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I do not know where this came from but lately I have been stricken with thinking "so what? I am going to die anyway"
Regardless of what the afterlife may hold (heaven, hell, nothing at all, something else), I've been feeling as if what I do here does not matter. So for example if I build a homestead and live a self sufficient lifestyle that is great but what does it matter after I am dead? I can build up skills over the course of my life but I am just going to die anyway and go somewhere else. If I get reincarnated then my skills and experiences from this life are discarded. If human consciousnesses never dies and when we die we continue to "live" (this is what I believe) as nebulous beings, then does what we have done as physical humans really matter?
It does not stop me from doing things in the present moment. If I want to do something, I just do it. But, I do not necessarily have the future in mind. For example, if I am interested in watching a video about a technique in a video game, I do because that is what I want to do in the present moment. However I am not necessarily thinking about building my skill in this game long term, because I am going to die anyway. It is a very depressing feeling. It has been demotivating me I would say about 50%.
I realize that this life as a physical being and at least as "*my name*" is the only one I've got so I SHOULD make the most of it. But I am finding it hard. This does not mean that I am necessarily afraid of death. I used to not care if I lived or died when I was depressed. Now I want to live but also recognize that physical death is inevitable and that is okay.
What is your take on all of this? How can I program my mind to keep away from these thoughts?
TL;DR I feel that no skill I build or anything I collect or anything I DO matters because I am going to die anyway. How do I stop thinking this way?
I have only been feeling this way for a month or so, and never before in my life. I am in my twenties, so young.
Yes we all die and the march there can be fascinating interesting a challenge glorious and rewarding
Death does not make butterflies any less graceful or beautiful
Yes we all die and the march there can be fascinating interesting a challenge glorious and rewarding
Death does not make butterflies any less graceful or beautiful
But where do all of our experiences go upon death?
I have thought about this as well. Well, what I've really thought about is how to have a lasting impression upon people once you are gone. That is why so many wealthy donate to charity.
The things you do to enrich others' lives or to make a difference, even a small one, are the positive things you leave behind when you die.
If you are in your twenties, then you likely have years left to live. So, your job is to make those years count for something. And, I recommend living in the moment as much as possible. Some day, in the future, you will look back and decide you were either sleepwalking through life, or you really lived your life fully.
So, practice more positive thinking, do a good deed every day, and try to find ways to add value to your and other's lives.
Why does any of it have to "matter" or have "meaning"? It's about the journey.
This. I think what helped me most in dealing with death was accepting that the destination is the least important piece of our lives. It's how we got there that matters and that is the part that has the "meaning." What did it "mean" to be me? That is what I like to define today.
But where do all of our experiences go upon death?
I am always stumped with such questions. "Where will my experiences go?" is similar to "Where will my stuff go?" and "Who will inherit my stuff that I have accumulated?"
The answer is pretty obvious to me: "You will be long past caring about such things".
All your experiences and all your stuff matters to you only while you are alive. Pretty pointless, to my mind, be bothered of what happens to them after you are just atoms in the universe.
I do not know where this came from but lately I have been stricken with thinking "so what? I am going to die anyway"
Regardless of what the afterlife may hold (heaven, hell, nothing at all, something else), I've been feeling as if what I do here does not matter. So for example if I build a homestead and live a self sufficient lifestyle that is great but what does it matter after I am dead? I can build up skills over the course of my life but I am just going to die anyway and go somewhere else. If I get reincarnated then my skills and experiences from this life are discarded. If human consciousnesses never dies and when we die we continue to "live" (this is what I believe) as nebulous beings, then does what we have done as physical humans really matter?
It does not stop me from doing things in the present moment. If I want to do something, I just do it. But, I do not necessarily have the future in mind. For example, if I am interested in watching a video about a technique in a video game, I do because that is what I want to do in the present moment. However I am not necessarily thinking about building my skill in this game long term, because I am going to die anyway. It is a very depressing feeling. It has been demotivating me I would say about 50%.
I realize that this life as a physical being and at least as "*my name*" is the only one I've got so I SHOULD make the most of it. But I am finding it hard. This does not mean that I am necessarily afraid of death. I used to not care if I lived or died when I was depressed. Now I want to live but also recognize that physical death is inevitable and that is okay.
What is your take on all of this? How can I program my mind to keep away from these thoughts?
TL;DR I feel that no skill I build or anything I collect or anything I DO matters because I am going to die anyway. How do I stop thinking this way?
I have only been feeling this way for a month or so, and never before in my life. I am in my twenties, so young.
Find a job , make some money and raise a family. That is much thrilling than this . These thoughts will vanish automatically.
But where do all of our experiences go upon death?
Into the minds of our beautiful children...if we've raised any.
Children are what give meaning to life...caring for others (animals or humans) give quality to our lives.
What you've done in your life DOES matter when you've had/raised children. It helps them to live a better life if done right. That is your legacy...that is how you live on.
Life matters then.
Albert Einstein once said (and I couldn't agree more) "only a life lived for others is worth living".
Even someone whose never had a child can feel worthy and needed, and appreciated if they give some of their time to help others...that is the meaning of life... in my opinion.
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. These thoughts will vanish automatically.
