what is your philosophy of death?

[katia]

so many can ask [the meaning of life], what is the meaning of death?  what is a good death?  what is a happy death?  what is the opposite of a  [senseless] death?

[ChildOfTheLight]

"Death should not concern us, since when we are, it is not, and when it is, we are not." --some Greek guy, possibly Epicurus

[RebeccaFog]

so many can ask [the meaning of life], what is the meaning of death?  what is a good death?  what is a happy death?  what is the opposite of a  [senseless] death?

I reckon that my philosophy is that death is unavoidable except, of course, when you desire it the most.
It's meaning is to close the book that was opened upon being born.
A good death is one that you can walk away from [without shame].
A happy death is one well earned.
A death that is not senseless is one that occurs naturally or through accident and not through the actions of another human being.  Possibly a meaningful death is one that occurs in the act of helping other people.

The real meaning of death is that meaning which we assign to it. Without someone to appreciate a person for the joy of their life or to mourn the passing of that person, then death has the same meaning as the proverbial tree in the forest that falls while no one is there top bear witness.

   Perhaps, death is having to endure a bad poem such as this one -

a one sided conflict



I'm not waiting for

Death.   Death is waiting for me.

Death sleeps until death.



Death must sleep alone

And can not acquaint with me.

I will wake alone



or, I will not wake.

Death will awake upon my

death.   Next, Death will sleep.

[NatalieC]

There are two types of death.

Firstly the ordinary death i.e. Where you die and cease to exist.

Secondly the unordinary death i.e. Where your body and perception continue in another existance that is a continuation of this one.

Obviously most people experience ordinary deaths like old age, illness and tragedy.

Few experience the latter.

[Tay]

I do not fear death.  In some ways, I would embrace it.  I believe that death is up to either the individual to cause to themself or for nature to take its course and whichever happens, happens. 

[cindianna_jones]

I do not fear death.  I don't believe that there is a good or bad way to die.  I do know that for many of us, death will actually be a pleasant experience.  As the brain is starved of oxygen, we will experience a euphoria of wonderful feelings and inviting light.

I would prefer to die without knowing it.  ... in my sleep... hit from behind by a big truck.. you know suddenly.  I think that the worst way to go would be from a prolonged case of dysentery or starvation.

Cindi

[SusanK]

so many can ask, what is the meaning of death?

To me, it's simple, death just is, the reality of our existence.

what is a good death?  what is a happy death?  what is the opposite of a  [senseless] death?

A good or bad death depends on your belief system, but in the end, it's still the same, death. To me, in the end, the only thing that matters is the love you left in others' heart and their memories of you and your love. To me, the only good or happy death is the one that you don't see, it just happens, especially in your sleep.

To carry the question further, how many people in the world died today? And tomorrow? And how many were good or bad deaths, or just deaths which happened beyond their control? Sounds cruel? How about the number of Iraqi civilians have died from our war there? At who's hands and what about their lives? Is our life and death better or more good than theirs? How about Africa, and all those who have died from war, poverty, diseases or illnesses?

When you expand the notion outside your world, everything changes? Or does it? And you simply decide their death doesn't relate to your life and your reality of death?

Ok, sorry to wander. I'll park my Taoist soapbox. Good thread. Thanks.

--Susan--

[Elizabeth]

"All living things die alone" Donnie Darko

Love always,
Elizabeth

[RebeccaFog]

what is your philosophy of death?

My philosophy of death has taken me years to sift through and to perfect.  I have personally caused, I mean studied, the deaths of thousands in order to attain this fantastic piece of knowledge. I have attended many seminars and funeral services in my search for this fabulous and most perfect piece of knowledge. I'm not even sure that the average person can even comprehend what I am about about to tell you all.  Be sure to come close as to better hear (or better read) what I have to say to you, for it will change your life for all eternity. My philosophy concerning the nature, the fact, and all aspects of death is cough cough..ack!

[NatalieC]

what is your philosophy of death?

My philosophy of death has taken me years to sift through and to perfect.  I have personally caused, I mean studied, the deaths of thousands in order to attain this fantastic piece of knowledge. I have attended many seminars and funeral services in my search for this fabulous and most perfect piece of knowledge. I'm not even sure that the average person can even comprehend what I am about about to tell you all.  Be sure to come close as to better hear (or better read) what I have to say to you, for it will change your life for all eternity. My philosophy concerning the nature, the fact, and all aspects of death is cough cough..ack!

Hey clear your throat and spit it out! You sound like your about to die with the answers Rebecca!?! Im not your average person I should be able to comprehend it. I hate it in the movies when people are just about to tell you something vital and life changing and then they croak it!

[RebeccaFog]

what is your philosophy of death?

My philosophy of death has taken me years to sift through and to perfect.  I have personally caused, I mean studied, the deaths of thousands in order to attain this fantastic piece of knowledge. I have attended many seminars and funeral services in my search for this fabulous and most perfect piece of knowledge. I'm not even sure that the average person can even comprehend what I am about about to tell you all.  Be sure to come close as to better hear (or better read) what I have to say to you, for it will change your life for all eternity. My philosophy concerning the nature, the fact, and all aspects of death is cough cough..ack!

Hey clear your throat and spit it out! You sound like your about to die with the answers Rebecca!?! Im not your average person I should be able to comprehend it. I hate it in the movies when people are just about to tell you something vital and life changing and then they croak it!

Sorry.  Now that I'm dead, I can't recall anything concerning life and death.  Now, where is my cloud?

