You know what? I want to die.

[Technicolor]

Assuming people were naturally immortal (not eternal youth),I think the fear of age and senility would make choose death anyway.

 

[BENZOOKA]

"The threat of my death makes my life worth living" thing has never ever made any sense to me. Would chocolate taste worse if you knew you would never die? Would music sound worse? Would you stop caring for your loved ones if you'd be around forever? Maybe if you live long enough to get tired of it, you'd have a problem, but you don't live in the future, you live now, and I don't see how now would not get any worse.

I'm happy for you that you don't have to worry about death, but your logic is insane troll to me. "Without death, life is meaningless"... I'm sure you wouldn't think that if you really were immortal.

Here's the inside scoop: Everyone dies. No one is immortal.

The idea behind gaining something from the concept of "I will die", is basically that you're going to die eventually, so make the best of it. If you could live forever (although I don't think immortality is something to even include in this discussion), everything you're supposed to do and want to do, would be pushed into the future, because you'd have all the time. But everyone's actually going to die, and for some that strives them to live now and to not be afraid of death because it's eventually happening and pretty much makes anything you're doing, worth doing.

Yeah, I get making the best of it. I don't get saying life would be meaningless without death.

I'm mortal, and you know how I spend 90% of my time? I procrastinate. I couldn't possibly procrastinate more if I had all the time in the world. Fear of death does nothing to help me "live more"... in the end, it's only gonna make me live less.

Everyone procrastinates more or less. I do that way too much as well.

It's more about identifying the real enemies and problems. Let's take this scenario: In a sense that you can't be afraid of an entity (death) that you know exactly what it looks like, where it is and what he'll do to you. It will do the same thing to everyone. I'm not quite sure how to explain how I see it...

The point is that death is not the bad guy. I'm not afraid of death, but:
Why I won't go out and talk to a bunch of strangers (I might gain some new friends, learn new stuff and experience life a little more), or go talk to that cute girl that works in a store? = I'm afraid of what they'll think of me. I'm afraid of rejection, if they don't want to talk to me and I'll end up thinking what's wrong with me. I'm afraid if they'll end up being complete idiots or maniacs and I'll be wasting my time and not really wanting to be around them after all...

Okay, that wasn't probably the best example, but the point is that it's never actually the death that stops us from doing things. The scenarios that usually are brought up around the concept have something to with extreme sports or other dangerous activities, and those aren't really all that valid, because must of us will never do those things. How many actually wants to do that. Those are professionals who know all of the risks and counter them, who are dog-sledding to the north pole, jump out from a helicopter and snowboard down an extremely steep mountain, freedive to incredible depths without any gear or climb dangerous cliffs with no safety gear. They know the risks very well and they are professionals. They've worked they're asses of to get to that point where they can take the risk and enjoy it. I don't see why those need to be brought up.

 

[Legion]

If I couldn't die then I would have the opportunity to whatever the hell I wanted.

The fact we can die limits us because doing something that could potentially kill us could seem to be a foolish risk for anyone who wants to live and experience as many things (that aren't as risky) as possible.

You don't think that the ability to do anything will ultimately leave you feeling empty? Overcoming risk and the fear of death is what makes dangerous activities fun. The reason why we aren't trilled by paperwork is because it's extremely low risk, If skydiving without a parachute carried the same risk and we had to skydive day in day out the same thing would happen: We'd all be bored out of our skulls going skydiving!

I'd say I dislike paperwork because it is repetitive not because it is low risk.

For me the same would go for skydiving every day, once you have done it X amount of time it ceases to be interesting, regardless of how dangerous it it.

I cannot say that I'd enjoy chocolate more if there was a 1 in 10 chance that I'd choke on it.

I do know what you mean about the adrenaline rush making dangerous things exciting, but I think there is more to it than that, it's also about overcoming the danger and stroking the ego in doing so.

