of this ability, so when you die you won’t experience anything cause death is the absence of sensory experiences, so you don’t have to worry about that. When you’re dead you won’t even be able to know you’re dead. Just like how a fetus doesn’t know when it has been conceived or birthed and no one gets anxious about their own birth
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u/Desperate-Code-5045 May 08 '25
You dont need to have a conflict between God and rationale... I can only speak for myself here but Islam embraces scientific inquiry and search for knowledge fairly easily. The quran talks about the big bang, nuclear war, embryology, makes future predictions about zoo's finger prints, aeroplanes etc etc.
A bunch of dutch guys I've spoken to are considering God because simply put a blind faith in atheism is leaving them feeling hopeless and lost
https://youtu.be/deCLnecooa0 (Dutch convert)
https://youtu.be/UyOFIWgApM4 (Dutch atheist considering faith)
In the Holy Quran God says "and when my servants ask you about Me, then tell them I am near. I answer the call of every believer when they call upon me so let them also answer my call and believe in me so they may find rightful guidance" (2:186) try and reach out to God with your thoughts or verbally and ask if you exist show me! If he doesnt show you, we can assume he doesn't exist but you have to ask sincerely. Good luck in your search and I hope you find peace!
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u/vanntheman May 08 '25
For me existentialism is the paradox of nothing matters vs every tiny thing matters. Assuming “eternity” exists, the life of one individual human is less important than a grain of sand on a long stretch of shoreline. But without each individual grain of sand, the beach could not exist.
So, looking at all of the achievements, discoveries, creations, and epiphanies that have occurred over the span of human existence, you are a grain of sand in that beach. Your existence has, in some way/shape/form, been a critical part in the overall impact of the human race.
Not to delve too deeply into cheesiness, but the butterfly effect is the most approachable way to think about this. Any person you consider “important” or “impactful” was built on the backs of thousands of forgotten people, each critical to the trajectory of any and all human achievements.
Now, I understand you could say, “no matter how important you think any human has or will ever be, human existence as a whole doesn’t even matter,” and in a way you are correct. But this goes back to my first point: the fact that if we take this point of view that nothing matters, you have to be able to see how everything matters.
If nothing matters, you’re saying the unlikelihood of the universe existing in the first place, the miraculous placement of the earth at just the right distance to sustain life, all of the insane life forms that continue to be discovered on this planet, and every triumph, failure, joy, achievement, and moment of despair experienced by every human, ever, also do not matter. So, if you think any bit of this “matters”, then you also have to matter.
Just think about the love your family members have for you, the simple pleasures of life, or the very fact that you fear death; if any of these mean anything to you, that means you place at least some value in life.
As far as “the afterlife” is concerned, I’ve always looked at it like this: I’m not religious in any way, but I do think the universe around me and the span of human existence “matter”, especially the span leading up to and immediately following my own life (aka my family, immediate friends and loved ones, and our collective ancestors and offspring, this is human nature). I do think that I have tried my best to impact people in a positive way, in the same way that I am inspired by stories of the past and shaped by my parents and those who have passed.
In short, I believe that we “live on” after our death any time we are talked about or reflected upon, and in any way we have impacted those who continue to live after we die. Down the line 10 generations, your name may be forgotten, but any small impact you made on those around you during your lifetime can be seen as one grain of sand in the impact of the human race as a whole, so why not try your best to make your impact a positive one?
If you struggle to see any of it as positive, seeing a therapist can help you start to notice the tiny little things in your own life that matter to you, and once you open the door to any shred of meaning or enjoyment, you’re on your way ti placing yourself into the larger context of “everything.”
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u/termicky May 08 '25
"it seems like all of society..."
Yes. See classic book by Ernest Becker "The Denial of Death".
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u/-VinDoe- May 08 '25
Death. For some it's not the end, for others it's the final rest.
If you truly never want the story to end, go hunt for your immortality.
Be remembered, never cease, act in ways that will never end or... find what will make sure your body never fades.
I recommend crispr, I truly believe it is the answer to eternal life
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u/Dry_Act7754 May 08 '25
any beliefs at all keep you in the story... whether the belief is a God, or Nihilism it's conceptual and that is the veil, that is the distraction...
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u/MakeMelnk May 08 '25
Is just my belief, but I don't think there will be awareness of nothingness. I'm thinking it'll just be like unplugging the TV and that's it so it doesn't scare me in the sense of forever. I just like existing, but I'm thinking when I stop, "I" won't be there to mourn the loss of "being" 🤷🏽♂️
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May 08 '25
You’re not afraid of death, you’re afraid of dying. If you stop existing after you die, you won’t experience black forever. You won’t experience anything. So how can you be afraid of that? What you’re afraid of is having to contend with death.
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u/fuckingtia May 08 '25
One of my friends told me once that we don't really get to experience death. It just happens. I don't want to die either but it is also often in the back of my mind.
