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I appreciate Alan Watts' perspective, loosely summarized as: eons passed before you were born... you'll live maybe a handful of decades... ... and eons will

I appreciate Alan Watts' perspective, loosely summarized as: eons passed before you were born... you'll live maybe a handful of decades... ... and eons will pass after you're gone. Most people aren't freaked out by the "before", so why not take a similar attitude towards the "after"? This only relates to existential dread per se (vs eg entirely rational concern for the well-being of your surviving dependents, for example), but I like it.

MinusGix 6y ago
Why take a similar attitude towards the after, though? Just because I do not care about the past event does not mean the future event is not something to worry about? I don't care about the past event as 'I' did not start to exist at that point, but now that I exist I enjoy all the parts of life. I keep trying to think of a good metaphor, like: "I stubbed my toe years ago, but I didn't care that much then, but I still don't want to have it happen again." but that doesn't entirely fit with reasoning about nothingness. I am not freaked out by the 'before' as I did not exist then, and while I won't exist after my death, I exist now and can fear the end of my own existence.
coldtea 6y ago
>Most people aren't freaked out by the "before", so why not take a similar attitude towards the "after"? Because unlike the before the after means the permanent loss of current, living experience.