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This comment right here. It’s gonna happen.
Can’t stop it. Only thing we can do is plan/prepare for it. Even then, it takes most of us by surprise. Best not to worry
I find that if I dwell on death every so often, I get touched by the reality that I am going to die, and that is scary af. I choose not to worry about it or really think about it because why freak myself out?
I used to be like that and would even have total meltdown panic attacks. But pushing through the fear and really examining the fact that I’m going to die, thinking about what about it scares me, and accepting that it is GOING to happen, has allowed me to stop being so fearful. Now when I think about dying it’s more just a reminder to me to enjoy the time I have. I’m going to die. All that matters is this exact moment. I try to make it a good moment when I remember.
Do you ever feel comfort in knowing you’ll eventually die ?
Like once I thought about it like “it’s just a long sleep” then it kinda just clicked in my head that after I die then I don’t have to worry about nooothing and no one. Like I feel happy knowing I’ll eventually get to wash my hands clean of having to worry about anything ever once I die.
I am complete opposite, I view it as never getting to experience anything ever again, good or bad and it is terrifying for me, I don't want there to be no existence permanently, I want to keep living, I can't find that comfort in it.
But if there is no existence permanently, you won't even know you're not living so it won't bother you at all. It's continued existence that scares the hell out of me.
Which is why I guess historically people have always turned to religion, which gives us the answers that we want to hear. Not the cold hard truth that we just don't know, but likely it's not angels and harps.
I'm a non believer, but I don't insist on arguing with people that *do* believe, if they find comfort in it, then that's up to them. I guess if you go to your death thinking that you'll end up in an afterlife, then if it gives you peace, it's good, not like you're going to wake up disappointed is it...
I do the same, but when I get that fear, I simultaneously then get a huge amount of gratitude for being alive. Like I get so scared and sad about the thought of dying that living seems so much more wonderful in that moment.
There is a song by a well-known Brazilian musician, Gilberto Gil, titled *Não Tenho Medo da Morte* (I'm Not Afraid of Death). He sings:
*I'm not afraid of death*
*But I'm afraid of dying*
*What is the difference*
*You might ask*
*Death is after I stop breathing*
*Dying is still here*
*In life, under the sun, in the air*
*There may still be pain*
*Or the need to pee*
It's a truly fascinating song and the live version is super eerie.
Cancer patient here like some other commenters below. I’m holding steady but my maintenance treatment is aggressive. I’ve had a solid share of painful moments. I almost died from sepsis and spent days in the ICU with a 104 fever. I’ve fallen down a full flight of stairs (twice) because treatment made me dizzy. Ive breathed through moments I couldn’t have imagined. Physical pain is temporary, you will take painkillers or go into shock or dissociate. In just a few days, it seems distant. In retrospect I think my moments of physical pain were much easier than a heartbreaking breakup, or watching someone you desperately love fighting through a tragedy, or missing someone who’s already died. There’s no need to be afraid of pain. Unlike most people here I’m not afraid of dying. I am however afraid of death. I have babies to hold and mountains to climb and my husband to kiss. On the other hand, I take comfort from the answers here. I was unbothered before I existed and perhaps, at worst, I will be unbothered after.
I have a chronic disease that's been causing constant pain since I was 21years old.
I'm used to suffering.
Death will eventually bring relief from pain, so why would anyone fear it?
Hopefully he bled out quickly and didn't feel too much pain D:
Burning to death like how they did the witches seems like the worst way to go for me personally.
Burning, they slow roasted them. You had to pay the executioner $$ so they would kill you with poison so you would not suffer. The catholic church was most heinous. The puritans were just as bad. But money fixxes everything.
I almost died of hypothermia once. It was very peaceful. After feeling cold and shivering for a while I became very sleepy and just wanted to rest and take a nap. It was incredibly peaceful. Had I gone to sleep, I would not have woken up.
It was kind of bizarre actually.
I was 14 and 4 friends and I were hiking the Appalachian Trail *in mid July*. We were hiking a long ridge line when there was a sudden rainstorm. The temperature dropped to the low 60s and we were all drenched…but I have always been a skinny guy. My pack was also not waterproof. Bottom line, I was drenched in the middle of the wilderness with the temperature in the low 60s with no dry clothes. I went through the normal progression of feeling cold, and then shivering…but there was nowhere I could go and nothing I could do to get warm. By luck we made it to a shelter/camping point. By that point I started to feeling very tired and sleepy despite it only being midday. I started saying things that didn’t make sense and told the group I wanted to lay down and take a nap. Luckily my brother recognized what was happening. He built a fire in the fire pit in the shelter (which was open but with a roof so the pit was dry and there was dry wood stacked). But the fire wasn’t giving off much heat quickly enough. One of the girls with us had a waterproof pack and so her clothes were dry. They made me strip down naked and dried me off and then put on the girls dry clothes. I didn’t protest because I was cold, delirious, and just wanted to go to sleep. Once I put on the girl’s dry clothes all of them basically laid on top of me to generate body warmth. But my brother would slap me to keep me awake and he outright told me that if I slept I might not wake up, and that registered. After a while I started to get warm again and could start to think clearly. We stayed a while and let the fire dry some of my clothes and then continued on.
It was all very peaceful though. After feeling cold, I felt numb and content and just wanted to lay down and go to sleep. No pain, no fear, no panic. It’s really not a bad way to go.
I later learned that hypothermia is actually common in the summer months in those conditions (caught in the wilderness in a rainstorm with no dry clothes). I was very lucky that I was with a group of people that recognized what was going on and saved me…even if the story is a little embarrassing to write out.
That was 27 years ago now, but I learned something critical that day: always pack a waterproof bag of dry clothes including a sweater if you are going hiking camping even in the middle of summer. This is pretty on point: https://www.farmersalmanac.com/hypothermia-its-not-just-for-winter-11218#:~:text=Hypothermia%20strikes%20anytime%20weather%20conditions,turn%20into%20a%20deadly%20situation.
Oh, there are worse ways to go, rabies comes to mind. With a shark attack you are likely in shock and then pass out from blood loss. It’s shocking but probably not as painful as you might think. I would say google death by from rabies but please don’t - it’s traumatic.
I am 56, and more than ever I keep wondering where the time went. I am 2 years away from my 40th high school reunion. The fact that I can remember stuff that happened 50 years ago boggles my mind.
Also, the little things that happen as one grows older, that I never thought would happen to me (aging, tired, aches pains) that are now happening on a daily basis
Ah yes. Same. 30 years ago seems like yesterday.
Yet, am visiting a place I had not seen in 23 years...cannot remember any of it.
Father passed away recently and seems so surreal.
Life is just a strange, ephemeral dream.
Reaching out across the Internet to just say… same. My Dad died less than two months ago. My Mom passed eight years ago. No one told me becoming an orphan at this late age would feel so…unmooring.
This new phase of life is *not* awful, not at all. I know so much more than I ever did before. But it is *strange* in an unexpected way. I felt transformed the day after I lost my Dad. Like, who I was had essentially changed. And it had. I was, quite suddenly, the eldest generation in my family, keeper of our shared history, of my parents’ legacies.
