Are You Afraid of Death?

Originally posted by XXXN3O
I actually believe that it is not death that scares us, I think it is a loss of identity.

Death is the one certainty we all have, I take comfort in this but losing who I am is what scares me because even any belief on offering, still states that you will not be who you are on this earth after death.

I can see that you definitely do not know who you are, you only know a mere crust of yourself, a thin outside layer visible to the primitive eye. At some point, couple of years after birth, we stop learning who we are and start being programmed - this is also when most children forget their previous lives and often dramatically change their behaviours and moods as there rational mind slowly inserts all sorts of fallacies into subconsciousness. This is why most people feel unfulfilled, empty, wanting to prove themselves, suicidal - because they are not living themselves. We arrogantly believe we know ourselves when in reality there are even other people out there who know us better than we know ourselves. We often can't even decide what colour or taste we like let alone who we really are.
That said, the false ideas of "identity" are just planted there by the pre-programmed ego so we have something to brag about in attempts to hide deep inner emptiness and spiritual depression. Holding onto this ego causes fear of death, the fear of drastic change. The change will happen after finally facing this inner emptiness and having another chance to fill it out. IMO one single lifetime is just a tiny bit of complete experience that makes us what we are but every bit counts .

There is really no need to fear death. Most fear is due to uncertainty. The best way to remove the uncertainty is through experience of the non-physical. You must be willing to leave your current belief systems at the door though. If you fear what you may learn, it can be a wall.

I would ask you to dedicate one or two months of your life to attempting what is known as Out of Body Experience (OBE, or OOBE) or Astral Projection (AP). One full experience will remove all fear, and replace it with a knowing. It is not a knowing due to knowledge (as contradictory as the words make that sounds), but an esoteric knowing that will be instilled in you; a knowing beyond words that cannot be passed through language alone. It must be experienced.

Many people will chock it all up to a machination of the brain. This is understandable from a purely objective viewpoint. This is one of those cases where "the proof is in the pudding," so to speak. You must personally experience it to fully understand. Once you have experienced existence outside of the body, there will be no doubt for you. You can even verify your experience externally, if you become adept (via shared experiences, etc), but for many this is unnecessary.

For those interested in removing their uncertainty, there are several places to begin. My journey began when I read the book "What Dreams May Come," a fictional story based off of real experiences. You may choose to follow up with some more objective sources, like any of the books written by Robert Monroe (if you choose to go this route, I would recommend beginning with his second book and then reading the first, as he had some misconceptions during his early experiences). Many other authors offer "how to" books on the subject. Alternately, you could simply use your will power to force your mind to stay awake while your body falls asleep. At this point you can roll or step out of the physical and begin your learning process (I would recommend some reading afterwards for some guidance though).

Do not be satisfied with anything you have not personally experienced first-hand. Do not allow anyone to rope you into a "faith". After all, Sander Elenbaas said it well with: "To believe is to be sure that you doubt it."

Good luck!

I don't think its a fear as in someones broke in my house and is trying to kill me kind of fear. It's more of a fear of what about the ones I leave behind, what about my children, what about my wife. Its that kind of fear.

I knew a guy who was a mortician for over 40 years, I ask him if he believed in a God, he replied simply "yes sir"

I ask my great grand mother before she died at the nice age of 96 if she feared death, she replied simply "not at all" She died 2 weeks later.

I believe when you die, you will not fear it as much. Either from being in such great pain or old age.

I can only hope all the mysteries of life are solved in death.

I really hope theres no re-carnation, cause I really don't want to do this again lolz.

I am really going to miss it all though, no matter what awaits me. Living and loving has been a truly unique and wonderful thing to have had.

Originally posted by XXXN3O
I actually believe that it is not death that scares us, I think it is a loss of identity.

Death is the one certainty we all have, I take comfort in this but losing who I am is what scares me because even any belief on offering, still states that you will not be who you are on this earth after death.

That is EXACTLY what I fear. I do believe that my consciousness survives in some form after my body dies, so in that respect I don’t fear death. I used to believe that our consciousness remains intact – incorporeal just without the material body. Essentially, that we continue existing in a ‘ghost’ form, inhabiting other plains of existence in much the same way we currently inhabit this one. But recently a lot of attention has been given, on ATS and in books/websites I’ve read, to the idea that after death our consciousness ‘returns to the source’ and melds with the consciousness of every other living thing in the universe(s). Regrettably, this concept makes sense to me, but it also makes me very uncomfortable. Here’s why:

I am proud of who I am as an individual. I’ve worked hard my 27 years so far to be an honourable, compassionate, courageous and ambitious person. Quite naturally, I sometimes use others as markers – working to be a better person than Tony Blair or the weak-willed drug addicts some of my friends have become. I have acquired knowledge of my own accord and taught myself to be musical. I have seen and experienced things which are unique to me. And perhaps most importantly I have a fiancée who means the world to me – we both feel as though we’re soul-mates and were destined to be together. I’m a lucky man. This is my identity and I love it.

