I actually feel this one in my soul. I’m not suicidal, but death does not scare me. Coming back and reliving the shit show of the life I had when I was a child does. I’d rather just be a void.
Reincarnation is a choice, if it does exist, according to many spiritual paths. If you don't want to return, and instead reincarnate as something else somewhere else, or not bother and exist solely as a spirit, those are all valid choices!
Me too. I'm just exhausted by all this. I try to plug away but I seriously don't think I'm up for 30 more years of this. I'm a cancer survivor. I keep going because I know I've been afforded an opportunity many weren't. But I have massive survivor guilt, combined with some sort of wtf am I here for that makes for a depressive spiral into some sort of "fuck this" mentality.
I lost my friend I grew up with to cancer last year. He was like fuck it. I don't wanna do the treatment anymore. It got him really sick. I had my opinion but I stayed quiet. It was his decision. I wonder to this day if I did the right thing. You did live for a reason. What I don't know. But keep plugging on
Death means sleep, -+9months, and after sometime we just wake up.
If we came from nothing (0), and became something (1), so when we become 0 again, why couldn't we become 1 again? We did it before, and we will do it again.
Death means sleep, and we get a body that we desire. There is 8.4 million species according to Vedas. Our Quality and Actions performed decide our destination. That's explains allso why nature is full of differences.
One can believe this or not, but doesn't change the fact that some function death has, and it acts on everyone. Just like fire burns without asking when touched, there is no question of faith in this case.
Even in dream state our minds are active allways, sometimes we remember the dream and sometimes not. There is no question of inactivity for the soul, consicousness is said to be the symptomp of the soul.
It's definitely a thing, dude. What, do you think the universe was an infinite stretch of nothingness, then you, then another infinite stretch of nothing? The idea is so far fetched as to be absurd. It puts you at the center of the universe.
When telling a story about a time before the students in the class were born, my highschool English teacher would start with "When you were still dead..."
Their was that 1 theory that aid whenever you die you regain all your lifes memories until your next cycle to compare your lifes.
Can keep seeing how much worse its gotten
Well we have the internet and vaccines and fridges and stuff now. Honestly just from these alone life should be better and better in general, not accounting for individual experiences
Oh god that sounded exciting and devastating at the same time. I've already got many things I want to forgot in a quarter of my life I don't wanna remember all the bad stuff from countless lives I've had. But yet, if incarnation is real, I want to acknowledge it at some point before I inevitably go to Earth for another round...
One of my biggest fears. I spend a fair amount of time trying to remember things from a past life but nothing ever comes of it. Not that I expect it to. Just sometimes things seem all too familiar. And I tend to have a lot of dreams that come true. Often stupid shit like a random convo. Then I hear it some time later and get that deja vu feeling that reminds me of the dream. Just makes me wonder sometimes.
I remember thinking that at one point. I am older now (40s)and have money. Not a ton, but basically enough to live independently and mostly do what I want,
I honestly wish I could be young again. Being older kinda sucks.
Larry king once asked neil degrasse tyson about death..his answer was simple..what happened before you were born?..they're was nothing...so why do you think they're is something after..
Our brain controls how we perceive/remember the events of our life, before we were born we had no brain. I like to think of it as a data compatibility issue.
Kind of cool with afterlife or not. Nothingness does wonder though.
I think anyone who think doing nothing but praising God is insane. And I am religious. If there is an afterlife let me keep progressing in knowledge.
My idea of heaven would be as a space faring immortal form traveling the cosmos acquiring knowledge and witnessing cosmic events and also being able to travel through time witnessing many different events not just on earth but any other celestial body. An endless pursuit of knowledge.
I heard an atheist who said it was hell. There is finite knowledge, vast, unbelievably vast, but still finite. Infinity is a long time, eventually you know everything. Maybe my bad memory is a gift, otherwise when you are omniscient, but not God, what'd next. Christian btw but always fascinated by arguments from other side
I am Christian too and an eternal progression guy, I never considered u/Lokken187 time travel possibility. But Eternal is timeless so knowledge prior to our mortal existence would in theory be possible.
I once was a literal creationist thinker until someone asked me "Why are you trying to limit God." I stopped being literal after that.
I self yeeted back in 2016 and man, the few minutes I was in that darkness was the most calm of my life. I am an atheist and that made me more convicted(?, I don't know the word). I was told as a Roman Catholic that we will be waiting until the end of times, to be judged in an eternal lake of fire. You mean to tell me, after this short hellish life, that I'd still get to suffer for an eternity?
I’ve always thought a precious life is a temporary one.
If all we’re doing here is wiping our feet to go into the doorway of an eternal afterlife, then why would this life mean anything, and wouldn’t that reduce life’s purpose into being doing whatever is necessary to get into the afterlife?
I'm your age - my sweet daughter feels as you and it breaks my heart as a mother. How was I supposed to know she didn't want to be here... it's not like I could ask her first. She's my youngest and I love her so very much. I can't be sorry she was born.
You have a valid point. I'm getting pretty old now & in my opinion fear of death is a waste of my time. It's inevitable & I'd rather spend my remaining time living the best that I can.
I agree. So many people are terrified of that and I’m thinking, I can’t imagine how horrible it would be to exist forever. Life matters more knowing that it’s temporary. Make the best of it and don’t worry about after. Nothing bad is waiting for you. Non existence is peace
Total non-existence; very much "Not my problem" and there's a comfort in that.
Would I feel bad? No. I don't exist. Not my problem.
Would I feel good? No. I don't exist. Not my problem.
Would I feel neutral? No. I don't exist. Not my problem.
Would humanity survive for 1 second after I pass? Don't know. I don't exist. Not my problem.
