Thread: Afterlife? Say what?

That is why I don't fear death. Why would it be any different than before you are born?

I don't see why eternal existence is so good anyway. Even if they manage to prevent people from becoming old in the future, I know I wouldn't want to live forever.

Originally Posted by Photolysis

That is why I don't fear death. Why would it be any different than before you are born?

I don't see why eternal existence is so good anyway. Even if they manage to prevent people from becoming old in the future, I know I wouldn't want to live forever.

That's what I always ask the Jeebus Pals when they come around: what do they have to do that's so important that they need all of eternity? What would they do with all their time? The impression I get from them is that their whole day would consist of jerking off their god's ego. How boring that would be.

Judeo-Christians cling to their hopeless afterlife as a masked form of egotism. They're so afraid to die, and think that they're personally so important to the ordering of the universe, that they ought to live for eternity. They're as frightened of death as anyone else is.

Fear is the number one motivator for organized religion. Fear of hell is what keeps a lot of people hanging onto Christianity "just in case."

Me, I'm not afraid of death in the least. I don't expect anything more than just being gone, but I'm happy to know I have accomplished much of what I wanted to already in life.

Ah death... objectively, there is nothing to worry about, however, due to the way my brain is wired, just the mere thought of it is enough to provoke a rather strong instinctual reaction. To be honest, a person can become a lot better motivated once he/she accepts this little instinct as being what it is and not fearing at least the implications of death.

Good point.

hmmm death. Well I'm personally hoping for an afterlife, but I'm not counting on it. Oh and by hoping for one, I don't mean the Christian version. Spending eternity singing hymns is just not my cup of tea.

meh there's no point bothering about the Afterlife, if it happens it happens ( which i doubt), if it doesn't it doesn't matter. I wont be conscious at the exact point i die, so i will never know I've died, I'll just...stop, which is impossible to think about really, no thoughts or anything, you are just not there anymore. I guess that's what turns people to religion, because they don't want to think about just ending.

Originally Posted by Seismosaur

Discuss.

No.

This calls for
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBUWjMhGzrk

By the way, anyone else think this girl is really attractive?

Originally Posted by drewmandan

By the way, anyone else think this girl is really attractive?

No. Hideous, if I was straight I wouldn't touch that with a 50 foot pole. And her accent is annoying.

Originally Posted by Rakjavik

No. Hideous, if I was straight I wouldn't touch that with a 50 foot pole. And her accent is annoying.

I think she's sexy.

Ew fat.

Also I like existence. People like to claim that they're apathetic, I don't buy it. If I ran at any of these people with 'no fear of death' with a knife, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't just sit there saying, 'oh but I've thought this through and actually if I were to defend myself that would be purely based on instinct, there's nothing actually wrong with death, etc etc'.

Virtually nobody is telling the truth when they say they have no fear of death. Personally I don't think it's anything to be proud of either. Having no problem with never again seeing anybody you love, or experiencing anything at all? You must have a pretty crap life if that's the case.

Originally Posted by Xei

Ew fat.

Also I like existence. People like to claim that they're apathetic, I don't buy it. If I ran at any of these people with 'no fear of death' with a knife, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't just sit there saying, 'oh but I've thought this through and actually if I were to defend myself that would be purely based on instinct, there's nothing actually wrong with death, etc etc'.

Virtually nobody is telling the truth when they say they have no fear of death. Personally I don't think it's anything to be proud of either. Having no problem with never again seeing anybody you love, or experiencing anything at all? You must have a pretty crap life if that's the case.

Uh...I have no fear from the fact that I will eventually die. That doesn't mean I want to die or that it wouldn't be upsetting in the face of iminent doom. I have no fear of being told I suck by people that I care about either...that doesn't mean I'll enjoy it or that I wouldn't try to avoid that happening.

I never watched the video btw.

Originally Posted by Xei

Ew fat.

Also I like existence. People like to claim that they're apathetic, I don't buy it. If I ran at any of these people with 'no fear of death' with a knife, I'm pretty sure they wouldn't just sit there saying, 'oh but I've thought this through and actually if I were to defend myself that would be purely based on instinct, there's nothing actually wrong with death, etc etc'.

