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Do you fear death? (1 Viewer)

sam04u

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Enteebee said:
Kill yourself? I'm fairly sure I dealt with this in my initial post... a love for live and a view that death is an 'evil' appears to be an innate pre-rational trait in human beings on par with sexual desire. Why do we want to fuck X girl? It's not really anything rational, it's all pre-rational though it may be somewhat considered by rational parts of our brain... If you are human than other than some exceptional people I would take it that you love life and I really doubt any rational arguing otherwise is going to change your mind anymore than someone telling you 'you shouldn't want to fuck her, it's a pointless act etc etc' is going to make u stop feeling sexual desire.
How about if I told you she had aids.
You would not want to fuck her. Because your fear of death (something you understand less) overrides your sexual desire.

This whole pre-rational business is a little questionable to me. But yeah, understanding, rids us of fear.
 

Enteebee

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How about if I told you she had aids.
It won't remove the sexual urge, it'd probably be a bit of a mind/instinct conflict where the mind would win out. I mean just because you have an urge doesn't mean you'll act on it, but this non-action doesn't mean the urge doesn't still exist.

This whole pre-rational business is a little questionable to me. But yeah, understanding, rids us of fear.
In which way? You believe that we're perfectly rational beings?
 
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michael1990

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Why would someone fear the inevitable?

I understand how people can fear how they would die, but not death itself?
 

sam04u

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Enteebee said:
It won't remove the sexual urge, it'd probably be a bit of a mind/instinct conflict where the mind would win out.
You could stay hard over a chick with aids? You're made of win sir.

In which way? You believe that we're perfectly rational beings?
LOL NO!
I think people are retarded. I'm usually switched into "zombie mode" to blend in.
 

Enteebee

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michael1990 said:
Why would someone fear the inevitable?

I understand how people can fear how they would die, but not death itself?
Well it does seem rather pointless to fear the inevitable but I would say because they can conceive of something different than death. Furthermore to your second point, If you read my long post you would have seen an analogy with perhaps by some accident being left with a mental disorder whereby you feel content and revert back to the mental state you were at 5 years old, would you agree that to have such a condition forced upon you is to be harmed? If so then is it not wrong to fear harm coming to you by a loss of your 'identity'? If someone were to invent some sort of mind-wipe technology which painlessly converted you into another person, would you not fear that being used on you?

Sam04u said:
You could stay hard over a chick with aids? You're made of win sir.
You can have a sexual interest over a girl who does not consent to sex with you meaning there are possible serious repercussions if you were to ever act out your physical desire... I don't see the difference. However tbh I'm probably expressing my point wrong... the point is that you couldn't remove from me any form of sexual desire (it could... perhaps through some fairly extreme methods become repressed). Obviously if I were interested in a girl with her clothes on them under her clothes she were covered entirely in hair/mucus I would be sexually turned off, but this hasn't really eliminated my sexual desire which is something fundamental to our species.
 
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Enteebee

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actually I think an interesting question... Would you be scared if you were told you have a mental illness which will develop to severe amnesia?
 

RohanZ

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Enteebee said:
actually I think an interesting question... Would you were told you have a mental illness which will develop to severe amnesia?
err.. what?
 

michael1990

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Enteebee said:
Well it does seem rather pointless to fear the inevitable but I would say because they can conceive of something different than death. Furthermore to your second point, If you read my long post you would have seen an analogy with perhaps by some accident being left with a mental disorder whereby you feel content and revert back to the mental state you were at 5 years old, would you agree that to have such a condition forced upon you is to be harmed? If so then is it not wrong to fear harm coming to you by a loss of your 'identity'? If someone were to invent some sort of mind-wipe technology which painlessly converted you into another person, would you not fear that being used on you?.
That is quite a good argument.

I don't fear.

I have always believe things happen for a reason, i mean i get nervous. But don't fear.

If i knew i was to die in 6 months, i may feel quite different. I believe i may even fear death as i know its so soon. But i plan on living until a ripe old age.

I think some people get to the stage in their life when they either start to fear death as they know its near or they start to not fear death as they know its inevitable.
 

michael1990

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Enteebee said:
actually I think an interesting question... Would you be scared if you were told you have a mental illness which will develop to severe amnesia?
I don't think so.
I wouldn't remember.

I would of course be so upset i would be incoherent anyway.
 

Enteebee

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RohanZ said:
err.. what?
I edited it. Would you be scared if you were told you have a mental illness which will develop to severe amnesia?

Basically I think the fear of death is in large part associated with a fear of losing your identity, if you wouldn't be scared when faced with the real prospect of severe memory loss etc then I can see how you wouldn't be scared of death.
 

