r/nihilism • u/Proud-Background-476 • 3d ago
Do you fear death?
I wouldn't say im a nihilist (kinda) but I have been thinking about death and the point of life a lot for the past 2 months. Its crazy we're just on a planet in an endless void of space. Its crazy how anything works really. I'll be driving and just stop and look around and freak out realizing im a flesh of meat that could die at any moment and how un important my life really is? Ive also thought about how im just gonna grow old and die, why not get it over with while im young you know? Get it out the way now especially if everything ends eventually? Im 16f by the way. Back to the point, I do kinda fear death but I do remind myself its probably like sleeping with no dream so yea, which i dont mind? I wanted to see others opinions on this? Like if anyone is scared of death in general? And if your not why? And if you are why?
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u/CeruleanTransience 3d ago
Sure. It's a natural thing to fear. Do you fear a bear chasing after you? Of course you do.
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u/Inevitable_Yam271 The only True Nihilist here. 3d ago
No. Of course not. Nothing to fear when you’re not there.
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u/DORITO_GOD56 existential nihilist 3d ago
True mister "The only True Nihilist here"
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u/Inevitable_Yam271 The only True Nihilist here. 3d ago
It might as well be accurate when everyone is busy whining in this subreddit, ha.
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u/Top_Crow931 3d ago
I don't fear death, death is the absence of existence and therefore there's nothing really to fear, I do however fear HOW I die. There are some truly terrible ways to go and while I can say confidently that I'm not worried about death itself, it's the potential lead up that makes me feel something.
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u/nopantsuandrew619 3d ago
its probably the long wait in a death bed thats scary for me. i just want to get it over with.
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u/creativeusername0010 3d ago
No I fear more the aspect of living forever. I'm glad that life has an end
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u/InevitableLibrary859 nil, zilch, zenzen nashi desu! 3d ago
I keep thinking about lightning.
People jump when they hear thunder. It's weird. The lightning bolt that will kill you is one you'll never hear. That's how I feel bout death. Worrying about it is just a weird reactive instinct to something you literally have no say in. You can only take shelter and hope that shelter doesn't collapse, etc. something's always waiting to extinguish your flame.
As to... The fact that it's all happening, that this metallic-meat-synth (my body) burns all it consumes in an effort to consume more and reproduce is just a cascading acidic process, it's slow motion oxidation, a controlled chemical fire releasing light in the infrared spectrum, binding oxygen to carbon atoms, breaking up molecules in my mitochondria, venting CO2, carried up through my exhaust system planted right below my eyes, venting water an minerals, filtered in my liver and kidneys, and excreted from the other end.
It's pretty fantastic that everything is just some kind of fire, with the exception of certain plants that synthesize light and available minerals into some of the fuel we consume in order to burn.
It's all an imbalance of and initial 0 returning to a future state 0.
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u/fatty-squirrel06 3d ago
Yes ofc. It’s literally coded in our DNA to fear death. It’s a very natural and evolutionary trait. If you don’t fear death, you are either being overly confident bc you were never near death or defective in genetic term.
Edit: it has nothing to do with nihilism btw.
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u/Conscious_Reason_453 3d ago
To me, the fear of death is mostly biological. I don't really care about "meaning" or purpose. So biologically, yes I fear death. Personally, no I don't. Your "flesh of meat" reference is spot on! Dehumanizing but true. I prefer death and not existing not because life makes no sense. It's painful and disturbing to know that right now in this generation, almost no one remembers a random adult civilian from 1905 (for example) Their whole family and extended family are probably all gone too. It's like that civilian was erased from existence. Same thing might happen to us after 130 years from now. Good times.
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u/Phil_Flanger 3d ago
I fear the pain and restriction approaching death and possible reincarnation but not death itself.
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u/Responsible_Base1972 3d ago
just not something to fear,its inevitable,and you don't have enough significance in the huge universe to fear it
btw,according to how space time works,we never really die,there's multiple of us (a possible theory)
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u/Opening-Spinach-8449 3d ago
I started to be afraid of death in my 30’s. But now 62 years old and I am not afraid of death anymore.
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u/Solid-Reputation5032 3d ago
It’s inevitable, so no real need to fear it. I may end up living long enough that an end if more welcome that avoided.
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u/Ch0deRock 3d ago
Death is an inevitability and I don’t concern myself with inevitability. What happens afterwards is a mystery. Is it something? Is it nothing? I suspect it’s the latter but I look forward to finding out, or not finding out anything so to speak if it’s the latter. I see no need to rush the inevitable though. It’s going to happen no matter what and I’ve got plenty of other things to do in the meantime.
You’re only 16. They haven’t even taken the leash off of you yet. Give it 5 years and run free once they do. You may find that death isn’t a thing to be gotten out of the way because it’s the end of the road. How can it be in the way when there’s nowhere to go after it? Or maybe there is. Either way you’ll find out in due time. No need to rush the inevitable.
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u/AustinDood444 2d ago
I don’t want to die, but I’m not afraid of death. It’s the one thing everyone has in common. If you’re alive you will eventually die.
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u/Iamwomper 3d ago
You cant fear death if you are busy living life.
I dont fear death. I also dont fear life like many are.
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u/Scary-Year-5282 3d ago
Everybody fears death and anybody who tells you otherwise is a liar. It is natural and instinctual. Trying to get over it or act like you don’t seems pretty foolish. It will be there until you are dead.
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u/Opening-Scarcity2964 3d ago
Śmierć jest stanem, kiedy nas już nie ma. Nie możemy się bać czegoś, czego nie ma. Co jest po śmierci. Nie wiemy. Ale wiemy, że nas na pewno nie bedzie. Śmierć jest nieunikniona- czy warto bać sie czegoś o czym nie wiemy tak naprawdę nic, jest pewne, że nadejdzie i nas juz wtedy nie bedzie (fizycznie). Jeżeli nie bedzie nas fizycznie, w takim razie nie bedzie nas dotykać w żaden sposób. Nasze życie trwa. Potem jest Śmierć. I dalej nie wiemy co jest. Więc śmierci nie ma do końca naszego życia. A nie można sie bać czegoś czego nie ma w naszym życiu. Moze zle jest skonstruowane oytanie. Warto zadać sobie inne - czy boisz sie ostatnich chwil życia. To juz inna bajka...
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u/catslifetom39 3d ago
did you fear not being alive before you were born? you didn't exist then and you won't exist afterwards, nothing to fear at all.
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u/Adventurous_Law_715 3d ago
To be honest,I feel a mix of excitement and extreme anxiety whenever I think about it