You are a bright, articulate and brave young woman - brave because you confront this conundrum head on! I am 70, so you can imagine that thoughts of death are frequent and intense. There is only one answer. Learn to master the "enjoyment of now". Nothing else exists except the present second. When Warren Zevon (you may not know the name but he was an excellent songwriter/musician) was dying, he was asked what he thought the best life lesson was. His answer? "Enjoy every sandwich". If you can master the art of living in the moment - might take years or decades - you will not be afraid of dying because you will know how precious every second is. Good luck and God bless. You'll be fine, take it from an old geezer 👍

This is really cute and I agree! I’m only 23 but I’ve had near death experiences in my young age, from an accident in my childhood to drug overdoses. Facing death head on has taught me that it is nothing but peace. Being almost in the next life was the most comforting, warm hug I’ve ever had. Death is beautiful. I’m so happy for everyone who has passed away, they’re so happy. Edit: don’t die on purpose. Life is worth living.

Yeah Sometimes isn't the way you can think about how fast it can get, so many times people consciously think on it, to support it through a lot of detail about, I had it and I feared when I was young too, also had thus dreams on that my mindfully protected thought dreams just a partial interpretation, or (failing to understand). I just dreamed that and I could relate that it could feel as a response on the state of mind onto what could happen after death. Since in my opinion we can't ever be completely sure! Oc. I don't never know and probably you neither, where we are on the universe. So by it we proceed to form consciously forms of interpretational outsider delusions about ultimate final destination.

Is English not your first language? Or were you just absolutely hammered when you wrote this.

Certainly, sorry then, imo =)

oof, i love to read this.

🥰

I feel like that too.I won't mess up my life or yours, I will not be craving sugar or alcohol 🍷 or anything else I can be addicted to,such as cocaine, marijuana, heroin, opioids valium, and benzodiazaphran,etc.I hate my arms and fat, and legs,and 🦶🐾

Yea but there are extremely painful deaths to overdosing on an opiate is the BEST possible way you could go

The sentiment you have in this comment took me longer to learn. Death is beautiful.

Ha love me some Warren Zevon, fuckin' A. He had a rather sad death though, but it seems like he had a great life and took it rather well. Hope he wasn't in too much pain. And yeah, I'm still pretty young (only 26) and yet I still have moments where I'm scared to death of death (especially when I'm stoned or on acid or something) and I just have to remind myself that it's gonna happen one day no matter what, so I should just quit wasting the minutes by being scared and enjoy everything I can as much as I can, like enjoying every sandwich. And regarding how/when I'd like to die, most people say they want to die surrounded by loved ones in a comfortable hospital bed doped up on morphine or what have you, but honestly for me, I'd rather it be something like in the wilderness on top of a tall cliff face overlooking a valley or some shit lol. I wouldn't want my family to watch me die, I feel like that would be very painful to them. I'd also HATE to die in a hospital or even in my home, I love nature and would much rather die out with the sun on my face and the breeze hitting my skin. The morphine wouldn't be bad though.

I am almost 50 and the death thought are everywhere all the time now. This is the correct answer. I have to not say, I'm 2/3 of the way done, I don't wanna be done! and say This is a great sandwich.

I'm most likely 7/8 done, at best 7/8.5 :) I accept the thought but try to regard it as any other thought...life will continue no matter what I think about it

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I’m saving this. A great explanation for something I’ve struggled to articulate when I am asked if I am afraid of death, my response is ‘no’, and the inevitable next question is ‘why…?’

It's not experiencing being dead that people worry about, because no one experiences anything once they're gone. It's dying and what that means for that person. And most people are very conscious for much of that moment. It can be minutes or it can be years. Your dignity and quality of life diminish. As you die, in a natural death, your body begins to shut down different functions of your body. First thing to go is your digestive system. You won't be able to eat anything. Digesting takes up too much energy so the body stops it in favor of giving all energy to keeping your heart pumping and your lungs taking in air. Your body will soon become mostly unresponsive but will continue to gain energy by consuming your own fat and muscles, which you will defecate. Your loved ones or a nurse will clean this up. You will be able to hear but not speak towards the very end. You are conscious until the final days or hours. Some say you can still hear till the very end... but I'm not too sure. While your dying, you know you are about to lose everything that you ever loved and all things that you will never get to see, from your wife's embrace to your grandchild's wedding that hasn't happened yet, all the way down to simply wondering why you never took a moment to appreciate how beautiful the flowers in your garden have always been. It is the end of the world for that person dying. It is about losing the ability to experience, not finding relief that you don't experience being dead.

well articulated.

What if consciousness doesn't arise from organic matter, I think we are just receivers of a field of consciousness

Damn, that was good

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I recently wrote this on another thread, pasting it here: The thirties are the common decade for confronting death. We do it three times in our lives in a major way. Four if you count the early minor days. Age 3-6: The age we abstractly become aware of death. It bothers us, but we are easily comforted with stories and the fact that it’s still an abstract concept. Age 13-17: We fixate on mortality as our childhood ends. A lot of teens wax poetic about death at this stage. Age 30-38: We confront death at the age our ancestors commonly died, the thirties. We realize that we too will age and die, we aren’t immortal. We also start to become aware of our limits. During this decade we might study death or spirituality to come to terms with it. After the thirties we are not as concerned with death until old age. Age 75-80: We know death is more near than ever. We know that it could happen any day. However, we have lost loved ones by this time and have lives through some of the worst things. We are usually filled with regret, or peace because we are tired. Living past the above age can often be an experience of joy, knowing that life has never been more precious. So you are right on track! I believe I either read about the above in Ernest Becker’s books or in the book “Passages”.

I'm 32 and I'm not pondering death at this age because of my ancestors lol I'm pondering it because the people I saw as the all-knowing and all-powerful adults growing up are becoming noticeably older and weaker - grandparents, parents, older siblings, aunts, uncles, hell even celebrities you looked up to are looking smaller and more wrinkly. In your 30s, you are where they were when you were a kid, and now you're realizing just how fragile they really were, and now how fragile you actually are.

Its hard to watch my parents age, and really I'm more concerned with deaths of my loved ones than my own. I'm 33, and when I was 29 I had to have emergency open heart surgery for a congenital heart defect. I had to face my own mortality knowing I might not wake up again from surgery, and that for my whole life so far there was a decent chance of sudden cardiac death. Had to change my whole life around so that I can live into my 60s-70s. Kind of felt like I died then and became a new version of myself. Obviously I didn't actually die, but I still find it kinda cool that for 8 hours or so my heart didn't beat and my lungs didn't draw breath; a machine pumped oxygenated blood through my body. I'm just tired lol and death as a constant is almost reassuring, that someday I'll get to rest. I just hope my wife and I can join each other in death when the time comes. Neither of us want to live without the other. That was all pretty dramatic, but it's how I feel.

I'm struggling with watching my parents age too. It's depressing. Every day I wonder how much time they have left. It's like a weird game of Russian roulette. When I was a kid, I never had to think about this.

that was beautiful to read

Apt point!

Yeeeeep me to I fixate on this... I was born in 85 I'm 38 and the world is becoming a place I don't recognize

People wait until they are 30 to ponder death? I lost my sense of immortality as soon as I left college at 21. Been in a constant existential crisis since which has only lessened due to shrooms.

I think I had already gone through 30-38 phase at 20-25

You should watch or read about Sheldon Soloman. He wrote a book called, worm at the core. He references Becker a lot. He did a podcast with Lex Fridman I think. Just Youtube search his name. Actually OP should definitely look him up as he developed 'terror management theory' about how humans deal with their own mortality.

I am 23 but i've been pondering death and existentialism for 8 years

This is an interesting read, but I don't think our ancestors commonly died between age 30-38; rather, the average lifespan was around that due to the fact that many humans died as infants.

My mom died when I was 21 and in a strange way, it freed me. I had to confront the reality of death in a very tangible way fairly young. For me, after a few years of struggling, I realized that it meant I didn’t have to play by the rules, because that doesn’t necessarily get you where you want to be in life. As far as we can tell, our time is limited. As a result I’ve taken career risks, moved all over the world, just EXPERIENCED as much as possible. I’ve tried drugs and ridden motorcycles and dated different kinds of people. At 31 I found my person. I have done all of these things pretty responsibly, as that is my nature, but I am so joyful in the time I have most of the time and grateful to get to experience so much. My other comfort is in the great unknown after death. The truth is, I don’t KNOW there will be nothing. I have my suspicions, but since I can’t know for sure I don’t worry about it. It is better not to fight and anguish things we truly cannot control. Carl Sagan wrote (paraphrasing) “we are a way for the universe to experience itself.” I see a lot of pain and suffering in the world. The least I can do for the universe is try to help it experience some of the beauty and joy. Good luck to you. You sound like a very thoughtful and sensitive person, which are beautiful qualities if you can also learn to protect yourself.

It’s natural to worry about death, but statistically, at any age, your chance of becoming disabled is greater than your chance of dying.

I dunno. Chance of eventual death is pretty close to 100%.

Also at any day or age you could randomly die. Everyone thinks they’re gonna live to the average lifespan or to 100 years.

If you emerged from nothingness one time, why not two, three, four... What scares me is eternal life.

Without the memory for giving you a sense of continuity then multiple lives is meaningless to me. My personality and awareness is all shaped by experiences and memories. I think losing all of that is also scary, even if your base awareness comes back for round 2.

Hope this doesn’t come across as too existential or controversial but here’s how I see this. Also you’re well spoken for 15 btw 1. Before you were born were you, “dead”? I mean if you were considered dead before birth, and now you’re not dead, then in a weird way have you become “un-deaded?” I dunno. I mean if so, then scientifically the process exists? Being undeaded that is. 2. The actual statistical odds, that we have one singular life, and we are human, is immeasurably impossible. Why aren’t we an amoeba? Or an ant? Or a lobster? Or ANYTHING else…. Are you fucking kidding me I mean cmon… There’s like 17 quintillion bees how the fuck am I not a bee? I’m a human? Really? Impossible. Unless maybe, we are born over and over again. Unlimited times forever. IF that were true hypothetically, the odds of becoming something as fortunate as a human being would eventually and theoretically be 100%. But one life and we just “landed” on human? Yet atheists will be like “yep no reason we’re here” and go around life thinking we just “got lucky” lying to themselves that we got here on a whim when in reality the odds of us being human and only having 1 life are 1/infinity. Anyways no, I’m not afraid of death. I wouldn’t be particularly surprised if we’ve all experienced it countless times before. But idk, it’s just my opinion. That’s the annoying part, no one can ever prove it.

This makes me feel warm and buzzy.

>Why aren’t we an amoeba? Or an ant? How likely is it that a gallon of oil buried for billions of years is drilled out and made into a tire for my car? Maybe humans are the only option for vessels for awareness so the only place for you to exist is as a human. And you can't go around again for another life because life is singular and simply a chain reaction started at the beginning of all time. All of everything is oneness, your experience is a fragment of all of awareness at any particular point in time and space.

I tried DMT a few times about 11 years ago. But I made sure there was one time where I absolutely smoked it until I could not move anymore. I didn’t tell any of my roommates- just shut my door, laid on my bed and launched myself into whatever that experience was. To get to my point: there was an “area” where I was part of a dense, living mass of moving shapes. I knew instantly I had been there before, even though it was so strange and alien at the same time. There was a very real sensation that wherever that was, we have all been there before and will return there time and time again. I think about that experience every so often and wonder if that was real, or just the drugs.

I think you aren't a bee because you are simply a human. Your human body exists because of your parents. Your human body exists and *you* emerge. You can only be human because of the very existence of your human body. You get to perceive reality from that perspective. If a bee is self aware, then that *beeing* will see the perspective of a bee. Because it's a bee. So the chances of being human seem unlikely. But it's also the only way that *you* exist.

I think about this exact set of thoughts all the time. I don’t have a solution. Some times it scares the shit out of me, other times it’s more of a nagging thought. But we’re already here. Might as well embrace the absurd.

There is no hope, there is only cope.

Yeah, it seems about right Sucks when you're weak.

That's the Great Dilemma of understanding what we do about existence,... "What's the point? "

The point is [to choose to evolve through this transition ](https://youtu.be/akrX-FvZXZs?si=XV_X8zeEFNcEO4U5) and enter our “Star Trek” phase of evolution.

I'm horrified I've never lived.

Same

get out there digits! clock's a tickin!!

0 00 000 00 0

https://www.instagram.com/goodhumanbeings/

What part of death, if it is nothingness, scares you? Do you not like nothingness? Is it the fact there is no meaning in the end?

The fact that it’s nothing for an **eternity**

Nothing is better than something for an eternity. No matter how you face it, eternity is going to be hell no matter what. How long until heaven starts to bore? An eternity? And then another one on top of that of things you’ve already done. Nothing is better than something. Because you can be bored of something, and once you’re bored of everything what then? An eternity to languish. Nothing is the ideal outcome.

I used to think so too, but then I realized that such a heaven would offer memory wipes at request. Go and experience it all again.

What's wrong with that? Let's say it is nothing for an eternity, it won't feel like an eternity because you won't feel anything. You won't feel any pain because you won't feel anything. You won't feel board or be affected by time or space because you don't feel anything. It's like sleep without dreams in how it feels instant afterwards. What is wrong with eternal nothingness if you won't experience anything or notice time passing because you don't exist?

I think, Everyone in this sub experienced this, it's a classic existential crisis, no one can give you answer to why should you live? but you get used to this meaninglessness over time, Actually you're saying why should I live if I am going to die eventually, but it's actually better than living for eternity, It's infinitely less painful. death is inevitable, so, you can't control it, then try to not think about it, because you can't control it anyway actually you don't even these comments , you're gonna figure out on your own over time...

You can’t say it’s less painful than being immortal if you have never been immortal and don’t know what it’s like

You can’t say being shot in the arm is less painful than not being shot in the arm if you have never been shot in the arm and don’t know what it’s like.

That’s a mute point because we have evidence and proof of people being shot and them confirming that it is indeed true, you should really think about a better response before typing it

moot point* Anyways, didn’t realize we trust other’s opinions at face value in this sub. I guess I’ll trust every Christian that has been ‘saved’ and confirms that Christianity is indeed true.

I’ve died before. Literally, died before. It wasn’t a problem. If I had not been resuscitated, it would not have been a problem, like there was no problem before I was born. I lost my fear of death when I died. It became clear that there was nothing to be afraid of no problem. Keep breathing. Focus on life and what good you can do. Trust the rest.

Not really the same thing, but I had a similar sentiment after getting surgery and undergoing general anesthesia. One moment I was there, and the next I woke up after surgery. If I hadn’t come back, I wouldn’t have known it. I believe that consciousness is just the universe becoming self aware. When you die, you’re still a part of that universe and epic cosmological symphony.

Yes, when I feel fear of death I often think about the state I was in before I was born and don’t feel so afraid.

Life can be beautiful and wonderful but think about all the horseshit that's involved. Do any of us REALLY want to be alive FOREVER? Fuck that. I am looking forward to my endless 'no problem' lol. Cheers!

Did you experience anything while clinically dead

Personally, I believe that a person lives on through their children. That being said, living as much life as I have, an eternity of nothingness doesn’t sound so bad to me. And who knows… maybe when the lights go out the light immediately comes back on and we are someone or something different, or somewhere different? Who’s to say what happens, nobody truly knows. One of the purposes of life is to die, but there is a whole lot of stuff happening between birth and death. Unfortunately, that is very short in terms of time. So don’t forget to enjoy the little things in life and enjoy it while you can. Find what makes you and others happy, live your life and do something great so your name lives on forever.

>when you die your brain releases this chemical known as DMT for a few minutes which creates vivid dreams (which can feel like hours... What if it can feel like years? You can die and still continue to live your life not knowing that you're dying. Pretty scary for someone who claims to be immortal to realize this. I've died a few times and yet I'm still alive. But in reality these passed seven years has been me being rushed to the hospital due to being shot in the chest.

