emotional

I just try to imagine what it's like to fall asleep without ever waking up. Trying to imagine what it's like to be unable to imagine anything. The mind can't imagine a state of its non-existence without going to disarray.

For all living creatures there is but one life to be lived, and then to be plunged into death everlasting.

In this natural, material Universe there is nothing sacred, nothing immutable: all forms are subject to change, here today, gone tomorrow. Though etching on stone may be contrasted with writing on sand, in truth the etching upon stone is, in the long run, no more fixed than writing on sand. Nothing is permanent, nothing is a waste of time; but life-forms bide their days for the purpose of passing the genetic relay torch to the next generation. This a holy purpose not dreamed of by any religion!

Captain Howdy

Originally posted by emotional
".

My consolation is that the truth of this so-called "Good News" is dependent on the past existence of a real man and woman called Adam and Eve. But biological evolution means that these two people never existed. No Adam, no Fall, no need for a Saviour, and the Bad News of Christianity crumbles into dust. Praise be to Darwin!



Amen Baby!!


Oh and magus, please do your homework

Ernest Sparks

I hope it turns out that it is all not much of a big deal. A baby being born, if (s)he could think about it, probably would think it is torture, pain and death.

Miss Piggy

Emotional,

IMHO one reason for your fear of death is that you are not satisfied with your life. Maybe your life lacks purpose and meaning.

I'm a bit skeptical about psychoanalysis myself, even if I've met people who say they've been helped by it. Consider e.g. cognitive therapy. And I think that all kinds of creative activities (writing, painting, creative dancing etc.) are very therapeutic.

emotional

I've changed my mind again. The thought of final death is too much to bear. I must believe in life after death.

Damn right. The only thing I have in life right now is my work, which I hate. I don't have any friends, no social life at all. My life is literally stuck.

I hope for life after death, not only because I fear final death, but also because I hope for a better next life. If at first you don't succeed...

emotional

I don't get it ... my fear of death suddenly came over me and then, just as suddenly, passed away. It's as if someone were turning it on and off alternately

I can in one moment be in hysteria over the prospect of being dead, and in the other brush it away as an innocuous fact of life. It's like a bewitching!

But anyway, the way I live now, without a social life, I feel dead already. I think too much because there is nothing but my thoughts to accompany me. If only I had a few friends, I'd come back to life again. When I was a theist, I never actually believed, but I wanted to believe, because I wanted to be with the group, with the community of friends. I miss religion deeply. I wish atheism could be a religion, with communion, ceremonies and all. I wish I were a member of a secular coven.

Praise be to Nature,
Creation Uncreated,
the great evolving existence,
of which we are a part.

Holy, holy is the Universe,
and this green Earth,
the stead of all life,
waxing, waning, passing.

Matt Camaro

Emotional,

It is not death, but your thoughts about death that are causing your pain.

Check this out:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books

Matt

Miss Piggy

Maybe you should participate in some non-religious group activity (an evening class, a hobby group etc.). Or you could get a dog or a cat. When you take your pet for a walk, it is much easier to start conversations with people. Don't be disappointed if you don't get any close friends right away - the most important thing is to meet new people, get new ideas and train your social skills.

emotional

No, that's thinking small. I can only think big. I need a religion.

Amaranth

Emotional,

You're still suffering from depression. As others have stated, you fear death because you see your life as a string of regrets - Missed oppritunities, losses, and ultimately without purpose. You fear death because it is the inevitable end, after which there are no more chances to make good on all the promises you've made to yourself; The very same promises which, when facing the circumstance, you have turned away from and said "next time". This is the core of your problem, and you are apparently an introspective person, so you know it.

Religion is not the better choice, for reasons you already know. It is the easy fix, the quick fix, but it only treats the symptoms. While religion may in fact fix your fear of death, it would merely be fixing the symptom. Religion, even if you over-come the inherent problems of forcing yourself to believe something, doesn't fix the real problems you face. It may expose you to a group of people, but it does not meet people for you. It does not seize the things you want in this life for you.

The only real fix, the only one that solves the problem, is to seize the things you want out of life. You want social exposure, friends? Choose a hobby you enjoy, or perhaps even better, one you may enjoy, and look up local clubs on them. Hate your job, or your career path in general? Study at home, look for a new job, make oppritunities for yourself.

You know these things - I'd go so far as to say you've known them for a long time. Just remember that to set broad, esoteric goals as your only milestones will only lead to more feelings of failure - Set your sights on things things in the immediate future. Judge success by completing the mile, not the marathon. Make good on your promises to yourself, and use the fear of death as fuel.

I'm not sure it will help any, but when I went through a similar thing, this always reminded me of what I feared; A hollow existance, my desires ruled by my fears: http://phobos.astro.uwo.ca/~sshorlin/prufrock.html

Amaranth