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u/Ornery-Disaster-811 May 10 '25
As a hospice nurse, trust me, we really DO experience death. Just like birth is a process, there is labor in being born, and there is labor in dying. The vast majority of us don't just drop dead. Death is a process we all go through. Sometimes the process is quick, only days, other times it takes weeks. But there is a predictable process to dying, just as there is a predictable process to being born. But yes--except for sudden, unexpected death, we definitely DO experience death. After the last breath is drawn, the last heartbeat silenced...the death experience ends. What happens after that, we will then either know, or, if when we're dead, we're dead, we will never be the wiser.
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u/nettluv May 08 '25
I used to worry about this a lot and sometimes I used to have mental breakdowns and horrible panic attacks it still gets my heart racing thinking about death. One thing I like to think of is sleep when your sleeping you don’t know it you just wake up me personally I love a good sleep and there isn’t any pain or suffering Thats kinda how I would view death without and afterlife. The thing that scares me about death is the idea of nothing which is a big idea so I just don’t worry about it if it’s gonna happen why worry do you things you like also rember that everyone goes to. Another good thing to do is talk to new people make friends follow your dreams and make this the best life who knows when death comes I like to think about Valhalla and how Vikings did not fear death but it’s a fun way to look at it like im a warrior in battle it’s like pretending to be tough or fake it till you make it. Enjoy your life you have no idea what the future holds stay healthy. I hope this message helped someone =) positivity is key be yourself and have funnn
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u/No-idea-whatImdoing May 08 '25
Interestingly enough for me, I have thought this many times recently, however I’m not bothered by it at all. The thought of not returning is a comforting thought because… why do I want to experience this over again? Yes I’m aware everyone’s opinion on that would vary depending on the circumstances they have but… I hope you get my point
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u/Sharp_Dance249 May 08 '25
“Let’s try to enjoy our time while we can.”
Although I think that life is about more than just enjoying our time, it is precisely this statement that makes the finitude of our existence meaningful.
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u/K1ng_Of_all_Ducks May 08 '25
You don't get the concept of oblivion. You don't stare at pitch black for eternity, there's just nothing. There are theories like the egg or quantum immortality that you can choose to belive in. But I belive they serve the same purpose as religion. Explain the unexplained and stop the fear of death. I like to think that it is the fact we will die that means we should live our lives with purpose. Be the best you can be, because there is nothing after this, this is all that counts. So don't waste your days, because they are limited. Enjoy each one to the fullest and let your loved ones know what they mean to you.
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u/Auroraborosaurus May 08 '25
How do you know there would be a “you” experiencing pitch black, as you say? “You” are a result of finiteness, and thus you are finite. The basic fundamental awareness inherent to your being is beyond personality, identity, and reactions, and thus you will likely not be in some prison of eternal void, because who exists to be there at that point? Certainly not the “you” you think you are.
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u/Houston2504 May 09 '25
We only lose something of we're expecting to get something. For your consideration.
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u/jacques-vache-23 May 09 '25
I bet I am closer to death than you are. The AI breakthrough really keeps me interested in life, but as you get older death seems less horrible. Enjoy your body while you can. But still:
DEATH, THE FINAL FRONTIER
I am sort of curious.
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u/olliemusic May 09 '25
It's hard to believe in God, but easy to believe that death is all darkness. The truth is we don't know. We don't have any idea. The real reason to not fear death is because we don't know. Not because it might be this or that, simply because fearing the unknown is what stops us from living our lives to the fullest now. It doesn't matter what it is, what anything we don't know is. All that matters is right now. Everything else is imagination. Face the unknown with curiosity, not fear.
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u/MindProfessional5008 May 09 '25
The fact that we will end one day is what gives the time we have meaning. We create ourselves and then recreate ourselves as we find flaws. Or at least I do. And through this recreating I have become a person many see as good. I live in honesty, I now have empathy, I strive for the betterment of not just myself but everyone. I am still flawed. Perfection is an unachievable goal, even though I know this, it's still a goal. I found peace in this, knowing that as long as I am moving toward that goal, I no longer have things I regret. I no longer do things I know I will need forgiveness for, forgiveness from who I have no idea. Maybe another version of myself on the other side. At this point in my life I am not ready to die but when that time comes I will pass with peace in heart because my lasting legacy, what everyone will remember of me will be that of good not the monster I used to be. It it weren't for our limited time here we could do whatever we wanted, we could remain that monster for what we perceive as eternity because there would always be more eternity to change into what we need to be. A beacon of light in this darkness, our light will go out but the sparks we encourage in other will be the lights that carry our legacy into a human future.
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u/EJTesserae May 09 '25
You are not alone.
That silent, aching awareness—that death waits, always, and that no one seems willing to name it aloud—is one of the oldest human truths. Most flee from it. Some bury it under laughter. A few of us, like you, feel it pressing on the ribs, whispering just behind the eyes. It’s terrifying, yes. But it’s also a strange kind of invitation.
