Reply
Fri 17 Jun, 2005 09:26 pm
I know its not really right but I feel confused I'm scared to get old and know that the end is comeing soon.. i hate feeling this way. I want to see Jesus and God and my family but what of those that I am leavin
g behind?
Is it wrong to be scared to die?
No, not at all, it is in fact normal. Although i don't know your age, i suspect i'm older than you, because of the inclusion of "teen" in your screen name. I no longer fear the fact of death, but i still don't want die in pain or at the end of a period of long suffering.
However, although this might not console you, as you get older, you become more resigned to the prospect of death. I suspect if i live a few more decades (not at all a certain thing) i will in fact, look forward to death, the "surcease of sorrow." To use a quote of Einstein in a way he did not intend, for me, the older i get, the more death "beckons like a liberation."
Perspective is everything in such matters.
Very normal in my experience.
I would be more worried if you weren't afraid to die. So many teens now seem to think they can survive anything and then set out to prove it.
Most people go through stages of fearing death. I did. It can be a disturbing state of mind, but try to remember that you will work through it and you have a long time before you have to worry about dying of old age.
Maybe you can talk to your parents or pastor?
If you read the first few chapters of Genesis, you will see that God did not intend for mankind to experience death. Adam and Eve did not change God's purpose, though they may have altered its course.
So you may be sure that God understands your fear. I suggest you study carefully to find your answer.
Naturally, I would direct you to the bible. Others will have suggestions completely contrary.
One thing is sure, you will find nearly every imaginable belief espoused in this forum. Read with discernment.
Er - as others say, perfectly normal - but worth trying to get over as your life moves on. (Buddhism, for instance, has specific meditations for confronting the reality of death - and getting over the fear of it.)
I don't know where to begin.
I believe Set has the right idea; we fear death less as we age; it's natural. Even as a young man, I wasn't really that scared of death. I guess I've always had the attitude that when it's my time....
With age, I think most people accept death as a matter of fact; nobody lives forever.
Re: I'm scared to die.. is that bad?
A lot of people believe that when you die you're turned off like a light switch. You no longer exist, so when you die you won't even care!
It's pointless to spend your whole life worrying about death. Life isn't about death so have fun and live it up while you're alive.
It's the bible that puts the fear of death into people. The uncertainty that if you didn't make the rite choices you'll become Satans personal slave for eternity. I'd be afraid to die too if I believed that stuff.
Re: I'm scared to die.. is that bad?
roverroad wrote:It's the bible that puts the fear of death into people. The uncertainty that if you didn't make the rite choices you'll become Satans personal slave for eternity. I'd be afraid to die too if I believed that stuff.
Not true. It is the clergy and their misrepresentation of the bible that have promoted the fear of death. Read with discernment.
I'd agree that religion may have given some people an unnatural fear of suffering after death, i.e. in hell. But the general fear of death is perfectly natural - it's a survival instinct. If somebody comes running at you with an axe, you'll automatically panic and try and save yourself.
As for me, I never think about getting old, and passing away. Once I thought and got scared when I got into an accident. But in everyday life? Why would I?
Stop thinking about that
I did not suffer before birth and do not expect to suffer after dying. It's the idea of an eternity in oblivion (or hell) that scares us. Just ideas. Throw them away and live a spiritually unencumbered life.
JLNobody wrote:I did not suffer before birth and do not expect to suffer after dying. It's the idea of an eternity in oblivion (or hell) that scares us. Just ideas. Throw them away and live a spiritually unencumbered life.
Throw away the fear of Alzheimers, and you won't mind it. Throw away the idea of fearing dismemberment in an accident, and you won't mind that. Throw away the fear of living in a dictatorship, and you won't mind that. But if that's one's attitude, one might as well just throw away fear of death totally and kill oneself if nothing is worth anything.
My goodness, Brandon; did I imply all that?
Maybe you should read what I said more carefully. Was I talking about actual possibilities (or unlikely probabilities) like alzheimers, dismemberment, dictatorships, and so on? Or was I only addressing the fantasy of death? There are other threads where we have discussed the matter in some detail. It's a shame to have to start all over again.
And does it follow that being without fear of death leads to suicide or that without such a fear life becomes worthless?
Brandon badly needs to get a grip. It reads as though he suggests that one can only have a worth-while existence by virtue of being in the grip of terror constantly.
Helplessteen, it is possible to be aware of the frightening possibilities of existence without being paralyzed by fear. Indeed, do throw away the fear. Don't be willfully ignorant, but don't let fear rule your life, either.
JLNobody wrote:My goodness, Brandon; did I imply all that?
Maybe you should read what I said more carefully. Was I talking about actual possibilities (or unlikely probabilities) like alzheimers, dismemberment, dictatorships, and so on? Or was I only addressing the fantasy of death? There are other threads where we have discussed the matter in some detail. It's a shame to have to start all over again.
And does it follow that being without fear of death leads to suicide or that without such a fear life becomes worthless?
Solving real problems by psyching yourself out of minding them may be the best solution in some cases, but I'd hardly carry it as far as not minding permanently ceasing existence.
Why Brandon, because you cling the hope of ressurection and the everlasting life in Jesus Christ, amen--without which the terrors which happen to haunt you would overwhelm your psyche? This is the deepest dive off the deep end i've yet seen you take, which is saying a great deal amid the stark terrors you love to portray as constituting life.
Thanks, Setanta. I'm trying to enjoy a peaceful day. By carrying this load for me you make it possible.
The boy has gone positively whacky on us here, JL . . . i wonder if he is under the dark influence of the Arean moons. Perhaps his dreams run red and are made nightmares through the evil influence of Phobos and Deimos. For whatever the cause, that was an ugly glimpse of a pathetic view of the world and life.
The scary thing about going to heaven is you have to die first. BUMMER! I wonder if that was what God really intended for us?
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace