Home | Community | Message Board


This site includes paid links. Please support our sponsors.


Welcome to the Shroomery Message Board! You are experiencing a small sample of what the site has to offer. Please login or register to post messages and view our exclusive members-only content. You'll gain access to additional forums, file attachments, board customizations, encrypted private messages, and much more!

Shop: Original Sensible Seeds Bulk Cannabis Seeds   PhytoExtractum Maeng Da Thai Kratom Leaf Powder   North Spore North Spore Mushroom Grow Kits & Cultivation Supplies   Kraken Kratom Red Vein Kratom   MagicBag.co All-In-One Bags That Don't Suck   Myyco.com Isolated Cubensis Liquid Culture For Sale   Unfolding Nature Unfolding Nature: Being in the Implicate Order

Jump to first unread post Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | Next >  [ show all ]
Anonymous

Thanatophobia
    #639163 - 05/21/02 11:08 AM (21 years, 10 months ago)

Thanatophobia.. The Fear of Death or Dying.

Many humans seem to be plagued by this affliction. We have set up methods in hopes to improve our longetivity at life. We build shelters for us to protect us from the elements.. we develop medicines which improve our chances of fighting an illness or prolonging our life.. yet in the end we all die. It's a part of living.

Still though.. death is the unanswered question for many. What happens when you die? What lies beyond this life? For some, these questions are too bold to even consider seeking an answer for, and so the questions remain unanswered, yet still remain. Stagnating inside the questioners mind, they begin to cause all sorts of anxieties and uneasiness relating to death.

Before I go any further.. I would like some feedback. What does this fear of death stem from? Do you fear death? If so, why?

Personally, I can't wait to die. It's being born that scares me.

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
Anonymous

Re: Thanatophobia [Re: ]
    #639174 - 05/21/02 11:16 AM (21 years, 10 months ago)

My opinion is that it's rooted in the survival instinct. What gives me some trepidation is the process of dying. After I'm dead, it will be more of a problem for those who love me and depend on me than it will be for me.

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
Anonymous

Re: Thanatophobia [Re: ]
    #639176 - 05/21/02 11:17 AM (21 years, 10 months ago)

People fear the unknown.

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
InvisibleSclorch
Clyster

Folding@home Statistics
Registered: 07/12/99
Posts: 4,805
Loc: On the Brink of Madness
Re: Thanatophobia [Re: ]
    #639183 - 05/21/02 11:23 AM (21 years, 10 months ago)

What does this fear of death stem from?

It really stems from fear of the unknown. In this case, the unknown is nonexistence.

Do you fear death? If so, why?
I really don't. It would, however, piss me off if I died before I could accomplish a few of my life goals.


--------------------
Note: In desperate need of a cure...

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
OfflineEightball
whore consumer
Male User Gallery

Folding@home Statistics
Registered: 07/21/01
Posts: 3,013
Last seen: 9 years, 8 months
Re: Thanatophobia [Re: ]
    #639188 - 05/21/02 11:26 AM (21 years, 10 months ago)

fear of the unknown. survival instinct is mostly for the moment (i see a tiger running at me and fear for my safety), but since we are capable of thinking, we question what may lie beyond this world. i believe that even seriously religious people have doubt somewhere in their heads that they're going to heaven. we're told these horror stories of burning in hell thus creating a platform for fear of death. not all cultures fear death because they weren't brainwashed by heaven/hell bullshit.


--------------------
If you're frightened of dying and you're holding on.you'll see devils tearing your life away.
But...if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels
Freeing you from the earth.

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
Offlinefrogsheath
Stranger
Registered: 02/18/02
Posts: 915
Loc: Chicago, Illinois U.S.A.
Last seen: 8 years, 9 months
Re: Thanatophobia [Re: ]
    #639250 - 05/21/02 12:12 PM (21 years, 10 months ago)

Fear of not being alive --a ridiculous fear indeed. Nice post Shroomism.