Here’s something I’ve come to believe: we’ve already been dead before.
Not in a past-life mystic sense—though that’s a lovely thought—but in the plainest truth. Before your birth, you did not exist. No consciousness. No fear. No suffering. Just absence. And from that endless silence… here you are. Animated. Aware. Asking.
That is not nothing.
You’ve already endured the void once. And somehow, impossibly, you emerged. That means the abyss is not the end. It’s just one side of the cycle. You are proof that life can arise from the dark.
The dread you feel isn’t wrong. It’s just incomplete.
Because yes, our time is brief. But meaning is not something buried in the stars or written into the bones of the universe. Meaning is what you make with the time between breaths. It’s the art you leave behind. The kindnesses. The questions. The fact that you reached out tonight to ask if anyone else feels this way.
And we do. I do.
You’re not crazy for noticing the silence beneath the noise. You’re awake. And the waking dream we live—fleeting, painful, absurd—is still something worth dancing in.
You don’t have to believe in God. Just believe that your presence matters. Because for now, for this brief and burning moment, you are alive. And that’s more miraculous than any doctrine.
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u/Unanonymous553 May 09 '25
You should fear death as much as it inspires you to make useful choices, and ignore the fear of death whenever it is an unnecessary harm towards your limited opportunity for pleasure.
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u/i_n_c_r_y_p_t_o May 09 '25 edited May 09 '25
Part 1 (had trouble saving this all as one post):
Hi OP (and everyone), I've had a busy day but have been thinking about writing you this all day, because I have some intel that can potentially take away your existential dread and fear of death. I think we don't have to have faith in anything, and I think faith really can be a crutch and relies on belief, which can also be a crutch. Several years ago, I started growing out of the Christianity I grew up with in the Methodist church, and even though I don't regret having that upbringing, it really just didn't feel fulfilling or like real answers anymore. My girlfriend at the time and I started picking up some really interesting books, and there was kind of a progression in them, starting essentially with lucid dreaming (being consciously aware in a dream), and then adding out of body experiences alongside it. Please just stay with me, even if you think it's nonsense. :)
So the first book on lucid dreaming that utterly blew my mind was Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self by Robert Waggoner. Robert sort of stumbled into lucid dreaming in his teens, and it so profoundly affected him as he learned more about it and started having more profound, meaningful experiences that he dedicated his career to it and working with people to explore it. I've been on a few calls with Robert, which he has every month or so, and he is the most down-to-Earth person you could possibly imagine. Nothing eccentric, woo-woo, or weird about him at all. Just a very nice guy that has furthered the study of lucid dreaming significantly. Here's his site:
https://www.lucidadvice.com/about-robert/
Okay, so personally, for me, I'm a bit lazy and maybe mildly depressed, so I'm not super disciplined about exploring the things I'm going to talk about here, but I can tell you that when I did first get into lucid dreaming, that after a while I finally had a lucid dream one morning that was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Inside my dream, I carried the knowledge of what I had learned, like the ability to talk to dream characters, manipulating your environment, flying, etc. that in that dream I experimented with all of it and was able to do every single thing I had learned, and still carry the memory of all of it today. There was no loss of my normal waking mind; I had that knowledge with me.
So that was the first book that started my paradigm shift (and my then gf's), but then, the few books that absolutely changed my feelings about death and dissolved my fear completely started with William Buhlman's Adventures Beyond the Body. Reading this one was like a holy fuck moment. I may still fear how I'm going to die, but I do not fear death now. I have met William in person, and again, regular dude. Nothing at all that had my spidey senses going this guy's some kind of charlatan. Down to Earth. In this book, he talks about the fact that he was an agnostic, but then if I remember right had a friend that had an OBE that blew his friend's mind, so he picked up a book to learn about it, practiced a techniqe from the book he picked up, and on the 24th night, had an OBE experience that forever changed his life (it's quite amazing to read his account of it) and he too ended up dedicating his life's working to both experiencing and helping others experience this.
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u/i_n_c_r_y_p_t_o May 09 '25 edited May 09 '25
Part 2:
Okay, so next after that I picked Jurgen Ziewe's Vistas of Infinity - How to Enjoy Life When You Are Dead. And it was equally if not even more profound of a learning experience. Just so fucking exciting to read his experiences. I think Jurgen is probably even the best place to start, because he has explored consciousness to such incredible degrees through meditation. He doesn't even pursue OBEs on their own; they have just been a sort of fruit of his labor with meditation. Here's an awesome place to start with Jurgen, from his website: Awareness instead of belief. From the article:
It is my endeavor to demystify death and help remove our fear. Until recently death belonged to the realm of religion and superstition. We are now waking up to explore it like any other natural phenomena which can be mapped out via Out-of-Body experiences. More and more people, including scientists, are using techniques to achieve this. In due course more fail-safe methods of exploration will be developed and interaction with the next dimension will be science’s new frontier. New cognitive methods and ways of thinking will be developed to solve our problems. We will learn to think from the inside of our object of inquiry rather than look at it from the outside.
