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It seems the human brain is hard wired not to think about its own death. For those that have loved ones dying the emotional pain is intense, but that isn't the

It seems the human brain is hard wired not to think about its own death. For those that have loved ones dying the emotional pain is intense, but that isn't the same thing as contemplating our own demise. I lost a close friend recently and another is terminally ill. The most we can do is be with them in the moment as much as possible, but it is curious to me how my mind doesn't want to go to thinking about myself in that state one day.

anigbrowl 10y ago
It does not seem that way to me at all. Some of us live close to death and are comfortable with that proximity.
FullMtlAlcoholc 10y ago
> It seems the human brain is hard wired not to think about its own death. I don't think that's true. Our experiences with death, whether it comes from others dying or us having a close call, forces us to contemplate our own end. Memento mori and all that. Most people are ok with not existing. It's the dying part that is tough to deal with.
- ashark 10y ago
  > Most people are ok with not existing. It's the dying part that is tough to deal with. Is that true? I find it almost impossible to really even think about. It makes me feel like I'm falling down a well, and the fully-realized concept of non-existence is the sides, and my mind is scrambling against it but just can't quite grab ahold, but gradually becomes more disturbed and my stomach sinks further from the falling the longer I try. It's full-on Lovecraftian/Cosmic horror. And I think I'm relatively well-adjusted and accepting-of/content-with reality on that front, for a non-religious. [EDIT] minor grammar fix
  - SketchySeaBeast 10y ago
    Given the other incredibly insightful posts from people who are going through this exact problem as we speak, and knowing that I'm in all likelyhood decades away from having to face such a problem, I feel incredibly silly saying this, but I totally agree with you - contemplating my own lack of existence is maddening to me. I want nothing more than to never cease being, to never stop learning and experiencing and seeing how the world and I change, and the knowledge that one day I'll stop fills me with intense dread and sadness. It's utterly egotistical, but I don't want there to ever be a time where I don't exist. Which is ridiculous, because I didn't exist for the huge of time, but now that I'm here, I really don't want to stop being. The idea that instead of moving on or experiencing something new I'll experience nothing, and I'll never come back from it, never get a chance to experience anything ever again, is horrifying.
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- olivermarks 10y ago
  It's outside our experience until it starts to happen. We can intellectually process the concept of death (memento mori etc) but that is very different to our own experiences of our own demise. I had a very close friend who was deeply interested in spirituality and philosophy and who devoted a good part of his life to understanding our existence. Nothing prepared him for the painful cancer death experiences he endured. Intellectual perceptions are nothing against our first and only viceral experiences of death....

anigbrowl 10y ago

It does not seem that way to me at all. Some of us live close to death and are comfortable with that proximity.

FullMtlAlcoholc 10y ago

> It seems the human brain is hard wired not to think about its own death. I don't think that's true. Our experiences with death, whether it comes from others dying or us having a close call, forces us to contemplate our own end. Memento mori and all that. Most people are ok with not existing. It's the dying part that is tough to deal with.

ashark 10y ago
> Most people are ok with not existing. It's the dying part that is tough to deal with. Is that true? I find it almost impossible to really even think about. It makes me feel like I'm falling down a well, and the fully-realized concept of non-existence is the sides, and my mind is scrambling against it but just can't quite grab ahold, but gradually becomes more disturbed and my stomach sinks further from the falling the longer I try. It's full-on Lovecraftian/Cosmic horror. And I think I'm relatively well-adjusted and accepting-of/content-with reality on that front, for a non-religious. [EDIT] minor grammar fix
- SketchySeaBeast 10y ago
  Given the other incredibly insightful posts from people who are going through this exact problem as we speak, and knowing that I'm in all likelyhood decades away from having to face such a problem, I feel incredibly silly saying this, but I totally agree with you - contemplating my own lack of existence is maddening to me. I want nothing more than to never cease being, to never stop learning and experiencing and seeing how the world and I change, and the knowledge that one day I'll stop fills me with intense dread and sadness. It's utterly egotistical, but I don't want there to ever be a time where I don't exist. Which is ridiculous, because I didn't exist for the huge of time, but now that I'm here, I really don't want to stop being. The idea that instead of moving on or experiencing something new I'll experience nothing, and I'll never come back from it, never get a chance to experience anything ever again, is horrifying.
- deleted 10y ago
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olivermarks 10y ago
It's outside our experience until it starts to happen. We can intellectually process the concept of death (memento mori etc) but that is very different to our own experiences of our own demise. I had a very close friend who was deeply interested in spirituality and philosophy and who devoted a good part of his life to understanding our existence. Nothing prepared him for the painful cancer death experiences he endured. Intellectual perceptions are nothing against our first and only viceral experiences of death....