Do you fear death?

[almifkhar]

nope, i came real close to once and realized that it isn't so bad and that it isn't something to fear. besides it will creap up on all of us one of these days. i cannot say for sure if god will except me or not for this is not my call, but i at the very least would like to ask allah how and why it decided to create the universe.

 

[lilithu]

I fear a bad death, a painful death. but not being dead.
Returning to god must be WONDERFUL.
Terry

I feel similar to, but not exactly, what Terry said.

Certainly, I'm not looking forward to the process of dying and the possibility of a bad, painful death. But I don't fear it in that I don't spend much time thinking about it. Regardless, even if my death is slow and painful, it is temporary.

I have no fear whatsoever of being dead. The possibility of non-existence does not bother me. And the possibility of returning to God does seem wonderful to me. At times I long for it the way (I imagine) that a salmon longs to return to its original stream, even tho (I believe) non-existence awaits at the end. It feels to me like an instinctual pull. Some time ago, after I posted on the Hindu idea of mokhsha - the soul's release from the cycle of death and rebirth and reuniting with God - a fellow RFer told me that all she wants to do is get back to God. That's pretty much how I feel.

But I try not to spend much time thinking about that either. For as long as I live, my purpose is to live. I do not believe that one can "hasten" reunion with God with an untimely death. Besides, living is pretty cool too.

 

[lilithu]

i cannot say for sure if god will except me or not for this is not my call, but i at the very least would like to ask allah how and why it decided to create the universe.

It? Forgive me but that's the first time that I've heard a Muslim refer to God as "it." Not that I object. To me, God is genderless (well actually, neither male nor female AND both male and female). I'm just curious.

 

[Malus 12:9]

God Himself (or herself if you prefer) was/is not human. How can He/She have a gender?

Oh by the way, no I do not fear death. It has to happen someday.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Im not really afraid of any way of dying. A couple of years of getting slammed onto a ring floor taught me to focus away from pain, or if the pain is to severe in many areas of my body, focus on nothing. Eventually, pain will cease.

 

[lilithu]

God Himself (or herself if you prefer) was/is not human. How can He/She have a gender?

Because God is the basis for existence - everything that exists, exists from and thru God. God doesn't have a gender; God is gender - is both male and female, but not limited to either.

Not only humans have genders btw. Nor is gender only biological. In many languages nouns have genders. And before we got so literal about everything, the sky and the earth, the sun and the moon, fire and water, were all seen as having genders.

 

[michel]

I feel similar to, but not exactly, what Terry said.

Certainly, I'm not looking forward to the process of dying and the possibility of a bad, painful death. But I don't fear it in that I don't spend much time thinking about it. Regardless, even if my death is slow and painful, it is temporary.

I have no fear whatsoever of being dead. The possibility of non-existence does not bother me. And the possibility of returning to God does seem wonderful to me. At times I long for it the way (I imagine) that a salmon longs to return to its original stream, even tho (I believe) non-existence awaits at the end. It feels to me like an instinctual pull. Some time ago, after I posted on the Hindu idea of mokhsha - the soul's release from the cycle of death and rebirth and reuniting with God - a fellow RFer told me that all she wants to do is get back to God. That's pretty much how I feel.

But I try not to spend much time thinking about that either. For as long as I live, my purpose is to live. I do not believe that one can "hasten" reunion with God with an untimely death. Besides, living is pretty cool too.

Thats's how I feel too - and my attempts to 'hasten' the reunion didn't work, when, logically, they should have. As far as I am concerned, that was a 'message'.

 

[lilithu]

Thats's how I feel too - and my attempts to 'hasten' the reunion didn't work, when, logically, they should have. As far as I am concerned, that was a 'message'.

Michel, namaste.

You've said elsewhere that we're here to learn something. So if we don't learn it, we can't "skip" to graduation.

 

[Dreamwolf]

I certainly do not fear death, yes the reunion with the devine must be incredible, mind you I do not neccessarily want pass on today but if it is to be then so be it. My point is that to fully know life you must also know death. I know that does not make sense to all of you but it is something I learned from reading Plato.

 

[Crystallas]

I take life for granted. I dont fear death, only not knowing 100% for sure what will happen. But as long as I take life for granted, I wont appreciate what I have and I'll only ask for more.

 

[Pussyfoot Mouse]

It's not the fear of death, but the fear of not knowing what will come next, that scares me. I want to be here always, for my children and my friends. I try to live my life to the fullest and be true to myself everyday, because you just never know. I tell my family everyday how much I love them because you don't know if that may be the last thing you tell them. I don't want to die with any regrets.

 

[michel]

Michel, namaste.

You've said elsewhere that we're here to learn something. So if we don't learn it, we can't "skip" to graduation.

Ah, but that's the question; suppose I had been here to learn 'a test' of self sacrifice for the benefit of my family ? - it may sound a quirky idea, and I think it most unlikely; like I said, my attempts to 'hasten' the reunion didn't work, when, logically, they should have. I therefore feel safe in assuming that it was not my 'time'

 

[lilithu]

Ah, but that's the question; suppose I had been here to learn 'a test' of self sacrifice for the benefit of my family ?

Perhaps. But would your self-sacrifice truly have benefited your family? There are people who willingly give their lives in order to protect or promote something worthwhile, because there is no other option, and I think that's admirable. But that's not the same thing as giving one's life simply for the sake of self-sacrifice. The latter, imo, is just a copout.

I am glad that you're still here, Michel.

 

[Majikthise]

I have no fear of death , just a little sadness once in a while that I'll miss a lot of scientific and cultural advances I would have liked to have seen.

Oh well, that's life... or death.. or whatever.