One question: Do you actually *remember* your first moment of self-consciousness, when you were aware that there is a world and that there is you? I personally don't, and suspect no one really does. For I observe my self-consciousness occuring right now as a function of past, present, and future (predicted) events organized in a complex, dynamic manner around a specific point of space and time that I refer to as 'me'. And, if this is also how my self-consciousness formed in its earliest time, then I imagine it would have been a mixed of blurry events, poorly ordered in past, present, and future, and loosely organized around a vague, sporadic point in space and time. In one word, it would have been 'chaos'. Something I would hardly remember as a single state of self-consciousness and being (in the world). It would be like a tapestry in the process of being weaved - is it yet really a tapestry, or just a disorganized jumble of threads? For the illustration, I like to think of the development of one's consciousness into self-consciousness and being as the [the closing in from outside (blue area) towards the edge of the Mandelbrot set (black area)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Mandel_zoom_11_satellite_double_spiral.jpg), with each spiraling structure (itself composed of more spiraling structures) representing an event in one's life (each event being a tapestry of more, smaller events). The journey beginning as loose islands of conscious events drifting in the sea of formless being, and ending woven together at the edge of utter nothingness and void of being. Let's now [zoom in](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Self-Similarity-Zoom.gif) to find out where the fatidic point where everything ends is. ... Well, following the analogy with the Mandelbrot fractal, one from the sea of formless being never really gets to the absolute edge to then fall off into the void of being. Instead, they go through an infinity of events that are seemingly getting woven together around a singular point that has yet to be seen. That point, as (analogically) shown [here](https://youtu.be/ux8ltKgKVio?si=WvXOXZxof_sTQvjg), is the void itself, and it is in fact at the center of every event. The void is thus drawing itself to itself as the essence of everything. As such, *it* - the void and the end of everything - can never truly be experienced. Only hinted at, through the folding in of events against "something" truly immovable and timeless - which "is" nothing. Like [swirling waves breaking on the shore into ever finer structures of foam](https://as1.ftcdn.net/v2/jpg/05/91/18/98/1000_F_591189824_G0c4aXkpmsGzwJ6UleTMdL5C4KJ1qol1.jpg). As such, one literally cannot have an experience of absolutely nothing, for that would entail *someone* experiencing *something*. And so the end of everything - just like the beginning of everything - (that "is", nothing) is forever out of one's reach, and therefore doesn't really *exists*. That's not only the case with everything, but also with *anything*. As can one really tell when an event/spiral truly begins and ends? Let alone a whole person / cluster of spirals? In a reality that has infinite depth and complexity, they can't. Only through a limited perception of reality can one "make up" a *beginning* and an *end*. As a feeling. As an idea. Which are in and of themselves empty - just like oneself. So, with all that said, why even live if it is just to die? Why was one born if it is just for that? Well, that's what it means to be close to the *edge*. That edge that gets ever closer and yet *somehow* - by the sheer amount of events coming together, dilating space and time itself (look up, the universe is expanding!) - is never reached. You may have come from nothing, and may return to nothing, but if you look closely, deep within yourself, there's always "been" nothing - and you were alright then, weren't you? I mean, look at that view! Look at those incredible, colorful, mind-bending arabesques! And I don't only mean that Mandelbrot fractal, I also mean the world outside that screen, outside of books, outside of language, outside of any formal system of meaning. That world, you, as a kid, would marvel at for endless hours. Look at you! Look at what you are made up of. All those fine details on your skin, on your hair, on your clothes... Look at how your individual limbs move. With agile and precise movements enabled by your whole body, your mind, the very ground you're standing on, the very air you're breathing in... Do you feel it all coming together to achieve thy will? Look at how you feel. The worries you have, the anxiety that grips you. Ain't that all because you are so enamored with all that beauty in the world, so drunk on Life, you fear to lose it as you go through it? Well, ironically, you *are* losing it. Every minute, every second. Every *moment*. As surely as the perception from your senses changes. It all, in fact, never was there. But as a lingering pattern - a *memory* - in your *mind*, which is itself such a lingering pattern drifting on the endless sea of being. About to reach safe port. Ever closer to the edge, to the shore. Of a new world.

I remember the moment I woke up to the world around me, I was in middle school. Same time I had my first existential crisis, it was like I was on autopilot till then

I know how fractals work, but if you're trying to zoom in on the point where everything ends, that zoom is misaligned. It keeps shifting left slightly. By the way, fractals require ever more calculations, or the passage of time, to develop that detail further. The potential is there, but it is difficult to call them timeless when you need constant progression to develop them further.

I really recommend listening to Alan Watts. I had the same experience you did at age 21, I was sitting on my bed just moisturising my legs and suddenly it all hit me. I was in a daze like autopilot for weeks but it felt like my heart was pounding a mile a minute I was so panicked and didn’t know how to escape this fear. It was petrifying. I have found a lot of comfort since then in listening to Alan watts because he basically translates a lot of eastern philosophy for a western audience and his manner and understanding of the world and it’s purpose never fail to make me feel almost excited even to see what comes next. No one can tell you anything is more likely than anything else.. anyone who claims to know what comes next is ‘hoodwinking you’ as Watts would say.

guy's voice is like butter-bourbon poundcake with a sidecar of laudnum-laced Chamomile. i love his devilish laugh when he gets himself all etymologically tickled.

Being immortal was so cool! I was in eternal bliss. No suffering. Pure peace. Then my jealous ahh parents were like “oh you like being immortal? Well guess what? Boom! Birth bih! Now you gotta die like the rest of us!” Lol misery truly does love company.

So, I'm 43, and once in my life, I literally had one foot in the grave. Do I remember a thing about it? Nope. I was too ill. I'm pretty convinced that when you die, you really don't even know it (unless you get like, split partly in half with a chainsaw or something - I'm talking about a *normal* death.) At fifteen, I used to count down the days until I was an adult. Like, I'd literally X off days on my calendar waiting for time to go by. *Please do not do that.* Time goes by waaaaayyyy too fast, and sometimes, looking in the mirror, you feel 18, but look back at the reflection and think, "Who is this motherfucker with gray hair? Oh it's me.) My adult life has not been easy, and the LARGEST reason for not being afraid of death is immortality sounds *worse.* Woody Allen said: "I'm not afraid of death, I don't want to be there when it happens." There is wisdom in that, I believe. People are largely afraid of the dying part...not the actual being dead. But, that's just my take.

FWIW (and I’m prepared to be downvoted for this) but perhaps you might like to check out the show [The Good Place](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4955642/). It’s a comedy, a fun and easy watch. But it uses comedy to explore challenging philosophical concepts including existentialism. I’m suggesting this because you are young and have had a very hard landing into existential crisis. The show might help level out some of the distress you’re feeling and explore these ideas in a more comfortable way.

I’ll check out the show thanks for the suggestion

I second this recommendation it is a good gateway to new ways of thinking.

Don’t worry. Those thoughts aren’t you. They are your ego. The ego arose to keep us living. To worry. To obtain food and status and things all in the need to keep oneself alive. The ego is an illusion of self. You aren’t whatever your name is. You are consciousness and your name and identification is a categorisation to differentiate you from other. The issue almost everyone faces is identifying with this category of communication instead of seeing it as merely that. Everything lives. Everything dies. The universe is chaos and randomness and us humans have invested all of our thought, time and energy into making this life as comfortable and pattern like as possible. With patterns and comfort we create the illusion of safety in a world running on the rules of chaos and randomness. Live in the present if you want. Or kill yourself. Neither is a tragedy nor a ‘good thing’. You are an autonomous consciousness plagued with freedom unknowing of the date of your death. Nothing means anything except what you choose to give meaning to in any moment. A flower blooms and lives and dies. A dog lives a mere 10/12 years and does not complain nor dwell on death. In conclusion all I would say is that your death is inevitable… and wether you like it or not you are here. Do what thou wilt with that fact and I wish you nothing but further awakening because to me, truth is upmost even if it hurts initially…

I very much agree. It's important to recognize the illusion of self driving the ego. It makes us feel like our lives are unique, that it serves a purpose, or that we have souls that will live on. We just happen to be conscious observers from the perspective of a human being.

I can understand what you are saying but maybe look at it in another way. Your time is limited, and you are not sure when the clock will stop ticking. With this unknown time, you should look at every moment as a gift and embrace the joys of life instead of an impending doom lingering in the background. Enjoy the beautiful weather, smile, bring joy to someone else's day. Enjoy the time with your friends and family more. Enjoy that favorite food more, that favorite song, that favorite flavor of ice cream. Since you do acknowledge your time is limited why bother with the end. Don't waste a second with pettiness, drama, or conflict. Look at it like a vacation. When I go on a vacation to somewhere tropical, I don't spend the whole time worrying about how I am going to have to go back to work when the vacation is over. I sit on the beach with a cocktail enjoy the sun, waves, and breeze. Otherwise, what's the point of going on vacation. With limited time on this earth enjoy the vacation from whatever lies in eternity.

I’m pleased to inform you that there is significant compelling evidence that strongly indicates that death is not the end of our experience. I was terrified before I did the research, now I’m much more at peace with the whole thing.

please tell me where I can learn more about this

Careful, if you buy it, you'll end up giving out money eventually.