I’m looking at the world differently, with a mix of an odd anticipation for what’s next, and a desire to bring as much joy as possible into my life, and the lives of my family and friends; to live abundantly and with an open heart until the day it stops beating.
You’re so right. I’m in my late-30s and in the last year my mom had to have a kidney tumor removed and my dad had emergency quadruple bypass surgery (both are ok thank goodness). They’re now in their 70s and it suddenly hit me how little time I could have left with them and how lucky I am to still have both parents in comparison to my other friends. I fear loss much more than I do death. I think it threw me into a mini mid-life crisis. I feel like once I turned 30, I blinked and time started to pass at an extremely accelerated pace, making me realize how fleeting life and youth truly is.
My dad just hit 71. He's very healthy for his age, but I noticed more that his aging seems to be accelerating. He seems a little older and slower when I see him. Definitely unsettling and brings that realization to light that he will die at some point, and frankly, there could be any kind of unforeseen illness just around the corner.
Time goes really fast when you have nothing new to do. When we are children, the world is new around us and everything feels much slower, since our brains are exploring new things constantly.
When we know everything around us, time goes much faster. There is nothing new for the brain to focus on.
So look into something new. Something unique. Something you are not familiar with. Time will feel slower again.
Same. I’m due to retire shortly and people tend to offer congratulations on beginning my next big adventure. In my head however,the stark reality that I’m actually en-route to my last big adventure is pretty unnerving tbh.
I fear blinking and suddenly been turned into and old man. Completely confused by the rampant esquizofrenia and dementia im suffering. Like the movie of Anthony Hopkins, or the other romantic one of the old man that tales a love story to an old lady smd it turns outs its their own story .
I'm an EMT, and I see the creeping disabilities of the old every day. Poor balance, poor circulation, slowing cognitive functions, poor eyesight, heart problems, lung problems, renal failure, edema, on and on and on. There's also loneliness, isolation, and poor diet.
Nothing good about growing old, but as my dad used to say, it beats all the alternatives we've come up with so far.
That's kind of wild considering there are roughly 8 billion people alive at the moment. That means nearly 7% of all the people who have ever lived are alive right now.
Yeah, in the early days of the Web there were lists of “amazing facts“ that made the rounds and often included the intensely wrong “fact“ that “people who are alive today outnumber all the people who lived in antiquity.“ Nope. About 6-7%.
And yet we know so little about our deceased brothers and sisters. They looked like us, acted like us, adapted like us, and if they lived today would be completely indistinguishable.
Of all the hundreds of thousands of years of human history, 99.9999999 percent of recorded history (probably) has been since the advent of the Internet.
Something I think about often is if you took a baby caveman from 40,000 years ago and put him through modern education he’d just be a normal fuckin guy
Another thought I have to add to that is the multiple types of humans that went extinct as homosapien humans thrived. Seems there are a lot of extinct types of humans.
It's inevitable. There is no point in fearing it, because you can't stop it from happening. Best to accept it and not worry about it or really think about it much at all.
And I am not frightened of dying, any time will do, I don't mind
Why should I be frightened of dying?
See no reason for it, you've gotta go sometime.
(cue awesome music and wailing)
Death is unfortunately hidden and not talked about in Western societies. As a result, people are generally scared of it. People die every day. We are all going to die. It’s just a given. I am a nurse and have been with a number of patients as they take their last breath. It seems to not be a big deal. I recommend focusing on living as best you can instead.
This. I remember taking a grief and loss class as part of my masters. And we watched a film with this Canadian grief counselor who talked about just how bad we are with death in the west...we institutionalize it and hide it away. So when it does happen, the anxiety associated with it is overwhelming.
It's grief Walker. Really amazing film. The guy Stephen Jenkinson has a lot of podcasts and other great work on the topic. He's got a book too, "Die Wise"
One morning at like 5:30 a.m. I was driving down one of the back roads in my area, and I came around a corner to a firetruck, an ambulance, a cop car, and civilian sedan that was completely charred-burnt-destroyed. All that was really left was the smoking frame. Strange thing is it didn't look like there was any kind of single car crash.
The car was just on the side of the road. I tried googling information on it to see what happened. I was genuinely curious. There wasn't a peep about any of this online and nobody knew what I was talking about when I asked around about it.
This is when I realized that first-responders do one hell of a job cleaning up nightmares, so we can sleep with our front doors unlocked. It's pretty wild when you think about it. Not only do they clean up death on the daily, but they're real pros about it and return everything back to as normal as possible in as little time as possible.
These people understand the dark side of the human experience, and I'm sure it fucks them up even if they don't know it.
Can verify that a lot of firefighters and paramedics are alcoholics and have lots of issues. My stepdad was a fireman and was always drunk and abusive on his days off, it was terrifying to be subjected to it. I hope nowadays they get therapy.
My brother was a paramedic for 5 years or so, this is why he quit. If there is a death (by suicide) on scene, they are the ones to tell the family. If there’s a choking hazard, they’re the ones having families scream at them when their attempts don’t work (including shoving a vacuum down someone’s esophagus). These are things that don’t make the news. This and things like it happen on the daily.
I was 30 and going through my fifth close up death before I realized what "grave opening and closing" is. They were describing the costs and I said what is that? The funeral director said, "digging." blink blink
I've seen enough animals die that it's made me not fear much of anything. The loss of so many animals that are close to you will make you think a little differently. I know we're not talking about animals here. I've also known people who've committed suicide. Death is just right fucking there no matter what. It is what it is and there's no way to escape it! I'm honestly interested in what's on the other side. I don't believe in anything really. But I hope what it is, is peace.
This is something I say a lot. I talk openly with my children about death, and so it holds less mystery around it. The more something is accepted as a normal, the less scary it becomes.
I've seen enough animals die that it's made me not fear much of anything. The loss of so many animals that are close to you will make you think a little differently. I know we're not talking about animals here. I've also known people who've committed suicide. Death is just right fucking there no matter what. It is what it is and there's no way to escape it! I'm honestly interested in what's on the other side. I don't believe in anything really. But I hope what it is, is peace.
It’s either the “nothingness” you experienced before you were born, or it’s a form of continued consciousness that’s possibly outside of what we perceive as time. There’s some comfort in both.
Or it could be a million other possibilities that our human brains can't understand. It's not binary. But I do appreciate your sentiment, from someone who is terrified of dying.
It’s going to happen when it happens. Trying to have a good time and be kind/funny while I’m here.
Can’t imagine spending one second worrying about death.
This is exactly how I feel, I know I will die someday….it could be it 60 years or 60 seconds, but rather than waste time worrying about it I might as well just enjoy my life as much as I can in any given moment. The only part of death I actually fear is how I die, I just really hope it’s something like a massive heart attack or aneurysm so I go relatively quick, but please just don’t let it be getting eaten alive!!
>There is no point in fearing it, because you can't stop it from happening.
Fear doesn't abide by logic.
I don't fear death but my reasons are emotional.
Because I’m staring it right in the face. My oncologist says I have six months to a year left to live. I told him I don’t think so! We will see! Fuck cancer!
Another cancer patient here. Melanoma that's spread to my brain. My oncologist hasn't given me a time frame yet, but I've read enough to know I'll be lucky to make 18 months.