That's why standing still while someone fires arrows in your direction (aiming to hit as close to you as possible without actually hitting you) is not considered particularly exciting.

 

[ComicsAreWeird]

Sure. The fact that our lives have an inevitable and unpredictable end makes them mean more. If we just kept on living, we would just be hanging around doing nothing. I do wish to avoid death and live a long and happy life, but knowing that it will eventually come to an end makes me enjoy every second of it.

 

[googleback]

I'm not particularly afraid of death, I'd be afraid if i found out i had 24 hours to live though, I still have a lot to do.
but when it comes to anything afterwards I don't have a fucking clue and I hate people who look down on others for their beliefs... the worst culprits of this lately has to be a lot of the atheists I know. you see them all the time acting like they're so rebellious (not anymore, its not 1900 you pretentious dicks, people believe what they want) and any other belief is stupid because they're cool and "they don't need imaginary friends to get by" I fucking hate people like that.

I'd call myself an agnostic but I don't know... haha

 

[BENZOOKA]

I'm always worried about death, the afterlife, and all I can do is try to apply my own philosophy to it but I get nothing.
I wish I could follow a religion to give me comfort, but the idea of death terrifies me. It's the old "there's no point in living," thoughts that come across my head when I think about these things. I know I should just enjoy myself, and I keep telling myself that, but I can't find any solace.

I am envious of you.

If it's of any comfort I was pretty much the same when I was younger. I honestly can't tell you how I stopped fearing death, I guess at some point down the line I reached a sort of "break limit" and I just went "No, Fuck you, Death." Nothing triggered it and it happened over time. I do hope for your sake that you overcome your fears, Being scared of death isn't fun.

Hopefully one day.

I think I'm still pretty mentally immature so I'm sure it's something that develops over time

Life experience does massively change how you look at things. Don't worry about it.

My two dogs had to be put down when I was 14, my boss and a work friend died very suddenly in a short period of time when I was 19. My dear mother almost died of a stroke a couple years back, all of my grandparents have died. Things like these change the perspective you look at things.

But it really wasn't until a few periods in life when everything was so bad that I seriously thought that I'd be better off dead.

Then you get over those disgusting humps and learn it's all what belongs in the life, and you need to deal with them. One does not need to be afraid of something inevitable.

 

[carpathic]

I am feeling like you should really read the myth of sysiphus as this is really a more concise way of saying nearly the same thing. Ahhh Camus...you make my life better!

 

[Fawful]

If I couldn't die then I would have the opportunity to whatever the hell I wanted.

The fact we can die limits us because doing something that could potentially kill us could seem to be a foolish risk for anyone who wants to live and experience as many things (that aren't as risky) as possible.

You don't think that the ability to do anything will ultimately leave you feeling empty? Overcoming risk and the fear of death is what makes dangerous activities fun. The reason why we aren't trilled by paperwork is because it's extremely low risk, If skydiving without a parachute carried the same risk and we had to skydive day in day out the same thing would happen: We'd all be bored out of our skulls going skydiving!

I'd say I dislike paperwork because it is repetitive not because it is low risk.

For me the same would go for skydiving every day, once you have done it X amount of time it ceases to be interesting, regardless of how dangerous it it.

I cannot say that I'd enjoy chocolate more if there was a 1 in 10 chance that I'd choke on it.

I do know what you mean about the adrenaline rush making dangerous things exciting, but I think there is more to it than that, it's also about overcoming the danger and stroking the ego in doing so.

That's why standing still while someone fires arrows in your direction (aiming to hit as close to you as possible without actually hitting you) is not considered particularly exciting.

Okay, prehaps that was a bad example. All that I was trying to say was once we can do anything, everything becomes more mundane, regardless of the actual risk or novelty value.

 

[Legion]

Okay, prehaps that was a bad example. All that I was trying to say was once we can do anything, everything becomes more mundane, regardless of the actual risk or novelty value.

I imagine this would be the case after a while yes, once the initial thrill has worn off.