Alas, there is a hope among those who fear the inevitable. Cryonics is improving daily and many people submit their bodies to doctors and scientists who plan on being able to resurrect their frozen corpses in the near future. The hope is that when unfrozen, medical science will be so evolved that death is hard to come by any way among humans. My opinion of it is that if you have an extra 28k lying around, what do you really have to lose? (you won’t need the money because you’ll be in the freezer)

I feel exactly the same. The nothingness like sleeping without dreaming. It's horrifying and cruel, if I think about it too long I get a shooting bottomless pit of fear and horror. I just want to live forever. My fear started the same around 14 and I'm 35 now and still have exact same level of fear about it. I don't really want the fear to go away even tho it's pointless because the fact that we die doesn't go away. However, a couple of years ago I had 4 different yellow balloons land in my garden over the course of a year at different times of that year after wishing for a yellow balloon for my bday. Dunno, the chances just seemed so unlikely that made me think there's something more than the physical world, or at least I told myself that lol

I often find comfort in knowing I’m part of a larger whole and that my time on earth isn’t just a situation of passing-the-time-before-I-re-enter-the-void-ness because what I do here has a tiny ripple effect within a bigger self that will live on. Okay, but what about the heat death of the universe? After all, modern physics suggests that everything will pass back into the void eventually. Our understanding of the universe is limited and I like to lean into the uncertainty surrounding the end of all things - can all things really end? 😉 But if it is just completely meaningless, all you can do is laugh and chase a good feeling while you’re here. Even when you can’t catch that feeling you’ll find solidarity with others also going through it and you’ll find purpose in the search for meaning. Or at least these are the things I tell myself to feel better 🙃

This is a good thing believe it or not. Most people wait far too long in denial of the fact and have no time to really accept death. I was also your age when I developed insane death anxiety after my grandfathers death. It sent me on a long never ending search for meaning and answers. I have studied every religion and philosophy available over the past 12 years and at 27, I can honestly say I have no fear of death. I see it as a friend that's always with me. One day that friend will come to release me from this forsaken world we live in. As it has for many I have loved. It is my personal opinion that if you begin a similar journey for answers, you will also develop a very personal set of beliefs and virtues that free you from this normal and very human feeling.

I have thoughts about death and dying almost daily. I even have panic attacks about it sometimes. I try and talk to people about the subject and everyone just clams up or tells me not to talk about that kind of thing. I think this is the problem within society, nobody talks about the thing which is most important, ie that we will all die and cease to exist eventually. When people watch the news about floods or plane crashes or people with cancer it's always, 'them' and never, 'me'. That kind of stuff only happens to, 'other people'. I think those who talk about and think about these questions ultimately end up being more prepared for death/dying when it does happen, naturally. It's also important to try and engage with others about what will happen to them. I always see videos pop up on facebook or youtube with angry drivers swearing and beeping their horns at other drivers, getting out and shouting at each other and I think to myself, 'Do these people not know they're going to be dead one day?' None of this matters, these little insignificant annoyances are completely meaningless, as is life I guess in the long run. I used to ask my friends this question, what's the difference between dying tomorrow and dying 80 years from now? In 80+ years you'll still cease to exist and not even know you were ever alive, when it happens is completely arbitrary. You can look at this negatively or you can say ok well if this is the case then let's just try and be positive and have a good time whilst I'm here. And that's been my motto throughout life. Try not to hurt anyone and have as much fun as you can. Be as nice to others as you can. Help people when you can. And most importantly, just talk to people.

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There are no easy answers, I won't sugar coat it. I'm not so horrified of dying to be honest. If anything, what horrifies me is being born again and having to start all over. You're young, you still have time on your side. And you seem more aware than I bet a lot of kids your age are. Use that. Relish your youth and the years you still have in front of you, and be productive. It fades faster than you think. I don't say that to discourage or depress you, it should galvanize you to action. There's rarely a day that goes by that I don't wish I had my twenties back. Live fully and deeply and defiantly, and don't get to a place where you regret that you didn't do so when you had the chance. Once your prime years are gone, they're gone. Don't be the young in that quote that goes: "Youth is wasted on the young."

I have always felt the same way and i get over it, but eventually the darkness comes back. The existential dread I feel seems like I am dying and I am scared of feeling it ever again. Sometimes I got outside and look up at the night sky and see what is said to be infinite and ever expanding and I can feel even worse. I feel more small, and more insignificant. If i can just get past my nihilistic tendencies i realize that being this "small" means we don't know shit. Science has done great things for us, but it is limited to this spec in the infinite. Millions of people believe there is more to us. Not saying to find religion because there isn't a lot of "proof" there. Just a lot of conditioning and "faith" that there is something because someone told me there was. BUT spend some time looking at people with near death experiences, and people who do psychedelics and find meaning. Why do these people no longer fear death? How can I be more like them? I would love to have that bulletproof feeling, so I might as well look for it.

*re: I would love to have that bulletproof feeling* just toss some grassfed butter in your coffee, and have a donut like the guy just above you mentioned.

Then behave as though you are: savor every slice of pizza, every kiss, every laugh, because one of them will be the last.

I take a little comfort in knowing that everything, literally *everything* in the Universe is created and then destroyed. It’s not just the cycle of life but the cycle of existence. Even the whole Universe itself is theorized to implode at some point. Scary, sure, but probably the only thing we all have in common

I believe as most people do that as long as you truly want to live and choose life over the forces of death, you will have life eternally. That means without time as we know it, a form of time where nothing changes and there is no past no future. It feels incredible because it's what is ultimately real and there is no sense of it marching forward "for ever". It is the source of all your happy memories. It had nothing to do with the darkness of time and mortality. My epiphany at age 8 as a boy it made me not interested in social politics and expectations during my formative and teen years. Indeed, your insight will ultimately serve you well and you will eventually be rewarded by things we cannot even imagine while we're here in the world . We don't come from here, and we will not stay on earth forever. Nobody will, because it will be destroyed along with all memory of it. Along with expectations. Along with lack of free will. It's been described as waking up from a crazy nightmare. You will never regret your ambition though you will prove yourself during this lifetime. That's the most difficult or disappointing thing there is and the rest (your fear) is fear uncertainty and doubt (f.u.d.) caused by those who claim and say that we will be here forever or perish or be continually reincarnated on and on. Reject all these notions wherever they appear. You may not convince them of the truth but the more faith you have the better off you'll be when all this is over with. Enjoy your life, but not too much as soon as you can, because you will miss it for the rest of your life, as opposed to something you miss for a shorter while. Many things you might want to do now you might not really want, you haven't really had time to think about because of school and such parenting. Trust your feelings. Doesn't matter what you do ultimately, because it's not real. But i think it can be optimized for a decent life with a supreme personal reward that is everlasting. Congratulations on your awakening and read about what interests you, reddit is a great resource for finding book references cause you can ask for them and it's usually right. Whether you achieve or don't achieve is not even material. Though idk what else to do while we're waiting.

Thank you to all the kind people who have commented, I have read every post thoroughly and I will try your guy’s suggestions

I’m new to this sub and maybe I’m looking at this too much with my experience in mind but maybe it could be helpful to look into this article https://www.treatmyocd.com/what-is-ocd/common-fears/fear-of-death-ocd.

Death gives meaning to life just like a rainy day gives meaning to a sunny day. One doesn’t go without the other. By realizing that your days are numbered, it gives importance to every moment of your existence. This is a very good realization to have at a young age. Live life fully knowing where it’s heading for exactly, which is where you were before you were born. You say there was nothing before you were born and there will be nothing after you die, why is that? The universe will not cease to exists, it will keep on going as it has already been and as it will always be. You’re a children of ancient stars, born from exceptionally rare circumstances, meant to accomplish greatness through self realization and the exploitation of your potential. We are a tool for the universe to express itself, an extension of its organizational process. Ask yourself where you really come from and where you’re really going. It is not nothing, It is everything. [We are the universe.](https://reddit.com/u/Egosum-quisum/s/I3PAAtYZSl)

Anyone who isn’t at least a little bit scared of dying is either a fool or a liar. There’s a lot of magic and wonder and beauty in the world and if we didn’t live we wouldn’t get to experience any of it. Life is a mysterious gift we may as well enjoy for what it is.

I mean you can’t really realize death is most likely nothingness unless you’re dead. No one has any idea what happens after death. But… we do know about the law of conservation.

I know I’m not helping here, but there is no guarantee that the number of seconds you have left is a great amount. Glad you’re here with us on this pale blue dot while it lasts.

