Discussion Why do people fear death so much even if all of us have to go someday anyway... So it doesn't really matter after all

[Misery99]

People suddenly die from the road accidents all the time. I have read such incidents of young and happy people in their teenage years or early 20s suddenly ended up being dead because of the road accidents. But the difference is they probably had no intention to die and it all had happened suddenly. But I wonder what could have been their last thoughts. Maybe sudden fear or extreme confusion. It's strange anyway.

The only reason why I had not ctb yet because as a person who feel panicked easily, I need a method which doesn't make me stay conscious long enough for me to feel regret about my decision and make me feel panicked. And I don't need a gruesome or bloody method to ctb. It should be something peaceful and calming. But those kind of methods are extremely rare and even if they are available, not everyone can get access to them. And also not having a clear clue about what really happens after the death also makes me feel bit hesitant...so it's the fear of unknown...

But this life I have now doesn't seem to get better anyway...and what I have to deal in this life is having high functioning Autism and it's not something curable. I was never able to be fully independent in the life because of that. And people don't understand what it's like to be someone like me. They probably think that I'm too lazy or unmotivated to drive or get a job. So maybe it's worth to step to the unknown. It could be more peaceful than what I have going on now. But I have yet to find a clear way to ctb without making a mess.

 

[VegasLyra]

Because we're biologically hardwired to fear death. Logically I know there's nothing special at all about death, it's just the cessation of consciousness and consciousness itself is completely arbitrary. But still, I'm afraid of the idea of not existing anymore. You wouldn't be human if you didn't fear that. Billions of years of evolution created an insanely strong survival instinct

 

[Misery99]

Because we're biologically hardwired to fear death. Logically I know there's nothing at all about death, it's just the cessation of consciousness and consciousness itself is completely arbitrary. But still, I'm afraid of the idea of not existing anymore. You wouldn't be human if you didn't fear that. Billions of years of evolution created an insanely strong survival instinct

Yes it's true. But all of this doesn't matter in the end. When I read the news about accidents it makes me think about how fragile life is even for the non-depressed people. The death doesn't discriminate anyone in the end.

 

[pthnrdnojvsc]

another thing I believe contrary to most humans.

a 1 day old human doesn't fear Death as they don't know what Death is . so imo they were taught what Death is and to fear it

imo people were taught to fear Death as less than 1 year old humans and other animals don't even know what Death is

to know what Death means one needs to understand that Death is inevitable, certain, universal, permanent, irreversible.

it requires a long time learning these abstract concepts and holding them all at one time

to me I'll also add that Death is impending because how fast did the last 5 years pass by

to me I'll also add that Death is Non-existence forever

to me Death is the impending, inevitable, certain, universal, permanent, irreversible ceasing to exist for all time

I will never fear Death

to me it's the best thing by a quintillion times because it's the only opposite of this hell

 

[fishperson]

Yeah doesnt make sense to me either.
The funny part is , society always pretends it cares about human life while driving is normalized. As if its not the number 1 reason people die like ants.
Is society telling us going to work on time is more important than human life.
If thats the case then why do we mourn death so much.

 

[itsgone2]

I think I just fear the process. I don't fear actual death.

Is that accurate for others?

If you could flip a switch and painlessly be gone, would you? I would.

 

[Wojaczek]

I think I just fear the process. I don't fear actual death.

Is that accurate for others?

If you could flip a switch and painlessly be gone, would you? I would.

yeah, it's the act of dying and associating pain with it, that's the scary part.

 

[cursedlife]

the reason I didn't end my life yet is fear of botching my attempt and ending up in a vegetative state , the pain of death is also a concern for ,if those things didn't exist I'll definitely be dead

 

[InkMoth]

Because your biological imperative is not connected in many ways with your abstract cognition, and acts as an autonomous force. Once you try to do it, your body goes into panic mode automatically. Nature doesn't like it's small Frankenstein Monsters leaving in any way.

 

[aufrechtm7]

Yeah doesnt make sense to me either.
The funny part is , society always pretends it cares about human life while driving is normalized. As if its not the number 1 reason people die like ants.
Is society telling us going to work on time is more important than human life.
If thats the case then why do we mourn death so much.

Life is all about taking risks, if we let chance stop us then nobody would make any progress.

Most people learn about death at an early age through different means, but almost all of those means show how it's something deeply saddening.

 

[northerner]

i grew up religious, so for me the struggle is a fear of not knowing what comes next. my best-case scenario is nothing. i would love to have never even existed in the first place. but a part of me still believes in a heaven, and perhaps more importantly, a hell. i really don't want to be tortured for all of eternity. definitly a worst-case scenario. or maybe my parents picked the wrong religion and it's actually reincarnation i should be worried about. i kill myself just to end up living as one of those live lobsters at seafood resturants that are just watching their friends be eaten around them while awaiting my own death? noooooooooo thank you. i hope, really truly hope, that when i die there's nothing else. existence is pain, as they say.

