Impermanence

[Plasma Snake[D]]

Anyone here ever get anxious about death enough to want to paint a picture? build a house? have kids? recently the idea of building a structure out of stone came to me. The whole thing arose when I read the poem Ozymandias. To think that places like the pyramids or stonehedge where once used for rituals and such, the organic elements that made them long turned to dust while these rocks remain. Anyone else share these feelings(about the whole what would you do before you died bit)?

[Son of Belial]

Yes, I want to publish my volume of poetry and my novel before I die. If someone will film my screenplay as well, so much the better.

[SNPete]

Quote by: Plasma Snake[D] Anyone here ever get anxious about death enough to want to paint a picture? build a house? have kids? recently the idea of building a structure out of stone came to me. The whole thing arose when I read the poem Ozymandias. To think that places like the pyramids or stonehedge where once used for rituals and such, the organic elements that made them long turned to dust while these rocks remain. Anyone else share these feelings(about the whole what would you do before you died bit)?

You post reminds me how great it is that I have eternal life through Christ.

Everything we do or build will eventually pass away. Some day even the pyramids will be gone. For that matter eventually the Earth will grow cold and dark

Also, in Christ, there no anxiousness about death. One simply transitions from the present imperfect life to God's presence and there is no worries as to my fate, because through Christ all my sins are fogiven

[Boetie]

I finished watching a documentary a few day ago on death. The documentary is based on the late cultural anthropoligist Ernest Becker's book "Denial of Death."

Posts such as those above often confirms Becker's ideas in his book. Becker claims that death anxiety is a primary motivator of human behavior. Studies have confirmed his hypothtesis.

[SNPete]

Quote by: Boetie I finished watching a documentary a few day ago on death. The documentary is based on the late cultural anthropoligist Ernest Becker's book "Denial of Death." Posts such as those above often confirms Becker's ideas in his book. Becker claims that death anxiety is a primary motivator of human behavior. Studies have confirmed his hypothtesis.

Then wouldn't it be nice to live free of the fear of death?

[Plasma Snake[D]]

Maybe religion is an 'opiate of the masses' as Tool would say. If someone had the power to live forever (a superbly absurb idea, i could make it nonsense in my head if i thought about all the implications), remember that people almost always get corrupted by power. death balances things out by replacing the old with the new.

[Boetie]

Plasma posts death balances things out by replacing the old with the new.

Not quite. The fear of death creates cultures. The idea of making your children belief in the same things you do or adopt the same culture you do is a form of immortality. If we can't go on living then our symbolism will go on living via making the children a carbon copy of ourselves. The children in turn will make their children a carbon copy.

This of course will generate aggression and violence because if there are two different views in such a way they both can't be right then battle will result, in which case deaths will result via the battles. All this because of the anxiety of death in other words the death of your culture which you will fight to prevent and fight to keep it immortal.

[Plasma Snake[D]]

Well, dont you mean the fear of death drives us? Ideas and genes are passed on... but remember that maybe this confilct is the old trying to prepare the new by weeding out the weaklings. and also to prevent the old from acquiring too much power the new come and take over. Every generation wants to be the last to have a say in things. but then them damn kids come and take what youve done for all your life, quickly learn and adapt to it and improve on it(since kids have a highly absorbent mind).

[Dadoo]

As a cancer survivor ( by the skin on my back)
I submit that you will do what you are currently doing before you die.
Life is not a choice, as much as a mandate to myself. A great sense of relief and
surrender is available at death's door.
Riddling oneself moments before death is more difficult than relaxing.
The results are equally disparate, I am sure.
What the result is after the body has died seems be impetus and inspiration for all activities prior, especially the flailing and the submission concurrently experienced at the threshhold of bodily death.
In all, before I die, I hope to be dead to the needs of this world and the other beings who inhabit it.
Anything less or more would be a total "buzzkill".

Winkity, wink.
Dadoo

[jose]

Quote by: Plasma Snake[D] Anyone here ever get anxious about death enough to want to paint a picture? build a house? have kids? recently the idea of building a structure out of stone came to me. The whole thing arose when I read the poem Ozymandias. To think that places like the pyramids or stonehedge where once used for rituals and such, the organic elements that made them long turned to dust while these rocks remain. Anyone else share these feelings(about the whole what would you do before you died bit)?

the only thing you have to do before you die is..LIVE

[5010]

I would like to leave behind as little suffering as possible on the survivors. So I make sure they know I'm happy in life and I love them and I keep insurance to make sure they are provided for until they are able to provide for themselves.

As for anxiety. I don't feel any personally. The experience of dying is just sickness or injury, which we all probably experience and survive a few times before the final end. I don't believe we can experience death, because only the living can experience anything meaningfully. Where will I be? I will always be here in this time.

As far as immortal effects, simply stand outside in the sunlight and think of all those photons reflecting off your body into the sky and space and beyond and that some of them will not be absorbed by interstellar gas but will continue into deep intergalactic space for billions of years.

And maybe those photons won't cause anything, but they will contain information about you as a monument that outlasts all monuments on the earth.

How's that?

[Plasma Snake[D]]

Consider me 'inspired'

[JimiPhoenix]

Quote by: SNPete You post reminds me how great it is that I have eternal life through Christ. Everything we do or build will eventually pass away. Some day even the pyramids will be gone. For that matter eventually the Earth will grow cold and dark Also, in Christ, there no anxiousness about death. One simply transitions from the present imperfect life to God's presence and there is no worries as to my fate, because through Christ all my sins are fogiven

Wow, so, if I, like, convert and repent, I'll live forever...umm, through Christ? That sounds sweet! Obviously I want to live forever in a magical land of happiness and wonder where all my imperfectio- hold up.
It's pretty convenient you know, how people are afraid of dying and there's this religion where you fill in a few basic criteria (apparently, since most Christians unknowingly don't match this extremist criteria) and you go to Heaven and live forever.

You know what - I'll pass on that, since your post reminds me too much of some intoxicated person suffering from delusions of power and immortality. Hey, look at that: it's quote time!

"The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one." - George Bernard Shaw

[Plasma Snake[D]]

"It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I cannot take seriously. I also cannot imagine some will or goal outside the human sphere.... Science has been charged with undermining morality, but the charge is unjust. A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward after death. " - Einstein, that lovable Jewish scientist!

yeah well, duh


its weird how we are animals isn't it?