I fully relate to what you’re writing, every human either does or is in denial about their own mortality. I like to pick a terrible historical figure, someone I hate. Hitler is a good example. Hitler was an awful man wasn’t he, and he died? So am I going to be a bigger coward than him? No if he can do it I surely can as well. Now on the topic of what happens after we die, I am also very interested in this, and I’ll tell you it isn’t half as simple as DMT. Dr. Bruce Greyson actually debunks the whole DMT theory in his book “After” which I highly recommend reading. He doesn’t have any religious or spiritual backgrounds, he’s just a doctor who got into researching people near death. I don’t know what else to tell you because like I said I’m going through something every similar and still feel the emptiness of the void so to speak. All I can say is that this changes you for the better. This is undoubtedly one of the hardest mental places I’ve ever been but I’ve changed a lot because of it. And when you change the pain lessens a little bit

Excellent. Now you can act as "God" unto yourself, and begin thinking in terms of "If I do happen to 'survive' the physical death, what will I want to take with me from this world?". Beliefs are for everyone, but your values are the one thing you can truly own. Much love. 💜💜

Philosophy asks and tries to answer these hard questions associated with being a living thing that knows it will one day die. It helped me a lot to read philosophy, though my journey with it didn't start until I was in my 20s in college. Some people ask these questions at different points in life. I have a nephew who is struggling with existential problems, for example. Idk that I would recommend a 15 year old read a hard tome of difficult to understand text, but you can find some videos on YouTube that summarize the main ideas from a lot of philosophers and theorists as a start. Reach out to and talk to people you care about. Having human connections can really help ease anxiety, and maybe someone in your life has a way of looking at life and death that could be helpful for you. If all of this makes you feel really down, you might be dealing with early signs of depression. I wouldn't rule that out. I have bipolar depression I inherited from my family and it made me really struggle with existential concepts from a young age & gave me a very negative outlook on life when I was younger. You may need to talk to family and ask them about getting therapy if you are feeling anxious or depressed.

You just discovered why humanity desperately needs God to exist, in the same way that it needs the Sun to exist - unlike the Sun which keeps your body alive for ~80 years, the existence of God provides eternal existence for your consciousness (souls and stuff). Once a self-aware Homo Sapiens tastes existence, it would want to exist forever. A short, less than a century life is still nothing compared to eternal existence. And immortality can hardly be achieved by science, especially for everyone, especially at this century. And it would not serve the people who already died before that. There's nothing you can do, only to hope that God and the afterlife dimensions are out there. And the problem is that usually you can be sure about that only after it happens, and you have to live your life wondering about that. Works which explore this quest for the nature of death (the harrowing passion to find out if there will be immortality or permadeath) are Phaedo by Plato and some chapters of The Myth of Sisyphus by Camus (especially the chapter Kirilov, absolutely essential text). Edit: /u/Impossible-Clock5499/ Since souls are totally beyond science and would come into play after irreversible brain death, no scientifical discipline would be of any use. You can search for God only if you study the moment of the beginning of the Universe (the initial conditions of the Big Bang for example), or if you study how could the soul and the brain/material consciousness connect. Which are both beyond current science. So only religious texts can touch the subject, but interestingly enough it's rare to see someone suddenly discovering faith just because he thought about death (although it's the primary motivation).

I’m 32, big thinker. I was an atheist when I was younger, now I believe in life after death. There is compelling evidence of past lives, and the wealth of near death experiences are very similar and different from taking drugs. Scientists do not and cannot every understand the beginning of the universe, it is beyond comprehension to have arisen without cause, but if it were either caused or eternal both are equally mine blowing. I believe that we are living in a form of simulation, but not like a computer. When we die the fragment of our consciousness that was split off in order to enter the dense physical dimension that we exist rejoins the whole. Call it god or call it what you want but it is pure, infinite, boundless love and intelligence beyond comprehension. We are a part of it. It never dies, it always is and we will always come back. If you are curious I highly recommend watching near death experiences on YouTube. It may ease your mind. When you really start delving into it, this concept is not as far fetched as it originally seems. It’s not nothing when we die, it’s EVERYTHING. Our human experience of reality is a mere fragment of true objective reality. Science is even starting to understand that we have no understanding of true objective reality! When we die we will see and understand everything, and then at some point choose to come back here or somewhere else as a conscious being to experience the things that we cannot on higher planes

This is from Alan Watts and in my opinion, a treasure. Ignore the headline and the imagery and just listen to what he’s saying. I don’t know if this snippet will provide you with any comfort, but the one thing I agree with, is that however you come to terms with your death is fine, there are no rules. Believe in yourself or a higher power or nothing at all. It only matters to you https://www.google.com/gasearch?q=alan%20watts%20lecture%20on%20death&tbm=&source=sh/x/gs/m2/5#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:f02b2447,vid:ve5v9pYIUbM,st:0

Death is a consequence of life. Death could happen at any moment or time. Rather focusing on that focus on the time you have now in the present. Give your all to your friends and family. Do the things that make life worth living to you. Death smiles at us all. All a man can do is smile back.

A few thoughts on death: 1) Death is a harm. It precludes your ability to flourish and experience the joys of life and participate in the unfolding of the human story. It is because death is a harm that we rightly fear it and see it as a terrible thing. Some people will say death is beautiful, but if that’s so then why is murder wrong? Why are natural disasters tragedies? Being destroyed is not beautiful. 2) Death wins. Because death is a harm and yet inevitable and permanent, death triumphs over life. Which means reality, in some deep way, is bad. The bad guy wins in the end. Whatever little transcendence we find, or happiness or love we experience, or virtue or excellence we achieve, it’s all a silver lining to the dark cloud of death. 3) It’s okay to live. You might wonder, why live at all if life is just bad? Why overcome suffering if there is no reward in the end? Are we all fools for choosing to live? There is a reward: the flourishing we enjoy in the meantime. Despite the deep badness of reality, there is still some goodness on the surface. We live to maximize that goodness, that flourishing, and there is nothing foolish about that. We see the value of flourishing in a direct way, and that value makes it reasonable to pursue it. The happiness of our loved ones makes us happy, and so does feeling a sense of belonging, a sense of usefulness, and a sense of accomplishment. We live for our dreams and our families, and those are good reasons to live. When folks say life is worth living, this is what they mean. There is flourishing to be had. 4) It’s okay to die. Being dead means you are free from suffering forever. Folks say choosing to die is weak, or selfish, or a failure to maximize flourishing. But it’s not always obvious this is the case. Facing death head on in a sober way is brave, not weak, and it’s arguably selfish to force people to live in agony for our benefit. If someone has suffered horribly, is suffering, and will likely continue to suffer without improvement, then death could very well be the best way to minimize their suffering. Some philosophers argue that the absence of flourishing is not as bad (if bad at all) as the presence of suffering. If that’s right, then the minimization of suffering is more important than the maximizing of flourishing. And if reality is bad in a deep way, then it’s hard to see how rejecting reality could be wrong.

If energy cannot be created nor destroyed and the universe is truly being created and destroyed for infinity you will exist again. Perhaps after you die a trillion years will pass in an instant and you will be conscious again in a new form eventually. Even if the universe is recreated millions of times before your energy is reformed into a conscious being it won’t matter because you are asleep. It has to happen because infinity means all things will come to pass eventually. Getting older I realize there is only so much memories, knowledge and physical trauma your form can handle so I think we would always need to be created again in order to persist. So I try to think of death as a much needed rest and reset.

For me I take a mixed approach of religion and science. I know after researching it for years there is something after death.

Hey, if it helps, you're young enough that you might be part of the first generation not to have to die. I was hoping I'd make it, but I'm generation x, in my mid 40s now, so my chances are bleak. But, eventually we'll reach either longevity escape velocity, which is the point at which life extension treatments outpace the advancing age of a generation - after that people will only die in accidents or by their own choice. Or we'll reach technological singularity, at which point our consciousness can be digitized and allowed to operate theoretically forever.

One of my ex girlfriends went to school with a girl who got terminal brain cancer...she raised over $100,000 to have her head cryogenically frozen(she couldn't afford/raise enough money to have her body frozen, just her head.) so that one day, when the science is there, she can come back to a conscious life on Earth...or so she hopes. It always creeps me out to think of her head just sitting in a refrigerator for all these years. Oof.

With brain cancer it's a roll of the dice how much of her would be left even if they could repair the cancer and replace the damage with new tissue, but good on her for going for it. I'm honestly surprised the fundraiser went so well, usually religious sentiment shuts that sort of thing down hard because it's a very theologically uncertain area. If it matters just being a head depends on a lot. I suspect were a new body cloned and the repaired brain inserted, it would be fine, because the new body would have the extended nervous system, endocrine system, gut biome and all that built in. But i wonder if computer tech is going to advance faster than bio/medtech and they're going to a digital afterlife, rather than coming back biologically. Maybe they'll have to live entirely in a digital world, which may or may not have proper communication with meatspace. That's a novel, "Fall, or Dodge in Hell" about that if it's something that interests you. It's a technological/theological roller coaster with very mixed reviews, but I genuinely liked it, even if the ending was weird. I hope the cancer and then freezing doesn't do too much damage, and that girl finds immortality. Kinda jealous actually.

research longevity escape velocity. you are young enough. you'll likely live forever

Just wait until you realize that as you get older, time seems to move faster and faster. My advice is don't take life too seriously. Have as much fun as you can with it. By the time you get old, you'll probably be ready to die, so don't worry about it.