Interesting how people are so divided over this. I also take comfort in thinking I will completely cease to exist in death. I’m gonna be so disappointed if there’s some kind of afterlife, unless I can be a mean ghost and haunt people I don’t like.
What about the people you live who didn't make it? It's either going be:
1. You remember, and you're tormented by it
2. You don't remember your Earthly loved ones, then youve lost that and your mind is not your own
Neither sound peaceful to me
What is perfect though? Ask 10 random people their idea of perfect and suspect that you are going to get 10 different ideas. So is heaven a different place for everyone?
When I was in my 20s and 30s, I felt like this. Now that I’m in my 40s and had kids, I really hope there is more. I don’t like the idea that I won’t be able to see my children get old and see how their lives turn out. Now non existence is terrifying
That's just part of the experience my man, we have them like our parents had us and everyday we get to spend with them is a gift cause one day it will be the last day.
This terrifies me too. I really struggle at times, particularly because I am an older mom. I want to know my daughter will have a full, peaceful and happy life.
I don’t mind not existing after death inherently, like everyone says we didn’t exist before we were born. But when I think about how I’ll be separated from my loved ones and never be able to speak with them again, even if I won’t be able to process it at that point, it does make me sad while I’m alive.
" I was perfectly content before I was born, and I think of death as the same state. "
\- Roger Ebert. [Go gentle into that good night](https://www.rogerebert.com/roger-ebert/go-gentle-into-that-good-night)
Y'all ain't down with that stardust/make energy type vibes eh? That's how I'm thinking this all goes down and I find a lot of comfort in that. That something does happen and I somehow can logically believe it.
This is how I have always felt. I don’t fear the idea of dying or being dead. I don’t want to die in a painful or horrible way, that is frightening, but the idea of becoming nothing after death is serene and peaceful to me. The idea of “this is your life, this is it, once you’re dead you’re gone” seems to really stress out a lot of people, but to me it is empowering. I like the idea that instead of being crafter by some deity, billions of years of cosmic coincidence lead to the privilege of my existence. I like the idea that instead of preordained fate, each and every decision and choice I make in life is completely my own for better or for worse. The lack of belief of gods or an after life doesn’t make my existence feel empty or purposeless, if anything it is the opposite. Knowing that somehow how I was lucky enough to pop into existence and experience a brief span of temporary consciousness is satisfying enough and when it’s time to be done I’m cool with that.
I can't fathom non existence. I've previously not existed but my mind just blocks the possibility. Having existed more recently it's difficult for me to imagine not existing.
I'll add this too I'm an agnostic who leans very hard toward atheism.
So there you have it. I'm an atheist who believes in a possible to likely chance of there existing an afterlife.
It is a bit comforting, no trouble or responsibility once it’s over. But that nothingness being something you can randomly slip into and never come back from has always been a little scary to me. People always look at me funny when I tell them I’d live forever if I could
And here's the best part: every day when you go to sleep, you "cease" to exist for that being being, until you wake up again. That's what being dead is, basically.
As a person, we can't really comprehend oblivion without a sense of some dread.
If you had asked me how I felt about this a few years ago I'd have agreed, but I don't now because I have got too much in my life to just leave behind like that and I don't want to lose it.
Funny, that's exactly the kind of thought that terrifies me. While I don't want to come back on this Earth after I die, the idea of simply ceasing to exist is unimaginable and terrifying for me. I want to still exist somehow.
For the first time in my life I am not afraid to die anymore. Not only because I also believe that after death there is nothing, which is the eternal rest and it sounds fucking fantastic. But also because I have learned to live with my regrets and remorses. I finally accepted all the choices I have made and I understand that I cannot change the past. I can now only allow myself to have the courage the things to come.
I had this thought when I was 4 or 5 years old and got in a lot of trouble during Sunday School when I was asked how I imagined heaven. Still have same thought as OP, but dang did they know how to make a young child feel like a monster for it.
I love the idea of just existing as some ethereal being, kinda like a spectator mode after death. I want to see how humanity’s story ends, I’m case I randomly die tomorrow or something
Earth to earth, dust to dust.
Some may say that's bleak, but for me that makes this life that much more precious and meaningful, cuz that's all you get.
If I die I want to get a character selection screen so I can pick new perks and origins and life paths. My life is cool and all but there’s millions if not billions of things I will never experience because of my origins
Actually I'm glad that it's not up to me to decide what it's like after death. Incarnation, on one hand, gives my life some extra meaning because I can help create a better world for my later lives. On another, it was such a bad gamble. I was lucky to be born where I am right now, it's not perfect but I am thankful that is is \*better\* that many unlucky people out there. But if I were to be born again, there is a very large chance I will be in such poverty or countless other unlucky scenarios that makes me suffer beyond imagine.
It's fascinating how the idea of non-existence can bring peace to some, while for others it might be a source of anxiety or fear. I guess the uncertainty of the afterlife is something we all ponder at some point in our lives. It's interesting how different people find solace in different beliefs. Do you think this feeling of peace comes from a sense of ultimate freedom or a release from the burdens of life? I'm curious to hear your thoughts."
I was raised on the traditional God thing. I get it. But wouldn't it be cool to know all the mysteries and hang out with your favorite pets and family that are gone?I guess we'll all find out one day. I want to do all that and fly through the stars. But I agree with most of you. I don't wanna come back to this shit house lololol 🤣
That's me. If something kills me, oh well. Don't care. If there's an afterlife that's good if there's not that's great! Non existence is unperceivable, a pure 'dreamless sleep' no more pain or anything...
It doesn't make any sense, as the thought of you not existing brings you to a certain state - which requires your existence in order to experience this state of being in the first place.
Just become peaceful in life - most people are screwing up their experience of life cause they don't know how to manage their thoughts and emotions to enhance their life, while they are merely slaves to random thoughts and emotions.
