"You have two lives. The second one begins when you realize you only have one." Confucius I think what Mriana is asking is, how do you know? You have pre-decided that if we did your experiment, it would turn out the way you say. You are basing this on thoughts and feelings you are having. But that's what we have each other for. When things are not going well in my life, when people around me seem to react in strange ways, I talk to people I trust. Sometimes, it takes years, but most times, I understand I was seeing things differently than most, I was the one who needed to be shown something. I'm not saying I'm right, or anyone in particular is right, I'm saying we can't both be right. The question I have for you at this point is; don't you think someone else has already considered the things you are talking about? Somebody may have attempted the very experiment you propose. You were already given the example of Koko. I know it's not perfect, but you have to examine all the data we have, not just the data that is in your head. Accepting new data can be painful, but living inside your own head is also painful.Yes and I mentioned Koko. She knows about death and seems to understand she won't live forever too, but that doesn't stop her from living her life and enjoying meeting new people, even talking to them also. What he thinks he knows has been tested and researched with remarkable results with our closest relatives. Even elephants, a little more distant than gorillas, know what death is and morn at the loss of a family member. I think Mozart needs to look up the research before he makes such conclusions. I think he may find it's not as cut and dry as he thinks, nor are other animals totally without the knowledge of death.
"You have two lives. The second one begins when you realize you only have one." Confucius I think what Mriana is asking is, how do you know? You have pre-decided that if we did your experiment, it would turn out the way you say. You are basing this on thoughts and feelings you are having. But that's what we have each other for. When things are not going well in my life, when people around me seem to react in strange ways, I talk to people I trust. Sometimes, it takes years, but most times, I understand I was seeing things differently than most, I was the one who needed to be shown something. I'm not saying I'm right, or anyone in particular is right, I'm saying we can't both be right. The question I have for you at this point is; don't you think someone else has already considered the things you are talking about? Somebody may have attempted the very experiment you propose. You were already given the example of Koko. I know it's not perfect, but you have to examine all the data we have, not just the data that is in your head. Accepting new data can be painful, but living inside your own head is also painful.Koko was one of those animals who was not solely survival based. Living forever and feeling happy was not wired into him/her. He/she had a level of altruism that allowed him/her to not be miserable. But for those types of animals who have very little to no level of altruism and only live for their own survival and happiness, then these are the types of animals that would be miserable upon realization of the finality of their own death. That is a statement of ignorance concerning other animals. Koko was very miserable when she lost her kitten and sad when she realized that she too will eventually die, just as we are when we realize it, but like us, that didn't stop her from enjoying life. She is hardwired to experience the same emotions we do, because she is an ape like us, and is even genetically similar to us. IMHO you are trying to raise us higher than other animals. Just because we know we will die eventually, doesn't mean we have to choose to live in misery, any more than Koko. Koko knows all too well the finality of death. She also knows love, even how to love, and care for others. Just because she's gorilla and not a human ape doesn't mean she's stupid about death, not even her own. Cats are not stupid either. Cats do mourn too and I even had a cat who saw her lifelong companion (another cat) die, was alarmed, and spent a few days in hiding, crying (which could be heard throughout the house). Yes, she was miserable, just as my sons and I were, and like my sons and me, she eventually went on with life, taking care of another cat younger than, teaching her to live life. Eventually, we were feeling better, mourning less, and feeling happiness in life again. This is normal, but to stay in a state of mourning is not.
Our brains never want us to die. They always want us to stay alive. In a situation where we might die, our brains give us the experience of stress responses (unpleasant feelings/emotions) such as feeling miserable in order to ensure our survival. So that is why an afterlife is so vital. {You've made this 2nd part up. Accepting the first part does not demonstrate that} Our brains don't want us to forever remain dead.Don't kid yourself, the operational centers of our brain know nothing of "forever" or "heaven".