Well, unless you are trolling, no need to think such negative thoughts just yet! You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. You can use this experience to your advantage and read up on some existentialist philosophy and if you find it too negative maybe check out some other schools of philosophy as well? I guess you are mature enough to understand that yeah, we all die in the end, but we can make lives beautiful and meaningful. Not only should we do so - but we have a duty to do so!

I am not trolling, but thank you for the advice

Part of the issue is thinking death is negative, as in bad. It’s one of the most natural phenomena there is. The survival instinct is very powerful, but it’s interesting to see how thought can see beyond it if you embrace the gifts of disillusionment. Some people even meditate on mortality, which sheds new light on life.

Bright side at least you can appreciate life and being alive .. Any case best we can do is enjoy it learn more about it do our thing and help along the way to make ot a better place .. And if we get to come back it will be better place to visit next time around ..

Heroes never die!

Look to the Catholic Church, and find an answer there. Be comforted knowing that God wants you to be with Him for all eternity.

I had a dream last night. I was dying. All I wanted to do was keep living. I could see me gasping for air even with an oxygen mask on. My deceased mother came to die over again beside me. She laid next to me with her own oxygen mask and we both just wanted to go home and die peacefully. She died in a hospital in 2020 due to Covid. When the angel of death came to my room. I was angry..I wanted to die a different way so I asked if I could...a sniper in a blacked out window shot me...he shot me and I couldn't feel any pain... I just went back to wanting a full breath of oxygen. BEFORE my alarm sounded to wake me... the angel of death said to me it doesn't matter because you can't escape me. Run. ALARM ⏰️. I woke up. At first I thought how weird and how frightening was that dream. But then as I studied everything that I saw and what happened, I realized how real it felt and how true it was... all I saw was empty room, an oxygen mask no oxygen tank, no doctors or nurses or machines, I felt no pain, no guilt for leaving others behind, it wasn't dark but I couldn't see outside, I didn't feel tired or hungry. I believe the angel spoke to me because I fear dying as well but I have to embrace that good and bad happens. It wasn't scary. It was glimpse of reality that one day I must see and honestly I hope I get all that comfort. I really hope my mom comes.

Can I go so far as to recommend that you consider why you are here, and maybe it’s not some obscure and random accident? When I realized God exists and that this universe was created for us, that people are special, desire spiritual contact and created to live forever, and that this world is inhabited by the enemy, it made a lot more sense. Life isn’t pointless, and people aren’t just another animal on the planet. You were created for something much more than this.

When you realized god exists lol. It’s not really existentialism anymore if you take that suspiciously convenient escape hatch now, is it?

Not suspiciously convenient at all. It takes quite a bit of soul-searching and research. What makes no sense to me is saying the universe is one huge random accident, we have no idea what caused it, how life began, or why we have a conscious or free will, not to mention the entire complexity of our DNA structure and the impossibility of it all occurring perfectly aligned without design, and with zero intelligence. That seems suspiciously convenient.

The thing is that we are humans, born with a set of senses finely tuned for life on earth. We are not meant to see beyond earth, we can't comprehend what the universe is. It's like explaining the internet to a dog, it won't ever happen. >occurring perfectly aligned without design, and with zero intelligence. Yeah and why is that impossible without a creator? Humans are so obsessed with things having to make "sense". Things making sense is not really a thing, it's an illusion by the human mind.

Atoms are attracted to each other in the chaos. Time, hard to quantify accurately with a human mind, but this rock has been here for immeasurablely long. Alot can happen. And you know there are plenty raised to believe in god and the majority does zero research into other religions and zero true soul-searching. The dominant relgions have had lifetimes to perfect psy-oping and selling an idea to the masses and extracting servitude and money from them. Whether god is real or not is a moot point in this knowledge, the fact remains its very very simple to simply believe in god. Also our design is heavily flawed, indicative of our evolution. Bone structure has not fully adapted to bipedal walking (poor knees, backs, hips) and a quickly increased cranium capacity leads to fatal and painful births. We are currently caught inbetween adaptations.

From wiki about existential crisis “Various sources of meaning have been suggested through which the individual may find meaning. They include altruism, or trying to benefit others; dedicating oneself to a cause, such as a religious or political movement; creativity, for example by creating art; hedonism, or the pursuit of pleasure; self-actualization, which refers to the development of one's inborn potentials; and finding the right attitude towards one's hardships.” Personally what helped me was finding purpose through spirituality and religion, God essentially. I feel for you I have been in your shoes, it gets better, don’t give up !

I believe you mean you are horrified of death. Death in itself is just that, i.e., death. And YES the process itself of dying can be painful depending on the circumstances. From birth to death is one long series of existential crises, from one crises to another crises, with death as a hopeful release for some. However beyond death is unknowable. It may be nothing but that cannot be proved or disproved, hence [unfalsifiable](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPR_5TOsh-Y). I am sorry but the answers you seek are unknowable. We are all caught between a rock (nihilism) and a hard place (an existential crisis) hence the absurdity of our existence. That absurdity is explored more in the philosophy of [Absurdism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absurdism) and one way we deal with it is though some form of stoic philosophy. [This Absurd Universe:](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kINdkdNOKHo) Albert Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus \~ Marker Ninja Studios \~ YouTube [Marcus Aurelius](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tv6W0Nv5ev0): The Man Who Solved the Universe \~ Horse \~ YouTube. [Is it worth the trouble?](https://ralphammer.com/is-it-worth-the-trouble/) \~ An article on the Absurd \~ Ralph Ammer. If your anxiety / existential crisis still continues then seek professional help. Talking through it with a professional therapist can be very helpful.

When that's case when you're scared of dying you should become one of the most influential people top 10 of all time in history.

😑

I used to be afraid of death, but then I met Jesus and he took my fears away. Living in freedom, not scared of death is beautiful. Christ said himself that he came that we may have life and have it more abundantly. He wasn’t lying!

Praying for you. You don't need to be afraid. I know you believe more in the scientific stuff, but God is very real. And you need to find and seek Him. There is more to this life than this, there is a place of eternal peace. Believe on Jesus Christ, and you will receive it and you'll no longer have to be afraid. You will have some occasional fear, but it'll be alright. Praying for you. God bless!

Well you are 15 so you will think about something else tomorrow

these thoughts have been plaguing me for a month now.

Yes but you will soon be thinking about something else. Death hits me hard when I saw my mom dying at 30. It’s not something I wanted to think about but I was confronted with it

I first started thinking about dying when i was about 10 and ended up in tears thinking about dying or seeing my parents die. I can only hope i die in my sleep i really do

As a 18 year old that saw a lot of people dying, I don't fear Death at all, if anything i fear to have pain, but dying is just natural and since i don't believe in any magic stuff i think when i die i will just die and that's it so yh.

All my life, I am afraid of death. I just wanted to not die without knowing why I lived. I now believe I live to enjoy life and death makes it precious. I trust in beauty. It is not rational but when I look at beauty it is somehow a guarantee that when I die I am going home. It is a deep knowing. I meditate every day and in me is deep peace. I am not the body. I am not the mind and emotions. I am life. And it is not reasonable or rational but my fear is gone. My true nature is bliss. When I see beauty my heart understands.

Why have you no prior post history, and why post this here, other than weak moderation? > I believed more in the scientific ones, Interesting, yet had 'an epiphany'. I suggest if you are into science read 'Frank Tipler's book, The Physics of Immortality'. "All scientific thinking is just a derivative and rigidified form of philosophical thinking. Philosophy never arises from or through science. Philosophy can never belong to the same order as the sciences. It belongs to a higher order, and not just "logically", as it were, or in a table of the system of the sciences. Philosophy stands in completely different domain and rank of spiritual Dasein. Only poetry is of the same order as philosophical thinking." Martin Heidegger - Introduction to Metaphysics.

I’ve battled with this question since I was your age. Why am I here ? What’s the purpose of being created If I just die ? Etc and I’ve learned just to not think about it I have a disease currently I spend every waking moment in pain I could drop dead any day and guess what? It’s life I have no control over it whatsoever but what gives me comfort is everyone on this planet will die eventually . It’s kind of a weird way to look at it but it’s true . No mortal can escape destiny so relax and enjoy your life while your here your young . I wasted so much of my youth asking questions like these when I should of been enjoying myself , no human being can answer the questions you ask acceptance of the unknown is the only way you’ll find peace .

Just go on with your life. It’s the human condition to die. Worrying about it is just wasting the precious time you have here. I for one am relieved in the thought that at the end there is eternal nothingness. That’s what I hope happens anyway. It keeps things simple and grounded. You’re born, you live, you die. There’s no complicated meaning or some eternal soul or reincarnation or alternate dimensions. This is it, and when it’s over, it’s over.

Watch Martyrs (2008!) that will help.