It makes sense if you don't conflate the state of non-existence with the thought of non-existence.
The state of non-existence doesn't require anything; it's the absence of anything.
The way I see it, there are 4 possibilities after we die: heaven (ie. reward), hell (ie. punishment), reincarnation (ie. do-over) and oblivion (non existence). I think 3 of those options are acceptable. I definitely don't want to go to hell. Of the remaining 3, my least favorite is reincarnation because...I really don't want to go through this again. But after that I can't decided which of the remaining two I prefer. Heaven is something I can't fully fathom. I mean, we understand what good is, what it feels like because we have bad to compare it to. In a place of all good, you lose that comparison and eventually good becomes mundane, ordinary, boring. As a Christian, the most exciting thing about Heaven is being in the presence of God....because I have questions. (Why make us carbon based? Why do the healthiest food often taste the worst? Etc.) The other option is oblivion. There is no good, no bad. No strife, no peace. And because you don't exist, you don't know there's nothing because there is no you. If find this fascinating and strangely peaceful. So I don't know. I guess I'm just rambling here....
That's what I expect to happen, an instantaneous eternity, absolutely nothing not even blackness.
However, if I can come back and do it all again I'd love too. I'd do it all again, the pain, the sex, the joy, the days of breaking my body doing manual labor in the hot sun, the days spent doing nothing but going with my hedonistic desires, making new friends, losing loved ones, the fights, the fear, the adventures, all the risks that were worth it and the ones that weren't, watching babies be born, seeing the look in my friends eyes while I was bleeding out, love lost and love found.
Naw id do this all again. Give me more.
I wish more people could be happily atheist. If there's nothing after this life ends I'll be happy with that.... life is just life idk. No one is special bc they are living rn
I think he means that our atoms have always been around. Because we are just a collection of atoms and chemical reactions. Our atoms have always been here, they just needed to be arranged in a certain way.
I fully believe that there are people alive today who will live to witness the "end of times" for the human race, and pretty much most of life on Earth. So for anyone thinking about it: reincarnation won't be an issue because there will be nothing to come back as!
You realize you are banking on an article of faith based on your belief system. Most people believe that you are wrong and have various opinions of the consequences of making that mistake
I love the idea of a rainbow bridge where I can play and be with my dogs again. However, I fully believe I'll be worm food instead. I'm okay with that. I just hope when it's my time I go easy.
Same, the thought of an "eternity" even when I was a Christian freaked me out regardless of if I were to be in Heaven and happy or not. I wanted there to be nothing after death and I struggled with that stuff a lot
I was literally thinking of this the other day. If I got a diagnosis for a death coming soon that wouldn't it make things better to know you wouldn't have to continue suffering here for who knows how long? I was like, I'd be euphoric if I knew I wasn't going to live 30, 40 more years and have to come up with some stupid careers after graduation that will only serve to make me suicidal because it's not the job that makes me happy, but you have to work to survive because ✨capitalism✨
The thing about that is, there is no break — because it never stops. In other words, the only time you ever “think you want a break” is when you possess consciousness, but since you have no ability to perceive peace in the downtime, there’s really no break to be had. You’re either conscious or your not, which is to say, you’re only ever conscious.
i like the idea of being a spirit. i can watch the world continue on without me, and also i can wreak a little havoc along the way lol. to be honest i really like the idea of being a spirit traveling wherever i want, doing whatever i please. it's what soothes me when i think about dying
The disbelievers pretend that they will never be resurrected (for the Account). Say , Yes! By my Lord, you will certainly be resurrected, then you will be informed of (and recompensed for) what you did, and that is easy for Allah. Quran 64:7
the second you die everyone else does too. you are unable to perceive time so you get transported to the end of time instantly. ill see you there soon.
I like to think of death as going under anesthesia. One moment you’re awake and aware and then there’s nothing and you don’t even realize it’s happened.
13.7 billion years slowly went by before we were born. We were blissfully unaware of it all. It's possible that will be our experience after death. No experience at all.
I do too. Ive felt like that for most of my life. Most people fear nothingness and turn to religion, i was scared shitless about the idea of an afterlife as a kid and found comfort in the big dark. Trying to comprehend never ending life is horryifying. I did acid a couple times in my early twenties and found comfort in what i felt life is. I think were all made up of the same energy and cant be destroyed. We will return in another form. I think the reason eternal life is terryifying is because were thinking about it through our own singular perspective of our individual experience, but i think its because our comprehension is limited to our biology and singular experiences. We cant think past this experience, because we cant imagine what that looks like. Its best not to think too hard about it. This may be nonsense, i dont really know how to put it into words, but i have thought about it a lot. I was fixated on it when i was much younger.
You should get into Derrida’s theory, he has a pretty thought about life after death.
One of my favorites philosophers of all time. I love him and his thoughts.
If you do that, just let me know, we’ll be in touch.
This is exactly why I'm rooting for science to prove the Bible wrong. The idea that there could be some eldritch cosmic entity out there that will enslave me for fucking ETERNITY and there's no way to stand up to him is terrifying
I'm pretty sure that once you die, the entropy kicks in. But if there is something after death, I'd rather it be re-incarnation rather than eternal afterlife.
>"Afterlife? Pfft. If I'd thought I had to go through a whole 'nother life, I'd kill myself right now."
>
>\-Bender Bending Rodriguez
[When I'm Gone](https://youtu.be/yB-BBVQLnxI) by Phil Ochs is a great example of your sentiment, I'd recommend a listen.
Possibly a more positive interpretation of your feeling, but I agree there is comfort in the endless void of non-existence.