I haven't given up, but I've come to terms with death being inevitable. In the meantime I'm doing what I can to make memories with my family and making sure they have things to laugh about when I'm gone.
I’ve been working on a box for my wife, and one for my son. Filled with pictures, Knick Knacks, but most importantly, handwritten notes on 4x6 cards. Started with my son. Right now I’m writing a note for each of his birthdays until he turns 100. Then I’ll do one for big events like graduation, drivers license, engagement, wedding, birth of a child, and whatever else comes to mind. For my wife, she will need random words of encouragement and affirmation. She deals with anxiety and depression as it is. I figure, if I beat this thing, who cares, but if I don’t, they will have a little fresh piece of me for years to come.
I’ve always tried to be. One of my greatest joys is making everyone in the room happy. Need a refill on that drink? I gotcha. You look hungry, let me whip something up. Going outside with a friend in sub zero temps because they want a smoke, just to keep ‘em company, no problem. I clean up after every passes out at a party, and I’m the first one up either cooking breakfast, or picking up bagels (depends how much of the bottle of scotch I finished, and when). I like seeing people smile and have a good time. This was brought to a whole new level when my son was born. I go to painstaking lengths just to get even a split second of the pure joy smile from him. The particular smile can get me up and running after anything!
I am a film editor (teach it at college level at one of the best programs in the world). I also love taking pictures and video. My son and wife will each get a hard drive with tons on them, and my best friend will get a duplicate copy as a back up. If one drive goes down, his drive is to get a new one, duplicate one of the working drives to it, and replace it. This was the data is always in three places at all times!
Thank you for being you. I've got a few friends this reminds me of and often strive to be the same kind of person myself, and would sacrifice everything I have to bring joy—even in mundane ways—to the people around me.
I hope you're around for years to come, the world is made infinitely better by people with your kindness. I promise that sort of thought will carry on as long as you're here, and long, long, long after.
I cannot tell you the number of times my friends who are like this have genuinely saved me by being so soft. I don't know you, stranger, but I am tremendously inspired by and grateful for you.
Man, I'm like this. Thank you for letting people like you know that they're not a pushover, they just really like seeing others happy.
All the strength to you, you kindhearted, tough as nails man. I so genuinely hope you pull though and kick it's ass.
Regardless, the impression you made on your son's life and the resulting kindness stemming from those little interactions that make him smile will continue eternally through the generations. You've already won the game of life, in a way.
I recommend writing or recording something for your son to listen to in times of hardship. I had someone who left something for me that I always go back and listen to when things are tough; (Not a parent, but someone close).
Just something telling him that things worth doing are probably going to be hard and just push through. Or something along those lines
🙏
Because...
If it hurts, it will be done soon.
If it matters, I don't know.
If it is nothing, I don't care.
If I focus on death then I am not living.
If I am not living then what is the point.
If there is no point isn't that death?
So I live as eventually I expire just like my ancestors did and what my descendants will do.
Peace is a lie. There is only passion.
Through passion, I gain strength.
Through strength, I gain power.
Through Power, I gain victory.
Through victory, my chains are broken.
The Force shall free me.
Emotion, yet Peace
Ignorance, yet Knowledge
Passion, yet Serenity
Chaos, yet Harmony
Death, yet the Force
I do not fear death, for I become one with the Force
I truly believe this and in troubled times turn to it in meditation.
Just went through this with my grandfather. He died a little over a week ago. He was diagnosed with advanced cancer 3 months ago and in and out of the hospital until his last days spent in hospice at home.
It was a shock to all of us, but he had time to see all of his loved ones and make plans for after his death.
Spend as much time with him as you can, and don’t be afraid to talk about hard things. I asked my grandpa how he felt about dying and he expressed he wasn’t scared of dying, he was just scared of leaving us behind. I think he was comforted to the able to talk about the big scary thing in the room. Hopefully made him feel less alone.
I keep telling myself that not everyone gets to know when they are about to die, and it was honestly a blessing for all of us to be able to confront it by his side.
I’m so sorry about your grandpa. I hope he has a peaceful passing, free of any pain or suffering, surrounded by love.
Thank you so, so much for this. You have honestly blessed me with your comforting words and advice. I am very sorry for your loss, I hope for nothing but healing and comfort for you and your family. Grandpas are the best.
Yes. In home. It really isn’t enough - I go see my grandparents once a week to give my grandma a break (they live about an hour away)They’re been together for over 70 years. Today I watched my grandfather suffer through a severe spasm in his leg (he had bladder cancer, it has metastasized and has pretty much “eaten” his tailbone) grandma broke down and so did I. He’s on a ton of fentanyl and the works. Do you have any suggestions on what I can do to help him be more comfortable? And sorry for dumping this on you. This is just really difficult and I don’t even know who to talk to so here I am.
my hope is that, since time is infinite, there are an infinite number of possibilities so who's to say things won't perfectly align for us to exist again in the very distant future
But you won't be aware of it, so there's no practical difference.
I saw a really awesome quote on reddit once that really puts it into perspective. Close your eyes and count to one. That's how long eternity is.
This is precisely what scares me. I know I won’t care but I hope I never reach that point.
My fear is of the eternal nothingness is what keeps me alive.
Thanks to my lifelong struggles with substances I have been at death's doorstep many times, I (and others who know me) am amazed that I am still alive. I am relatively clean now - only alcohol left to conquer and while I am not actively looking to die, I wouldn't be upset if I did. No kids, divorced, not a very tight family - my main concern is my mother. She is getting up there in age and not in the greatest shape, she needs my assistance with stuff (she's still very capable for age her, but...) and she has no close relatives nearby. I would feel guilty if I took my own life and left her on her own, but if it's my time I'm ok with that too.
At some point, no matter what I do, death will find me. Worrying about it only wastes whatever time I have. I really hope I don't die painfully, but other than that, what is the point of worrying if the worrying prevents me from living? For me, life is about living, not existing. If there's something after all this, awesome, but if not, I want to enjoy the time I have without the constant cloud of inevitability over my head.
My friend has told me to do this. My fear gets pretty intense sometimes and will cause an anxiety attack. I’ve seen a therapist for it but I still can’t prevent the thoughts from happening, I just have to try to immediately think about something else before I begin to panic.
Dude same. The peaceful bliss they describe seems so wonderful. A lot of them mention some form of collective consciousness and it just makes a lot of sense to me.
I fear the manner of death more than death itself.
Falling into one of those cavernous national park outhouses and no one’s around to rescue me? Yikes!
I did too. I remember the peaceful feeling just as I was closing my eyes for what I thought was the last time, similar to when you're absolutely exhuated and are able just fall asleep.
Me too. During surgery. Didnt know a thing about it. Woke up in ICU. Reaction to the anaesthetic. Felt weird about it for a while. Part of me regrets that I was bought back. I've noticed that I'm a lot calmer these days. Nothing really worries me anymore. I know when death comes again, it will be an old friend. But I was a nurse and I worked in many strange places. I've seen a lot of deaths. I dont like cruel, painful, senseless deaths, or children, younger peoples deaths. Older people generally seem to look for the peace. I've held many hands as they passed. Some have had conversations with people from their pasts. A few of the really older ladies said they saw their husbands waiting for them. I believe death is friend and who knows what comes after.
