NationStates Jolt Archive

How? Is it truly possible? If a life becomes not worth the living of it, how does one stop being afraid to end it?

I dont understand your question, but Im not afraid of death, im afraid of dying.

If you're suggesting that you want to commit suicide I seriously doubt a politically-minded forum full of social darwinists is going to help. If you're looking for people to console you I'd recommend talking to your friends or family. If you're honestly afraid to take risks like swimming in the ocean, driving a car, or things that people who have a fear of death are afraid of try a psychologist.

Are you planning suicide?

I don't think suicide, or ending your life, is ever the answer. If you were terminally ill, maybe there is such a thing as euthanasia, but if you're not terminally ill, then you haven't got anything in your life that is so bad. In other words, you wouldn't be facing death anyway.

Suicide is a permenent solution to a temporary problem. If you're just stuck with overwhelming bills or as I suspect, teenage angst, that isn't something to die over.

As for not being afraid of death, that's easy. It's something we all do in the end, and if you think of it as the continuation of the soul, it's not so bad. I think that's the major premise that religion works on.

one's not afraid of death if he believes that after death he will be rewarded with eternal life.

why do you think osama's cronies are so willing to become suicide bombers?

If you're suggesting that you want to commit suicide I seriously doubt a politically-minded forum full of social darwinists is going to help. If you're looking for people to console you I'd recommend talking to your friends or family. If you're honestly afraid to take risks like swimming in the ocean, driving a car, or things that people who have a fear of death are afraid of try a psychologist.
I'm not looking for help. I'm asking a question that I'm curious about. Death and dying mean the same things. But, I only mean how could a person finally overcome the fear of dying/death and end their existence if they wanted to.

I've never thought of that.

I can't help you. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm none too anxious to get there. I feel that I have so many things to do and experience first. Maybe I have to go through some rough patches along the way, but the good outweighs the bad.

I'm not looking for help. I'm asking a question that I'm curious about. Death and dying mean the same things. But, I only mean how could a person finally overcome the fear of dying/death and end their existence if they wanted to.

Well, I dont think death and dying are the same. Dying is the process which I think people are most scared of, where death is something that if you have the right mindset you don't need to be scared of. Im scared of sitting somewhere bleeding, dying of cancer, choking(which I came extremely close to once), etc.

Well, what you have to do is get close to death yourself, and it becomes a gentle hand. I've been close once when I had brain surgery to remove a tumor, but I haven't been nearly as close as some people. In any case, it made me appreciate death more. In fact, it's almost exciting as life. I'm afraid of it myself, but mostly afraid if I'll go to Heaven or Hell.

Well, I dont think death and dying are the same. Dying is the process which I think people are most scared of, where death is something that if you have the right mindset you don't need to be scared of. Im scared of sitting somewhere bleeding, dying of cancer, choking(which I came extremely close to once), etc.
They are the same in that they both mean an end in one way or another.

I have lost all fear of dieing and death for the simple fact that we are all going to die one day its not that important when it strikes.

No, death and dying are not the same. Even in the process of dying, there is hope for life. You'll never hear anyone say, "Jasper was dead, but he made it.".

By logic; one does not fear to be born before one is alive, so the tentativeness of retrospection for death is to say why would there be care of being dead after one has died or is to die? If it were to be taken as 'not existing' and therefore be a state the same as before one's current existence, even then it is not eternal nothingness because there is no perception as such, neither nothing nor not nothing but a quality without orientation or disorientation, a state beyond qualification, without the concept of afterlife or reincarnation; it is direct Nirvana. Life cannot be worth more than the value of life, but the purpose of one's life is a utility against the simpleness of manifest vacuum with the addition one gives to the increments in complexity for existing, as one is, opposed to the opposite of them not existing, and therefore remaining an aesthetic ornament against the backdrop of every possible prolixity that possibility fills itself with to the infinite.

This really isn't as complicated as some are trying to make it. I'm talking about being able to overcome the fear to take action to end your life, if you really want to, when the fear may be the only thing holding you back. That's all.