But if the one-infinite-consciousness thing turns out to be true, then that identity that I love and have nurtured means nothing – it disappears to be lost forever in a sea of universal consciousness. In essence, this is the death of ‘me’ and is hardly more appealing than the Atheist notion of no afterlife and total oblivion.

‘Enlightened’ types often talk about how bad the ‘ego’ is and how we need to relinquish it and think beyond it. I’ve always disagreed with that. My ego and the promise of eternal self-betterment is the only thing that truly gives me hope and gives me the strength to continue bettering myself. It would be so much easier to give up my honour and morality; sleep around and take drugs, betray my loved ones, steal and cheat, not strive for greatness. For if my efforts in this life – which are given validity by my ego/identity - are going to mean nothing at the end of it, then what’s the point?

reply to post by thegrandpotato


That is exactly how I feel. The only thing that I fear when it comes to death is leaving my child behind and what would happen to her. I know that I am patiently waiting for this world to end/transitions something, so that we do not have to deal with as you put it this “greedy, corrupt, economically and socially crumbling” world. It is just disgusting how things have turned out today, I fear death for what will happen to my child, but I fear life more because of the world she will have to endure in the future.

Also, further to my above post....

The one-infinite-consciousness thing as probably worse than total oblivion. In total oblivion you lose the relationships that you value, but you don't know it. Whereas melding into a one-infinite-consciousness, you lose those unique relationships but there's a very good chance you DO know it.

That's terrifying.

`No, definately not afraid of death.

Now if i were Religious, then i'd be terrified of it however, didn't jesus always begin his big
big public speeches with the the statement 'fear not'? So then anything that is used to
induce a state of fear can't be a good thing which makes me see that this God so many
fear, is but janus in disguise. Even jesus said, i and my father are one, there's only way that
could be possible, and that were if they were one and the same entity, two sides to the same
coin.Fear immobilzes and puts one into a state of thoughltess submission to another.

Before i knew who and what God was, i was a child, i did not fear hell or death,
and then i learned how to fear through Religion.
And now i see it for what it is, and i no longer have a sense of fear for anything.

Upon death i will no longer see the dream. Upon death, the lie will end.

Originally posted by RisenAngel77
I believe that which is referred to as "hell" is the eternal cycle of living the same life over and over until you finally understand the concept that you are the extension of the source aka God or the creator.

So relief is only found through accepting that you as an individual do not exist?

That's pretty bleak.

reply to post by Cythraul

Would you identify yourself as the same person that you were 10 years ago? Of course not; you have learned, experienced and developed your "self" since then, whether in large or small part. You have added to what you once were.

Do not think of the change you will experience after death as a loss of anything. Rather, think of it as a HUGE addition to your self. What you have learned in this life is still there, but you will develop much more. Even as you merge with other versions of you (if you can think of it as such) or into a whole if you like, think of it not as losing yourself, but instead as gaining the rest. Each individual can look at it this way, and even as they may all be a single being, they have each only gained the rest--not lost themselves.

You have a long way to go after this, anyhow

reply to post by athenegoddess


Essentially, this question is pretty easy to answer. Theoretically, however, it probably is not.

With that said, I was once afraid of dying. Not because I feared losing my life, but because I feared not having control. However, once you've found wisdom, you'll learn very quickly that you have control over nothing. Therefore, I've come to a new conclusion:

Dying is easy. Living is actually the hard part. There's absolutely no reason to fear what you cannot control, and there's all the reason in the world to fear the mistakes of which you DID have control...

Food for thought, if anything. Great post.


Cheers,
Strype

I don't know if I'm afraid of death but I'm afraid of getting old and being in pain all the time...

HI...

I am not afraid of death. Death of the physical body is a normal thing nowadays. When you die, you don't really die. There is still a life after death. Like the great law of physic says. Energy cannot be lost nor created. how I know? Because I died when i was a baby and i saw and felt what is after death.... Do not worry, you will live if you believe in your heart.

peace to all, oneness

reply to post by athenegoddess

I used to be very afraid of death, but over the last few months ,have been reading "The Law of One" Ra material, that has given me a totally new perspective on not only death, but life as well.
These are the transcripts of channelled information ,done over a period of 3 years in 1981.
I find it to be an extremely hard read,(Nearly each answer is so prophetic, it requires alot of contemplation & thought-by me anyways!)
Heres the link-
www.spiritofra.com...