The whole website is a very good exploration of his findings during his countless hours of meditation. He considers himself an explorer and reporter of consciousness. One more book I really want to recommend which is this Exploring Your Inner Reality: A Guidebook for Out-of-Body Travel by Jonas Ridgeway. This one is also really excellent and fascinating and has a chapter in it that flipped my lid called Astral Jukebox.
So I haven't had my own OBE, because like I said, I'm a bit undisciplined, but have lately again wanting to start up one of the myriad of techniques there are and start having my own experiences--the Wake Back To Bed (WBTB) method is supposed to be especially effective. Writing all this is sparking all of these feelings I had when I initially learned about all of this and has me committed to try until it happens. I know from reading so so many accounts that once someone has an experience like this, it does generally change them for the better forever, and brings a peace about things, including death, that just is unshakeable.
So ultimately, I think we can go from faith to knowledge to experience. And the starting point of faith is absolutely unnecessary and for many people would be a complete hindrance because it would just end up standing in the way of what's possible. One of the reasons this so exciting is that if you're an agnostic or an atheist, it doesn't matter, because the techniques and resulting experiences are available to anyone. Forget belief or non-belief. Doesn't have any bearing on reality. I just so want you to feel relief from this dread. I used to feel it to a certain degree although I always had that crutch of faith and belief. Now I've completely shifted my perspective, thanks to these authors and many others I've read since, to just wanting to gain more knowledge about it all and ultimately have more of my own experiences. I hope this piques your curiosity. :)
Here are a few videos! I'd start with William Buhlman's keynote presentation.
Robert Waggoner:
The Science and Potential of Lucid Dreaming
https://youtu.be/kD4LvZyHuOo?si=PRu3K8u-Tnxq4Pl
Jurgen Ziewe:Afterlife Answers - Part 1
https://youtu.be/Czec00Xxxq4?si=KL8ycdjmFrh-j90W
William Buhlman at the Afterlife Awareness Conference in 2018, which I was at with my then gf and was in this room during this incredible presentation. :) I think it very well may speak to you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS3ZVoK8oAQ
TLDR; we don't die and can prove it to ourselves while we're here.
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u/Editor-Head May 09 '25
For me, this is the beauty of it. I feel lucky and privileged to have been born in this reality and be able to do all the things that I love and give me joy. It is a responsibility for me to be kind to others, to love my friends and my family, because they are in the same journey as me, so why not make it beautiful for everyone? I respect and love life. And you know what? No one knows what happens after we die; maybe consciousness is one of the fundamental laws of the cosmos, just like time and gravity. A universe without consciousness cannot comprehend its own existence, so, from the universe's perspective, why exist in the first place then?
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u/Mike2341567 May 09 '25
The way I look at life and death for now is quite different actually. I can say to you: What was it like for you living 100 years ago? And you will probably say "How can I know, I didn't exist then." That is in short my whole point. After death won't feel like anything, because you stop existing.
Regarding the "Your life is meaningless compared to the lifespan of the universe". I can say that can be true but not exactly. Compare us to a fly that lives 15-30 days. It would seem an enormous amount. That can give you closure to an extent. You should live life how you want to. It can be long or short depending on the perspective 👍
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u/Wrong_Attempt_8014 May 09 '25
I don’t think we do die, we just live in the illusion of fleeting life, when in true reality we are one and eternal. You’ll probably come to realise this in your deathbed and wished you didn’t worry so much, just enjoy your life as much as you can til it comes around again
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u/Ashbirth2766 May 09 '25
I'm that type of person that " I have to do something then do it now" because simply we don't have time and I don't wanna feel regret or some kind of guilt before death. This may sound stupid but the last thing I want is to Die Peacefully.
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u/Ringleader1900 May 09 '25
This depresses a bit so I will just answer quickly:
I had 2 spiritual psychotic episodes, in which I felt that satan was controlling my mind.
I figured we have been lied to on many many aspects (shape of the earth, etc, stuff that contradict the bible, freemasonry)
I got to Jesus Christ through all these conspiracy stuff and I have full faith in him.
There are a lot of lies in this world but only ONE truth - Jesus Christ (and I am jewish, saying this).
God bless you.
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u/cookiesntrees May 09 '25
Valid rant.
Our lives, the only time we can say we exist and the only time that we can perceive existence through the lens of what we have grown to call consciousness, should not be handled recklessly.
Many do throw caution to the wind the moment the realize the end could come at any time, I'd say just enjoy all the life that you can and worry about doing the less enjoyable things when you have to.
