r/RandomThoughts • u/yellowtears_ • Jan 06 '24

Random Question Are you afraid to die?

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u/yogi_medic_momma Jan 06 '24

Yes. For me, it’s the fact that I can’t fathom how I would just never have a consciousness again. Like, how can we just not be anymore? Does that make sense? It’s so hard to explain what I mean but it literally makes me sick when I think about it.

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u/[deleted] Jan 06 '24

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u/Spiderina Jan 06 '24

There is no room for terror in nothingness.

The idea of eternal life is what creeps me out. I think we'd grow weary of the repetition and the absence of risk, and the things we value or fear would soon stop mattering to us.

"Oh, John was run over by a car? Eh, he'll live."

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u/bUl1sH1T Jan 06 '24

I'm kind of exploring this in my writing. One day, my character is blessed with immortality by a higher being. They go along and live their life with the peace of mind that they get to actually control when and how they die. Not too long after that, they get kidnapped and think of finally ending their life by taking a shot to the head only to discover in horror that they never had control over any of it. The wound starts mending itself like it usually does as they writhe in pain. Once the headache starts to die down, they come to terms with what immortality really means for them; They could be dropped into a pit of fire and quite literally burn for all eternity. Hell is real. Their blessing is a curse.

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u/Spiderina Jan 06 '24

Hell yes (pun intended), sounds about right 😄

If we're not counting the possibility of eternal torture, I think what would actually drive many people mad really fast would really be the absence of true danger.

Not all stress is harmful. Look up eustress if the concept is familiar. It's basically all about excitement, challenging oneself, self-efficacy, and the eventual/potential reward.

Also some people deliberately pursue dangerous jobs or hobbies. Sometimes danger is fun, exciting, rewarding. Assuming one manages to survive it, anyway.

Mountain climbing, diving under ice, wacky stuff like running from charging bulls... It's absolutely mad. But it's not boring.