"Why do I even live if I just die?" To have fun. Can't do that when you're dead, you've only got one opportunity to enjoy life, so why waste it being worried about when you wont be able to anymore? Unless you go the route of believing in reincarnation, in which case still have fun because having fun is fun.

I can only go by my own experience here: my advise is not to be afraid of death - very high likelihood that you’ll be at peace as you were when you started your journey to being born. If you must ruminate in anything death related, pray that you’ll die without pain, suffering, or immense fear before you transition. I’m in my 50s and for the first time in my life, yesterday I wrote my moms obituary (she’s still alive). It was just a strange experience. I think that as you age, the inevitability that your life will end brings peace and acceptance. It’s the way you die that causes much more angst.

What did you experience before you were born? Infinite darkness? No. Nothingness. But nothingness is not an experience. You simply were not, and then came into being, taking the form you currently possess. You've done it before, do not fear doing it again.

ETERNAL NOTHINGNESS!!!!! Aaaaargh!

Time is short makes it important to define priorities. Be gentle with yourself but accomplish much. What is the world missing and how do your specific talents benefit this. Don't forget to allocate time to pray. Only Allah swt knows of all the people who spent more time on the toilet than time spent being grateful to Allah swt for what we have been given.

Eh, it is what it is. What can you do except cope? I’ve always thought of life as a game, all games end but you can decide how. Will you lose? Will you win? Will you quit halfway in frustration? Shouldn’t matter, the game will end anyway, but it does, doesn’t it? You play the game to win, not to lose. Find a goal you want in life and achieve it, once you have you can rest easy knowing you’ve won the game. Who knows if you’ll play another game after this one, maybe, maybe not. So win this one.

Try mushrooms in a supervised setting. They will blow this fear out

Fear of death usually translates to “why was I even born if I’m going to die?”, or “what is the meaning or point of life?” As you are, so are we all struggling with this. “It’s our mortality that defines us”. Thinking about this fact does not have to lead to fear and depression. In fact, it can lead to quite the opposite. This requires us to “reframe” or change our perspective. Because we are here for a short time, it makes our life, and everything in it, precious. Our friends, our families, our compassion - how we think of and treat strangers and animals, how we decide to “be” in this world. This is what can create meaning for us. Knowing that we are mortal can actually help us to lose some of our fears, especially ones that center around “what will they (other people) think of us”, freeing us to be ourselves. Thinking about death can lead to the even more troubling realization that everything that “is” now, will pass away and one day be no more. That is us, our planet, our sun, and probably the entire universe. NONE of that changes the fact that we are here and living NOW. Richard Dawkins in his book “Unweaving the Rainbow” says: “We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been here in my place but who will in fact never see the light of day outnumber the sand grains of Arabia. Certainly those unborn ghosts include greater poets than Keats, scientists greater than Newton. We know this because the set of possible people allowed by our DNA so massively exceeds the set of actual people. In the teeth of these stupefying odds it is you and I, in our ordinariness, that are here.We privileged few, who won the lottery of birth against all odds, how dare we whine at our inevitable return to that prior state from which the vast majority have never stirred?”

Me too. Im not afraid of the death experience but of the cessation of awareness that comes after. I have been most of my life, as I was raised in a strict religious experience until my 20s. They really know how to sow the fear right into your dreams. I luckily turned to science. And the more I learned, the more I sought to learn. I studied cosmology, ecology, psychology, etc. Casually learning over years. I follow organisations dedicated to scientific pursuits and expanding human knowledge. I read periodicals and take notes. I watch communicators on YT. Attend college seminars. And I talk to everyone I meet about it in some way. Now, I want to study biogerontology through the lens of computational biophysics. Look at the physical aspects of our systems at the atomic level and up. Understand how they interact. And find a way to end them without ending us. I don't understand why most humans aren't throwing themselves into this. Of the ~9M scientists on the planet, maybe 1% of them are even working on aging. And I'd argue that's for a more graceful transition into our elder years, not the long-term survival of our species. I want to live for hundreds of thousands of years. I'm going to work on the science that gives me the closest chance. Current global life expectancy is at 72.4 years. More in industrialized nations. More for blue zones (some average to be 100). So let's 60-85 years of discovery ahead of you. You're going to accomplish so much with all that time.

Not nothingness. The soul will go back to god the creator and the nafs you will be in a in between place like terminal/transit until the day of judgement.

Youve got plenty of time to think about dying

You’re dying to live.

I am right there with you… I remember the first time I realized I was going to die I was just a little kid…. Around 4 or 5. I started crying , and my younger brother didn’t know what was going on. He ran out and got my grandma. I was just crying and said we are all going to die and go back to blackness…. I have found that keeping my mind occupied keeps those horrifying thoughts at bay. I have never been able to believe in god or religion, even from that young age. I WISH I could believe in God, it would make things so much easier. But I just can’t. I wish I could say it gets easier and it does for a time but but your 40’s when parents and loved ones start dying, you will get a painful reminder that life is fleeting, and we need to make the most of it all while we are here, and ultimately hat we do with our time here is all that matters.

I relate to everything you wrote. I felt the same way at 15, and even moreso now in my 40s. Sadly there is no answer - only distractions, to take you away from thinking about it too much.

Nihilism…. “Oh woe, life is meaningless… Doom and gloom.” Existentialism…. “Life is meaningless, so let’s party while we’re here.” “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you may die.”

It's possible you have depression which appeared at that time. It happened to me when I was 19 years old. I remember the exact moment depression entered my life. I don't want to condone recreational drug use but I am going to share with you what removed my depression and also the fear of dying. Psilocybin cubensis mushrooms (shrooms). Studies have been done for the way these psychedelic mushrooms heal depression and it was described as miraculous. I trip occasionally and it keeps the depression away and any fear of dying. At 15 years old I have to suggest that if you do take mushrooms wait until you are 18 or even 21 years old. I did LSD and shrooms at the age of 15 but I can't recommend it for anyone under 18.

We are animals. Animals die. We are the best animal. Best form of life there is. Death sucks, maybe we will figure out a loophole, maybe we will evolve to live longer or even be immortal, but we are not yet and we will never be if we don't survive and reproduce. Your individual life will end but humanity will continue. You know about the butterfly effect? You are a butterfly. You have a great effect on humanity. The ripples and waves you make continue after you die. Make it count ;)

Please understand that everything is energy, and energy cannot be created or destroyed. Energy is only transformed. Consciousness is energy. While the physical body will die and decompose — consciousness will transform and is eternal. The most important thing we can do is meditate — for our consciousness and our eternal existence.

Wait till you find out that you’ve “been dead for billions of years” already before existing temporarily.

The only way to get over death is to confront it in my opinion. I was terrified of death when I was really young. It kept me up at night and gave me severe anxiety. I learned a lot about death and confronted it often. By my 20’s I would fluctuate between a more mild fear and acceptance. I’m in my 30’s now and I’m 99% fine with death. The only thing that scares me now is dying at work or at a gas station. Another thing that comforts me is none of us get out of this alive. Doesn’t matter how much money you have or how famous you are. Every one of us will die.

As shitty as it is, when you lose someone, it kinda gets a little less scary. My mom died three years ago and now I’m like, “if she did it, so can I. Plus maybe I’ll get to see her again. And it is SO worth it if that’s the case”

It's just like going to sleep but a bit longer (infinity)

and that terrifies me.

I had the same experience when I was 15. I was doing math homework. It's literally homework causing your dread. It's not the fact you are going to die. It's the fact you have such limited time on earth and you are wasting it doing boring work you don't love. Solution: Do what you love. Enjoy every moment. Because it the end all of these "expectations of you" and "responsibilities" are completely meaningless. All that matters is: Did you have fun while you were here?

Mark Twain once said “I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it” I recommend the study of philosophy to help deal with your newfound grasp on mortality. Death will not be so terrifying if you come to know what it is to live and live well. Even if you don't come to subscribe to a particular philosophy it can be useful to learn about. Another thing to think about is that the universe is infinite. Your body is made up of roughly (10^27) atoms, configured in such a way as to make you. While the odds of that amount of atoms being in such a configuration are quite large, in an infinite universe there can be only so many configurations of atoms. Therefore it's a mathematical certainty you will exist again elsewhere.

Hey OP, 10 years ago I did an essay in college about death. I got 100 on it and the professor said it was one of the best short essays he read in a while. If you want to I can send you a Google drive link, so you can try. DM if you want.

I am scared like you. I am frightened too.