By logic; one does not fear to be born before one is alive, so the tentativeness of retrospection for death is to say why would there be care of being dead after one has died or is to die? If it were to be taken as 'not existing' and therefore be a state the same as before one's current existence, even then it is not eternal nothingness because there is no perception as such, neither nothing nor not nothing but a quality without orientation or disorientation, a state beyond qualification, without the concept of afterlife or reincarnation; it is direct Nirvana. Life cannot be worth more than the value of life, but the purpose of one's life is a utility against the simpleness of manifest vacuum with the addition one gives to the increments in complexity for existing, as one is, opposed to the opposite of them not existing, and therefore remaining an aesthetic ornament against the backdrop of every possible prolixity that possibility fills itself with to the infinite.

Your new here, dont strain yourself with the big words too soon.

Your new here, dont strain yourself with the big words too soon.

What big words?

This is my third (forth?) nation to post here. Roughly my 50th post.

Edit: BTW it's "You're" as in a conjuncton of "You are," not "Your" which is possessive.

What big words?

This is my third (forth?) nation to post here. Roughly my 50th post.

Edit: BTW it's "You're" as in a conjuncton of "You are," not "Your" which is possessive.


Also, it's "fourth", as in "what comes after 'third'", instead of "forth" adv.
Forward in time, place, or order; onward: from this time forth.

Out into view: "A stranger came forth from the crowd; put my ideas forth. "

Obsolete. Away from a specified place; abroad.

To quote Loudon Wainwright III:

"When you tire of worldly toil
Shuffle off this mortal coil
Turn your body back to soil
It's okay
It's okay."

It's your life. End it if you want. It's the only thing you have any real control over.

If you want to get over your fear of offing yourself, I suggest working in a children's burn ward and drinking a lot of Canadian Club whiskey.

One more thing: Don't be afraid of going to heaven or hell, since neither one exists.

How? Is it truly possible? If a life becomes not worth the living of it, how does one stop being afraid to end it?

it is quite possible to not fear death; i'm living proof :).

the way i did it was that i lived with knowledge of my own impending death for most of my young life. i was told i wouldn't make it to middle age, due to a medical condition, and viewed "a lifetime" as roughly 25 years. if you think about death every time you visit the doctor, and you visit the doctor each week, then you get...well, bored with death. i sure did; i thought about it so much that after a while i couldn't muster up enough interest to be afraid.

also, the more i thought about it, the more i realized i couldn't figure out a single reason to be afraid. i mean, the WAY i die could be scary or painful, but death itself doesn't hold any terror. it's a natural part of being a living being. i enjoy being alive while i am alive, and embrace the fact that living is finite. that's just part and parcel.

i'd never seek to end my own life, though that's a subject i have considered in the past, simply because i figure death will come in its own time anyway. i have no reason to rush things, since this is the only chance at life i will get and then i will be dead forever...i'll have forever to explore death, but only a few short years to enjoy life. why hurry?

My view on death is a bit different then most posts here. As a young man (24) I had the experience of facing possible death or extreme torture almost everyday. As a member of the Wild Weasels in Vietnam, death was a fact of every day life. Death didn't mean anything to me. Luckily I had a wife waiting for me so I wouldn't go completely mad. Plus alcohol helped with the dreams.

Now that I'm older, my outlook is much different. I still don't fear death for myself, but I fear the death of others. I try to live my life like everyday is my last one with my wife of 36 years, my children and grandchildren.

I can't help you. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm none too anxious to get there. I feel that I have so many things to do and experience first. Maybe I have to go through some rough patches along the way, but the good outweighs the bad.

Right on brother. Death is not to be feared. It is also not to be aspired to. We will all get there some day, so there is no reason to fear it, but there is no need to speed the process up too fast...I can understand smoking and whatnot, but taking a knife to a throat...BIG NO NO!!!

You can rarely convince your *body* that it wants to die - part of our whole kit-and-kaboodle of survival instincts is that no matter how bad pain is, our body will rarely just die.

The brain is easier to convince, because there are many, many scenarios that just leave people thinking "Why go on?" I know, I've been there (suicide attempts). I tried to overdose on codein-based painkillers, but didn't take enough and ended up being just violently ill for a couple of days (ugh, I don't recommend anyone try *this* route out at home... throwing up blood and not being able to feel your extremities is NOT pleasant).