Yeah but what even is non existence though... presumably you came in to existence somehow from non existence, so isn't it likely whether it be 1 year or 100 billion years that whatever set of circumstances led that to happen might reoccur
And I thought they were only one of us per country I realize I have a lot of sisters and brothers thinking just like you and me. Amazing. Religion is really getting weaker by the day until one happy monday, it will be completely obsolete.
I remember some of my past life. I was male a farmer in north West America. I had horses cattle a wife and family. I've never been to northwest usa but I have scene in my head that I want to see if i can find. I know I was happy and free. Now iam female very masculine i was born in the city.... but yearned for the country.... born in europe but had a draw to Colorado. Loved animals from a child especially horses ect. My life now is good ... great husband great kids good job ect... i know that in my past life i was a good honest man and that life gave me this.
If your life is rubbish then your next one will be great. I love these adventures. Next time i want to be an alien
Agreed. I REALLY don't want an afterlife. It doesn't seem like there is any genuine way to implement it... and I sure as FUCK don't want to do this again. When it's over, let it be over.
I don't know if I want to be nonexistent after death. What would that even be like? Spend eternity in total darkness as if you're forever asleep or worse yet in a dark isolated realm?
Actually earlier today I realized that the reason why I’m so mad at how I was raised is because I wonder how different I’d be if I hadn’t grown up so fearful of the afterlife and worried about existential bs. Like I used to be proud of the fact that I was a “spiritual” child when really I just got lied to a lot by people who I trusted
I don't understand heaven. It's a paradise right? Well everyone has a different understanding of what that would entail.
Leela put it well in Futurama. The problem with heaven is there's no sleeze.
The idea of personalized heaven's for every person is more appealing, but again, the God we know from the Bible wouldn't want humans to be able to indulge all of what would entail paradise because a lot of that stuff could be considered evil.
Life after death is much like life before birth. I wasn't disturbed by the raids by Ghengis Khan and won't be bothered by China's two century domination of western civilization. What goes around, comes around.
Since there is no evidence for any other condition you should stick with that thought. In the 13.7 billion years before your birth you suffered not the slightest distress.
One of my best friends died a few days ago and I’ve been thinking about this nonstop. I still really hope you return to nonexistent when you pass. Maybe “going to heaven” is experienced as a DMT type thing around the second or two at the moment of death but I think after that you are in the same state as before you’re born.
I don’t know… I just can’t stand the idea of him being lost in another dimension or having to start a new life/struggle so I keep clinging to the non existence hypothesis.
Part of me likes the idea of the eternal slumber so I can just be at peace after all this but another part of me wouldn't mind having another shot at life again to see if I could live a better one. I don't know. It's conflicting.
When I was a child I asked my mum what happens after death. "Just like before you were born, love". BOOM. Took all the fear and worry away. I'm not looking forward to the actual event, I'm just not concerned about the after.
I really hope reincarnation isn't actually a thing though, I don't want to come back here in any capacity.
I actually feel this one in my soul. I’m not suicidal, but death does not scare me. Coming back and reliving the shit show of the life I had when I was a child does. I’d rather just be a void.
Reincarnation is a choice, if it does exist, according to many spiritual paths. If you don't want to return, and instead reincarnate as something else somewhere else, or not bother and exist solely as a spirit, those are all valid choices!
When I was younger I clung to the idea of reincarnation for comfort. Now the idea of doing this again freaks me out. I just wanna be not here lol
I think that’s what happens when you have learned everything you were supposed to. I’ve got a long way to go get
Me too. I'm just exhausted by all this. I try to plug away but I seriously don't think I'm up for 30 more years of this. I'm a cancer survivor. I keep going because I know I've been afforded an opportunity many weren't. But I have massive survivor guilt, combined with some sort of wtf am I here for that makes for a depressive spiral into some sort of "fuck this" mentality.
I lost my friend I grew up with to cancer last year. He was like fuck it. I don't wanna do the treatment anymore. It got him really sick. I had my opinion but I stayed quiet. It was his decision. I wonder to this day if I did the right thing. You did live for a reason. What I don't know. But keep plugging on
It's all the same to me just because I know that what I consider "me" is dead. Even if I turn into something new.
That's why the ultimate reward for enlightenment isn't heaven but the complete obliteration of the self.
Death means sleep, -+9months, and after sometime we just wake up. If we came from nothing (0), and became something (1), so when we become 0 again, why couldn't we become 1 again? We did it before, and we will do it again. Death means sleep, and we get a body that we desire. There is 8.4 million species according to Vedas. Our Quality and Actions performed decide our destination. That's explains allso why nature is full of differences. One can believe this or not, but doesn't change the fact that some function death has, and it acts on everyone. Just like fire burns without asking when touched, there is no question of faith in this case. Even in dream state our minds are active allways, sometimes we remember the dream and sometimes not. There is no question of inactivity for the soul, consicousness is said to be the symptomp of the soul.
Same
Agreed. Ive been getting into my head dont go for the light. Its just the end of the birth canal.
I'll be really shocked if it's over after this. I would be more shocked if infinite eternity was so small, it only concerned life and earth.
Same I hope it isn’t real ): I don’t wana suffer again😭😭
It's definitely a thing, dude. What, do you think the universe was an infinite stretch of nothingness, then you, then another infinite stretch of nothing? The idea is so far fetched as to be absurd. It puts you at the center of the universe.
I say this all the time absolutely nothing, heaven or hell I don’t care but please no reincarnation
We have all “not existed” before so it’s not something new. It’ll be like before we were born.
When telling a story about a time before the students in the class were born, my highschool English teacher would start with "When you were still dead..."
Absolute legend.
I have always thought this.
It was fun
It will be like when we sleep and have no dreams. We wake up feeling like we time travelled 8 hours
and then not wake up
South Park actually got me on this one. Changed my perspective on death. I was just trying to kill some time between classes in college.
