What are your intellecual and/or emotional thoughts, views, and responses to the subject of death?

[Djuna]

1. What are your intellectual views/thoughts on death?

As an RN I have witnessed death many times. I have yet to see any truly peaceful deaths but that's mainly because I work in the ED and before that Hematology, 2 particular areas where death is not a pleasant experience. I have seen no-one pray, no-one convert. I have seen the body shut down, slowly and rapidly. Few if any have spoken on the deathbed about what they are currently experiencing. It appears the brain simply doesn't allow cognitive thought processes and if it does they are not articulated.

The process of death frightens me, I hate pain and I don't like not having control. Once the brain is dead there is nothing left that is the essence of that person. The brain is the "lifespark" so to speak, it is the very embodiment of a person so once we die there is nothing left. Study after study has shown us there is no soul and all our memories and functioning is in those synapses in our brain. Thus I believe once we die we are gone forever.


2. How do you/have you (on a personal level) emotionally deal/dealt with death?

My Father died almost 3 years ago in September. He dropped dead from a brain aneurysm. I have had ongoing issues with anxiety around death ever since. This isn't new for me however. When I worked in Hematology many people died and I started to have dreams about my kids dying, about having to identify their body in the morgue. It got so bad I had to leave that clinical area. I don't really know why it frightens me as much as it does. Pain maybe, the very permanence of it all? I remember when my Grandmother died I felt so sad because my Mum was so upset. I was 17 at the time and as close as I was to my Grandmother I just didn't feel much at all. Maybe as I have gotten older I have become more sensitive to it all.

[truth_teller]

Originally Posted by nezlie

I am not sure I understand how we die when we are sleeping though.

Allah is the one who created us and he said

It is Allah Who takes away the souls at the time of their death,
and those that die not during their sleep.
He keeps those (souls) for which He has ordained death and sends the rest for a term appointed.
Verily, in this are signs for a people who think deeply. The Noble Quran.

[Mircea]

Originally Posted by nezlie

From the viewpoint of biology, we are actually undergoing a process of death and regeneration all the time throughout our lifetime. Our cells are continuously dying and being replaced as they are shed.

Perhaps, but your cells don't have a personality.

Originally Posted by nezlie

I am not sure I understand how we die when we are sleeping though.

Uh, I really hate to speak for others, but I'm inclined to believe that the postor is implying that permanent death is akin to a dream-state in sleep.

If so, then it truly sucks to be me. I'm sure others wouldn't want to spend Eternity dreaming about unpleasant nastiness either. Aside from that, it sounds sort of appealing, except that the brain dies, and it isn't possible to dream.

Biologically...

Mircea

[Woodrow LI]

Originally Posted by baystater

Just building off some of the other threads that I seen lately on the subject of death. Hopefully can express my wants for this tread well enough to illicit the responses I'm looking for. I can hope anyways.

Let me first start off by saying this is a noncompetitive/Non-debate thread. I'm just looking for you personal views on the subject and not looking for counter arguments to those views. My hope is that the good people on CD will feel free to express whatever thoughts they have on the subject without worry of ridicule. I think that dealing with/thinking about death is a very individualized process and hope to see some personalized nuances in the responses. though I could be mistaken. But let see.

Also, Let's all do our best to stay on the Subject of death itself. Not dying and not what comes after...just death itself. Granted I understand that views of death can/are heavily influenced by both. And I'm ok with speaking to philosophies guided by these things...but...I'm not looking for a long winded diatribe or story about a particular case of dying or what one thinks specifically is in the afterlife. Let's just keep it on the subject of death as much as possible.



Now with that said:



I like to know



1. What are your intellectual views/thoughts on death? Basically through your studies and experiences with the subject. How would you explain death to me. What it is? What it means? How does it fit into the larger (generalized) scheme of material universe and/or metaphysical planes of existence? Etc.



2. How do you/have you (on a personal level) emotionally deal/dealt with death? How do you deal with the prospect of you own death? How do you deal/dealt with the death of people that were close to you? How do deal with the deaths of people far removed? The death of a young person vs. an elderly person? A healthy person vs. a sick person? Etc. Etc.



I know subject can be rather involved depending on how much you have thought about it or had do deal with it. So basically the questions are bolded are generally what I looking to answer. The more specific questions are just a guide for your specific answers. So don't be limited to the more specific question I've thrown out there. I only limit it that we stick (in general) to the subject of death.





Thanks to everyone that participates in this thread.



Baystater

1. What are your intellectual views/thoughts on death? Basically through your studies and experiences with the subject. How would you explain death to me. What it is? What it means? How does it fit into the larger (generalized) scheme of material universe and/or metaphysical planes of existence? Etc.

A very necessary part of our existence.