[RebeccaFog]

i have become deeply offended by religious persons who attempt to tell me what's going to happen after death. they pretend to know. they don't know. the Taoists say we should live and not be afraid of death. i like that a lot. i wish i could say i could say i was at that point, but i don't think i am yet. 

Sometimes, it takes one hell of a jolt to get you there.

[rhonda13000]

desirable.

[NatalieC]

Ok here it goes.... I died once and this is what happened...well I nearly died.
Firstly I left my body and went staight into a trippy tunnel. This tunnel was twisty and turny like when you go through a Stargate or like in Sliders when they went through their portals. You fly along at breakneck speeds with no sound just vision! When I looked to the side of the tunnel it was all the colours of the rainbow and I saw my life unfolding in it. I could see friends long gone. Places faraway. My home where I grew up in the mountains. Everything! Talk about life flashing before your eyes!
Anyway I seemed to be being pulled along in this tunnel and as it started to get faster I thought to myself I wonder where this leads? As the tunnel turned and twisted and the spectrum of colours dazzled me I thought Id better head towards the light at the end of tunnel. I ignored the visions I could see on the tunnel surface and focused my intent on the positive light at the end of the tunnel. I felt an opening approaching and suddenly I slowed right down and saw it! there was a huge expanse of darkness that seemed to encompass everything..like a black hole. And it was sucking me into it. At first I was afraid as the darkness began to surround me and seem to engulf me. It was the most pleasurable feeling I had ever experienced. It was exctasy! There was nothing except pleasure here. All other thoughts seem to disintergrate into an unbelivable feeling of goodness and completeness. It was at this moment I began to feel myself (my conscious awareness) begin to fade as if I was being rubbed out on a universal and cosmic level. This was it I thought to myself! Death is sweet! I felt like I had passed everything and entered into nothing and it was about to end. Suddenly a deep fear crept over me and I thought that this pleasurable feeling wouldnt last and that in fact the pleasure was from the darkness surrounding me and it was sought of eating my awareness and perception. I was dying! It was at that point I seemed to be able to resist the pulling or sucking of this dark entity into it and I began to slowly ease out of it and head back to the entrance of the tunnel I was in. Suddenly I felt better and felt my awareness returning as the pleasure of the darkness seemed to fade. Then a bright light appeared in my perception to the right of me. I attempted to percieve this light but it was truly blinding like the sun. I couldnt look directly at it. Then it spoke "Do you want to leave this place?" I was like "Huh? who's that?" Again it says "Do you want to leave this place?" And I thought to myself well yeah I want to go back to Earth and live my life. Im too young to die! I dont want to stay here. Then there was a sound of dissapointment from this being and suddenly I was thrust into orbit above Earth. From here I spotted Australia and headed straight there. As I got closer I saw Tasmania below it and headed there. Then I saw my home town of Hobart and entered the atmosphere above it. It was a sunny day and the noise and bustling of the city below suprised me and comforted me. I saw my suburb and headed for it. There was my house below me now and I entered through the roof and into my bedroom where I saw myself looking dead in an armchair. All white and pale! I thought Oh there I am I better get back now! I returned to my body and regained sensation and feelings. Oh it hurts to feel again I thought to myself. Then I went to bed. To recover.

This experience was brought on by a house mate overdosing me with a lethal cocktail of home made Ketamine which he slipped into my beer earlier that day. I do not reccomend experimenting with drugs as they can lead to all soughts of problems including early death. I was tricked into this experience and have become infinately more careful as I did research into Ketamine (a horse and elephant tranqulizer.)

[cindianna_jones]

When I was a kid in elementary school, we'd help each other pass out.  I won't go into the specifics here because it is very dangerous.  As kids we somehow learned this from somewhere and we were doing it during recess all the time.....

In any case, it seemed very very cool to do.  As I lost touch with reality, the universe would open up to me, the lights around would form a tunnel and pull me in to a wonderful warm place.  Sometimes I would see visions of family, sometimes visions of the future or past, and sometimes it was just a trip of color.

Later in life, I learned what this was all about.  NASA has done experiments with humans in their centrifuge.  It turns out that if they spin these guys fast enough, the brain becomes starved for oxygen and they pass out.  The experience each described afterwards was very much those I witnessed in my younger years. When compared to recorded near death experiences, the answer seems relatively clear.  This is the brain's reaction to a shut down.... yes, this is likely what we will experience when we die.

But here's the thing.... it's a fairly straight forward test to replicate.  You just put someone in a centrifuge and spin them till they pass out.  Do they die and come back to life?  As a kid, did I allow someone to kill me every day at recess and then come back to life?

You be the judge.

Cindi

[The Middle Way]

what is the opposite of a  [senseless] death?

All <death> makes sense. It is part of a cycle that includes <life>.

nota

[rhonda13000]

'Philosophy of death'

Dispassionate, but to be told that it was imminent it would still be something of a shock, but not traumatically so [I think - I'm still just a human being].

Death is 'merely' a translation from one mode of existence, to another; the existence of the persona and identity does not cease at physical death.

It's a translation of state from corporeal existence to that of the eternal, spiritual.

It's nothing to be feared if you have your 'spiritual act' together and [ahem], I need to get mine together.

Revelation 3:5, et al.

[Butterfly]

Does the means justify the end? If the condition for our self as externality is the same for after death as before birth, does that mean internality is the same or different?  We know as much what was before birth as to what we may hold as expectation for after death.  Meaning for life is meaning for death, meaninglessness in life is meaningless death. The Will is positive, the Judgement is negative. The Judgement should serve the Will, not replace it.