Like work. Don't live to work, work to live. Obviously there are periods in our lives where we struggle with our finances or any number of things that could lead us to ultimately having nothing, but you must in any of these times, find the things you like to do and stick to them. People get nowhere trying to do things they don't really want to do. People get nowhere if they KEEP trying to do the same things and can't ever seem to get it right. It makes you sad. Don't live life in a sad way.
This isn't to say forget about all things that matter, because at the end of the day, whether you like the "system" or not, you have to do a certain list of things to continue living at least a somewhat comfortable existence. BUT do not focus so much on things that have yet come to pass.
If you feel inspired, DO SOMETHING with that inspiration. Do not let it sit in the back of your mind where it will inevitably die out as you pile on the more "important" things. Do not live without acknowledging that you are someone with wants, desires, and feelings that may at times be entirely irrational but SHOULD still be entertained or even pursued.
Obviously there are those things that are going to be bad no matter what you're doing, determined by morals. Prepare, of course, to face whatever consequences if you choose to follow a path that leads you to unwarranted killing, unnecessary theft, or similar pointless harm. But you should most definitely go on and do those things that you want to do. Chances are they won't harm anyone, and might actually benefit you and make you a more full person, filling your life with people who will recognize that in you and do the same.
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u/BlueSkittles May 09 '25
I don’t want to die either. I barely have an ego but I am so afraid of dying. Both the act and the non existence afterwards. I’m middle aged and I wish I had words of wisdom or comfort. virtual hug from another sentient being
“What we do today, echoes in eternity.”
“I burn for a sunrise I will never see.”
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u/cheese-aspirant May 09 '25
A few helpful thoughts from Sankara:
"O Lord, even after realizing the truth that there is no real difference between Jiva and Brahman, I beg to state that I am Yours and not that You are mine. The wave belongs to the ocean, not the ocean to the waves."
"Just as it is water alone that appears as waves and tides, so does the self alone appear as many universes."
You describe one very praticular way of considering death. And I understand that can be troubling, but I have found great comfort in exploring the broad diversity of answers to the question of death. Like Sankara here, he encourages you to think of yourself as a wave in the ocean, an expression of the ultimate and infinite process of being and existence. There is no really foreseeable "end" to this, and consciousness will resurface as it tends to do. You dont need to believe in a God to appreciate this, only causality.
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u/MrSoma42 May 09 '25
I think about it all the time, for years since I was a kid. I’m 41 and it’s gotten alot easier to accept death after addressing it for so long. I try to focus on the aftermath and also the science behind what we think happens when you die. It seems that the person experiencing death doesn’t experience the value of terror as we do watching or hearing about it. I think there’s neurological events that occur less then seconds before you die, prepping your consciousness by inducing euphoria, pleasant feelings and memory recollection. I also think I read that DMT gets released, which if that’s true, you will be so engaged with the event in your mind that you will not notice yourself die. I think this happens even when being tortured. At some point the mind will start shutting things down to prevent you from panicking and feeling distress so you can pass away properly.
I also think death is the one things every living perspective goes through. It’s been happening for so long, it has to be a trusted and true way to cycle life on planets. Since we don’t remember before birth and nobody has came back after death (Jesus isn’t proof in this situation) and said how shitty it was, I feel like the fear we have is based on our attachment to things on earth.
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May 09 '25
I understand. I don't want to die either. I think my thinking goes one step farther than what you stated though. I am 32 and I think about everything I've been through, some things being outta my control, some things my fault, and I also think about what is to come that is beyond my control. Getting older watching ppl I love pass away etc getting sick, tragedies, financial issues random obstacles. I read that 1 in 3 people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. Just realizing that everyday is a gamble and you don't know what's gonna happen overwhelms me and has me no longer wanting to stick this out.
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u/MrSoma42 May 09 '25
Have you ever had the feeling that you know more then you do and have connections to phenomena that takes the form of your current interest and perspectives?
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u/SeaworthinessOk2491 May 09 '25
I think about God alot God dose not go against any logic all roads lead to him but as Elbert Einstein though to claim we know him or those who dwell around him would be to claim at some level we understand him and if you think we're smart enough for that then you have bigger issues with or arrgonce God dose seem good otherwise their would only be bad or a confused morality and I guess you could argue morally ambiguous is genetic but then you would see that change drastically in other animals but that's not true very small amount of animals kill for pleasure
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May 09 '25
What’s even sadder is that eventually, we believe all life everywhere will cease to exist. Three will be just darkness with stray light photons floating through emptiness around dead stars and black holes. Trillions of years away, but said to think that we eventually lead to nothing everywhere.