 

[captaincabbage]

I can understand what you're getting at. I want to die someday too. Living forever would suck-ass unless you had infinite creative powers and a mind deep enough to use them.

 

[nipsen]

If I couldn't die then I would have the opportunity to whatever the hell I wanted.

The fact we can die limits us because doing something that could potentially kill us could seem to be a foolish risk for anyone who wants to live and experience as many things (that aren't as risky) as possible.

You don't think that the ability to do anything (EDIT:without risk) will ultimately leave you feeling empty? Overcoming risk and the fear of death is what makes dangerous activities fun. The reason why we aren't trilled by paperwork is because it's extremely low risk, If skydiving without a parachute carried the same risk and we had to skydive day in day out the same thing would happen: We'd all be bored out of our skulls going skydiving!

..or.. shooting each other with guns, bombing everyone, letting half the world starve to death for entertainment, that kind of thing. Sure.. Would probably be really boring..

Anyway. It's at least possible to live without fear of dying, even if you don't want to die. As in not regretting it if you happen to die some time soon.

 

[SimuLord]

I think making the leap from "the acceptance that we are mortal makes life possible to savor" to "I want to die" is an impressive lapse of intellectual integrity, but your core point is valid---that indeed, it would not be possible to truly appreciate life if we were immortal. The knowledge that our time on this earth is finite is the prime motive force of human achievement, from great works (literature, art, and music) to small ones (anyone who decides to start a family, something that would be very easy to put off indefinitely if not for the need to ensure we do not die of old age or, for women, lose the ability to bear children).

 

[etherlance]

You know what??

You sir have opened my eyes!!!

I am going to live my life to the max, I'm gonna be a rebel, live by my own rules..........I'm gonna be crazy and amazing till death rears her icy gaze upon me.
I'm not going to spend the rest of my life wondering:"What could have been".

Today I live the rest of my life to the fullest starting with this........


"Okay Fallout new Vegas, Time to go Hardcore mode.............I'm alive...........I'm ALIVE.................I'M ALIVE!!!!................YEEEEAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!

 

[DanielDeFig]

It's nice to know that some people have realized how lazy it is to approach life through the denial of death, then there is no reason to take the time to enjoy each moment. Since i'm not religious, i have had a very good incentive to go through life accepting death as an inevitability (of oblivion) but not worry about it.

Strangely enough, a conversation response in Dragon Age: Origins, worded the question of death perfectly (in my opinion):

"I don't fear death. It's the dying that scares me"

Basically, am i scared of getting stabbed/shot/crushed? Yes. Am i scared of whatever comes after (regardless of how i died)? No. Not believing in some sort of judgement afterward really helps.

Besides, regardless of which religion you choose to believe in, the other ones have just as much proof that you will be punished in the afterlife as an unbeliever. I'm better off not stressing about any of them, or death at all (Like OP suggested).

 

[Illesdan]

So what video game is this thread about?

You wandered into the 'Off-Topic' area of the forum boards; gaming is two doors down.

You know what's funny? I've never been afraid to die. Ever. I live my life like Phineas and Ferb; but instead of it just being a summer vacation, I make every single day count. Wherever I end up, I want to say I lived my life with no regrets, did just about everything I've wanted to do in life, and moreover, I've had more good days than bad.

Besides, my dreams already told me I'm going to be a guide in Purgatory guiding lost souls in the Afterlife to their final destination. And you know what? I'm happy with that.

 

[MassiveGeek]

I can't say I want to specifically die, but I don't want to "live" forever. Like many people I'd welcome the opportunity of immortality if it had an off button.
But maybe we could do something else - shut down for a century and be revived later to see what has changed and so on. That'd be very cool too. And think of all the amazing things that await us in the future, or, well, the terrors if you want to be like that. But I want to live a fulfilled and good life for as long as it's possible. If it ends at death, then it does.

I don't know, I don't think about it too much, it doesn't really bug me.