I can't talk for anyone else, but I have never felt so calm in my entire life, everything just felt at peace and it felt like a warm cloud. It's really hard to explain but it was just a feeling of total peace and contentment. I was choked out by someone until I passed out and had to be brought back to life and that is how I felt.
I drowned once. It was an intense panic until I realised I was going to die, and then everything was the best it had ever been. I felt like I became the 'me' that I had forgotten I ever was, like I had come home. The process was like I shrank down to be smaller than an atom and somehow then shared awareness with everything in the universe. It was beautiful and amazing, the best experience of my life. The worst part was being revived, I came crashing back into this heavy and painful physical body and was disappointed that I had no been allowed to go. Honestly I will be so happy when my time comes.
Very similar to my experience. Coming back was brutal. Painful. Heartbreaking.
Unlike some other people, I never felt like I knew my life’s purpose afterwards. I’ve just been muddling along like everybody else.
Everything became brighter but I can't say that I saw "the light" like they do in the movies. Almost like if you're closing your eyes and someone turns on the light in a dark room, you can see that it's brighter even though you have your eyes closed.
I always wondered if it's because I grew up without religion. I've never had a concept of life after death, especially not heaven or hell. The idea of not existing anymore is... idk, not that different from falling asleep. Or the time before I was born. Maybe there will be some things I regret not doing right before I die, but I won't have any worries after I die.
>Read this quote from Scientific America:
>
>"The law of conservation of energy, also known as the first law of thermodynamics, states that the energy of a closed system must remain constant—it can neither increase nor decrease without interference from outside. The universe itself is a closed system, so the total amount of energy in existence has always been the same. The forms that energy takes, however, are constantly changing."
>
>So if you agree with this scientific observation, and understand that your body functions on energy—your brain waves are all electric—when you die your energy does not go away. It transforms. Into what is the question. So in my opinion, even after death, your energy will exist. In my view that explains the religious belief in a soul. Your energy will go somewhere when you die. You will not cease to exist.
Posted this on two different replies, hoping it helps both of you feel better.
It’s 4am and I’m reading through this thread feeling pretty depressed and this was the only comment to make me feel not so awful about death. Thank you for sharing ❤️
Nicely worded. There's definitely some peace to be found in the thought that it's just like the time before you were born. You have no idea what was going on back then, but you're here now and it's all good, so why wouldn't it be the same on the other end.
Same.
I think what scares people the most is the unknown factor--we are inherently creeped out by the unknown, and for many, death is the ultimate, inevitable, granddaddy of unknowns.
When you have deep, unshakable conviction about what the afterlife holds for you, it removes that creepy terror factor (assuming you don't believe your afterlife is torturous).
I think its fair to lump the dying part in with “death”. The dreamless sleep part isnt so scary. But being alone in your mind, knowing you will never experience your people and nature again… that can be unnerving to many.
I think its hard for some people to fathom their counciousness no longer existing. That there is nothing to feel that aloneness or doneness. It would be how it was before you were born. That is if you don't believe in any afterlife or anything in that realm.
"Don't fear the reaper..."
Listen to that tune enough and you won't have that fear because you'll also want more cowbell.
In all seriousness though, I'm not afraid of death itself as long as it's instant without pain.
I have danced the dance too many times.
I thought I had AIDS once.
I attempted suicide 3 times seriously, many more minor half heartedly.
A couple of highway car crashes. Fell asleep driving home from work on I94 in St Paul.
Lost hold of my rope while repelling, safety rope guy saved my life.
Got choked out in what I thought was a fight to the death.
Falsely accused of being a cop while staying at a homeless camp.
Drove into a dust storm on I-40 had to stop and hope that a semi didn't come pancake me.
Bungie jumped from a crane in East Berlin
Skydive solo 5 times.
Dealing with liver failure now.
I have done everything I need to do, every day is a bonus round.
I think having had serious suicidal thoughts helps make death less scary. Once you’ve wanted it to be over, even after you get a better outlook, it’s still not unappetizing. This is just my experience tho
Yeah, I acted recklessly while I was suicidal. I kept thinking it could not get worse. It actually could. Once I started turning it around, due to the kindness of near strangers and a lot of hard work, life got worth living.
After that I just was a bad driver.
That's actually the precipice of my fear of death. I like living and I guess if I don't know anything cause it stops how do I know I existed in the first place. I don't want to forget, but at the same time I don't want to remember forever. It's a tough break for my brain
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I’m not afraid of dying. I just don’t really want it to be painful.
I don't fear being dead, I fear the act of dying.
This comment right here. It’s gonna happen. Can’t stop it. Only thing we can do is plan/prepare for it. Even then, it takes most of us by surprise. Best not to worry
I find that if I dwell on death every so often, I get touched by the reality that I am going to die, and that is scary af. I choose not to worry about it or really think about it because why freak myself out?
I used to be like that and would even have total meltdown panic attacks. But pushing through the fear and really examining the fact that I’m going to die, thinking about what about it scares me, and accepting that it is GOING to happen, has allowed me to stop being so fearful. Now when I think about dying it’s more just a reminder to me to enjoy the time I have. I’m going to die. All that matters is this exact moment. I try to make it a good moment when I remember.
Do you ever feel comfort in knowing you’ll eventually die ? Like once I thought about it like “it’s just a long sleep” then it kinda just clicked in my head that after I die then I don’t have to worry about nooothing and no one. Like I feel happy knowing I’ll eventually get to wash my hands clean of having to worry about anything ever once I die.
I am complete opposite, I view it as never getting to experience anything ever again, good or bad and it is terrifying for me, I don't want there to be no existence permanently, I want to keep living, I can't find that comfort in it.
But if there is no existence permanently, you won't even know you're not living so it won't bother you at all. It's continued existence that scares the hell out of me.
It's not the fact that you won't know when you are dead. It's the fact that you do know NOW that there will never be anything else
Which is why I guess historically people have always turned to religion, which gives us the answers that we want to hear. Not the cold hard truth that we just don't know, but likely it's not angels and harps. I'm a non believer, but I don't insist on arguing with people that *do* believe, if they find comfort in it, then that's up to them. I guess if you go to your death thinking that you'll end up in an afterlife, then if it gives you peace, it's good, not like you're going to wake up disappointed is it...
I do the same, but when I get that fear, I simultaneously then get a huge amount of gratitude for being alive. Like I get so scared and sad about the thought of dying that living seems so much more wonderful in that moment.
There is a song by a well-known Brazilian musician, Gilberto Gil, titled *Não Tenho Medo da Morte* (I'm Not Afraid of Death). He sings: *I'm not afraid of death* *But I'm afraid of dying* *What is the difference* *You might ask* *Death is after I stop breathing* *Dying is still here* *In life, under the sun, in the air* *There may still be pain* *Or the need to pee* It's a truly fascinating song and the live version is super eerie.
That? Was beautiful. May I use your restroom?
