3 ms·

I also think that there's no afterlife. Soon as the brain stops working, everything goes dark. Eternal peace. I find it comforting in a strange way.

Trasmatta 6y ago
> Eternal peace. I find it comforting in a strange way. I feel the same way. But I didn't always feel that way. It took time, a lot of anxiety, a bit of meditation, some drugs, and reading philosophy to get me to the point where I no long really fear death. Sure, the process of dying itself can still be scary, because of the potential for pain. But I'm not really afraid of what comes after. For OP or anyone else reading this dealing with similar death anxiety: I'd recommend a combination of therapy, philosophy, and some meditation. Psychedelics help some people, but they can also make it worse, so I'd be really careful unless you have a guide that you trust. The anxiety / fear / angst is a state that arises in your brain and body, as part of the survival instinct. It can also malfunction and kick into a much higher gear. It's possible to sort of re-wire your brain in such a way that it no longer responds to the idea of death in the same way. Your brain shapes your reality, and it's possible to change how you perceive and respond to things. It can just take some work, and maybe some therapy and medication in some cases.
polishdude20 6y ago
I've actually thought of something that sort of comforts me when I think about death. Our brain is just a mix of chemicals interacting with eachother. When we die, our brain starts to decompose. This changes the chemicals in our brain. At some point, we go from being a being that knows the difference between itself and everything else to being nothing that doesn't know the meaning of self and non-self. We sort of meld into everything else. We lose our identity and become part of everything. It's all sort of hand wavey but it seems beautiful to me. Kind of like an Alan Watts vibe.
oleander73 6y ago
Same. I really enjoying sleeping (i.e. being unconscious) and being dead would be the same.

Trasmatta 6y ago

> Eternal peace. I find it comforting in a strange way. I feel the same way. But I didn't always feel that way. It took time, a lot of anxiety, a bit of meditation, some drugs, and reading philosophy to get me to the point where I no long really fear death. Sure, the process of dying itself can still be scary, because of the potential for pain. But I'm not really afraid of what comes after. For OP or anyone else reading this dealing with similar death anxiety: I'd recommend a combination of therapy, philosophy, and some meditation. Psychedelics help some people, but they can also make it worse, so I'd be really careful unless you have a guide that you trust. The anxiety / fear / angst is a state that arises in your brain and body, as part of the survival instinct. It can also malfunction and kick into a much higher gear. It's possible to sort of re-wire your brain in such a way that it no longer responds to the idea of death in the same way. Your brain shapes your reality, and it's possible to change how you perceive and respond to things. It can just take some work, and maybe some therapy and medication in some cases.

polishdude20 6y ago

I've actually thought of something that sort of comforts me when I think about death. Our brain is just a mix of chemicals interacting with eachother. When we die, our brain starts to decompose. This changes the chemicals in our brain. At some point, we go from being a being that knows the difference between itself and everything else to being nothing that doesn't know the meaning of self and non-self. We sort of meld into everything else. We lose our identity and become part of everything. It's all sort of hand wavey but it seems beautiful to me. Kind of like an Alan Watts vibe.

oleander73 6y ago

Same. I really enjoying sleeping (i.e. being unconscious) and being dead would be the same.