Altfish
Veteran Member
Well, I'm going to see a band in town tomorrow, so I'd be quite annoyed if I didn't wake up.
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Tomorrow
- Thread starter SalixIncendium
- Start date
stvdv
Veteran Member: I Share (not Debate) my POV
IF waking up is unimportant THEN being alive is also unimportant
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If I was dead I would cease to be, so it would be of no importance to me.
Someone has to get the kids ready for school and feed the pets.
dybmh
דניאל יוסף בן מאיר הירש
i was being honest and trying to answer the question literally. Salix likes literal ( i think, not claiming intimate knowledge, just going from previous threads... specifically the humorous one-line responses.)
i think the question asked and the thought-provoking statement setup an ambiguous thread concept intentionally. my answer is true for me for both over arching possibilities.
if i hadn't woken up this morning:
life would go on.
my daily tasks would get completed by someone else.
my family, friends, and co-workers would be OK.
if it's a simple matter of sleeping in past noon, then i needed the sleep. my family isn't counting on me desperately for anything this morning. my friends wouldn't know the difference. the most effected would be my co-workers, and they would be annoyed. nothing i do at work is life or death. therefore, it's not important to me, it's important to them.
it's more complicated if if it's a matter of dieing in my sleep. but my answer remains the same.
for me, what can i do to change it after the fact? I'm dead. for my family and friends it's devastating. for me, the dead person, i don't know how or if i will feel anything. if i am still sentient, i hope i will be practical about my situation; accept my death as divine purpose, and be grateful that i went in my sleep.
for my family and friends it's important both emotionally and practically. but for me, my mortal life with them is over. if i continue existing, not waking up is just another event in the story of 'me'. it would be similar to the day i was born. therefore: it's not important for me, it's important for others.
there are two theorhetical scenarios where dieing in my sleep would matter to me.
it would matter to me if i had foreknowledge that i would be dieing in my sleep. i don't think this scenario was intended in the OP. I think that would be a seperate topic.
it would matter to me if after death i was still sentient and i learned i could have prevented my own death. even in this second case, i don't believe in a time travel concept where changing the past is possible. so i still hope that i would accept my circumstances and move on emotionally and spiritually to whatever happens next.
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May I quote Ecclesiastes? This ancient Jewish sage expresses my view better than I could:
Ecclesiastes 9:4-9
But whoever is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. The living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no more reward, and even the memory of them is lost.
Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished; never again will they have any share in all that happens under the sun.
Go, eat your bread with enjoyment, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has long ago approved what you do. Let your garments always be white; do not let oil be lacking on your head.
Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that are given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do with your might; for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in death, to which you are going.
Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished; never again will they have any share in all that happens under the sun.
Go, eat your bread with enjoyment, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has long ago approved what you do. Let your garments always be white; do not let oil be lacking on your head.
Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that are given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do with your might; for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in death, to which you are going.
paarsurrey
Veteran Member
It is a grace of G-d he bestowed life to us, it will be also His grace if we die and enter nearness to Him and yet another life to enjoy never dreamed of.
Regards
stvdv
Veteran Member: I Share (not Debate) my POV
Not necessarily. There are many countries that some kids and pets don't have such a luxury. So that reason does not make it consequential IMO
But I understand that reason makes it consequential for you as a mother (esp. the twins I guess)
I was answering the OP "How important is it for you [me] to wake up tomorrow morning?" I was not answering for other people in other countries.
stvdv
Veteran Member: I Share (not Debate) my POV
Okay, so from your reply I could not figure it out "how important it is for you to wake up". I mean, if you don't wake up, your husband could easily remarry, taking care of kids going to school and feeding pets. You phrased it in a very detached way, hence I reply with a very detached example
If you had phrased it as "I would like to wake up at least till kids don't need me anymore" then I would have known "how important it is for you". You wrote it in a way that you don't care as long as they get to school. And that would never be an issue I think. Even if husband does not remarry, he will manage.
So, if I understand correctly, it is not so important for you to wake up tomorrow, as "the world will keep rotating anyway, with or without you"
If i didnt wake up it would not matter to me, id be dead or n a coma. Hence the reason i used he wording i did.
stvdv
Veteran Member: I Share (not Debate) my POV
It would matter to me. Being dead is fine to me. Being in coma is not (esp. when they keep you in coma for long time). At least it was not fine when it happened to me before. Maybe next time coma will be fine, but I can not say for sure now, that next coma would not matter to me.