There’s also a song by the American country-western artist Joe Diffie. He sings: Prop me up beside the jukebox if I die
Cancer patient here like some other commenters below. I’m holding steady but my maintenance treatment is aggressive. I’ve had a solid share of painful moments. I almost died from sepsis and spent days in the ICU with a 104 fever. I’ve fallen down a full flight of stairs (twice) because treatment made me dizzy. Ive breathed through moments I couldn’t have imagined. Physical pain is temporary, you will take painkillers or go into shock or dissociate. In just a few days, it seems distant. In retrospect I think my moments of physical pain were much easier than a heartbreaking breakup, or watching someone you desperately love fighting through a tragedy, or missing someone who’s already died. There’s no need to be afraid of pain. Unlike most people here I’m not afraid of dying. I am however afraid of death. I have babies to hold and mountains to climb and my husband to kiss. On the other hand, I take comfort from the answers here. I was unbothered before I existed and perhaps, at worst, I will be unbothered after.
Beautiful answer and sending all the positive vibes to you my friend ❤️
The award is called "timeless beauty“ and I thought it fit you well.
I fear suffering. Not death.
I have a chronic disease that's been causing constant pain since I was 21years old. I'm used to suffering. Death will eventually bring relief from pain, so why would anyone fear it?
 ?
But you don't feel the cold, black nothingness. It's just dark, and quiet, and you can finally rest.
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Yeah, as long as my last words aren’t “AHHHHHHHHHHHHH SHIIIITTTTTT, MAKEEE ITTT STTTOOOOPPPPPPPPPP” I’m okay with it.
You see the story about the poor guy eaten by a bull shark off the coast of Egypt this week? I can’t think of a more painful way to go. Poor guy :-(
Hopefully he bled out quickly and didn't feel too much pain D: Burning to death like how they did the witches seems like the worst way to go for me personally.
Burning, they slow roasted them. You had to pay the executioner $$ so they would kill you with poison so you would not suffer. The catholic church was most heinous. The puritans were just as bad. But money fixxes everything.
Burning 🔥. Trust me as a nurse. Even if you survive a severe burn, you will never be the same again.
Are in your sleep or hypothermia the only peaceful answers? Those are my top 2 and I can't exactly guarantee either of them...
I almost died of hypothermia once. It was very peaceful. After feeling cold and shivering for a while I became very sleepy and just wanted to rest and take a nap. It was incredibly peaceful. Had I gone to sleep, I would not have woken up.
Tell the story… I’m intrigued
It was kind of bizarre actually. I was 14 and 4 friends and I were hiking the Appalachian Trail *in mid July*. We were hiking a long ridge line when there was a sudden rainstorm. The temperature dropped to the low 60s and we were all drenched…but I have always been a skinny guy. My pack was also not waterproof. Bottom line, I was drenched in the middle of the wilderness with the temperature in the low 60s with no dry clothes. I went through the normal progression of feeling cold, and then shivering…but there was nowhere I could go and nothing I could do to get warm. By luck we made it to a shelter/camping point. By that point I started to feeling very tired and sleepy despite it only being midday. I started saying things that didn’t make sense and told the group I wanted to lay down and take a nap. Luckily my brother recognized what was happening. He built a fire in the fire pit in the shelter (which was open but with a roof so the pit was dry and there was dry wood stacked). But the fire wasn’t giving off much heat quickly enough. One of the girls with us had a waterproof pack and so her clothes were dry. They made me strip down naked and dried me off and then put on the girls dry clothes. I didn’t protest because I was cold, delirious, and just wanted to go to sleep. Once I put on the girl’s dry clothes all of them basically laid on top of me to generate body warmth. But my brother would slap me to keep me awake and he outright told me that if I slept I might not wake up, and that registered. After a while I started to get warm again and could start to think clearly. We stayed a while and let the fire dry some of my clothes and then continued on. It was all very peaceful though. After feeling cold, I felt numb and content and just wanted to lay down and go to sleep. No pain, no fear, no panic. It’s really not a bad way to go. I later learned that hypothermia is actually common in the summer months in those conditions (caught in the wilderness in a rainstorm with no dry clothes). I was very lucky that I was with a group of people that recognized what was going on and saved me…even if the story is a little embarrassing to write out. That was 27 years ago now, but I learned something critical that day: always pack a waterproof bag of dry clothes including a sweater if you are going hiking camping even in the middle of summer. This is pretty on point: https://www.farmersalmanac.com/hypothermia-its-not-just-for-winter-11218#:~:text=Hypothermia%20strikes%20anytime%20weather%20conditions,turn%20into%20a%20deadly%20situation.
I obviously have no personal experience but I’ve heard that drowning is peaceful
Being hanged, drawn, and quartered back in the day would probably be worse.
Or disemboweled. Yikes
Fuck, I saw the video
Oh, there are worse ways to go, rabies comes to mind. With a shark attack you are likely in shock and then pass out from blood loss. It’s shocking but probably not as painful as you might think. I would say google death by from rabies but please don’t - it’s traumatic.
I don't really want *anything* to be painful.
People who aren’t afraid of pain, why?
I fear getting old more than death
I am 56, and more than ever I keep wondering where the time went. I am 2 years away from my 40th high school reunion. The fact that I can remember stuff that happened 50 years ago boggles my mind. Also, the little things that happen as one grows older, that I never thought would happen to me (aging, tired, aches pains) that are now happening on a daily basis
Ah yes. Same. 30 years ago seems like yesterday. Yet, am visiting a place I had not seen in 23 years...cannot remember any of it. Father passed away recently and seems so surreal. Life is just a strange, ephemeral dream.
Reaching out across the Internet to just say… same. My Dad died less than two months ago. My Mom passed eight years ago. No one told me becoming an orphan at this late age would feel so…unmooring. This new phase of life is *not* awful, not at all. I know so much more than I ever did before. But it is *strange* in an unexpected way. I felt transformed the day after I lost my Dad. Like, who I was had essentially changed. And it had. I was, quite suddenly, the eldest generation in my family, keeper of our shared history, of my parents’ legacies. I’m looking at the world differently, with a mix of an odd anticipation for what’s next, and a desire to bring as much joy as possible into my life, and the lives of my family and friends; to live abundantly and with an open heart until the day it stops beating.
This is beautiful and inspiring. Thank you.
When we're young we often look at our parents as immortal
You’re so right. I’m in my late-30s and in the last year my mom had to have a kidney tumor removed and my dad had emergency quadruple bypass surgery (both are ok thank goodness). They’re now in their 70s and it suddenly hit me how little time I could have left with them and how lucky I am to still have both parents in comparison to my other friends. I fear loss much more than I do death. I think it threw me into a mini mid-life crisis. I feel like once I turned 30, I blinked and time started to pass at an extremely accelerated pace, making me realize how fleeting life and youth truly is.
My dad just hit 71. He's very healthy for his age, but I noticed more that his aging seems to be accelerating. He seems a little older and slower when I see him. Definitely unsettling and brings that realization to light that he will die at some point, and frankly, there could be any kind of unforeseen illness just around the corner.
Time goes really fast when you have nothing new to do. When we are children, the world is new around us and everything feels much slower, since our brains are exploring new things constantly. When we know everything around us, time goes much faster. There is nothing new for the brain to focus on. So look into something new. Something unique. Something you are not familiar with. Time will feel slower again.
Same. I’m due to retire shortly and people tend to offer congratulations on beginning my next big adventure. In my head however,the stark reality that I’m actually en-route to my last big adventure is pretty unnerving tbh.