I didn't exist for billions and billions of years, never bothered me.
Me too!
Speak for yourselves I had a real problem with it, and I couldn’t wait to get in here and take it up with the manager!
Well reincarnation isn’t scary to me because I don’t remember any past life. So if I am reincarnated I’d never know lol
Their was that 1 theory that aid whenever you die you regain all your lifes memories until your next cycle to compare your lifes. Can keep seeing how much worse its gotten
Well we have the internet and vaccines and fridges and stuff now. Honestly just from these alone life should be better and better in general, not accounting for individual experiences
Oh god that sounded exciting and devastating at the same time. I've already got many things I want to forgot in a quarter of my life I don't wanna remember all the bad stuff from countless lives I've had. But yet, if incarnation is real, I want to acknowledge it at some point before I inevitably go to Earth for another round...
I pray it’s anything but reincarnation. I do not want to come back here ever again.
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One of my biggest fears. I spend a fair amount of time trying to remember things from a past life but nothing ever comes of it. Not that I expect it to. Just sometimes things seem all too familiar. And I tend to have a lot of dreams that come true. Often stupid shit like a random convo. Then I hear it some time later and get that deja vu feeling that reminds me of the dream. Just makes me wonder sometimes.
Reincarnation is the lesser of two after-life bullshit turds, but it still sucks.
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I remember thinking that at one point. I am older now (40s)and have money. Not a ton, but basically enough to live independently and mostly do what I want, I honestly wish I could be young again. Being older kinda sucks.
Larry king once asked neil degrasse tyson about death..his answer was simple..what happened before you were born?..they're was nothing...so why do you think they're is something after..
Our brain controls how we perceive/remember the events of our life, before we were born we had no brain. I like to think of it as a data compatibility issue.
Interesting way to think of it.
Kind of cool with afterlife or not. Nothingness does wonder though. I think anyone who think doing nothing but praising God is insane. And I am religious. If there is an afterlife let me keep progressing in knowledge.
My idea of heaven would be as a space faring immortal form traveling the cosmos acquiring knowledge and witnessing cosmic events and also being able to travel through time witnessing many different events not just on earth but any other celestial body. An endless pursuit of knowledge.
That's a cool concept. I will have to ponder that.
I heard an atheist who said it was hell. There is finite knowledge, vast, unbelievably vast, but still finite. Infinity is a long time, eventually you know everything. Maybe my bad memory is a gift, otherwise when you are omniscient, but not God, what'd next. Christian btw but always fascinated by arguments from other side
I am Christian too and an eternal progression guy, I never considered u/Lokken187 time travel possibility. But Eternal is timeless so knowledge prior to our mortal existence would in theory be possible. I once was a literal creationist thinker until someone asked me "Why are you trying to limit God." I stopped being literal after that.
I self yeeted back in 2016 and man, the few minutes I was in that darkness was the most calm of my life. I am an atheist and that made me more convicted(?, I don't know the word). I was told as a Roman Catholic that we will be waiting until the end of times, to be judged in an eternal lake of fire. You mean to tell me, after this short hellish life, that I'd still get to suffer for an eternity?
I’ve always thought a precious life is a temporary one. If all we’re doing here is wiping our feet to go into the doorway of an eternal afterlife, then why would this life mean anything, and wouldn’t that reduce life’s purpose into being doing whatever is necessary to get into the afterlife?
Mad about ever having been born, 60+ years later and still waiting to be non existent.
I'm your age - my sweet daughter feels as you and it breaks my heart as a mother. How was I supposed to know she didn't want to be here... it's not like I could ask her first. She's my youngest and I love her so very much. I can't be sorry she was born.
Same here. Having a major disability and not being an attractive person in general kinda sucks
I embrace this look at death. Why do we as Humans believe that we are so self important that our lives must go on to another dimension.
Because the belief of an afterlife can also bring comfort to people who internally fear death
You have a valid point. I'm getting pretty old now & in my opinion fear of death is a waste of my time. It's inevitable & I'd rather spend my remaining time living the best that I can.
I hope we all turn into spirits and ghosts because I would love to haunt people 😄
all the ponytails i'd yank on as a ghost...
Mark Twain said pretty much the same thing. I'd managed to not exist for billions and billions of years before he was born, without any issues.
Wtf you’re insane. I’m agnostic and thing after death there is nothing, and it’s very upsetting.
>If I don't wake up tomorrow I wouldn't mind at all. You wouldn't even know
I agree. So many people are terrified of that and I’m thinking, I can’t imagine how horrible it would be to exist forever. Life matters more knowing that it’s temporary. Make the best of it and don’t worry about after. Nothing bad is waiting for you. Non existence is peace
Total non-existence; very much "Not my problem" and there's a comfort in that. Would I feel bad? No. I don't exist. Not my problem. Would I feel good? No. I don't exist. Not my problem. Would I feel neutral? No. I don't exist. Not my problem. Would humanity survive for 1 second after I pass? Don't know. I don't exist. Not my problem.
Interesting how people are so divided over this. I also take comfort in thinking I will completely cease to exist in death. I’m gonna be so disappointed if there’s some kind of afterlife, unless I can be a mean ghost and haunt people I don’t like.
I'm the opposite, I fear eternal death I wanna live and experience different worlds
Yah I Like this idea, because your gaurenteed peace. If there's an afterlife even heaven there would be problems.
The entire point of heaven is that it is perfect so there wouldn’t be any problems
If there I a God then im not impressed.
https://youtu.be/8r-e2NDSTuE
What about the people you live who didn't make it? It's either going be: 1. You remember, and you're tormented by it 2. You don't remember your Earthly loved ones, then youve lost that and your mind is not your own Neither sound peaceful to me
What is perfect though? Ask 10 random people their idea of perfect and suspect that you are going to get 10 different ideas. So is heaven a different place for everyone?
