Not afraid to die anymore

[Tac]

I stopped being afraid of it during my teen years.

That time when logic just hit me: well.. it will happen some day anyway so why worry about it?


taxes really scare the crap out of me though.

[AKIron]

Why do you believe that your body isn't all there is to you and that when it ceases to exist, along with everything else in the universe, you won't cease to exist, forever? A feeling? Faith? Wishful thinking?

[slipknot]

Why do you believe that your body isn't all there is to you and that when it ceases to exist, along with everything else in the universe, you won't cease to exist, forever? A feeling? Faith? Wishful thinking?

Don't know. Just do... Just like I believe that the Lakers winning an NBA championship makes the world slightly crappier.

I guess that faith is the word for it, as faith is, by definition, belief despite the absence of any evidence. Either way, though, whether it's belief in nothing, or belief in something, it's still belief, and devoid of evidence supporting either theory, atheism is as much a faith as structured religion. Usually, in my experience at least, Athiests have more faith in their beliefs than the religious do in theirs. To me, any group aggressively professing total certainty in something they cannot possibly know is just that--aggressively professing total certainty in something they cannot possible know. Atheists and religious fanatics alike.

No level of personal conviction, stubborness or certainty in any view regarding the greater meaning of things will ever raise that conviction to anything beyond faith.

So in short, yes, it must be faith, because I can never be certain. But it works just fine for me.

[AKIron]

Hope I didn't come across as critical as I share your faith that there is more to us than meets the eye. Just curious as to what you believe about your new born hope.

[slipknot]

Hope I didn't come across as critical as I share your faith that there is more to us than meets the eye. Just curious as to what you believe about your new born hope.

You didn't come off as critical, just made me think about it some more...

I really can't explain it, though. Was just driving one day and all the sudden had this feeling of security wash over me, stopped caring about all the little things that 10 minutes earlier would have bothered me.

The only thing I can compare it to is looking at one of those posters where everything is scrambled into seemingly random shapes and patterns. Stare at it long enough and a clear image emerges.

Who knows, maybe a blood clot had lodged in my brain. There was no loss of motor function or mental faculty though, so who knows.

[Xasthur]

If your name has anything to do with a certain 'heavy' metal band.... I think you're getting too old for this  by the sound of it.

 

[Dago]

When you think or worry about dieing, think about the alternative, living forever.  Who wants to live forever?  Nobody really.  Sounds too exhausting.

[FiLtH]

   Death itself doesnt scare me. Ya if it was slow and you had time to think about everyone being left behind, wondering if they will be ok, that bothers me. The way I go also matters to me. Someone reading this tonight may end up in a chipper shredder tomorrow morning. There are better ways to go.

  

[slipknot]

If your name has anything to do with a certain 'heavy' metal band.... I think you're getting too old for this  by the sound of it.

 

No, it's doesn't have anything to do with the band. I stopped listening to Heavy Metal after Metallica turned into a boy band.

[Xasthur]

Roger. As you were. 

[AKIron]

Dying itself does not scare me. I think I'd like to go out fighting with everything I had so long as it's not against a long drawn out painful disease. What does bother me is the thought that this is all there is and that all there is will at some point in the distant future be relatively nothing making everything gone before meaningless. I just can't accept that. That I can't accept it does cause me to question my faith. Do I believe in more because the alternative is unbearable or because I can feel the presence and influence of God in my life?

[slipknot]

Dying itself does not scare me. I think I'd like to go out fighting with everything I had so long as it's not against a long drawn out painful disease. What does bother me is the thought that this is all there is and that all there is will at some point in the distant future be relatively nothing making everything gone before meaningless. I just can't accept that. That I can't accept it does cause me to question my faith. Do I believe in more because the alternative is unbearable or because I can feel the presence and influence of God in my life?

That's sort of like the paradox of giving to charity... Are you giving to make the recipient feel better, or are you giving because it makes you feel better?

Who knows. People's fears and insecurities run so deep that it can affect their cognative processes without them even suspecting. I was troubled before, I am calmer now. Maybe it is just a defensive strategy composed and executed by my subconscious. The end result, however, is that I feel better, so I might as well go along with it until it starts to interfere with my life.

[texasmom]

That's sort of like the paradox of giving to charity... Are you giving to make the recipient feel better, or are you giving because it makes you feel better?

My opinion: You should be giving for neither reason.  The main reason to give to a charity is that you can make a positive difference in the lives of other folks around you, or in the community as a whole.  If your contribution won't improve something, why bother contributing?

Will the recipient & you both feel better? Yep, but that's just a side perk [*emotion*], which does foster a likelihood for future charitable contributions by both, which leads to more improvement, which leads to future contributions, etc.  The real thing is that you'll be making improvements for the community/members of the community around you. 

[Yknurd]

I'd have to know what it is to stay away from it.

Stay away from the THC.

[Grayeagle]

Ya.

We'll all be worm food soon enough.
No Worries.. might as well enjoy the ride.

Faith in the Lord helps in the rough spots.

-Frank aka GE