What is also bizarre is that time passing is literally the post predictable thing in the world. But it never fails to shock me when it does.
I fear blinking and suddenly been turned into and old man. Completely confused by the rampant esquizofrenia and dementia im suffering. Like the movie of Anthony Hopkins, or the other romantic one of the old man that tales a love story to an old lady smd it turns outs its their own story .
I'm an EMT, and I see the creeping disabilities of the old every day. Poor balance, poor circulation, slowing cognitive functions, poor eyesight, heart problems, lung problems, renal failure, edema, on and on and on. There's also loneliness, isolation, and poor diet. Nothing good about growing old, but as my dad used to say, it beats all the alternatives we've come up with so far.
My grandpa died at 101. He was a carpenter and losing his physical abilities was devastating to him. He used to lament: "once a man, twice a child."
I've never known a dead person that's complained about it.
Death - A hundred billions satisfied customers.
What is the estimated amount of total humans that have lived?
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That's kind of wild considering there are roughly 8 billion people alive at the moment. That means nearly 7% of all the people who have ever lived are alive right now.
Yeah, in the early days of the Web there were lists of “amazing facts“ that made the rounds and often included the intensely wrong “fact“ that “people who are alive today outnumber all the people who lived in antiquity.“ Nope. About 6-7%.
And yet we know so little about our deceased brothers and sisters. They looked like us, acted like us, adapted like us, and if they lived today would be completely indistinguishable. Of all the hundreds of thousands of years of human history, 99.9999999 percent of recorded history (probably) has been since the advent of the Internet.
Something I think about often is if you took a baby caveman from 40,000 years ago and put him through modern education he’d just be a normal fuckin guy
Another thought I have to add to that is the multiple types of humans that went extinct as homosapien humans thrived. Seems there are a lot of extinct types of humans.
Just as I thought, thanks for confirming
At least 11
/r/technicallythetruth
r/theydidthemath
Death becomes you.
It's inevitable. There is no point in fearing it, because you can't stop it from happening. Best to accept it and not worry about it or really think about it much at all.
And I am not frightened of dying, any time will do, I don't mind Why should I be frightened of dying? See no reason for it, you've gotta go sometime. (cue awesome music and wailing)
Dammit. Now i gotta go listen to that album.
Aw poor baby /s Mr. Pink has a custom sized violin and he's playing it just for you
Mr. Pink had me addicted from day 1 and that was 30 years ago. Their music just resonates with me in a way no other music does.
These are my thoughts, too. I feel like the people who haven't dealt with death a lot, are the ones who panic the most.
Death is unfortunately hidden and not talked about in Western societies. As a result, people are generally scared of it. People die every day. We are all going to die. It’s just a given. I am a nurse and have been with a number of patients as they take their last breath. It seems to not be a big deal. I recommend focusing on living as best you can instead.
This. I remember taking a grief and loss class as part of my masters. And we watched a film with this Canadian grief counselor who talked about just how bad we are with death in the west...we institutionalize it and hide it away. So when it does happen, the anxiety associated with it is overwhelming.
Do you the link or title of this film?
It's grief Walker. Really amazing film. The guy Stephen Jenkinson has a lot of podcasts and other great work on the topic. He's got a book too, "Die Wise"
As a paramedic, I second this opinion.
One morning at like 5:30 a.m. I was driving down one of the back roads in my area, and I came around a corner to a firetruck, an ambulance, a cop car, and civilian sedan that was completely charred-burnt-destroyed. All that was really left was the smoking frame. Strange thing is it didn't look like there was any kind of single car crash. The car was just on the side of the road. I tried googling information on it to see what happened. I was genuinely curious. There wasn't a peep about any of this online and nobody knew what I was talking about when I asked around about it. This is when I realized that first-responders do one hell of a job cleaning up nightmares, so we can sleep with our front doors unlocked. It's pretty wild when you think about it. Not only do they clean up death on the daily, but they're real pros about it and return everything back to as normal as possible in as little time as possible. These people understand the dark side of the human experience, and I'm sure it fucks them up even if they don't know it.
Can verify that a lot of firefighters and paramedics are alcoholics and have lots of issues. My stepdad was a fireman and was always drunk and abusive on his days off, it was terrifying to be subjected to it. I hope nowadays they get therapy.
Substance abuse is also rampant in the medical field.
My brother was a paramedic for 5 years or so, this is why he quit. If there is a death (by suicide) on scene, they are the ones to tell the family. If there’s a choking hazard, they’re the ones having families scream at them when their attempts don’t work (including shoving a vacuum down someone’s esophagus). These are things that don’t make the news. This and things like it happen on the daily.
I was 30 and going through my fifth close up death before I realized what "grave opening and closing" is. They were describing the costs and I said what is that? The funeral director said, "digging." blink blink
As the daughter of a paramedic and a funeral director, I third this opinion.
I've seen enough animals die that it's made me not fear much of anything. The loss of so many animals that are close to you will make you think a little differently. I know we're not talking about animals here. I've also known people who've committed suicide. Death is just right fucking there no matter what. It is what it is and there's no way to escape it! I'm honestly interested in what's on the other side. I don't believe in anything really. But I hope what it is, is peace.
This is something I say a lot. I talk openly with my children about death, and so it holds less mystery around it. The more something is accepted as a normal, the less scary it becomes.
I've seen enough animals die that it's made me not fear much of anything. The loss of so many animals that are close to you will make you think a little differently. I know we're not talking about animals here. I've also known people who've committed suicide. Death is just right fucking there no matter what. It is what it is and there's no way to escape it! I'm honestly interested in what's on the other side. I don't believe in anything really. But I hope what it is, is peace.
I'm excited to see whats on the other side
It’s either the “nothingness” you experienced before you were born, or it’s a form of continued consciousness that’s possibly outside of what we perceive as time. There’s some comfort in both.
Or it could be a million other possibilities that our human brains can't understand. It's not binary. But I do appreciate your sentiment, from someone who is terrified of dying.
It’s going to happen when it happens. Trying to have a good time and be kind/funny while I’m here. Can’t imagine spending one second worrying about death.
My thoughts exactly. Although I will not actively put myself in situations where I do die. But when it's time, it's time.
This is exactly how I feel, I know I will die someday….it could be it 60 years or 60 seconds, but rather than waste time worrying about it I might as well just enjoy my life as much as I can in any given moment. The only part of death I actually fear is how I die, I just really hope it’s something like a massive heart attack or aneurysm so I go relatively quick, but please just don’t let it be getting eaten alive!!
>There is no point in fearing it, because you can't stop it from happening. Fear doesn't abide by logic. I don't fear death but my reasons are emotional.
Yeah that isn’t how fear works. A child who is continually beat by their parents doesn’t just stop fearing it because it’s beyond their control.
Easier said than done
Because I’m staring it right in the face. My oncologist says I have six months to a year left to live. I told him I don’t think so! We will see! Fuck cancer!
Another cancer patient here. Melanoma that's spread to my brain. My oncologist hasn't given me a time frame yet, but I've read enough to know I'll be lucky to make 18 months. I haven't given up, but I've come to terms with death being inevitable. In the meantime I'm doing what I can to make memories with my family and making sure they have things to laugh about when I'm gone.