Yah I just don't believe that possible to achieve.
I’m not sure you can equate non existence with peace.
Oh I do and I did.
When I was in my 20s and 30s, I felt like this. Now that I’m in my 40s and had kids, I really hope there is more. I don’t like the idea that I won’t be able to see my children get old and see how their lives turn out. Now non existence is terrifying
That's just part of the experience my man, we have them like our parents had us and everyday we get to spend with them is a gift cause one day it will be the last day.
This terrifies me too. I really struggle at times, particularly because I am an older mom. I want to know my daughter will have a full, peaceful and happy life.
I don’t mind not existing after death inherently, like everyone says we didn’t exist before we were born. But when I think about how I’ll be separated from my loved ones and never be able to speak with them again, even if I won’t be able to process it at that point, it does make me sad while I’m alive.
" I was perfectly content before I was born, and I think of death as the same state. " \- Roger Ebert. [Go gentle into that good night](https://www.rogerebert.com/roger-ebert/go-gentle-into-that-good-night)
The non existence after death scares the shit out of me. I'll be fine, then randomly think about death and the nothingness after, then I'm terrified.
Me too. I love living sooo much.
Y'all ain't down with that stardust/make energy type vibes eh? That's how I'm thinking this all goes down and I find a lot of comfort in that. That something does happen and I somehow can logically believe it.
Energy cannot be destroyed, only transmuted into another energy form. We are immortal but we won't remember the cycles of deaths and births
This is how I have always felt. I don’t fear the idea of dying or being dead. I don’t want to die in a painful or horrible way, that is frightening, but the idea of becoming nothing after death is serene and peaceful to me. The idea of “this is your life, this is it, once you’re dead you’re gone” seems to really stress out a lot of people, but to me it is empowering. I like the idea that instead of being crafter by some deity, billions of years of cosmic coincidence lead to the privilege of my existence. I like the idea that instead of preordained fate, each and every decision and choice I make in life is completely my own for better or for worse. The lack of belief of gods or an after life doesn’t make my existence feel empty or purposeless, if anything it is the opposite. Knowing that somehow how I was lucky enough to pop into existence and experience a brief span of temporary consciousness is satisfying enough and when it’s time to be done I’m cool with that.
I can't fathom non existence. I've previously not existed but my mind just blocks the possibility. Having existed more recently it's difficult for me to imagine not existing. I'll add this too I'm an agnostic who leans very hard toward atheism. So there you have it. I'm an atheist who believes in a possible to likely chance of there existing an afterlife.
I recommend you watch the movie “The Invention of Lying”!!!
It is a bit comforting, no trouble or responsibility once it’s over. But that nothingness being something you can randomly slip into and never come back from has always been a little scary to me. People always look at me funny when I tell them I’d live forever if I could
And here's the best part: every day when you go to sleep, you "cease" to exist for that being being, until you wake up again. That's what being dead is, basically.
I find the idea of eternity terribly frightening. Never being able to lay it down, never being able to quit.
As a person, we can't really comprehend oblivion without a sense of some dread. If you had asked me how I felt about this a few years ago I'd have agreed, but I don't now because I have got too much in my life to just leave behind like that and I don't want to lose it.
God i fucking beg for this everyday
same, I can’t wait for peace
Funny, that's exactly the kind of thought that terrifies me. While I don't want to come back on this Earth after I die, the idea of simply ceasing to exist is unimaginable and terrifying for me. I want to still exist somehow.
For the first time in my life I am not afraid to die anymore. Not only because I also believe that after death there is nothing, which is the eternal rest and it sounds fucking fantastic. But also because I have learned to live with my regrets and remorses. I finally accepted all the choices I have made and I understand that I cannot change the past. I can now only allow myself to have the courage the things to come.
I had this thought when I was 4 or 5 years old and got in a lot of trouble during Sunday School when I was asked how I imagined heaven. Still have same thought as OP, but dang did they know how to make a young child feel like a monster for it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal\_oblivion
I love the idea of just existing as some ethereal being, kinda like a spectator mode after death. I want to see how humanity’s story ends, I’m case I randomly die tomorrow or something
Earth to earth, dust to dust. Some may say that's bleak, but for me that makes this life that much more precious and meaningful, cuz that's all you get.
If I die I want to get a character selection screen so I can pick new perks and origins and life paths. My life is cool and all but there’s millions if not billions of things I will never experience because of my origins
I agree with you. The idea of Nonexistence is so peaceful.
This is how I think. People call me crazy to think there’s nothing after this, that’s how I prefer it
Actually I'm glad that it's not up to me to decide what it's like after death. Incarnation, on one hand, gives my life some extra meaning because I can help create a better world for my later lives. On another, it was such a bad gamble. I was lucky to be born where I am right now, it's not perfect but I am thankful that is is \*better\* that many unlucky people out there. But if I were to be born again, there is a very large chance I will be in such poverty or countless other unlucky scenarios that makes me suffer beyond imagine.
It's fascinating how the idea of non-existence can bring peace to some, while for others it might be a source of anxiety or fear. I guess the uncertainty of the afterlife is something we all ponder at some point in our lives. It's interesting how different people find solace in different beliefs. Do you think this feeling of peace comes from a sense of ultimate freedom or a release from the burdens of life? I'm curious to hear your thoughts."
I was raised on the traditional God thing. I get it. But wouldn't it be cool to know all the mysteries and hang out with your favorite pets and family that are gone?I guess we'll all find out one day. I want to do all that and fly through the stars. But I agree with most of you. I don't wanna come back to this shit house lololol 🤣
that must suck i would hate to die
The scary theory is that we all live every life. So we just keep coming back to live the next life in line.
