Growing up as a hardcore religious fanatic, I had the exact same reaction - I was so upset that praying was no longer practiced and all the ego's fears about death and the aftermath troubled me for a few years. I realized that I can never know what's going to happen to my consciousness after my body dies. My bodily fears the most is suffering, pain before I die. I'd want a quick painless death. I have to trust that since we're physically here on earth and we'll physically leave the earth... millions of people before us and after us gone through and will go through the same paths.... since it's working okay... we'll be okay. That's my logical thinking.
Believing in the boogy man in the sky or not, won't change how you feel about the unknown, and things beyond your control. The unknown will remain unknown, but you SHOULD have the comfort of knowing it is just you vs the world (as it always was), but now you KNOW it !!!! There is nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, so just relax and enjoy the ride !!!!
I can't answer your question, but I can tell you that I'd rather face a hard truth than a comforting lie. All but the most famous of us will be at best a name in a family tree after a three or four generations. You can take comfort in the idea that some part of you will live on in either your progeny or in the influence you've had on those you've interacted with. If that doesn't help, then just live the best life you can while you're here. It's the only life you have.
You have to get it taken away by life or circumstance but can prbably find a more controlled way .. I have faced it enough times not to fear it but do respect it. I have been in situations where it was an inevitability and it didn't feel how I imagined .. everytime I have got to the point where have to accept about to die on that spot right then it's been amazingly peaceful. Not what I thought. I don't really fear it now and think it's only to be feared if you are not at peace with yourself on some fundamental level. Luckily I haven't done anything worth real guilt.
Make peace with yourself I don't think there is anything to fear.
Well I've been an agnostic/atheist for around 40 yrs. Most days I want to live forever and dread the end of existance. On some (luckily)rare days it could end yesterday.. Same as it ever was..
Did you fear your existance in 1920? You shouldn't fear your existance when you are gone. It's the false/fantasy that you are imortal that has your anxiety razing it's fur. You felt nothing good nor bad in 1920 and you will likely feel the exact same way in 100 years. Your atoms will be in something else. Grass, a dolphin, a bird and baby boy and maybe all at the same time.
I worked as a fisherman for many years, I think once you have come close or pushed to the edge you learn to accept your mortality a bit better, I doubt many of us want to die and it's something we must all prepare our minds to work through..Try Skydiving or bungee jumping .. certainly give you the fear and once you experience that it should be easier..If all you do is sit and wonder that's all you'll ever do..confront it and smile at it then say see ya later..
Know that nothing has changed, and strive to be proud and enjoy your time here. also, organically, we never die, just change form. Now you can appreciate all beauty unfiltered and know that you are good. Be your own judge, live & let live, lift others up and protect kindness. Be a hero
It takes years sometimes, to undo the indoctrination completely. For me, the study of philosophy and pondering questions like "what was it like for me before I was born?" helped a lot. Many of us have been on a similar journey, just keep on keeping on! You'll come to terms with it eventually, I have no doubt.
I find it it be a huge relief to know that it will all end one day. When you are struggling but you know that if it going to be finite...WHEW! Suppose you believe in an afterlife (any of them)...you would have to wade through shit forever! You don't have to worry about eternal damnation or spend eternity stuck with those turds you didn't like here on earth. It is a win-win. You are. You will forever have been. That is pretty amazing. So just enjoy as much as you can of your time here and know that everything miserable will end so try not to get too upset by it. If that won't do it for you then know that there will come a day that you hurt so bad that you won't mind it ending - not trying to be obnoxious. I see elderly people all the time that are ready to go whenever it happens because the body starts giving out. They look back on their lives and appreciate the people that were a part of it and are ready to have it end.
Your Art lives a long time after you are gone. Everything that you have done. Everyone you have touched. An object in motion tends to stay in motion. Yes it is true that when you meet the equal or opposite force you will no longer exist. But I am willing to bet that you have effected/affected several lives. Your actions live on. Your offspring, if you have, live on. We are all in motion, and we are all apart of this human condition and the consciousness there of.
that is not a requirement; just because you don't think (or don't know) what lies beyond - if anything - the end of this life is noting to ever treat lightly. Being Agnostic or Atheist doesn't mean you no loger have questions, or no longer fear the umknown. And I guarantee you that 'peopel of Faith' end up having the same feelings; they just fall back on an unprovable dogma to try and placate their dears. But those fears stil remain.
My suggestion? Try instead to focus on the life you have now. Make is great, and full of love. If you do that, then no matter what (if anything ) comes next, you will still be all set - for the now, and for the potential then.
Live well; be kind; help others; accept love from others; give love and kindness.
You do all that, to the best of your abilities, you won't have to worry about eternity.
why do you dread it? it will be like the ultimate restful sleep. you will be completely and blissfully unaware of anything. sounds a lot better than knocking about in a cloud with 25,000,000,000 "angels or 25,000,000,000 demons don't you think? its the way we might die that's the bad part but there's nothing we can do about that.
Assuming that it will end, and i do assume that, for myself and others, i do not know how to get rid of the dread. is the fact that something you dread will happen unless there is a god a good reason to believe there is a god? that is a little like believing you're going to win the lottery because you're afraid you won't be able to pay the rent. wanting or needing something doesn't make that something happen, and dreading something doesn't prevent it. so i can't give you a date for the disappearance of your dread of death. i dread it in my way as well, and i still believe there are no gods and there is no afterlife.
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