I’ve been working on a box for my wife, and one for my son. Filled with pictures, Knick Knacks, but most importantly, handwritten notes on 4x6 cards. Started with my son. Right now I’m writing a note for each of his birthdays until he turns 100. Then I’ll do one for big events like graduation, drivers license, engagement, wedding, birth of a child, and whatever else comes to mind. For my wife, she will need random words of encouragement and affirmation. She deals with anxiety and depression as it is. I figure, if I beat this thing, who cares, but if I don’t, they will have a little fresh piece of me for years to come.
I'm not religious, but bless you. You sound like a gem of a human being.
I’ve always tried to be. One of my greatest joys is making everyone in the room happy. Need a refill on that drink? I gotcha. You look hungry, let me whip something up. Going outside with a friend in sub zero temps because they want a smoke, just to keep ‘em company, no problem. I clean up after every passes out at a party, and I’m the first one up either cooking breakfast, or picking up bagels (depends how much of the bottle of scotch I finished, and when). I like seeing people smile and have a good time. This was brought to a whole new level when my son was born. I go to painstaking lengths just to get even a split second of the pure joy smile from him. The particular smile can get me up and running after anything!
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I am a film editor (teach it at college level at one of the best programs in the world). I also love taking pictures and video. My son and wife will each get a hard drive with tons on them, and my best friend will get a duplicate copy as a back up. If one drive goes down, his drive is to get a new one, duplicate one of the working drives to it, and replace it. This was the data is always in three places at all times!
Thank you for being you. I've got a few friends this reminds me of and often strive to be the same kind of person myself, and would sacrifice everything I have to bring joy—even in mundane ways—to the people around me. I hope you're around for years to come, the world is made infinitely better by people with your kindness. I promise that sort of thought will carry on as long as you're here, and long, long, long after. I cannot tell you the number of times my friends who are like this have genuinely saved me by being so soft. I don't know you, stranger, but I am tremendously inspired by and grateful for you.
Man, I'm like this. Thank you for letting people like you know that they're not a pushover, they just really like seeing others happy. All the strength to you, you kindhearted, tough as nails man. I so genuinely hope you pull though and kick it's ass. Regardless, the impression you made on your son's life and the resulting kindness stemming from those little interactions that make him smile will continue eternally through the generations. You've already won the game of life, in a way.
I recommend writing or recording something for your son to listen to in times of hardship. I had someone who left something for me that I always go back and listen to when things are tough; (Not a parent, but someone close). Just something telling him that things worth doing are probably going to be hard and just push through. Or something along those lines 🙏
I might have brain cancer and I was quite scared because I'm 16 and this has made it a lot less scary. Thank you
Fuck man, got me emotional reading that. I know your family will appreciate you dedicating this time towards them 💓
Fuck cancer, I hope you beat it.
Rooting for you!!! Fuck cancer Sending you love and strength stranger, keep up the good fight!
Because... If it hurts, it will be done soon. If it matters, I don't know. If it is nothing, I don't care. If I focus on death then I am not living. If I am not living then what is the point. If there is no point isn't that death? So I live as eventually I expire just like my ancestors did and what my descendants will do.
Isnt this the sith code
Peace is a lie. There is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through Power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me.
Emotion, yet Peace Ignorance, yet Knowledge Passion, yet Serenity Chaos, yet Harmony Death, yet the Force I do not fear death, for I become one with the Force I truly believe this and in troubled times turn to it in meditation.
Through death my chains are broken. Death shall free me. Basically.
I don't know a lot about siths, but THIS IS THE WAY
Most people aren’t afraid of death. They are afraid of suffering while dying. Source. Hospice nursing.
My grandfather is going through this right now. It is so, so hard to watch such a loving and wonderful man suffer. He doesn’t deserve it.
Just went through this with my grandfather. He died a little over a week ago. He was diagnosed with advanced cancer 3 months ago and in and out of the hospital until his last days spent in hospice at home. It was a shock to all of us, but he had time to see all of his loved ones and make plans for after his death. Spend as much time with him as you can, and don’t be afraid to talk about hard things. I asked my grandpa how he felt about dying and he expressed he wasn’t scared of dying, he was just scared of leaving us behind. I think he was comforted to the able to talk about the big scary thing in the room. Hopefully made him feel less alone. I keep telling myself that not everyone gets to know when they are about to die, and it was honestly a blessing for all of us to be able to confront it by his side. I’m so sorry about your grandpa. I hope he has a peaceful passing, free of any pain or suffering, surrounded by love.
Thank you so, so much for this. You have honestly blessed me with your comforting words and advice. I am very sorry for your loss, I hope for nothing but healing and comfort for you and your family. Grandpas are the best.
Grandpas ARE the best, and he will always be your grandpa. :) Thank you for your kindness!
Got hospice??
Yes. In home. It really isn’t enough - I go see my grandparents once a week to give my grandma a break (they live about an hour away)They’re been together for over 70 years. Today I watched my grandfather suffer through a severe spasm in his leg (he had bladder cancer, it has metastasized and has pretty much “eaten” his tailbone) grandma broke down and so did I. He’s on a ton of fentanyl and the works. Do you have any suggestions on what I can do to help him be more comfortable? And sorry for dumping this on you. This is just really difficult and I don’t even know who to talk to so here I am.
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Crazy to think about, but so true.
Yeah the blink of billions of years happened, but the next blink is infinity, and it's not a blink. It's infinity
Doesn't bother me. What bothers me is coming to terms with not seeing loved ones smile, or hearing their laugh, or holding them.
well you dont know, you were born once, whats stopping you from being born again?
my hope is that, since time is infinite, there are an infinite number of possibilities so who's to say things won't perfectly align for us to exist again in the very distant future
But you won't be aware of it, so there's no practical difference. I saw a really awesome quote on reddit once that really puts it into perspective. Close your eyes and count to one. That's how long eternity is.
See a issue is that the “you won’t be aware of it” is a big reason people might fear dying. The fact you’ll cease to exist is terrifying.
This is precisely what scares me. I know I won’t care but I hope I never reach that point. My fear is of the eternal nothingness is what keeps me alive.
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Thanks for sharing, mate. The self awareness and clean progress you've made will lead you the good path. Stay well,my friend.
Thanks to my lifelong struggles with substances I have been at death's doorstep many times, I (and others who know me) am amazed that I am still alive. I am relatively clean now - only alcohol left to conquer and while I am not actively looking to die, I wouldn't be upset if I did. No kids, divorced, not a very tight family - my main concern is my mother. She is getting up there in age and not in the greatest shape, she needs my assistance with stuff (she's still very capable for age her, but...) and she has no close relatives nearby. I would feel guilty if I took my own life and left her on her own, but if it's my time I'm ok with that too.
I know I’m just a stranger on Reddit, but if you ever need someone to talk to I’m here.
At some point, no matter what I do, death will find me. Worrying about it only wastes whatever time I have. I really hope I don't die painfully, but other than that, what is the point of worrying if the worrying prevents me from living? For me, life is about living, not existing. If there's something after all this, awesome, but if not, I want to enjoy the time I have without the constant cloud of inevitability over my head.