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
Offlinehongomon
old hand
Registered: 04/14/02
Posts: 910
Loc: comin' at ya
Last seen: 19 years, 11 months
Re: Thanatophobia [Re: frogsheath]
    #639277 - 05/21/02 12:39 PM (21 years, 10 months ago)

Actually I think the fear of not being alive is just what it is. In our minds the concepts of death and not being alive are (rightfully, perhaps) one and the same. Yet death is a more tangible symbol than all that goes into not being alive. So it is the one that gets the attention--the one, like Shroomism mentiioned, we can fight against.

hongomon

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
Offlinefrogsheath
Stranger
Registered: 02/18/02
Posts: 915
Loc: Chicago, Illinois U.S.A.
Last seen: 8 years, 9 months
Re: Thanatophobia [Re: hongomon]
    #639328 - 05/21/02 01:52 PM (21 years, 10 months ago)

We can fight death but we can't cheat it (yet) so why the fear? What are we really fighting against? A void? I think we fear not being remembered as well. That's why we have cemetaries.

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
Invisiblemr crisper
.

Registered: 07/24/00
Posts: 928
Re: Thanatophobia [Re: ]
    #639334 - 05/21/02 01:58 PM (21 years, 10 months ago)

i guess ive been closer to karking it than a lot of people and fukkit i do fear death.
maybe not so much death, but i love this life, the people i know, the fun things i can do, the things i get to learn, the intensity of emotional experience and the beautiful places ive been to and have yet to visit. so my fear is more in the context of losing something i love rather than fear of the unknown.
have you ever broken up with a partner, because you thought they were dull and not right for you, but afterwards realised how strong your feelings are for them..but it's too late, no turning back.
i enjoy being here and the thought of leaving saddens me.
life in the meat is a very special and temporary experience, get as much out of it as you can while you can.
sitting in front of a keyboard its very easy to say 'i welcome death' and all that, but when the crunch comes and some dude is about to slice your throat or a car is about to run you down, very few of us are capable of maintaining that sentiment.
just like at birth, we will be kicking and screaming in protest.

lvx

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
Offlinefrogsheath
Stranger
Registered: 02/18/02
Posts: 915
Loc: Chicago, Illinois U.S.A.
Last seen: 8 years, 9 months
Re: Thanatophobia [Re: mr crisper]
    #639367 - 05/21/02 02:30 PM (21 years, 10 months ago)

Now that you mention it I fear that most about death: leaving this place and departing from the people I know. I like it here too! I'm afraid to die.

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
Offlinejono
misc.
Registered: 05/10/02
Posts: 137
Loc: Sydney, Australia
Last seen: 6 years, 10 months
Re: Thanatophobia [Re: ]
    #639376 - 05/21/02 02:37 PM (21 years, 10 months ago)

When I think why I fear death as such, isn't for a fear of the unknown that lies afterwards, but the loss of future opportunities that I have while I'm alive. Living is (on the most part) a pleasurable experience, and I want to continue experiencing it, in the state that I'm presently in. I don't believe in an afterlife, so I want my present state to go on for as long as possible!

Cheers,
Jono.


--------------------
Our problem results from acting like cowboys on a limitless frontier when in truth we inhabit a living spaceship with a finely balanced life-support system." David C. Korton

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
Invisiblebuttonion
Calmly Watching

Registered: 04/04/02
Posts: 303
Loc: Kansas
Re: Thanatophobia [Re: ]
    #639388 - 05/21/02 02:44 PM (21 years, 10 months ago)

Ernest Becker (?Denial of Death?, ?Escape from Evil?) would say that the fear of death is inherent in the human experience. He points out two big views on the FOD: The ?healthy minded-argument? which posits that the fear is something that needs to be overcome and can indeed be overcome, and Becker?s view, the ?morbidly-minded argument,? which holds that because of our pre-programmed instinct for survival, we will always fear the end of existence. He goes on to say (and I agree) that our need to repress this fear plays a huge role in most of our symbol-seeking behavior? (if anyone wants me to elaborate here, let me know, otherwise I highly recommend ?Denial of Death? and psychological research in the area of ?Terror Management Theory?)

