That’s a legitimate fear IMO.
cmbabul@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Ultimately I think the subtext of it is, “I’m really scared of the uncertainty of existence and want a circular explanation to ease my anxiety about death”. The rest springs from that fundamental fear because someone claiming to have that answer can sell it for any price including blind loyalty.
affenlehrer@feddit.org 2 days ago
cmbabul@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Never insinuated it wasnt a real fear. Just that it was being used against those who haven’t faced it
affenlehrer@feddit.org 2 days ago
I guess that’s true for many. However, there is also a possibility to face it and then “handle it” by taking Pascal’s wager.
In my opinion non-existence is in the center of the fear. If you stop existing after death whatever you decide to do now doesn’t matter any more. If you believe in existence after death (part of most religions) and it makes you happy, why not?
True that there are extremist sects of almost any religions and religion is a common cause of fights but I think that’s more rare nowadays and many mainstream religious organizations preach peace and tolerance.
Arctic_monkey@leminal.space 1 day ago
I don’t understand how this makes sense:
If you stop existing after death whatever you decide to do now doesn’t matter any more.
How does existing after death make the things you do matter? How does not existing make them not matter? I genuinely don’t understand what you mean.
Not trying to trivialize your position, just make sense of it, but I think the hidden assumption is something like: you are an algorithm for trying to create good experiences for your brain/human; the things you do matter only if they, ultimately result in better experiences for you; if, eventually, you have no experiences, there is no point striving for anything?
Is it something like that? That still doesn’t really make sense to me. Even if we accept the assumptions, why wouldn’t creating good experiences for your human temporarily, just until you die, matter?
cmbabul@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I actually think the way you are framing non-existence is exactly what I mean. I’m happy my existence and my choices are ultimately inconsequential. I can define my own meaning because all meaning is arbitrary. That difference in perspective is the key.
Daft_ish@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 day ago
Yes, but not so much the anxiety about death. Moreso the anxiety of life. Death to me is pretty inconsequential. Its the motivation to keep living that keeps me up at night.
TheDoctorDonna@piefed.ca 2 days ago
I have always been a little bit jealous of people who can be sold on religion. It must be nice to have the comfort that comes with it, especially if you’re the type to ignore all the rules and think that you’re going to the good place just because you had faith.
I am not scared of dying exactly, I’m afraid that something might come after when I just want to sleep. What if a religion got it right? Good place or bad, I’m not down with that. I want finality in my end.
L7HM77@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
That’s my fear too. I was under high stress from work, woke up from deep sleep one night with chest pain. Really felt like a heart attack, and the only thing I could think was “Thank fuck it’s finally over,” then the most peaceful calm I’ve ever experienced washed over me, and I fell back to sleep.
Now I have recurring anxiety when I think of death, because what if the Buddhists got it right? What if I find peace again when my time comes, just to be thrown back through this shit??