Do you fear Death?

[PoetPhilosopher]

One frube isn't enough for that.

Careful now. If you give him too many, he might get into standup comedy.

Edit: Whoops. I thought you were quoting Salix. I'm tired.

 

[FearGod]

So what prevents you from tasting again? Could it be fear of repeating such and awful taste?

I find it interesting (especially so given your moniker) that you think the feeling of fear is instinctual rather than learned.

So tell me, were you born fearing God? Or did someone teach you about God first and fear developed based on what you learned?

Yes I don't want to feel the same awful taste, I may learn many other things
that taste awful, so learning is different than feeling.

I don't fear God the way you think of it and it has nothing to do with learning.
I fear that my child may hurt himself/herself.

Fear of death isn't similar to fear of God, I don't see God and I won't be
hurt by God in my daily life, but learning about God and what is good
and what is bad, then that's what I fear, as to avoid doing bad things
because I believe being good is the right thing to do.

 

[Secret Chief]

Careful now. If you give him too many, he might get into standup comedy.

Edit: Whoops. I thought you were quoting Salix. I'm tired.

I was concerned there for a mo.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Yes I don't want to feel the same awful taste, I may learn many other things
that taste awful, so learning is different than feeling.

I don't fear God the way you think of it and it has nothing to do with learning.
I fear that my child may hurt himself/herself.

Fear of death isn't similar to fear of God, I don't see God and I won't be
hurt by God in my daily life, but learning about God and what is good
and what is bad, then that's what I fear, as to avoid doing bad things
because I believe being good is the right thing to do.

I still see fear of death as a learned behavior, and since this isn't a debate thread, we'll just have to agree to disagree for now.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

Whoops. I thought you were quoting Salix. I'm tired.

This and this thread does remind me of a story.

We still don't really know how she found my mom's phone number but a distant family member called my mom after not talking to her for 9 years and they had a pleasant chat. The family member was in the hospital, but said nothing about doing badly.

The next day, this distant family member died.

And I realize this family member probably did have to call my mom because she felt she needed to. But I myself kind of wish she hadn't. My mom has been crying for a week straight over the death and other people crying / being upset in my presence sometimes upsets me. So I myself have lost some sleep over it, despite acknowledging it isn't all about me and death can be a (pretty) serious thing.

 

[FearGod]

I still see fear of death as a learned behavior, and since this isn't a debate thread, we'll just have to agree to disagree for now.

What you learn are the things that may cause death but not death itself,
to learn about death you should die yourself, very simple.

But of course you're free as not to agree with me.

 

[Stevicus]

So my own death crops up in my mind every once in a while, and I typically take stock of that fact and move on.

But, I recently was reading an article online in regards to death anxiety and the fact that, this tends to follow people throughout their lives, whether they realize it or not. Upon reading this, I was reminded of a very memorable religious experience that made me realize that I am not that afraid of death anymore, at least not like I used to be. I took this as a sign of having mostly reduced my own inner death anxiety, but alas the Gods have a sense of humor.

While I was traversing the dreamscapes of sleep, I was shot at near point blank range in the head. I was absolutely terrified, lol. I felt my life ebbing away, and the only thought to cross my mind was "not now" and then I turned to the person on my right and I told them I loved them, before I woke up in a cold sweat.

Do you fear death? Have you ever died completely in a dream?

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I think I did have a dream where I may have "died" but didn't really think much of it at the time.

But I don't really fear "being dead" as much as what may happen and my state of being in the period before death. Will it be a slow and painful death or a quick death? Will I be lucid and still in control of my faculties up until the time of death? Will I be helpless, bedridden, and totally dependent upon others? Some things that might be thought of as "worse than death" may be what people fear more than death itself.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Given that I would almost certainly not survive COVID-19, death feels less an abstraction recently. And when I think of death, the dominant emotion is remorse.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I still see fear of death as a learned behavior, and since this isn't a debate thread, we'll just have to agree to disagree for now.

If you really think about it, we already are experienced with death. Its not like we were never dead in the past. All of us were dead beforehand.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I am more concerned it seems these days with how I will die, and less with what happens when I do. Death will come when it comes, but I would prefer it to be more or less my own terms. I would like to go as if greeting an old friend, and less like I am facing an unsurmountable foe.

Nice way to put it

 

[The Hammer]

Disappointing that there are no references for your to post. But since you decided to suggest as a matter of fact that fear of death is an instinct, perhaps you will demonstrate for us that fear of death is, indeed, an instinct rather than a learned behavior.

The Child and the Fear of Death

This mentions how fear of death is more an innate and evolved response.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Please cite your references.

It's a flight or fright response to threat and uncertainty. When people go through that, they enter stages of grief. Denial is a huge one as well as anger. There's a lot of medical and psychological resources on fear of death, human nature, and grief. I know this isn't addressed to me, but can you be more specific in the references you need? Study of human reaction to death is extensive.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Please cite your references.

Look up thanatophobia or death anxiety. The grieving process I feel is a good example of human instinct with the focus on anger, fear, denial, and acceptance.

Have you noticed those who say they are not afraid have had some sort of near death experience? That "shock" puts things into perspective. It's a natural instinct without it.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Here's something interesting How the Unrelenting Threat of Death Shapes Our Behavior

 

[SalixIncendium]

Look up thanatophobia or death anxiety. The grieving process I feel is a good example of human instinct with the focus on anger, fear, denial, and acceptance.

Have you noticed those who say they are not afraid have had some sort of near death experience? That "shock" puts things into perspective. It's a natural instinct without it.

I read the articles on thanatophobia Healthline and Medical News Today and I don't see any reference this fear or anxiety being an instinct.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I read the articles on thanatophobia Healthline and Medical News Today and I don't see any reference this fear or anxiety being an instinct.

Anxiety, by its definition,is an instinctual response. (Aka..an innate, typically fixed pattern of behavior in animals in response to certain stimuli)

Death is uncertainty and fear of uncertainty brings death anxiety. It's a human response to threat of something one knows nothing about. When you don't know something say burgler in the dark your mind and body automatically behaves in a flight or fright response. Death is no different.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I read the articles on thanatophobia Healthline and Medical News Today and I don't see any reference this fear or anxiety being an instinct.

The biology of fear- and anxiety-related behaviors

The topic is pretty interesting. Death is just a part of life and people have instinctual fear and anxiety (above link) and the responses to it.

If anxiety isn't instinctual, do you think people plan to be anxious?

 

[SalixIncendium]

If anxiety isn't instinctual, do you think people plan to be anxious?

Your question suggests that anything that isn't instinctual is planned, which is preposterous.

I'm not inclined of being drawn into a debate on whether or not anxiety is an instinct in this, a non-debate thread.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Your question suggests that anything that isn't instinctual is planned, which is preposterous.

No. "Suggestions" need asked for clarification before accepting the suggestions as if it were facts. Anxiety is instinctual. It's natural to have anxiety of death. It's a flight and fright response. There is a lot of resources on this information if you're more for conversation. It was never meant to be a debate.

 

[Secret Chief]

The biology of fear- and anxiety-related behaviors

The topic is pretty interesting. Death is just a part of life and people have instinctual fear and anxiety (above link) and the responses to it.

If anxiety isn't instinctual, do you think people plan to be anxious?

As your link says, anxiety is psychological, physiological, and behavioural in nature. There are both genetic, personality and environmental factors involved. Anxiety over a real and immediate issue is to be expected, but persisting anxiety is considered to be a mental health issue.