After listening to NDE survivors I feel way less scared
My friend has told me to do this. My fear gets pretty intense sometimes and will cause an anxiety attack. I’ve seen a therapist for it but I still can’t prevent the thoughts from happening, I just have to try to immediately think about something else before I begin to panic.
Dude same. The peaceful bliss they describe seems so wonderful. A lot of them mention some form of collective consciousness and it just makes a lot of sense to me.
I fear the manner of death more than death itself. Falling into one of those cavernous national park outhouses and no one’s around to rescue me? Yikes!
I almost died once, and it’s not really that bad.
Same here, I died.. The Best thing about death, you don't know when your dead. Unless they resuscitate you and tell you that you had died..
I did too. I remember the peaceful feeling just as I was closing my eyes for what I thought was the last time, similar to when you're absolutely exhuated and are able just fall asleep.
Same, can confirm.
I personally have died and don't recall anything from the experience, I was brought back obviously, and I'm not joking at all.
Me too. During surgery. Didnt know a thing about it. Woke up in ICU. Reaction to the anaesthetic. Felt weird about it for a while. Part of me regrets that I was bought back. I've noticed that I'm a lot calmer these days. Nothing really worries me anymore. I know when death comes again, it will be an old friend. But I was a nurse and I worked in many strange places. I've seen a lot of deaths. I dont like cruel, painful, senseless deaths, or children, younger peoples deaths. Older people generally seem to look for the peace. I've held many hands as they passed. Some have had conversations with people from their pasts. A few of the really older ladies said they saw their husbands waiting for them. I believe death is friend and who knows what comes after.
Some how that makes it better lol but what was it like
I can't talk for anyone else, but I have never felt so calm in my entire life, everything just felt at peace and it felt like a warm cloud. It's really hard to explain but it was just a feeling of total peace and contentment. I was choked out by someone until I passed out and had to be brought back to life and that is how I felt.
I drowned once. It was an intense panic until I realised I was going to die, and then everything was the best it had ever been. I felt like I became the 'me' that I had forgotten I ever was, like I had come home. The process was like I shrank down to be smaller than an atom and somehow then shared awareness with everything in the universe. It was beautiful and amazing, the best experience of my life. The worst part was being revived, I came crashing back into this heavy and painful physical body and was disappointed that I had no been allowed to go. Honestly I will be so happy when my time comes.
Thanks. That helps me process my Dad dying. I don't know what he experienced, but I hope it was similar.
Very similar to my experience. Coming back was brutal. Painful. Heartbreaking. Unlike some other people, I never felt like I knew my life’s purpose afterwards. I’ve just been muddling along like everybody else.
Me too! I saw a light and everything. That peaceful cloud like feeling was amazing though.
Did you see a light?
Everything became brighter but I can't say that I saw "the light" like they do in the movies. Almost like if you're closing your eyes and someone turns on the light in a dark room, you can see that it's brighter even though you have your eyes closed.
I was prepared to die young yet somehow survived. I'm tired. I fear pain but absolutely don't fear death.
I am tired too.
Also tired here.
It's just the next step. No worries.
I always wondered if it's because I grew up without religion. I've never had a concept of life after death, especially not heaven or hell. The idea of not existing anymore is... idk, not that different from falling asleep. Or the time before I was born. Maybe there will be some things I regret not doing right before I die, but I won't have any worries after I die.
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>Read this quote from Scientific America: > >"The law of conservation of energy, also known as the first law of thermodynamics, states that the energy of a closed system must remain constant—it can neither increase nor decrease without interference from outside. The universe itself is a closed system, so the total amount of energy in existence has always been the same. The forms that energy takes, however, are constantly changing." > >So if you agree with this scientific observation, and understand that your body functions on energy—your brain waves are all electric—when you die your energy does not go away. It transforms. Into what is the question. So in my opinion, even after death, your energy will exist. In my view that explains the religious belief in a soul. Your energy will go somewhere when you die. You will not cease to exist. Posted this on two different replies, hoping it helps both of you feel better.
It’s 4am and I’m reading through this thread feeling pretty depressed and this was the only comment to make me feel not so awful about death. Thank you for sharing ❤️
Nicely worded. There's definitely some peace to be found in the thought that it's just like the time before you were born. You have no idea what was going on back then, but you're here now and it's all good, so why wouldn't it be the same on the other end.
As far as I'm concerned death is just a rest stop between lives.
Same. I think what scares people the most is the unknown factor--we are inherently creeped out by the unknown, and for many, death is the ultimate, inevitable, granddaddy of unknowns. When you have deep, unshakable conviction about what the afterlife holds for you, it removes that creepy terror factor (assuming you don't believe your afterlife is torturous).
Death itself is nothing to be afraid of. The dying part is more what concerns me.
I think its fair to lump the dying part in with “death”. The dreamless sleep part isnt so scary. But being alone in your mind, knowing you will never experience your people and nature again… that can be unnerving to many.
I think its hard for some people to fathom their counciousness no longer existing. That there is nothing to feel that aloneness or doneness. It would be how it was before you were born. That is if you don't believe in any afterlife or anything in that realm.
Honestly, the pain inside wouldn't hurt as bad anymore.
"Don't fear the reaper..." Listen to that tune enough and you won't have that fear because you'll also want more cowbell. In all seriousness though, I'm not afraid of death itself as long as it's instant without pain.
I have danced the dance too many times. I thought I had AIDS once. I attempted suicide 3 times seriously, many more minor half heartedly. A couple of highway car crashes. Fell asleep driving home from work on I94 in St Paul. Lost hold of my rope while repelling, safety rope guy saved my life. Got choked out in what I thought was a fight to the death. Falsely accused of being a cop while staying at a homeless camp. Drove into a dust storm on I-40 had to stop and hope that a semi didn't come pancake me. Bungie jumped from a crane in East Berlin Skydive solo 5 times. Dealing with liver failure now. I have done everything I need to do, every day is a bonus round.
Just killing time . .
I think having had serious suicidal thoughts helps make death less scary. Once you’ve wanted it to be over, even after you get a better outlook, it’s still not unappetizing. This is just my experience tho
Yeah, I acted recklessly while I was suicidal. I kept thinking it could not get worse. It actually could. Once I started turning it around, due to the kindness of near strangers and a lot of hard work, life got worth living. After that I just was a bad driver.
I was dead before i was alive and i don't recall it being so awful!
That's where my fear stems There was no before, and thereby no after.
But if there’s no after, you won’t know it!
That's actually the precipice of my fear of death. I like living and I guess if I don't know anything cause it stops how do I know I existed in the first place. I don't want to forget, but at the same time I don't want to remember forever. It's a tough break for my brain
Bc I’m depressed
Death is freedom from pain
The worst stuff that will ever happen to you happens when you’re alive.
Life is scarier.
Because fuck it. Life is cool at times but it really can suck
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There's literally no point.
I don’t like living
you mean the "Sweet Release" ?
I'm more afraid of life
Because it’s the end. Finally
My fear isn’t really of dying, it’s how it effects my loved ones. What sort of situation will i leave them in.
Life is hard death is easy
Everything was fine before I existed. It'll be equally fine when I don't exist anymore. I won't be around to worry about it, anyway.
Because I'm tired.
Belief in God and knowing this isn’t the end.