Why are people afraid of dying?
- Thread starter geekzilla
- Start date
Necromancy and Christianity are two entirely different religons.
Your welcome.
lol
Not remotely what I meant.. but... nice.
First I ask, what does it mean to live a full life? To live until one dies? Second, do you suppose it is possible to live a full life, what ever that maybe, given a finite amount of time?
Before the cavalry comes rushing over the horizon to cries of 'thread necromancy', I would point out that this thread was given a 'kick-start' not so long ago, and that the original poster has recently returned to the forum.
While I logically comprehend death and have witnessed same in animals and humans at their moment of passing, I do have some apprehension pertaining to a passing that might include prolonged pain.
I am inclined to agree with the poster who suggested that fear of death is an evolutionary mechanism that induces us to choose life over other options and encourages us to reproduce, that we achieve potential immortality through our genetics.
I'd say that's true. Although it can be suppressed.
I'm not afraid of death, just the few minutes before that could be painful...
I didn't read through the whole thread so sorry if this was said before.
This question bothers me alot. It assumes that majority of people has a fear of death and I don't know any normal functioning person who has a fear of dying. The reason why we avoid death is because we fear pain. It is our instinct to live so we can reproduce and keep the population going.
As for the religon aspect. I think religon is mostly used as a tool to enjoy life. To give oneself purpose and fulfillment.
This question bothers me alot. It assumes that majority of people has a fear of death and I don't know any normal functioning person who has a fear of dying. The reason why we avoid death is because we fear pain. It is our instinct to live so we can reproduce and keep the population going.
As for the religon aspect. I think religon is mostly used as a tool to enjoy life. To give oneself purpose and fulfillment.
Personally I think religon is mostly used as a tool to control other peoples behaviour.
Afraid of dying as in I don't want to, so I'll fight to avoid it. However, once it is certain I imagine a calm descending over me. I don't want to slip away in a hospital kicking and screaming. But in the grips of a murderer I foresee a struggle.
Maybe the nature of death has an effect on one's willingness to go, when it comes?
People who have no fear of dying could have a propensity to live dangerously.
But of course we are really talking about something a bit more abstract? As in the idea of dying and the feeling it gives one, in the gut? I think everyone puts it out of their mind . . .
Not so much afraid of death. More afraid of life ending. Though do want to see whether there is something on the other side. Very curious.
I dunno, but the thing I had that sounds like a near-death-experience was really frigging scary, like I was being shredded.
It was very similar to an experience I read of a woman who was choked into convulsions and unconsciousness...her attackers thought she was dead and so disposed of her. She came to in an ambulance.
Another friend had the more typical "silver cord type" near death experience.
That's the one where you look at yourself, maybe or maybe not seeming to be attached with a silver cord.
If I had had that one maybe I'd be perfectly OK with dying.
:shrug:
Meh, probably all in the DNA.
Actually...
There's the adrenaline response and the noradrenaline response.
In an attack situation, if you get the adrenaline response, you get this strength rush, you could practically bench a pickup truck.
If you get the noradrenaline response, you freeze and/or go numb.
The catch? You don't pick. A switch is autonomically flipped and off you go. I've had both, and to go all frozen and shaky when you don't want to...oh, it's beyond frustrating!
(Reference:“I Can't Get Over It!” – A Handbook for Trauma Survivors By Aphrodite Matsakis)
It was very similar to an experience I read of a woman who was choked into convulsions and unconsciousness...her attackers thought she was dead and so disposed of her. She came to in an ambulance.
Another friend had the more typical "silver cord type" near death experience.
That's the one where you look at yourself, maybe or maybe not seeming to be attached with a silver cord.
If I had had that one maybe I'd be perfectly OK with dying.
:shrug:
Meh, probably all in the DNA.
Actually...
There's the adrenaline response and the noradrenaline response.
In an attack situation, if you get the adrenaline response, you get this strength rush, you could practically bench a pickup truck.
If you get the noradrenaline response, you freeze and/or go numb.
The catch? You don't pick. A switch is autonomically flipped and off you go. I've had both, and to go all frozen and shaky when you don't want to...oh, it's beyond frustrating!
(Reference:“I Can't Get Over It!” – A Handbook for Trauma Survivors By Aphrodite Matsakis)
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Informative.
Would have been better posted as a 'summary' without the graphic video, IMO.
No. I did not report the post, though I won't be surprised if someone does, less for the content than the mocking tone.
Death is unavoidable, to this point in our history at least.
Fear of the unknown is logical, as it is a learned behavior and most of us experience some occasions for fear in a lifetime, making conditioning difficult to avoid. While one can logically address the known cause of their fear, or that of another, our emotional response would seem to be hardwired into our biology. People 'manually over-ride' their fear on a regular basis, yet it takes considerable application of will to accomplish and not all can master this feat, nor does it necessarily become easier with practice, unlike many other conditioned responses.
While logically, the majority will come to accept this fate, not everyone will be ready to embrace it. In actual fact, the statistics would indicate that for a many cases, the moment of truth may come with such speed as to give no time for either discomfort or reflection.
From past experiences I can remark that despite being one who exercises due diligence, the number of factors beyond one's control are astronomical. There have been several 'close calls', and nothing to indicate that they were about to transpire.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z42avv3KBCU
Fear of the unknown is logical, as it is a learned behavior and most of us experience some occasions for fear in a lifetime, making conditioning difficult to avoid. While one can logically address the known cause of their fear, or that of another, our emotional response would seem to be hardwired into our biology. People 'manually over-ride' their fear on a regular basis, yet it takes considerable application of will to accomplish and not all can master this feat, nor does it necessarily become easier with practice, unlike many other conditioned responses.
While logically, the majority will come to accept this fate, not everyone will be ready to embrace it. In actual fact, the statistics would indicate that for a many cases, the moment of truth may come with such speed as to give no time for either discomfort or reflection.
From past experiences I can remark that despite being one who exercises due diligence, the number of factors beyond one's control are astronomical. There have been several 'close calls', and nothing to indicate that they were about to transpire.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z42avv3KBCU
Enmos
Valued Senior Member
That policy doesn't work. Fear is not a rational decision.
Besides, it would mean that you cannot be afraid of anything. I don't buy it. Are you a human?
I'm immortal.....so far.
So tell me, if you were with a group of say 100 people in a large room with a door on each side, and a tiger entered to room through one of those doors.
a) You are going to fear for you life and panic for the opposite door like the other 99 people in the room.
or
b) Because you don't fear death you will let the other 99 people panic for the door while you remain unconcerned about the tiger heading your way.
When the threat of death gets close, fear is not a choice, it is a response that you have zero control over.