Virtually nobody is telling the truth when they say they have no fear of death. Personally I don't think it's anything to be proud of either. Having no problem with never again seeing anybody you love, or experiencing anything at all? You must have a pretty crap life if that's the case.

That's not the same thing at all. When people say they don't fear death, it is still implicitly assumed that we're talking about a situation where they have no choice. Even if they don't fear death, it does not follow that they should let people kill them.

It's like saying that you could live without your car, but that doesn't mean you're gonna give your car away to the first person you see on the street.

Hopefully it's clear to you now.

That doesn't mean I want to die

So you don't want to die?

It doesn't make that much sense to me, why do you not care about eventually dying if you do care about dying?

That's not the same thing at all. When people say they don't fear death, it is still implicitly assumed that we're talking about a situation where they have no choice. Even if they don't fear death, it does not follow that they should let people kill them.

It's like saying that you could live without your car, but that doesn't mean you're gonna give your car away to the first person you see on the street.

Hopefully it's clear to you now.

Sure, but what some people are saying is that they realise that there's absolutely nothing remarkable about their car at all and they might as well just get rid of it.

We're just a some relatively advanced chemistry anyway. It's not like anything matters. Might aswell die as you might not, if you get my drift.

Originally Posted by Xei

So you don't want to die?

Well sometimes I want to die...everyone has feelings like that, but most of the time you realize you want to live more than you want to die...

Originally Posted by Xei

It doesn't make that much sense to me, why do you not care about eventually dying if you do care about dying?

Because I don't care about what I have no ability to change. I know that I will die someday and there is nothing I can do about it. It is a fact...an absolute fact that you have to deal with. I'm not afraid of death, it is just not an option I would prefer over life.

Originally Posted by Xei

Sure, but what some people are saying is that they realise that there's absolutely nothing remarkable about their car at all and they might as well just get rid of it.

Hey cars make it easier for me to haul my ass back and forth between long distances...they are quite remarkable to me =P. I must not fall into the category of people you're talking about hehe.

We're just a some relatively advanced chemistry anyway. It's not like anything matters. Might aswell die as you might not, if you get my drift.

Hmm. I know it's instinctive to fear death. But I think that the virtue of conscious experience is as close you'll get to an objective moral truth. Perhaps I'm deluding myself, but my love of life is the closest thing to a belief that I have.

Because I don't care about what I have no ability to change. I know that I will die someday and there is nothing I can do about it. It is a fact...an absolute fact that you have to deal with. I'm not afraid of death, it is just not an option I would prefer over life.

Okay, cool. It's just a bit of a fine distinction between 'fearing death' and 'not liking death'. Certainly I think virtually nobody is apathetic towards death, no matter what they say. That was really the point I was making.

Eternal life wasn't "invented" to compensate for the human fear of death. It was simply revealed to be the Truth and nature of the Universe itSelf.

Perhaps in some cases. Like Buddhism. But not in most. Like Christianity. There's a lovely place in the sky full of cotton wool and sugar and Jesus where you go for ever and ever if you believe in the Bible, and there's a nasty place under the ground full of fire and razor blades and bad where you go for ever and ever if you don't believe in the Bible. Sounds pretty invented to me.

In other news, eternity isn't a part of the 'truth and nature' of the universe at all; the universe has a finite lifespan and will one day end. Oops.

Originally Posted by Xei

Perhaps in some cases. Like Buddhism. But not in most. Like Christianity. There's a lovely place in the sky full of cotton wool and sugar and Jesus where you go for ever and ever if you believe in the Bible, and there's a nasty place under the ground full of fire and razor blades and bad where you go for ever and ever if you don't believe in the Bible. Sounds pretty invented to me.

Sounds invented, but what is it sounding about? Getting lost in the words?

Originally Posted by Xei

In other news, eternity isn't a part of the 'truth and nature' of the universe at all; the universe has a finite lifespan and will one day end. Oops.

What ever happens, happens. Eternity is beyond the human construct of time. Therefore lifespan doesn't exist; if the material universe collapses, it may expand again.

Originally Posted by Xei

Okay, cool. It's just a bit of a fine distinction between 'fearing death' and 'not liking death'. Certainly I think virtually nobody is apathetic towards death, no matter what they say. That was really the point I was making.

I agree, no sane and conscious person is apathetic towards death.