Don't You Fear Death?

[rug]

August 13, 2015
Posted by Jack Vance at 5:19 AM

Here's a recent email I received from a Christian posing a question I'd like to answer:

Hello, My names J and I'm a Christian, I'm not here to preach to you lol, I just had a question, Don't you ever think about the day you die? Does it not scare you? I hear this saying that people usually say that "It's easy to be a atheist your whole life but hard to be one on your death bed." Please don't be feisty with me, cause most Atheists are mean. I just want to know your thoughts! Thanks for taking the time to read this message!!

I replaced the name provided with the letter J for the sake of privacy but did no other editing.

Great question, J. Do I ever think about the day I'll die? Yes and no. I tend to think far more about the eventual death of others close to me than I do about my own death. I think this is mostly due to my recognition that I do not handle grief well at all. I've known this about myself for some time, and I don't like it. I'm working on trying to confront the reality of outliving some of those I will miss in the hope that doing so might make it just a bit easier to deal with when it happens.

When I do think about my own death, I can honestly say that I do so without any consideration of what happens afterward. I have no fear around this aspect of death at all. I'll be dead, and I'm reasonably confident that this means anything I might call "me" will cease to exist when I die. I don't believe in any sort of afterlife or various entities interested in judging me. Instead, my thoughts center around the pain and suffering leading up to death, how I will die, and whether it will be by suicide at a time of my choosing or the far more horrific aspects of old age awaiting us all.

http://www.atheistrev.com/2015/08/don-you-fear-death.html#ixzz3ivdFkEjc

[BlueJazz]

1. I fear suffering before death but really, the world got along just fine before I was here and the..

...same will happen after I'm gone. I DO wish I could see what happens in the future but I suppose most people feel that way.
It's more of a not wanting the show to end yet but I'll get over it.

[rug]

2. Personally, aside from the suffering, it's the realization of regret I dread.

[guillaumeb]

3. In the words of Reverend Gary Davis:

[rug]

4. For a man who was blind, he didn't miss anything.

[guillaumeb]

8. The Reverend was only blind in his eyes.

(I used the Jorma Kaukonen version because Kaukonen was one of Davis' last students.)

I believe in rebirth, or resurrection if you will, but one must also live as if this life is the only one. Live as if this is one's only chance to do good.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

5. What is there to fear?

I mean sure, as long as I'm alive, I get to try new things, help people, learn more, experience more. And I'll be disgruntled about not having done more with my life as I approach it's end. But who knows, if I live long enough, maybe they'll have gotten to the point where the 'me' can be encoded into a computer program and leave the meat suit behind, although I'm not sure why anyone would bother. The Borg, SkyNet, the Matrix, whatever we come up with...

[rug]

6. The end of everything tends to catch one's attention.

Ceasing to experience is, at the least, sad.

[PJMcK]

7. Some people fear the unkown

Thanks for sharing this question, rug. J's question is respectful and seems to be an honest inquiry. Too bad J thinks that "most Atheists are mean." After all, some Christians are pretty mean, too. Controlling people through fear is a powerful tactic used by religions and republicans.

During a conversation with one of my clients-- in fact, he's the best business partner I've ever had-- we were discussing future plans. He's in his mid-80's and we have a close and honest relationship so I asked what plans are in place for when he dies. His answer was brilliant: "My universe will end when I die. My friends' universes will continue for a time and they'll be taken care of."

We get one shot at life. Use it well.

[rug]

10. You shoud post more often, PJ.

Your partner's answer is right to the point.

[demwing]

12. "Controlling people through fear is a powerful tactic used by religions and republicans"

and ConservaDems.

How often have we heard that we MUST vote for the "Centrist" (the curtain behind which Conservative Dems often hide) else we'll risk electing the next Michelle Bachmann or Ted Cruz?

Fear is a powerful tool, used by the powerful to control the powerless. Partisanship or sectarianism are side shows.

[bvf]

9. I think you meant,

"a christian posing as a nine-year-old..."

"Please don't be feisty with me, cause most Atheists are mean."

Guess what, J?

You're absolutely right about this, and we're even worse when we're dead, so don't fuck up, because we'll be waiting for you!

[rug]

11. I assume you're replying the the article.