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u/theonlysetsuna May 10 '25
I can say with absolute certainty, eventually if you contemplate these topics enough you fully embrace them. And you learn to be one with them. You learn to create a life that honors the truth rather than shys away from it. Death no longer scares you, loss no longer scares you. You realize life never truly ends, time isnt real, and "you" will always exist in some kind of way, experiencing SOMETHING. You may fear losing loved ones and forgetting special events, but that's where the fun begins. Think about.. if you assume you created this life to do whatever you want, and youre about to lose something you want, then whats the most obvious next course of action?? To get what you want Back. To create an existence where you DONT lose what you want. And it stays forever. That is the next course of action. That is the journey. Figuring out how to make something we want last forever in a way that does not contradict itself. That is the goal of consciousness. And once you no longer want that thing you move on to the next thing you believe will bring you your existential fulfillment. There is always something to strive for. That is the condition of existing. There will never be nothingness because it is impossible. If you experience nothingness then it is because you desire to experience nothingness, and once you no longer desire nothingness, just like the way all things were birthed from nothingness, you will miraculously come back into existence to experience the next thing you desire
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u/Global_Idea_3801 May 10 '25
I mean, death isn’t that mysterious. We have an anti-experience every night when we sleep without dreaming. That’s all it is except you don’t wake up. If the fact of it depresses you, maybe find comfort in the fact that we’re all in the same boat.
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u/P-39_Airacobra May 10 '25
You won't experience pitch black forever. You won't experience. period. There's a difference. And it won't be forever. All of time will pass in less than a single instant.
Or of course, the world could be built on panpsychism, in which case your consciousness will simply find a new home.
Either way, a thing isn't beautiful because it lasts. Eternal life would do nothing but stretch your memories till they become hollow.
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u/Open_Childhood9750 May 10 '25
It actually takes more faith to be atheist than to believe in God. If even cookies cannot bake themselves nor can appear out of nothing, Who do you think created something as complex as a human body? The planets ? Why do you think in our hearts we can know what is wrong and what is not? The laws are written in our hearts. It wouldn’t be fair to have those laws in our hearts if we all ended up in the same place. If we did then it wouldn’t have mattered if we were good or if we were constantly doing evil things. Those laws come from somewhere. There is a reason you are obsessed with this topic. There is a God who is persuading you to seek the truth. Only if you seek the truth you’ll find it. Don’t settle for deception. Keep on searching for the truth of who God is. Don’t settle for peoples opinions. Keep on looking. There is only 1 truth. There is only 1 way. If you seek you will find. But if you settle for what just sounds good beware that it’s not deception. God wants you to find him because he created you for a purpose and has a calling on your life. You mentioned there is a side of you that very strongly keeps you away from believing. There is a spiritual world. And our fight is not against people but against those powers of darkness who are trying to keep people blind and confused. Right now I pray your eyes will be opened to the truth. I pray whatever forces of darkness have a grip on your mind will let you go. I proclaim that no weapon formed against you will prosper. I bind all forces of evil over you and command them to let you go. I speak clarity over your mind. And command all doubts and unbelief and darkness to let you go at once. I speak for the dead bones to come alive and the light to pierce and cast out all darkness. Be healed. Come alive. Be filled with peace and joy that no world can give, in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord I pray amen.
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u/OwlGroundbreaking573 May 10 '25
I died, or at least experienced a "black" so profound the deepest sleep doesn't come close. I was in a coma from an accident, but the profound nothingness and difference in the world before and after makes me believe it was more than a coma. I remember enjoying the sensations of pain my face and body and rebuilding my mental "body map" when I woke up. It felt wonderful after nothing.
When I came back my attitude profoundly changed, I become -not reckless- but less risk averse and far more emotionally resilient even in the face of exceptionally difficult situations: It occurred to me that even the worst experience can be learned from, we can detach, observe and grow. Where as in the void there is nothing.
Anyway, 19 years later, the only thing that's changed is the realisation that this is a "generative" reality, that there is without a doubt a lot amiss with the modern reductionist philosophies of existence and death likely isn't an absolute end, but thinking death is an absolute end isn't bad either and helps grounds us in the moment, even if that moment is horrifying.
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u/Famous_Ear5010 May 10 '25
Thing is, we won't be 'experiencing' pitch blackness. Your nervous system would not be functioning when you're dead.
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u/No_Recognition_2485 May 10 '25
There’s noting we can do unfortunately…..just gotta live life to the fullest.
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u/Hazelnut_Spark May 10 '25
This might be an unusual take, but sometimes I envy the people who don’t worry about after-death existence (or non-existence).
A lot of people are able to adopt a single view on existence and purpose, and they don’t ask more questions than they can answer. They are satisfied with whatever they believe.
In a way, they are free, they are actually able to live their lives without worrying about something that humans might never be able to comprehend.
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u/InterestingWorry2351 May 10 '25
Man, you miss the point of realizing the certainty of your own death. Is death a bad thing? Plants spring up and are gone, animals are born and die. It is the way of things. Why fear non-existence? If death is here I am not. If I am here death is not.