But I?m not sure I buy the ?morbidly minded-argument? as much as I used to, especially after getting into Zen and Alan Watts. I think we will fear death as long as we acknowledge as inherently existing the idea of self. After tripping shrooms several times, it appears that this state of mind is at least possible with the aid of a drug. I want to believe (and have no reason not to believe) that it is possible while sober. I think the acknowledgement of self, and not solely an instinct for survival, also gives rise to the fear.


--------------------
Concepts which have been proved to be useful in ordering things easily acquire such an authority over us that we forget their human origins and accept them as invariable.- Albert Einstein

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
Anonymous

Re: Thanatophobia [Re: ]
    #639436 - 05/21/02 03:25 PM (21 years, 10 months ago)

I'm ready for death whenever it comes for me... but I still have a lot that I would like to do.

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
InvisibleinfidelGOD
illusion

Registered: 04/18/02
Posts: 3,040
Loc: there
Re: Thanatophobia [Re: Anonymous]
    #639475 - 05/21/02 04:04 PM (21 years, 10 months ago)

I don't dear death
I fear dying

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
InvisibleGRTUD
INFP
Male

Registered: 01/30/01
Posts: 270
Loc: United States
Re: Thanatophobia [Re: ]
    #639509 - 05/21/02 04:34 PM (21 years, 10 months ago)

This subject is one of the most important topics explored by human beings. I believe it is what makes us different from most other animals (although this is almost impossible to prove, except that we know animals don't build temples and such to any "higher" power, preceived or otherwise). As was said in another reply, many believe this is why we worship God and build momuments to spiritual deities. Humans have what scientists call ,a three dimensional brain which simply put, has an element beyond instint and social (the ability to communicate) programming. This 3d element has the ability to draw intuitive conclusions from observation, one of which is the abiltiy to know with certainty that one day we will die. (Not my lawyer though-he will live forever, that sick bastard). In Christianity, this element is protrayed in the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, which memoralizes the moment in which Jesus saw the image of his own death. Mary comforted him as they both were subjected to this image. No doubt some of the wall paintings, on the great pyramids in Egypt, contain similar stories which parrallel this right of passage that binds most all humans. (I can't prove this because I haven't actually been to the pyramids but it is a theroy I came to after seeing pictures a friend brought back from a viist there). It is this image which frames human life, to some extent. We may be swayed to believe, as did Jesus and other leaders in historic religious movements, that this fact negates certain desires of the flesh, like power and greed, since gained assets change nothing, in terms of this subject. Others may be conviced that since we all die no matter what we do, that anything goes and whoever gets in the way are of no real regard. It does appear though that a 3d brain is subjected to reflection at some point in life, even if this "moment" comes at death. This would bear considerable weight on the notion of living well, or "else", especially considering Einstein's law of relativity may suggest that "time" is subject to perspecitve, so a "moment" of death could conceivably last forever. For this reason I am afraid of death. I try to make "good" decisions but haven't always been diligent about my behavior nor do I conform to a list of rules that would not allow me to explore the phenomenon of being human. I also am humble enough to admit that even though I am quite certain that "success" will be rewarded with a metamorphasis to something really cool after this life, I am not totally certain. I believe that further complicating our condition is the idea that a certain amount of failure is necessary to achieve "success" , which is a topic for yet another thread!


--------------------
"New shit has come to light..."

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
OfflineSeussA
Error: divide byzero

Folding@home Statistics
Registered: 04/27/01
Posts: 23,480
Loc: Caribbean
Last seen: 1 month, 19 days
Re: Thanatophobia [Re: ]
    #640213 - 05/22/02 08:03 AM (21 years, 10 months ago)

Fear is simply a tool of the ego. If you kill your ego, your fears will die with it, including the fear of death. The only guarantee we have in life is that we will eventually die. Rather than worry your entire life about the inevitable, live your life as if the inevitable has already happened.

