Are you afraid to die?

Glad to see almost no one is afraid to die, even if my experience with elders showed me exactly the opposite.

However, I am afraid of death. I am afraid of the totally unknown, of things that I can't control. Pain and suffering, I faced them and I survived Death? I wish at least to know how to prepare for it. What is it, how to face it.

Losing everyone I know and love, everything I lived for, leaving behind everything I know forever, even my body, all alone in a whole new world (if at all)? How can I not be afraid?

reply to post by piequal3because14

Are you afraid to die?

That depends on how I die. Although the death portion doesn't scare me, it's the possibility of unbearable agony coming before it...so I guess the answer is no, I'm not afraid to die. What's the point?

I'm not afraid of dying.

I'm afraid of being forgotten.

reply to post by MystikMushroom

I'm not afraid of dying.

I'm afraid of being forgotten.

I know that feel, bro...



No joke. I really do.

I am not afraid to die, I am afraid of not doing what I was meant to do before I die.

reply to post by Cinrad

I am not afraid to die, I am afraid of not doing what I was meant to do before I die.

How do you know what you're meant to do? Or is that an off-the-cuff decision?

Negative...I'm actually pushing for it

I'm just afraid of how I will die, not death itself. I don't want to suffer and I don't want to live really, really old. I actually welcome the thought of the other side vs. earth. I personally think we are here to learn, but that lesson is almost slave-like.

I'm one of the seemingly few here that is afraid of death and always have been. Even whenever I was a child and saw people that I loved die I of course mourned them and wanted nothing more but for them to come back, but I was always thinking "Well, at least it wasn't me..." I am a control freak whenever it comes to my life and the things that I can't control drive me up the wall and death is a biggie. I know that I cannot control death and that it WILL happen and I can't choose for it not to, but I'm still afraid. I'm afraid that there is nothingness after death and my mind can't comprehend nothingness. I know there was a vast majority of time where I did not exist, but now that I do exist, I can't let go because I can't fathom anything else. I have moments whenever I go to bed at night (especially lately) where I'm afraid to go to sleep for fear that I never wake up again from some foreign attack or bombing or any other incident that might happen in the night. I also have those points while I'm lying down trying to fall asleep where all of a sudden I have a flash thought that shoots up of "You're going to die! Someday you will be old and sick and then you will die and rot!" and I have a panic attack for a while before I can settle enough to go to sleep. This has been happening since I was a child. I fear that my life will fly by my eyes way too fast because as the saying goes "Time flies when you're having fun" .

I just see death as a shame and it's been nothing but a source of pain for me ever since I experienced my first death and lost my grandfather whenever I was a small child. He was the greatest man I'd ever known. He was a brave sergeant in World War 2, a family man whenever he came home, a very intelligent fellow, my hero.

Terrified of death.

Quite surprised that most here are not.

The odds of my own (wonderful) philosophy about life and death being correct are the same as the Skygod being real (which would suck for me...), or eternal nothingness (which would suck for me), or reincarnation (which would be a crapshoot) or maybe even some crazy reptilian soul sucking machine on the Moon.

Too many unknowns. I love my life. I love my Wife, my kids, parents and friends. I like my dog. I tolerate my cat... I am happy. So yeah, the idea of losing all that I have to some great unknown is frightening.

reply to post by DarKPenguiN


What happens when you die? Whatever you believe. After all, you chose to be here.

It sounds stupid (who would choose to suffer?) -- but every experience from being a blade of grass, a cloud in the sky, to a starving Ethiopian must be experienced by the "is-ness" (that which just....is).

imo, death isn't the worry. Maybe the pain that might come along with it is a bit disconcerting.

If we look at it, we are incredibly selfish and want to be around to be involved in whatever is happening or whatever will happen. But if we can get past that, then with my belief system, we won't know anything about anything once we die. so, in short, the death part doesn't seem too much of a hassle, the after death part also seems like no hassle as we won't be aware of anything but that pain thing that might happen just before we kick the bucket, .................. well..................... I'm just hoping it doesn't last too long because it's one of my allergies

The other thing is that our culture has made such a song and dance about it that maybe that is where a lot of the death fear thing comes from. It has always amazed me of how animals get scared of stuff but they don't seem to shiver in fear about death. They seem more brave than just about every human I know. Maybe they don't or can't understand the concept. Interesting hey

Originally posted by Seede
I am scared just thinking of death and yet I am an old rack of bones nearing on ninety years. Fought in WWII and was not brave at all. All I know is that I never saw a guy yet that was calm when the fire fights began and never saw a guy who wasn't scared out of his britches when he was dying. That don't mean that there weren't any. Just means that I never saw them. To me death is not fair at all. She is dark and wet and cold and is forever. I love the sunshine on my head and my pooch on my lap.