Enteebee

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michael1990 said:
I don't think so.
I wouldn't remember.

I would of course be so upset i would be incoherent anyway.
You would know at the time what's going to happen... you would be able to imagine your current identity continuing to live, but instead you have to face the knowledge that all that is currently "you" is soon to be gone. I think it'd be frightening and that's probably why I fear death, if yourself and other people think you wouldn't be fearful then to me it flows that you wouldn't be fearful of death.
 

spiny norman

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I can remember, as a child of about ten or so, lying in bed some nights, crying myself to sleep, thinking of death. To some extent that of all those I love, for sure, but mostly for my own.

The concept of my consciousness ceasing to be (which, as an agnostic who leans to the atheist side, is what I feel will happen) does greatly bother me to this day, and some sleepless nights the thought will come to me as I lie in bed, and I feel a sense of overwhelming sadness as a shiver passes through my body.

No doubt all of that sounds a bit ridiculous, but it's something that troubles me moreso than I like to admit (in great part because those times I have confided as much to friends I've received a response of "Really?"). I think to some degree it's some sense of narcissism on my part. To some extent, though, I also think it's that the world will always be, for me, my perception. Therefore, when I die, so too does the world, if that can be followed.
 

RohanZ

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Enteebee said:
I edited it. Would you be scared if you were told you have a mental illness which will develop to severe amnesia?

Basically I think the fear of death is in large part associated with a fear of losing your identity, if you wouldn't be scared when faced with the real prospect of severe memory loss etc then I can see how you wouldn't be scared of death.
If I had this disease, I would be scared. Some people believe it to be a fate worse than death.
 

michael1990

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Enteebee said:
You would know at the time what's going to happen... you would be able to imagine your current identity continuing to live, but instead you have to face the knowledge that all that is currently "you" is soon to be gone. I think it'd be frightening and that's probably why I fear death, if yourself and other people think you wouldn't be fearful then to me it flows that you wouldn't be fearful of death.
I think the two concepts are being confused.

Death is inevitable.

But if you were to live in pain or in a incoherent state i believe it would be different.
You're not dying, you're still alive but in a completely different state to which when you first started life.
 

Enteebee

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michael1990 said:
I think the two concepts are being confused.

Death is inevitable.

But if you were to live in pain or in a incoherent state i believe it would be different.
You're not dying, you're still alive but in a completely different state to which when you first started life.
'You' is merely an identity... "You" do not exist if you lose your identity, "You" become someone else.... Obviously our identity does change across our lifespan however there is at least some sort of a continuation i.e. Your identity evolves in a sense.The sort of severe amnesia I am imagining amounts to what is clearly a "new" identity an end to the continuous lines of the former and the abrupt beginnings (with little/no past to work from) of a new.
 
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michael1990

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Enteebee said:
'You' is merely an identity... "You" do not exist if you lose your identity, "You" become someone else.... Obviously our identity does change across our lifespan however there is at least some sort of a continuation i.e. Your identity evolves in a sense.The sort of severe amnesia I am imagining amounts to what is clearly a "new" identity.
If you're talking about such amnesia you would have no idea of this change?

Death and for example retardation are totally different things.
You cannot compare such two. (can to a certain extent)
 

Enteebee

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If you're talking about such amnesia you would have no idea of this change?
I agree and if this leads you to have no fear (which might be different to comforting you of your fear) then I guess you have no fear. Personally I would still be fearful for its loss, I value it greatly and I can imagine that my identity could go on existing but won't.

They are different things but their effect on the identity (losing it) is basically the same and that's what I at least fear.
 
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Iron

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I think it was Nietzsche who said that the moments before death are the most precious in our life, because it's the ultimate moment of truth: It's where we honestly answer the big questions - independent of all lies and external corruptions.
Who wouldnt fear that true confrontation?

Having said that, you are a massive wanker NTB :p
 

sam04u

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Iron said:
Who wouldnt fear that true confrontation?
Well I'll tell ya if ya wanna know.
None other than sam04u, that's who.
 
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People shouldn't fear death. Its not natural to fear death. The body is created in such a way, that when the brain shuts down, feelings of inexplicable joy arise. Its the body's natural to tell you that there is nothing to fear. Research it if you will, but students who have participated in some trials where they simulate the brian to simulate brain shut down, as occurs during death say its an experience of extacy.

I think its the unknown bit that scares people. But hey it mustnt be that bad, since its where we were before we were born. Why worry about something thats inevitable and natural.
 
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