It is sad that our modern society has placed such a high value on life. We would rather somebody slowly waste away in excruciating pain rather than help them find peace and dignity in death. We will spend tens of thousands of dollars to ensure a premature baby lives even though the child will grow up in poverty and dispair. We project our own fears into the rules which govern our society. Just fifty years ago it was not uncommon to have a family that had lost a child or two. Death wasn't such a big deal; people accepted it as a part of life. Today we ignore nature and care about nothing other than what makes us happy.

Don't misread my intent... I am not saying that it is fine to go out and kill people, or other such nonsense. I am simply saying that we should accept fate rather than fight fate. Nothing is forever,; lets stop lying to ourselves and start living instead.

Q: Why do people die?
A: Because people are born.

Q: Why are people born?
A: Because people die.


--------------------
Just another spore in the wind.

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
OfflineInDiCaToRgReEn
newbie
Registered: 05/02/02
Posts: 47
Last seen: 21 years, 8 months
Re: Thanatophobia [Re: Seuss]
    #640855 - 05/22/02 06:07 PM (21 years, 10 months ago)

I have no fear of death, i long for it sometimes, but there still alot i wanna do. No wait, all i wanna do is get high and write shit to you guys, and trip other people out which i do on a daily basis, thats life enough for me. The way i see it now it seems ridiculous to fear death, although it is ignorant to belive it will be a free ride to the other side, we made the choice to come here to experience all this negativity so we can bring our stories back home, the only difference with me is that i dont wanna accept the negativity anymore, some people are just so down all the time like i used to be, but i think i fulfilled my lifes goal, the rest is just a wild journey.


--------------------
"oh to be a kid again, not a worry in the world except mybe the lack of bubbles in the bath tub"

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
Anonymous

Re: Thanatophobia [Re: InDiCaToRgReEn]
    #642624 - 05/24/02 01:47 AM (21 years, 10 months ago)

Some very good responses, just what I was looking for. Some of you say the fear of death comes from the fear of the unkown. This makes sense. Humans do tend to fear the unkown. Others of you say that the fear of death is not actually a fear of death per say.. but a fear of leaving behind loved ones, since they may depend on you. Also a very good response. To the living, death may be the most horrible thing. You lose someone you love, and they are gone for as long as you are on the physical world... You will never get to touch them, talk to them, or interact with them again for as long as you live.

Let's look at what makes us Humans. We are beings of (spiritual) consciousness, residing in a (physical) body. Does everyone agree with me on that? Consciousness is what allows us to perceive the world, and interact with it. It is the life force that allows us to use our bodies in the physical world.

When we go to sleep at night, it appears as though we are unconscious. This may be so, as our consciousness could be elsewhere as our body rests.

We do dream while we sleep, correct? To an outside observer it would appear as though we are not consciously there. True, we are not consciously focusing on the physical world while asleep, but rather on the 'dream world', where our consciousness is unhindered by the physical body. Yet at the end of the night, we 'wake up' and our consciousness begins to focus on the physical world once again.

But what happens when we die? The body stops pumping blood, we stop growing, and all organs cease to function. That is the physical aspect. But we know now that there is more to a living human than a physical body. What happens to the consciousness? The consciousness is energy. If we refer back to some basic scientific prinicples, we know that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only altered. The consciousness has to go somewhere... and it isn't in the physical body, because that is dead. Consciousness does not die.

Whether heaven or hell, limbo, the astral plane, purgatory, or whatever else you believe in, the consciousness lives on. YOU do not die. After all, YOU are your consciousness, not your body.

We can guess all we want about what happens to the consciousness, or soul, when you die... but can we at least be safe in the fact that it goes somewhere?

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
OfflineSeussA
Error: divide byzero

Folding@home Statistics
Registered: 04/27/01
Posts: 23,480
Loc: Caribbean
Last seen: 1 month, 19 days
Re: Thanatophobia [Re: ]
    #642660 - 05/24/02 02:48 AM (21 years, 10 months ago)

> The consciousness is energy.