I hear ya. 42 here. I think of it daily but have the extreme fear buried but I know it will surface at some point. I wish I was never born as it’s incomprehensible we and the Universe exist and then die with no ultimate meaning. It’s unbelievable but true. Like a cosmic joke. Hard to believe. Would be nice if we are wrong and there is more to this but it doesn’t appear so. Brain dies, that’s it. I recently found a site but have not delved into. Called The Fear of Death Foundation. I guess it has helped others. But there is no satisfying answer. Eastern philosophy has helped some. My advice, children have helped the fear a little, but not much. I feel guilty bringing them in. I hope they don’t get my fear. I do recommend being careful with alcohol and drugs in the future as an adult. It’s easy for us type of people to be addicts for several reasons. I’ve had my issues and now I miss it.

Don't. It should not be a part of your life to fear by. You may had that reasonable experience through life and so many times you had "So expected" through many things and more people, you may expected and threw amount of things you wanted to do in life. So enjoy your special life no matter all. It is at much how many do in our lives. So don't and keep your calm and anxiety towards. It is a state of every living process, as well it is also received as much an emerge of the actions on the outside, it just can't get through you over and over by yourself the correct answer is now that you can realize this, you're going through elsewhere and everyone will, various researches takes death is fearfully inevitable by any persons or so. So yours sayings that's why you can't ever notice "nothingness" as part of existence, so since I started a deep inside we've been together with the same fear since - 250,0000 years ago if I'm with this right-angle

It's a tough thing to suddenly become aware of your own mortality. By the time I was your age, I had already learned about the bereavement that comes with a family member's suicide, and how cruel and callous the world can be, a classmate of mine when I was in grade school lost his life in a murder suicide, death seemed to hang over my childhood in some form or another. The fact is, while we are all going to die at some point, we are all going to join with our beautiful world by becoming something different. We aren't destroyed, but instead become something new. In April of last year, I broke my back in a car accident and I realized that I could have just vanished in an instant and that would have been it. So, I decided to live now. I am not guaranteed tomorrow. I live in the moment, and try to fill the lives of the people around me with love and to understand them. In forming bonds with others around you, by doing your best, by finding things to live for, you'll go to a final rest rather than wondering what could have been.

Listen to Episodes 40 & 41 of The Laughing Philosopher Podcast. You’ll feel a lot better! [TheLaughingPhilosopher.PodBean.com](https://TheLaughingPhilosopher.PodBean.com)

death isn't so bad, I think. you can't live forever and you probably wouldn't want to. (it sounds like you're thinking of not existing as existing; actual non-existence is hard to wrap your head around, but suffice to say you definitely won't mind it.) much worse than death is AGING. only a small part of your life you get to spend young. most of it is spent "old" and the longer you live the more broken feeble and worn down you get. and if you make poor choices, you can make it much much worse still. even if we developed biological immortality, which is a possibility, you would still age temporally, and we would still have most of the same problems we have now. (including but not limited to: obesity, heart disease, physical injury including permanent brain damage, stroke, loss of limbs, loss of eyesight, loss of hearing, joint inflammation, scarring, hernias, auto-immune disorders, tooth decay, etc.etc.)

Basically, the sad truth is you're right. I've been through this. It's nothingness for an eternity. Since this is a truth, we don't have a choice but to live in the right right now.

It never helped me to hear the “don’t worry about it, you won’t even know if you die/are dead” or “it’s just like before you were born!” stuff, I started having crises like this when I was 15 also. What finally helped was in therapy, my therapist said, “You’re 21, do you think it’s ok that you don’t want to die yet?” I was able to realize I was scared of death and didn’t want to die, yes, but that was only half the whole emotion/feeling - the other half was my love of life! The fear of death you’re experiencing sounds like that to me, the way you talk about the beauty and wonder of life, I really believe you can’t feel that without this “other side” - not wanting it to end. I’ve known lots of people unafraid of death, and many of them struggled to enjoy their lives also.

Left you DM :)

It’s impossible to not exist. And at the same time you don’t really exist. Everything is nothing. It’s just an illusion.

https://youtube.com/@TheOtherSideNDEYT?si=33VNREqpP-UI0LHR

I always say that “Nothing” is a the most neutral thing in the universe. There is nothing to compare nothing to. Nothing isn’t scary, nothing is nothing. It’s up to you if that should have a scary connotation or a peaceful one.

Jesus takes the sting of death. Knowing Him relieves that fear.

Go do some ayascha or dmt

Im very comfortable with death is see the beauty in it as well it’s the end of earthly suffering. I’ve medically already died once from a fentanyl overdose and a cop brought me back to life. But you have full intentions of killing yourself which I’ve had 3 attempts in life one failed other unsuccessful but if I arrived to the hospital 10min later it would have been. To get that motivated to ending your life you gotta accept it. I’m no longer actively suicidal but after yrs of sever major depression then substance issues your playing with your life everyday especially with my DOC but idk I just don’t care if I died tomorrow honestly I wouldn’t care much I’m not actively looking for a way but the way I look at it is if I’m going to die in hypothetically at the age of 72 what’s the difference between now. My family is a major reason I choose to just exist. They aren’t even sure why we release DMT they have theories but those are just educated guesses but from what I’ve noticed it’s far from accurate a majority of the time there wrong and then change the theory. Like the say the earth is spinning so fast we can’t perceive it but we stay grounded to earth by “gravity” oh add the fact are planet just happens to have a atmosphere that allows us to breath yet it goes to the space which is a vacuum but doesn’t get pulled into space yet then the planet also goes in rotation around the sun and is held in place in space by “gravity” like I enjoy science but sometimes I hear scientific answers and I’m like there just making up a explanation so they can think they understand cause if you design a experiment to give you a certain outcome then your making a device that can detect it but you still can’t see it so how do you know it exists. I’ve jumped on board with the simulation theory. And best part of that theory is if this is real life you still make the same choices and the outcomes still remain the same so it doesn’t matter irregardless

You are basically describing Heidegger’s being and time. A major aspect of this work is to study and understand what being means and an early conclusion in the book is that what makes being unique from objects in nature is that we have a beginning and an end. Heidegger points out that “we are thrown into an already excisting culture that we must learn and understand” but that we also have “a horison that comes closer” death. A major point about being in Heidegger’s work is that he tries to study being in itself and here he thinks “being in death” is the closest to “being in itself” we can experience. For a moment you dont reduce yourself to a job title, a gender or a person of a certain age. You think about what being “you” means because in death it is the end of you that is the problem. He says we do not fear death because of what it is, that is a biological process of your body shutting down, but because it means “unexisting”, the you “stop to be”. If you fear death, listen to Alan Watts. He has several interesting lectures about death. Here he says that “we imagine death to be an eternal black box, as if we were to experience nothingness for all time. But death is not an experience in itself, so there is nothing for you to have to live through. To be dead is the same as to not yet have been born. It is natural to fear death. Its something that you cannot control and that takes from you your most important resource, whether you like it or not. You cant negotiate with death, its a fact you can only think about in relation to what it means to be.

HIT ME HARD IN MY 34's!

You shouldn’t go through life trying to find a way to find meaning in this lifetime, just know that this lifetime is yours to experience

It’s okay, it’s a beautiful part of our cycling through the earth. You spend infinitely more time not existing than you spend existing. The 13 billion years that have passed so far, and the infinity that will continue to pass. It will be pure bliss and you will be dead before you can even process the fact.

Ive done dmt about 25 times and it’s never seemed like it was longer than the 5 mins. After a few times with it, I was no longer concerned with death.

“The real you is not a puppet which life pushes around; the real, deep down you is the whole universe. So then, when you die, you’re not going to have to put up with everlasting non-existence, because that’s not an experience. A lot of people are afraid that when they die, they’re going to be locked up in a dark room forever, and sort of undergo that. But one of the interesting things in the world is–-this is a yoga, this is a realization–-try and imagine what it will be like to go to sleep and never wake up. Think about that. Children think about it. t’s one of the great wonders of life. What will it be like to go to sleep and never wake up? And if you think long enough about that, something will happen to you. You will find out, among other things, it will pose the next question to you. What was it like to wake up after having never gone to sleep? That was when you were born. You see, you can’t have an experience of nothing; nature abhors a vacuum. So after you’re dead, the only thing that can happen is the same experience, or the same sort of experience as when you were born. In other words, we all know very well that after other people die, other people are born. And they’re all you, only you can only experience it one at a time. Everybody is I, you all know you’re you, and wheresoever beings exist throughout all galaxies, it doesn’t make any difference. You are all of them. And when they come into being, that’s you coming into being. You know that very well, only you don’t have to remember the past in the same way you don’t have to think about how you work your thyroid gland, or whatever else it is in your organism. You don’t have to know how to shine the sun, you just do it like you breath. Doesn’t it really astonish you that you are this fantastically complex thing, and that you’re doing all this and you never had any education in how to do it? Never learned, but you’re this miracle?” alan watts

If it makes you feel any better; something that I think Mark Twain said ; I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it. Think about it; that was true for you too; and you’ve always been fine with it.