Originally posted by MyrTheSeeker
Would you identify yourself as the same person that you were 10 years ago? Of course not; you have learned, experienced and developed your "self" since then, whether in large or small part. You have added to what you once were.

Yes I would identify myself as the same person that I was 10 years ago – just a person who has grown and learnt since. I had a relationship with my mother then, and I have one with her now. We both remember the same events that we’ve shared. You don’t remember those events, and you don’t have a relationship with my mother, therefore you are a different person to the me of 10 years ago, but the me of now – who remembers the events and relationship my mother and I share – is therefore the same person as the me of 10 years ago.

I don’t believe in or desire stagnation. I adore growth and improvement. This gives life meaning to me. But if there is no ‘me’, then what value is there in individual growth and improvement? What value is there in Earthly relationships? Why do we strive for goodness and why do we not commit suicide as soon as we’re old enough to. In short, what meaning is there in life when that life is simply thrown into the great universal melding pool like the Ring in Tolkien’s saga?

Originally posted by MyrTheSeeker
Rather, think of it as a HUGE addition to your self

That’s a nice way of putting it, and gives me some solace. But the fact remains – beyond the kind of relationship you have with yourself now, relationships cannot exist in this type of afterlife. My fiancée cannot be my soul-mate more than any other living thing on this planet. I have no more special a bond with my own mother than I do with Adolf Hitler. I find that incredibly bleak.

reply to post by athenegoddess


I say that im not afraid to die but we'll see when the time comes haha.
I'm not afraid of what comes after though, if anything, im interested. The fact that in the next 100 years over 6 billion people will die makes me feel fine about it. When it's the only thing promised to you in life you need to accept it.

I'm not afraid of dying. Each person on this planet, their fate has already sealed. It's up to us to change ourselves for the better.

I am not afriad of dying, what scares me is the way I will die.

If i go peacefully, I will be happy.

If I go in an unpleasant way (murder or unatural way), I am scared.

My death is just another part of my long term 'life'. I know that more awaits, and I cannot wait to see that.

Have you ever really thought about death? its not a nap its forever....or is it?Isint it strange we can count longer than we will live [scary huh]close your eyes take a breath & think one day i will have no body i will not be able to think everything i know all i know remember will be gone try it really think about it , i mean space goes on forever? really there is a big burning firey orb in the sky in space could just blow up at any moment whats stopping it this truely is an illusion but why does this system even exist?whats the point?live to die? why look at everything around you all the work in the system the energy the shadows the physics etc what if it all changed? what if just one thing changed perhaps there is oxygen in space i mean doesnt fire need oxygen to burn i mesn do we just take their word for it has a regular person gone up & checked lol space is expanding into wht?the stars we see have burned out along time ago ,.....really i see it there its right there hello.we are not alone change is long over due & i truely hope its coming. we are spiritual beings having a human experience, I do not fear it there is nothing to fear but fear itself, I know when my time comes & I see the light I will happily go to the 4th dimension the 3rd is too corrupt. LIVE LIKE THERE IS NO TOMORRO BUT PLAN LIKE YOU HAVE FOREVER
www.ted.com...

not sure if it has been posted already , but I decided one day I too would like to know more
and so read the tibetan book of the dead , there is also a documentary on this subject as well,
and also read a book called '___' the spirit molecule which gives a further understanding of the process of death.

Im not afraid of death , its level 2 in the grand scheme of things , I get to level up and choose some new abilities
for my avatar ! ME !

reply to post by Cythraul


You said what I was saying in other words. You are the same person now, but also different due to your progression.

You will not cease to know your mother after you die. You may find that you know her that much better, when you find that she is so much more than your mother. How many times has she been a mother before she was your mother? How many times has she been a father? Something else all together? Your love and understanding will grow as you shed your physical ideas. If your relationship is strong with your mother or husband/boyfriend then perhaps you have known them before under different circumstances. Perhaps not. Either way you will still appreciate your relationships and experiences in this lifetime, whether they seem good or bad to you, even after you pass on, because that is precisely what we are here for--to experience.

Why fret over a change in perspective, when you do not understand how much greater your outlook will be? You will come to understand exactly how right it is. Be careful not to get mired in your fears, and this feeling of bleakness. It is only because you cannot understand from your perspective. Give yourself a couple of months, and the benefit of the doubt. Try what I recommend. See for yourself