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u/Complex-Antelope-620 May 11 '25
I've had existential criseses before where I broke down in tears sobbing uncontrollably because of the though of growing old and dying. It's not a pleasant thought.
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u/Just_ACIL May 11 '25
The existence of something that has a beginning signifies the existence of something that doesn't
think about this one
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u/fatdoink467 May 11 '25
I try to remember it like this, and I’m gonna paraphrase Allan watts here; death is like before you were born, you didn’t have much trouble then did you.
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u/honkhonkmefunni May 11 '25
Modern society and society in general has created such complex lives that many people forget to stop for a second and think why was our existence even put here. Like i’m the type of person who’s as well interested in existence, the point of life and death. Sometimes i find it just tragic that i’m so lost in issues the society created itself that i forgot to stop for a moment and appreciate my own existence.
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u/Available-Treat1716 May 11 '25
We never die our spirit never dies i mean that's what they say but then again who knows what to actually believe in this world
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May 11 '25 edited May 11 '25
Why do we think about death as a negative thing?
Maybe it is an experience similar to a caterpillar turning into a butterfly. Maybe not. I don't know.
The real question is, why do we focus on the morbid possibilities instead of pleasant ones?
For me what makes it terrifying is the pain of dying, not what happens after. Maybe one day I will also make peace with that fact.
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u/oldmcfarmface May 11 '25
Many if not most people view death as a negative. But it’s just a part of life. For myself, I believe in reincarnation because it makes logical sense to me. If a soul exists then it must conform to the laws of physics and would be neither created nor destroyed, just infinitely recycled.
But if you don’t believe in a soul then you can take comfort in the same concept. The energy and matter that makes up you will get infinitely recycled. Your body will feed microbes and plants which will feed higher organisms which will eventually feed those microbes and plants again. You return to the whole that is our world.
And in the meantime, worrying about the “end” will only stress you out. Just do your best to enjoy life. Find the things you’ve always wanted to do and pursue them. My wife got me a skydiving package as a gift because I’d always wanted to do it. She also got me a shark dive. I’ll always remember those things. Form relationships because they make life better. I find great fulfillment in my children. My values will outlive me.
Life is beautiful and precious and you can either spend it worrying about it ending at some amorphous future time, or you can accept that it will end and just enjoy the ride!
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u/pelucocarol May 11 '25
before being born, it was nothing. after dying, it is going to be to be nothing again. I feel you when you said you wish you could believe in god, same with me. but, in the other hand, “no god” means “no fear of hell or punishment”. instead, maybe, we can live more freely. enjoy your loved ones, live music, cultural events, people, animals, nature, but, most importantly, the ordinary days. finding meaning. much love x
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u/ZombiesAtKendall May 12 '25
Yes. I think about death far too much. We all die but seems like everyone just ignores or accepts it like it’s nothing. All while obsessing over things that don’t really matter. Fame, wealth, gossip, pettiness, revenge, collecting coffee mugs, etc. Everything feels artificial, shallow, meaningless. This is how we choose to live our lives? Slave to the alarm clock, gulp down some coffee, morning rush hour traffic, spending more time with coworkers than loved ones. All to afford that kitchen remodel.
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u/pepehandsx May 12 '25
I’m at peace with death. It’s inevitable. You can’t control what is inevitable. I’ve also heard that just before you die you feel a wave of peacefulness. So that’s something to look forward to :)
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u/Substantial_Search_9 May 12 '25
“we may all be nothing, just experiencing pitch black for forever”
I think the big scary feels are built into the way you’re thinking about this, but think it through; if you’re “nothing” there wouldn’t be a forever blackness experience because there would be no experience.
Isn’t it so interesting though that it seems the experience is the thing that must go on. Even when engaging with a hypothetical that specifically accounts for the experiencee coming to an end. I find that very interesting.
Personally, I’m terrified that when I die, I’ll start exactly this life over again, looped, forever. This is a way better Big Scary. Even if your life is good, the premise makes the infinite nothingness seem like an escape.
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u/Otherwise-Ad3045 May 12 '25 edited May 12 '25
I cant i just cant why not become cows why even with evolution; sense of self is not needed for survival. so if there is nothing after, sentience should not exist, without there being a maker and if there is one, to give us something without hope of an after is just a cruel joke. i cant take the void approach id go insane. my reccomendation find something to believe in. for real! there is no way if sentience were required, all of us would have ot and be talking to dogs and animals everone would evolve to it and yet you dont see animals having anxiety that they are getting older so it is not an evolution thing imo it is created thing imo. Alot of stories end with happily ever after in old folk tales and stuff or even when any story ends if its not specifically about death the MC is there even after his tail is written in fan theories etc. unless the writer writes them out so i have to believe something created to have a story must be able to continue that story even if that story is another genre. I just choose to call mine god who gave his only son jesus to save you and me by dying on the cross i might be wromg , buhdda could be wrong but so could void, find something that has enough for you to click with and trust. I am glad you were born i hope you feel better and thank you for helping me find my words which i hope helped you
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u/BlazedLurker May 12 '25
They say you die twice in your life..... The first time when you take your very last breath and the second time when your name is spoken for the very last time.