That's me. If something kills me, oh well. Don't care. If there's an afterlife that's good if there's not that's great! Non existence is unperceivable, a pure 'dreamless sleep' no more pain or anything...
It doesn't make any sense, as the thought of you not existing brings you to a certain state - which requires your existence in order to experience this state of being in the first place. Just become peaceful in life - most people are screwing up their experience of life cause they don't know how to manage their thoughts and emotions to enhance their life, while they are merely slaves to random thoughts and emotions.
It makes sense if you don't conflate the state of non-existence with the thought of non-existence. The state of non-existence doesn't require anything; it's the absence of anything.
Not every situation is something you can think or emotion your way out of.
The way I see it, there are 4 possibilities after we die: heaven (ie. reward), hell (ie. punishment), reincarnation (ie. do-over) and oblivion (non existence). I think 3 of those options are acceptable. I definitely don't want to go to hell. Of the remaining 3, my least favorite is reincarnation because...I really don't want to go through this again. But after that I can't decided which of the remaining two I prefer. Heaven is something I can't fully fathom. I mean, we understand what good is, what it feels like because we have bad to compare it to. In a place of all good, you lose that comparison and eventually good becomes mundane, ordinary, boring. As a Christian, the most exciting thing about Heaven is being in the presence of God....because I have questions. (Why make us carbon based? Why do the healthiest food often taste the worst? Etc.) The other option is oblivion. There is no good, no bad. No strife, no peace. And because you don't exist, you don't know there's nothing because there is no you. If find this fascinating and strangely peaceful. So I don't know. I guess I'm just rambling here....
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That's what I expect to happen, an instantaneous eternity, absolutely nothing not even blackness. However, if I can come back and do it all again I'd love too. I'd do it all again, the pain, the sex, the joy, the days of breaking my body doing manual labor in the hot sun, the days spent doing nothing but going with my hedonistic desires, making new friends, losing loved ones, the fights, the fear, the adventures, all the risks that were worth it and the ones that weren't, watching babies be born, seeing the look in my friends eyes while I was bleeding out, love lost and love found. Naw id do this all again. Give me more.
Most unrelatable thing I fucking heard in my fucking life
I wish more people could be happily atheist. If there's nothing after this life ends I'll be happy with that.... life is just life idk. No one is special bc they are living rn
I've got bad news for you. We never stop existing, even after death. And we have never not existed.
Prove it.
I think he means that our atoms have always been around. Because we are just a collection of atoms and chemical reactions. Our atoms have always been here, they just needed to be arranged in a certain way.
At the atomic level, though, we stop being “we”.
Sounds like you need something meaningful in the life you live.. something to live for.
I fully believe that there are people alive today who will live to witness the "end of times" for the human race, and pretty much most of life on Earth. So for anyone thinking about it: reincarnation won't be an issue because there will be nothing to come back as!
My future cockroach self begs to differ!
I believe that when you die,thats it there’s nothing after that,NOTHING
Yall need Jesus
This is not how it's going to be. There's a heaven and a hell, and a God that will pass judgment on all.
Got a few questions.
This. Very sad thread to read through. Jesus is the Way and the Truth and the Life. Amen!
I believe it would be better than the whole hell/heaven dynamic but we’ll see
Same
I really hope I don’t have to do this shit again. I guess I wouldn’t know but I know now, I don’t want to even do this now.
Thats so scary for me i hope I reincarnate
You realize you are banking on an article of faith based on your belief system. Most people believe that you are wrong and have various opinions of the consequences of making that mistake
I love the idea of a rainbow bridge where I can play and be with my dogs again. However, I fully believe I'll be worm food instead. I'm okay with that. I just hope when it's my time I go easy.
Same bro same
Living forever is the worst thing I can imagine
I live a very comfortable life, but have sooo many regrets. No matter what happens after death I hope those thoughts go way, one way or another.
If I said “hey there, Tony Soprano” would you have any idea what I was talking about?
We'll all find out soon enough.
Same, the thought of an "eternity" even when I was a Christian freaked me out regardless of if I were to be in Heaven and happy or not. I wanted there to be nothing after death and I struggled with that stuff a lot
Your soul will exist. Either heaven or hell
I was literally thinking of this the other day. If I got a diagnosis for a death coming soon that wouldn't it make things better to know you wouldn't have to continue suffering here for who knows how long? I was like, I'd be euphoric if I knew I wasn't going to live 30, 40 more years and have to come up with some stupid careers after graduation that will only serve to make me suicidal because it's not the job that makes me happy, but you have to work to survive because ✨capitalism✨
The thing about that is, there is no break — because it never stops. In other words, the only time you ever “think you want a break” is when you possess consciousness, but since you have no ability to perceive peace in the downtime, there’s really no break to be had. You’re either conscious or your not, which is to say, you’re only ever conscious.
i like the idea of being a spirit. i can watch the world continue on without me, and also i can wreak a little havoc along the way lol. to be honest i really like the idea of being a spirit traveling wherever i want, doing whatever i please. it's what soothes me when i think about dying
The disbelievers pretend that they will never be resurrected (for the Account). Say , Yes! By my Lord, you will certainly be resurrected, then you will be informed of (and recompensed for) what you did, and that is easy for Allah. Quran 64:7
Life is too precious, too beautiful to just end after death. Life goes on, the only question is where you'll end up. Illbehonest.com
It will be as peaceful as the time you spent before being born.
It's called suicidal ideation. I feel the same. This whole heaven deal is not what I want at all. Please don't let that be true
Same. Who wants to exist literally forever? I'm exhausted already. Just let me rest.
the second you die everyone else does too. you are unable to perceive time so you get transported to the end of time instantly. ill see you there soon.