I believe this is why people tend to commit suicide using fairly 'intellect based' methods. For example, the painkillers. The focus is on the tablets, and then going to sleep - the whole issue of death can be avoided, and the body really doesn't have any objection to swallowing things.

Hanging, shooting, and drug overdoses also feature this 'action that the body will not react against'. Pulling a trigger or stepping off a chair, or squeezing a needle - all involve getting over psychological fear and not the physical urge to live.

You rarely hear of anyone drowning themselves (without the addition of weights, or something to prevent them fighting the urge to live). Also, most people who cut their wrists do so in the bath because skin is softer when heated - so they can get it done quickly, before the body reacts. And even in that case, many have a history of non-suicidal cutting, so they're used to that form of pain.

Getting over a *fear* of death is simple. But don't ever expect your body to ever be set to just 'slip away' (without the addition of drugs of some sort... or very very low temperatures). Normally the mind may be willing but the flesh is weak.

I must admit I didn't understand the question... I may have answered a totally different one... but still one worth answering, so :p

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Edited to add: I just read a couple of the other replies a bit more closly, and figured it was worth adding I don't fear death in any psychological terms. After trying to kill myself four times over three years, any threat of death just gets countered with "Meh, it'll just be finishing what you started" (seriously, that's the structure of the thought). I'm also an atheist, so I know that when I die, there won't be anything after - there's a good chance that I might not even be aware of my life ending, if it happens quickly.

I still expect panic and terror if I suffer a long drawn out death though - I don't believe it's possible to be stoic when in fatal pain. I'm pretty sure, in my case at least, the brain is so busy trying to deal with it that the body ends up with free reign to scream and flail and what-not.

One must learn to laugh at death, or live in fear of it.

Death and dying are different things.

Dying means losing this life. I love this life, so I don't want to die. I'm afraid of dying.

Death is what comes after this life. I don't think there's anything. I think my mind will be blank. No consciousness. That isn't scary, so I'm not afraid of death.

On the real topic, how to avoid being afraid of death and dying, I can't offer any help.

To quote Loudon Wainwright III:

"When you tire of worldly toil
Shuffle off this mortal coil
Turn your body back to soil
It's okay
It's okay."

It's your life. End it if you want. It's the only thing you have any real control over.

If you want to get over your fear of offing yourself, I suggest working in a children's burn ward and drinking a lot of Canadian Club whiskey.

One more thing: Don't be afraid of going to heaven or hell, since neither one exists.

Not afraid of Heaven or Hell, since neither one exist as a literal place. But, I do believe in an afterlife; it's just the fear of the unknown and the lingering uncertainty that would hold me back.

To others that have asked if I plan on suicide: no, I'm not planning on suicide. But, I have gone through certain problems in life that made me want to have control over my life or it's cessation. Still, this isn't a public suicide note or anything of the sort. I like the one thing Hardscrabble said about control.

How does one cease to be afraid of death?

In your left ear there's a switch ... flip it to "off".

To me, the idea of the destruction of consciousness is perhaps the most terrifying thought of all. I think I'd take an eternity of damnation over ceasing to be. I don't see the point in atheism. It makes the very idea of existence shallow and depressing. I'm scared of the unknown after death, but I think there's some kind of meaning behind why we're here.

In your left ear there's a switch ... flip it to "off".
You first. Maybe I should change the thread to read "How does one cease to be afraid to kill people." That would be the better question to ask when people like you post. Actually, with someone like you I would love to know, heh.

To me, the idea of the destruction of consciousness is perhaps the most terrifying thought of all. I think I'd take an eternity of damnation over ceasing to be. I don't see the point in atheism. It makes the very idea of existence shallow and depressing. I'm scared of the unknown after death, but I think there's some kind of meaning behind why we're here.
Now there's an understandable position. I agree completely. I think many of the people here are being pretty disingenuous about death, nobody is that nonchalant about dying or death.

I welcome death at any moment. I am not afreaid of death as I take care of all I need to take care of to make me satisfied the actions I have taken in my life. Besides I think life in this physical existence is more pain than anythign else. As far as I am concerned, this is hell. But I think I must be here for a reason (I like to help people), so I don't commit suicide or anything, although I have wanted too ons everal occasions.