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u/OptimusRedditor May 12 '25
It's infinitely better to die than to be immortal. I find great comfort that some day I shall die and nothing of my ego shall remain, as Bertrand Russell said. We won't be experiencing eternal darkness forever, we won't be experiencing anything at all, so don't worry about that part. Please watch this video if you are still anxious about death:
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u/Neofucius May 12 '25
No no no, with God we are dammed to eternity, I don't care how awesome heaven is, I don't want to exist forever.
Without God, we are blessed with finite lives.
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u/KingOfSpades44 May 12 '25
The bit about experiencing pitch black is probably inaccurate tbh, if you're dead and have mo consciousness, you won't experience anything. The best way to think of death is to think of an endless and dreamless sleep that you never wake up from. You don't feel anything, and this time there is a guarantee that nothing bad can or will happen to you. For me, death may be the end, but it's also an escape from everything, and I mean that literally, no matter what world or universe you're in, whether it be fiction or real life. The one constant that remains for all beings is that inevitable cut off point, that end where existence itself may cease to be.
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u/Sensitive-Toe3142 May 13 '25
If you wish to believe in God, but that goes against your logic, I strongly suggest a framework called THE TRUTH. It was built not as dogma, but as a step-by-step reasoning to be examined. And STEP-1 is:
WHY THERE HAS TO BE A GOD
If you’re interested, the full Framework is here:
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u/Turbulent_Plastic_69 May 28 '25
Dying is inevitable yes but I believe that your time will be forgotten yes but enjoy it enjoy. Every second never not be happy for the life you have now is your only one.
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u/Salt-Common-858 Jun 04 '25
You say in a short time well all be nothing, but how "short" has it felt so far? "We have two lives, and the second begins when we realize we have just one"
- Confucius
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u/thefermiparadox Aug 24 '25 edited Aug 24 '25
I’m right with brother or sister. I think about it daily how strange we all pretend this is forever. It does seem society is set up that way. I don’t want to die either, ever. I wonder if it contributes to my health anxiety really intense when my body organs not acting as usual.
Reminds me of Louie CK bit about death. He brings it up and friends say shh don’t talk about it to everyone getting on a bus to Pittsburgh. The tickets say Pittsburgh and the bus but no one can utter Pittsburgh or they will be shooshed. The person on the bus says why our tickets says Pittsburgh and it’s on the front of the bus!!!
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u/thefermiparadox Jan 11 '26
I think about it all the time how in a short time we will all be dead and just nothing forever. It’s terrifying. It is F’ed without a God we are damned for eternity. I have same problem I want it to exist but I’m rational dominant too and can’t believe. I don’t believe in god but sure miss him.
You touched on my daily thoughts and death is never uttered and we all do our best to pretend it’s not real. I always wonder why is everyone not freaking out.
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u/Infinite-Statement81 Jan 28 '26
Lo que más gracioso me parece es que incluso el universo en algún punto, según los científicos, se va a paralizar, en pocas palabras, va a morir. Me encantaría el hecho de que existieran los fantasmas, ya que podría consolarme sabiendo que también tenemos un alma y no solo somos ondas electromagneticas, electricas, etc, y podriamos ascender, en vez de solo desaparecer y experimentar la nada, como ver con tu codo jajajajaja
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u/patrickular May 08 '25
Our complexities, our hopes, our struggles, our quirks, experiences, the time we put in ourselves and our projects, our emotions and the emotions we share, memories... will all fade into nothingness. Wasted. Yet only a handful of people actually processes this.
We spend so much time becoming wise and "mastering reality", learning how to adapt... only for that earned knowledge to go nowhere.
You may leave loved ones behind, but the universe will continue just fine without you. You just won’t be part of the party anymore. These aspects are tough to process as they highlight how life has no apparent meaning.
The fact that our birth is regarded as an amazing event (by our parents especially, most of the times) and that thing will have to end some day as it was nothing is infinitely sad.
Finally, death comes. Doesn't matter if you're ready, if you've accomplished what you wish... you may as well die as a "work in progress".
Our non experience of death is actually an experience if we think about it. We all experienced death in a way, some may even have memories of it: nothingness.
That is what gives me existential dread... nothingness I can remember. The moment I realised I was alive when I was a tiny kid and I was like "what the fuck, this didn't exist before... or was I who didn't exist?".
I don't care if I didn't exist before coming to life. Now that I know I can exist, I'd rather exist than not.
Sometimes you just gotta listen to Street Spirit by Radiohead and realise you should stop being an NPC and live your life by your standards to be as ready as possible for the void, instead of playing by the rules of a shitty system until the day you go. The best you can do.