Actually, if we are getting technical and pulling the physics card out, I think you mean work not energy. Your brain is full of energy, but thought requires change (otherwise it wouldn't be a thought, but instead a constant state of being). Just a thought... -grin-

They did study a while back where they actually mapped consciousness in the brain. It was a really cool experiment where they put a red color glass over one eye and blue color glass over the other. They then show the person a projection of blue horizontal lines and red verticle lines on a wall. One eye can see one color of lines, but not the other color. The other eye can see the oposite color, but not the first. As you watch the wall, the lines will flicker beteween horizontal and verticle. Not because of a change in the projector, but because of a change in which side of the brain has control of consciousness at that moment. (The left side of the brain sees out of the right eye and the right side of the brain sees out of the left eye.) When ever the lines switched, the observer would click a button which would take a snap shot of their brain activity at that moment.
When a computer plotted all the pictures over time they got a picture of consciousness in the brain. It turns out that it looks literally like a flame from a small camp fire. The flame tends to bouce all over the brain... it never settles in any single area.


--------------------
Just another spore in the wind.

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
OfflineDemon
A Drug AgainstWar

Registered: 06/18/00
Posts: 457
Loc: j00/2 m07h3/2
Last seen: 20 years, 1 month
Re: Thanatophobia [Re: ]
    #642707 - 05/24/02 04:02 AM (21 years, 10 months ago)

I'm not afraid to die.
To quote one of the voices from Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon":
"Why should I be afraid of dying? There's no reason for it; You have to go some time"


--------------------
"Sex is like a gun.. you aim, you shoot, you run" - Aerosmith

Come visit SacredShrooms.org!

Extras: Filter Print Post Top
Jump to top Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | Next >  [ show all ]

Shop: Original Sensible Seeds Bulk Cannabis Seeds   PhytoExtractum Maeng Da Thai Kratom Leaf Powder   North Spore North Spore Mushroom Grow Kits & Cultivation Supplies   Kraken Kratom Red Vein Kratom   MagicBag.co All-In-One Bags That Don't Suck   Myyco.com Isolated Cubensis Liquid Culture For Sale   Unfolding Nature Unfolding Nature: Being in the Implicate Order


Similar ThreadsPosterViewsRepliesLast post
* Fear of the unknown Alan Stone 1,201 11 02/21/04 05:00 PM
by Annapurna1
* Shroomism's Telepathy Game
( 1 2 3 4 all )
Swami 7,114 67 05/05/03 02:30 AM
by Sclorch
* Interview with Shroomism
( 1 2 all )
Galvie_Flu 3,959 27 04/09/04 10:32 AM
by psyka
* Couldn't Unknown Forms of Life Live on Other Planets?
( 1 2 all )
thelox 2,286 23 05/12/03 10:59 PM
by blaze2
* Shroomism vs. Reality
( 1 2 3 all )
Sclorch 4,459 56 04/20/02 05:47 AM
by raytrace
* Shroomism i need a question answered
( 1 2 3 all )
johnnyfive 5,334 47 10/06/02 09:07 PM
by johnnyfive
* Shroomism
( 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 all )
CherryBomM 10,272 159 02/28/02 03:52 PM
by melic
* How do you view nature so blissfully?
( 1 2 3 4 5 all )
bandaid 7,257 89 08/19/04 06:22 AM
by Zoso_UK

Extra information
You cannot start new topics / You cannot reply to topics
HTML is disabled / BBCode is enabled
Moderator: Middleman, DividedQuantum
2,748 topic views. 0 members, 11 guests and 30 web crawlers are browsing this forum.
[ Show Images Only | Sort by Score | Print Topic ]
Search this thread:

Copyright 1997-2024 Mind Media. Some rights reserved.

Generated in 0.025 seconds spending 0.006 seconds on 16 queries.