Thanks for that wonderful post. I think it was Richard Bach in "Illusions" who explained death this way and I'm paraphrasing. " its like being on a high diving board at a lake on a hot summers day and you're scared of jumping. You jump, fall, full of fear, you hit the cold water and it's a shock to your system but moments later, you adjust and the fear is long gone. I probably did a lousy job with that but I encourage all to read the book, especially this crowd

reply to post by piequal3because14


I use to be afraid of dying. Over the years, I have come to accept that life doesn't end after we die. More so now, since I have lost someone I cared about. My wife and I have experienced too many signs after this person passed. It only strengthened my belief in life after death. If you read the numerous NDE experiences people have had, you can't help but think there is something on the other side of this dimension. You can call it faith, or wishful thinking, but I actually find comfort in it.

I find it kind of odd that a lot of people of religious faith are afraid to die.

reply to post by WeRpeons


In that lat sentence for me lies a definite conundrum

reply to post by piequal3because14


I am only afraid i will be gone before I can teach my children everything i know. But death it self is not to be feared, I hope to die a warriors death. Either the literal sense of the term, or the metaphorical term, either way I hope that life was just the beginning, if not than it doesn't really matter. Also As long as one person remembers one thing you've said or done then you never truly die, and the carbon from your body will become life again in some way so in that manner we never truly die.

Afraid?In a way.But not morbidly.I know it comes to all eventually.My concern is not so much about death but the after part.
Some post here with total assurance that there is an other side. Many people have had NDEs and talk about it.
I am hopeful that something continues on after death,but I do not know. 99.9 percent of humanity does not know.Hence our desire to avoid it.Personally I think if we did KNOW,for a fact,the economy would collapse.Why spend a million dollars on medicine if you knew that death was not the end?Maybe thats why so little is spent on research about an afterlife.
The thought of leaving my two little kids and wife behind to fend for themselves in this crazy world scares the hell out of me. With or without an other side.
I have researched OBEs,in the hope that if I can pull it off,and demonstrate a consciousness independent of the body then that would be pretty good proof that something does carry on after death.But so far no luck.
But I do take comfort in the fact that some of the best and brightest,greatest people ever have all died. It is the great equalizer.So we will be in good company.

If anyone has a way to leave the body while alive,go on a float about,and come back--a way that can be verified-let me know.

Well, unfortunately for me, being afraid of death and being afraid of injury/pain/dismemberment or permanent disability or brain damage are different things... I'm more afraid of living a life of misery than I am of death.

If people were not afraid of death or those other things, then we would stand up to every injustice. I know some people who are like that. My one body builder friend saw a pimp slapping around his ho, and he didn't even attempt to reason with him or get him

to stop or anything, he just saw a woman being hurt, and acted. He ran at him as fast as he could, and again, didn't even attempt to speak with him or tell him to back off or leave her alone or anything like that, he just charged him, picked him up and lifted him up over his head like #ing He-Man and threw him. Then he just glared at him and said "Leave, NOW." And the dude left. I wish I could be like that. There have been times when I wish I would have acted, but didn't, or didn't act as much or to the level I wish I had. I guess I just wishthat I was bigger and stronger... I

have the heart to want to do what's right, but sometimes my brain tells me that I want to keep my teeth, eyesight, ability to walk, talk, etc. But there are some situations where I would and have put my own safety at the back of my mind for the sake of others. So, its not that I'm a total scaredy cat... I've already lost teeth, and got hurt

in many other ways trying to do what is right. It's just that there have been times I wish I had done more, or acted faster or with more intensity/severity, not hesitated, things like that... but I didn't and there is nothing I can do about it now and I have to live with that forever... all because of fear.

I just know, when I'm an old man, I'll be thinking to myself: who cares if you had to be in a wheelchair for life, or die, or anything? You could have been a Better man and made More of a difference in the world... Heck, who knows if you even did make a difference? Or at least, a good one?

No, got over that a long time ago.

I am however, deeply deeply afraid of not truly living, missing my calling, not doing enough good in the world, etc. Just wanna know that I did all I could do to help this world heal while I was alive.

Maybe it's because I'm young, but my feelings towards death could be described with one word, curiosity. I would guess my biggest qualm, fear even, would be the inability to finish something (for lack of a better word). I don't think I have even started yet.