 

[FuneralCry]

I'd never fear such, instead I fear suffering in this dreadful, torturous existence for decades longer, it's horrific to me how the torture of existing can continue for much longer with no limit as to how much agony one can feel, for me ceasing to exist is all that's positive.

For me ceasing to exist would be the positive solution to find peace from the torture, evil and cruelty of existing where there is no limit as to how much one can be tortured, all I want is to cease existing, no matter what I'll just always prefer to not exist than be tortured in this terrible, dreadful existence that just causes all this harm and suffering, to me existence truly is a mistake, I'll always see the existence of life as the most terrible, devastating tragedy that just causes all this cruelty and torture.

 

[NotSoEnchanted]

Because we're biologically hardwired to fear death. Logically I know there's nothing special at all about death, it's just the cessation of consciousness and consciousness itself is completely arbitrary. But still, I'm afraid of the idea of not existing anymore. You wouldn't be human if you didn't fear that. Billions of years of evolution created an insanely strong survival instinct

This and we're also socially conditioned to fear death and not commit suicide. I found myself significantly more afraid to CTB after my most recent stint in the psych ward. People telling me I'm 'wrong' for feeling this way, and that suicide is not the answer has made me feel far more anxious/fearful when I think about and plan my death.

 

[Misery99]

Yeah doesnt make sense to me either.
The funny part is , society always pretends it cares about human life while driving is normalized. As if its not the number 1 reason people die like ants.
Is society telling us going to work on time is more important than human life.
If thats the case then why do we mourn death so much.

Yes it's true. The society wants people to do the 'normal' people stuff like driving and if they are unable to do that, they consider those who don't do it as failures.

I think I just fear the process. I don't fear actual death.

Is that accurate for others?

If you could flip a switch and painlessly be gone, would you? I would.

Yes absolutely, if there's a method which can switch off my life instantly then I would not think twice to do it. I just don't like to be aware of the fact that I'm dying while my body is slowly shutting down and being in pain. I'm scared of that vulnerable feeling and pain and not the death itself.

yeah, it's the act of dying and associating pain with it, that's the scary part.

Yes it absolutely is. That's why so many people are searching painless methods to commit suicide.

i grew up religious, so for me the struggle is a fear of not knowing what comes next. my best-case scenario is nothing. i would love to have never even existed in the first place. but a part of me still believes in a heaven, and perhaps more importantly, a hell. i really don't want to be tortured for all of eternity. definitly a worst-case scenario. or maybe my parents picked the wrong religion and it's actually reincarnation i should be worried about. i kill myself just to end up living as one of those live lobsters at seafood resturants that are just watching their friends be eaten around them while awaiting my own death? noooooooooo thank you. i hope, really truly hope, that when i die there's nothing else. existence is pain, as they say.

Yes being reincarnated as an animal is a fear for people who believe in reincarnation just like us Buddhist people. But Buddhism teaches you that you only get such a bad fate in reincarnation only if you had been an extremely bad animal abuser in your previous life. So your reincarnation depends on your karma. I personally had never hurted or abused any animals and I've always been kind to them. So I don't fear that but I have mixed feelings about the suicide because some Buddhist people believe that suicide is a sin but I don't think it is because majority of the people who commit suicide are sensitive souls and they would never take another living being's life away. When we were dealt with bad cards already in the beginning of life and the life gets too unbearable and all we do is suffer everyday, what else are we supposed to do then.

 

[pthnrdnojvsc]

i grew up religious, so for me the struggle is a fear of not knowing what comes next. my best-case scenario is nothing. i would love to have never even existed in the first place. but a part of me still believes in a heaven, and perhaps more importantly, a hell. i really don't want to be tortured for all of eternity. definitly a worst-case scenario. or maybe my parents picked the wrong religion and it's actually reincarnation i should be worried about. i kill myself just to end up living as one of those live lobsters at seafood resturants that are just watching their friends be eaten around them while awaiting my own death? noooooooooo thank you. i hope, really truly hope, that when i die there's nothing else. existence is pain, as they say.

I agree existence is pain .

to me life / existence is unending
constant unbearable pain. pure hell

Death is eternal non-existence the opposite of unending constant unbearable pain forever the opposite of hell the only perfection

Yeah doesnt make sense to me either.
The funny part is , society always pretends it cares about human life while driving is normalized. As if its not the number 1 reason people die like ants.
Is society telling us going to work on time is more important than human life.
If thats the case then why do we mourn death so much.

they just stigmatize demonize suicide for control over the slaves us

 

[aurevoir]

This brought me a lot of comfort. I don't know what happens after death but that won't change whether I die today or in *gags* 20 years. Takes a bit of weight off my shoulders.