Death is as natural as birth and no less important. We are not intended to live eternally on this sphere we call Earth, it is but a short term side excursion in the course of creation. I have had my fair share of the use of a physical body. A time will come when the molecules I am composed of will be recycled and someone else will have use of them. Statistically I have completed over 75% of my life and probably closer to 90% having reached an age older than any known male in my family has ever attained before. When one reaches the point they are the oldest living branch on the family tree, new priorities come into play. I am probably free from ever hearing of the death of another relative. I am free of the burdan of needing to be the means of supporting anyone's physical necessities. Age does give a fresh perspective on life and death. I have no need to fear death, I just need to use my twilight days as preparation for the inevitable.

2. How do you/have you (on a personal level) emotionally deal/dealt with death? How do you deal with the prospect of you own death? How do you deal/dealt with the death of people that were close to you? How do deal with the deaths of people far removed? The death of a young person vs. an elderly person? A healthy person vs. a sick person? Etc. Etc.

Except for my wife virtually every person I have been close to is long gone. In my younger years the news of the death of a loved one was sometimes painful. As age claimed me, the more aware I became that there is no need to feel loss or sorrow over the death of a loved one, they have simply completed their time and I can enjoy the memories of the pleasant times we shared. I have no desire for anyone to mourn my death or even feel sorrow over it. I will one day be simply placed in an unmarked grave, in an obscure cemetery with no fanfare. Hopefully no one will even notice I am gone, and if anyone does, may they have no concern about it.

My own death or thought of it causes me no anxiety or even concern. This old body is in itself becoming a burden. I kind of take joy in knowing that in time it will become food for other life forms. As for my worry or concern about eternity and after life. I can only continue to prepare for it, what will be, will be and I know I will only reap the results of the choices I myself have made. How and why I prepare for it is my decision alone, only I am responsible for being prepared on not prepared. I am simply thankful I was given a long time to begin my preparations.

[baystater]

Just as a reminder to everyone. This is a Non-debate thread. So please. Let everyone express their
views and leave it be. Of course you can ask questions to clarify a post. But please be mindful of general comments made toward other poster's posts on this thread.


Basically let keep it clean folks.


Thank you very much.

Baystater.

[stargazzer]

Interesting... In life there are all kinds of brainwashing from society with respects to creation, reward for good contribution and consequence for what is thought useless contribution.

Spirituality suggestions are a translation gathered from so called prophets, systems, peoples lives in example, underlining flourish fundamentals which require yet another translation in order to form a basic sense of the suggestion.

The reality of reward and dismay by society begins a rhythm, although it is in an absolute form....so the momentum in understanding our being in society is in a brainwashed state of absolute finding (through experience.

The only way to fully answer this question for myself is to bull-doze all brainwashing social and spiritual. They are all translations from others and not my "absolute unique self comprehensions which include all evidence available. I don't believe spiritual ideas are supposed to "make something" I think they can have value in helping us, keep something.

Its very easy to bull-doze spirituality suggestions of heaven and so forth out. The only way to bull doze experience out is to eliminate it...How can I eliminate brainwashed ideas of acceptance and rejection, absolute measures dumped in my direction, suggestions with finite overtones, including "holding on" to ideas and realities of science, the brain is dead etc ...for an un-biased kick at the cat in this question.

Its not difficult to get an unbiased fresh opinion. I recall an incident when about 6-7 yrs old. (I do this all the time for clean thinking) Try to replay the emotions going on, re-live it. Get that kid out there sitting in front of you and ask your questions. What would you do if ripped off, betrayed....he has some very good answers. What would you do if you found out some sickness left you with a few odd weeks or days? My guy says hmm, oh well I wonder whats next. Ripped off..? thats his problem and whatever is behind it, father, brother, girlfriend who cares, its not my issue, Betrayed...that looser is without my company, I heard of this type before now I can see it.

Young youth don't have recess discussions or park talks about this issue and they are perfectly aware of it, pets die, grandparents even friends become sick and pass on including accidents , the news....but they do not recognize the emphasis in themselves as adults do and wonder...( Ive known a few situations and that bottle of courage is really not there in bottle form, its a given easy letting go to whats next by a natural property already deep in the mind I think.. the brain cannot process a thought without the endowment of infinity in premise...a given. The car need gas, I'm hungry, we could not even understand the finite world....this ability is not reasoned out, it is a given enabling the reasoning process.

I think because the clutter in absoluteness and disorder in society has not fully been experienced the reaction is very different in young very healthy minds...I don't believe it is religious brainwashing, it would not be enough to cancel out the natural reaction...the disorder seen throughout life in adults can have a strong effect on an unconscious dis-order to all existence and therefore a full finite meaninglessness toward the life idea.

the next idea is just that, another path for the inner self. you can never beat the person out of a person with anything... baseball bats, betrayal, rip-offs... time or anything else including "unnatural experience's" which understandably, are very difficult.