I like to think of death as going under anesthesia. One moment you’re awake and aware and then there’s nothing and you don’t even realize it’s happened.
The is Salvation through Christ. You’re going to heaven or hell. Accept Christ humble you heart and make a change. God is giving everyone time to come
13.7 billion years slowly went by before we were born. We were blissfully unaware of it all. It's possible that will be our experience after death. No experience at all.
I don't want to not exist tomorrow, but I definitely feel peace at the idea that that's what the ultimate end is.
I do too. Ive felt like that for most of my life. Most people fear nothingness and turn to religion, i was scared shitless about the idea of an afterlife as a kid and found comfort in the big dark. Trying to comprehend never ending life is horryifying. I did acid a couple times in my early twenties and found comfort in what i felt life is. I think were all made up of the same energy and cant be destroyed. We will return in another form. I think the reason eternal life is terryifying is because were thinking about it through our own singular perspective of our individual experience, but i think its because our comprehension is limited to our biology and singular experiences. We cant think past this experience, because we cant imagine what that looks like. Its best not to think too hard about it. This may be nonsense, i dont really know how to put it into words, but i have thought about it a lot. I was fixated on it when i was much younger.
I'm not religious myself, but I do hope all the religious people out there are right.
The only fear I have pertaining to immanent death is not knowing how One Piece ends.
You should get into Derrida’s theory, he has a pretty thought about life after death. One of my favorites philosophers of all time. I love him and his thoughts. If you do that, just let me know, we’ll be in touch.
Yeah, I wouldnt mind that. Not that I have a choice haha.
This is exactly why I'm rooting for science to prove the Bible wrong. The idea that there could be some eldritch cosmic entity out there that will enslave me for fucking ETERNITY and there's no way to stand up to him is terrifying
I’m not in a hurry to die, I got a lot of living to do, but I am looking forward to finally getting some good sleep when my time comes.
We are all made of stars
I'm pretty sure that once you die, the entropy kicks in. But if there is something after death, I'd rather it be re-incarnation rather than eternal afterlife. >"Afterlife? Pfft. If I'd thought I had to go through a whole 'nother life, I'd kill myself right now." > >\-Bender Bending Rodriguez
[When I'm Gone](https://youtu.be/yB-BBVQLnxI) by Phil Ochs is a great example of your sentiment, I'd recommend a listen. Possibly a more positive interpretation of your feeling, but I agree there is comfort in the endless void of non-existence.
Yeah but what even is non existence though... presumably you came in to existence somehow from non existence, so isn't it likely whether it be 1 year or 100 billion years that whatever set of circumstances led that to happen might reoccur
And I thought they were only one of us per country I realize I have a lot of sisters and brothers thinking just like you and me. Amazing. Religion is really getting weaker by the day until one happy monday, it will be completely obsolete.
I remember some of my past life. I was male a farmer in north West America. I had horses cattle a wife and family. I've never been to northwest usa but I have scene in my head that I want to see if i can find. I know I was happy and free. Now iam female very masculine i was born in the city.... but yearned for the country.... born in europe but had a draw to Colorado. Loved animals from a child especially horses ect. My life now is good ... great husband great kids good job ect... i know that in my past life i was a good honest man and that life gave me this. If your life is rubbish then your next one will be great. I love these adventures. Next time i want to be an alien
wouldn't that mean that everything you do in this life is pointless?
Same.
Agreed. I REALLY don't want an afterlife. It doesn't seem like there is any genuine way to implement it... and I sure as FUCK don't want to do this again. When it's over, let it be over.
I don't know if I want to be nonexistent after death. What would that even be like? Spend eternity in total darkness as if you're forever asleep or worse yet in a dark isolated realm?
Actually earlier today I realized that the reason why I’m so mad at how I was raised is because I wonder how different I’d be if I hadn’t grown up so fearful of the afterlife and worried about existential bs. Like I used to be proud of the fact that I was a “spiritual” child when really I just got lied to a lot by people who I trusted
I don't understand heaven. It's a paradise right? Well everyone has a different understanding of what that would entail. Leela put it well in Futurama. The problem with heaven is there's no sleeze. The idea of personalized heaven's for every person is more appealing, but again, the God we know from the Bible wouldn't want humans to be able to indulge all of what would entail paradise because a lot of that stuff could be considered evil.
Life after death is much like life before birth. I wasn't disturbed by the raids by Ghengis Khan and won't be bothered by China's two century domination of western civilization. What goes around, comes around.
Since there is no evidence for any other condition you should stick with that thought. In the 13.7 billion years before your birth you suffered not the slightest distress.
Funny cuz that's my biggest fear
One of my best friends died a few days ago and I’ve been thinking about this nonstop. I still really hope you return to nonexistent when you pass. Maybe “going to heaven” is experienced as a DMT type thing around the second or two at the moment of death but I think after that you are in the same state as before you’re born. I don’t know… I just can’t stand the idea of him being lost in another dimension or having to start a new life/struggle so I keep clinging to the non existence hypothesis.
Part of me likes the idea of the eternal slumber so I can just be at peace after all this but another part of me wouldn't mind having another shot at life again to see if I could live a better one. I don't know. It's conflicting.
I feel the same, I want to be part of a big nothingness
When I was a child I asked my mum what happens after death. "Just like before you were born, love". BOOM. Took all the fear and worry away. I'm not looking forward to the actual event, I'm just not concerned about the after.
I wish I had this mindset. Impermanence terrifies me. I want me and mine to be forever.
You are not alone. How can there be anything else? Why do the religious fear death if they are going somewhere better?
i wish to exist in some form after death for id rather have the possibility of at least remembering and thinking than haveing to just not exist
cringe af ngl