Same with dying is okay, but too much physical pain is not okay, that does matter to me (a lot). I rather die than being in too much physical pain.
WalterTrull
Godfella
The concept of new beginnings, a new tomorrow, is paramount to our understanding of life. It is integral to most religions of which I am aware.
BilliardsBall
Veteran Member
If you are depressed re: life, please seek help. I'm grateful to have received ETERNAL life from my Creator IMHO.
For me, not important at all. I don't live for myself, I have no reason to live for myself. No, I am not suicidal, maybe a little down and stressed, but not suicidal. What, and come back into this steamy pile of elephant poop as a centipede or something?! No thanks ("pop another Welbutrin, Frank").
However, I have my svadharma, my personal duties in life to fulfill. If I did not wake up, my husband, who is for all intents and purposes housebound, and my dogs would have no one to care for or support them. I do believe I'm here to take care of others, in one way or another.
Very important. I'm a theoretical philosopher and I want to get all my books out before I die.
stvdv
Veteran Member: I Share (not Debate) my POV
I am just curious. You mention "if you commit suicide, then you might return as a centipede". I have been thinking about it, and never read in Hindu Scripture that suicide gets you punished into animal life. So is this certain?
Why you think suicide would make you an animal in next life? You don't harm anyone. Eating animal would seem more of a reason to me (action and reaction) thinking in karma terms. Anyway you can just stop eating and drinking. This is not suicide, and an easy way out. But there are accounts that God keeps people alive on just air, so not 100% sure. Once I tried and when I almost went into coma my Master came and told me I should eat else I would go into coma. So for me it is a sure and easy way to stop this earthly sojourn (no living on prana for me)
1) I do not remember my previous birth, so I do not identify myself with it. Does it then matter how I return? And who am I anyway?
2) From Advaita I understand that God alone exists. If that is true then God incarnates, as a human as well as a centipede or deci/milli-pede
* So it seems God does not bother how He incarnates ... should I?
3) When I am self realised then I am God (aware of it), so to speak. God incarnates, so I would incarnate. Then I understand that enlightened beings like to uplift others, otherwise they, as us, incarnate as millipedes etc. On the other hand when understanding ,that life is a continuous incarnating and dying, I think it does not matter much. Especially since I am not aware even now as a human of previous lives. And I will be even less aware when I am a centipede, and much less aware when a millipede (need to watch my feet all the time, where to walk). When I were enlightened and know past and future then it might matter, but then probably no need to worry
The only thing that matters is "this moment". In this moment I can be Self Realized or not. When dying all is finished. I did have visions of some of my previous incarnations, but that can just be some joke the Divine played on me. In normal life I do not remember anything. Even if I remember something of the past, I do not identify myself with it, so there is no problem (desire to gain or avoid) to incarnate or not. Or at least I searched long, but could not find.
The only thing that seems to make a difference is to be Self Realized in this moment.
2) From Advaita I understand that God alone exists. If that is true then God incarnates, as a human as well as a centipede or deci/milli-pede
* So it seems God does not bother how He incarnates ... should I?
3) When I am self realised then I am God (aware of it), so to speak. God incarnates, so I would incarnate. Then I understand that enlightened beings like to uplift others, otherwise they, as us, incarnate as millipedes etc. On the other hand when understanding ,that life is a continuous incarnating and dying, I think it does not matter much. Especially since I am not aware even now as a human of previous lives. And I will be even less aware when I am a centipede, and much less aware when a millipede (need to watch my feet all the time, where to walk). When I were enlightened and know past and future then it might matter, but then probably no need to worry
The only thing that matters is "this moment". In this moment I can be Self Realized or not. When dying all is finished. I did have visions of some of my previous incarnations, but that can just be some joke the Divine played on me. In normal life I do not remember anything. Even if I remember something of the past, I do not identify myself with it, so there is no problem (desire to gain or avoid) to incarnate or not. Or at least I searched long, but could not find.
The only thing that seems to make a difference is to be Self Realized in this moment.
Well to me, inconsequential. To my family, probably a lot of issues. I keep going mostly cause I have people depending on me. I imagine they'll get by but I expect it'll be tough on them. I rather my death not be a burden on others. I suppose when I'm a bit older and more of a dependent, no biggy.