So when the belief in the afterlife is taken away, our brains will also make us feel miserable in this situation as well.But, the part of our brain responsible for keeping us alive, never had any belief in the afterlife. The part of the brain busy with processing social signals and creating myths to rationalize and accommodate our social existence is a different matter all together and it will believe almost anything. Believer beware. You are right, we don't know at first. The concept of life after death is something we, along with other animals, are unaware of. But when it comes into our awareness, that is when our brains see trouble. Our brains are now aware that we will forever remain dead and that is when our brains will try to ensure our survival by, again, making us feel miserable, fearful, etc. But as long as we are unaware of our eternal death, then our brains see no trouble. It is only when our brains become aware of our eternal demise that it sees trouble and tries to ensure our survival. I must ask you, do you really believe that other animals do not have a drive to survive? If true, why does a lion hunt? Why does a lioness even bother to protect her young and teach them to hunt? Have you been to a slaughter house? Do you think the cattle stay on the kill floor and not even try to fight for life? Do you think they just stand there on the kill floor like clueless entities? I'm sorry, but cattle do sense that their lives are in danger, but unfortunately, humans have the upper hand and the cattle cannot escape, try as they might. They cry and scream in fear, because they know just from the smell of death around them. They aren't as stupid as you make them out to be. The idea of life after death is a religious concept that humans created because they don't want to face the finality of life, but we can't ask other animals what they think. We only know by their reactions, except maybe in cases like Koko, who can communicate with us and tell us what she feels. She nor other animals are complete mindless balls of fur. But then again, if you truly believe they have no drive for survival, what is the point of teaching their young how to survive? They might as well just let them lie there and die without even nursing them, if that is the case. Yes, some do do that, but in those cases, the mother isn't mentally capable of caring for young, which is another issue and has nothing to do with survival. Those who are capable know full well they have to teach their young to survive or they will meet their demise, some lionesses have left disabled young behind, taking only the capable ones in order for the capable ones to survive. The disabled kitten only drags the family behind, endangering them, causing the whole group to potentially meet their own demise. IF a kitten is born dead, the mother eats that kitten in order to keep predators from attack the other kittens and killing them. So they know about death and desire to survive, even desire their young to survive. The desire for survival is not just a human trait. Such an idea is created out of ignorance of other animals and is endemic among religious groups, though not exactly or always stated as you have done. The only difference here is the religious ideology has been removed and reworded a bit.
First, awesomely succinct post. I wish Occam were alive to see that. Second. I was excited by those first few sentences, I thought you had really started seeing where happiness comes from, then came that second paragraph. Happiness doesn't come from an external goal, especially one that requires being dead to realize. One does not find happiness by saying they will be happy in the future, after some criteria is met. What was it about the belief in the afterlife that you think brought you happiness? Whether or not there is an afterlife of eternal bliss is a separate question. If you were actually experiencing eternal bliss, we wouldn't be having this conversation. And we don't know anyone who is actually experiencing that, so we can't know how to get there. We know some people who say they know, but we have doubts about them. So, the question is, what was it about that belief that you lost? Was it that you shared that belief with others? Was it that it gave you something to hope for? Was it just fun to believe? All of those things can be had without the actual belief. You can find something else to hope for, share it with others and just enjoy hoping for it for its own sake. Hope all is well otherwise.I became a materialistic skeptic. So I no longer am able to look forward to this eternal blissful afterlife I used to believe in. The brain is all about survival. It always wants to live and be happy. So I can choose to consciously focus on this life all I want, but I won't find any meaning in doing so. My subconscious will always still be focused on the notion of life after death which will always render my life completely empty. I am unable to enjoy my life and hobbies not only because I no longer believe in the afterlife anymore, but also because I no longer have my feelings of enjoyment due to a chronic mental condition known as anhedonia. This way of life just doesn't work for me. I need my old way of life back to me. Those two things I need in my life are my only source of meaning and happiness. I find no value whatsoever in any other way of living others might suggest to me. So go back to church and pray for a return to belief. It seems to be your only hope. Pray and pray some more. Ask a pastor to help you. I'm sure he or she has some techiques to get you back into the fold. You'll never get better until you believe again. I wouldn't waste another minute. It's been done by many people. There is no reason you can't do it--unless, of course, you have a secret wish to remain depressed--a way of punishing yourself for transgressing. A death wish. The death of your soul. You're almost there. I am willing to try anything, but I doubt there is any way to get my belief in the afterlife back to me. I am in the mindset of a serious hardcore skeptic. So I think it will be impossible to convince me. If you were a true skeptic you wouldn't be pining after belief. You are not a skeptic, you are a fraud who is defrauding himself. No true skeptic would have the thoughts you have about an afterlife. Intelligent skeptics accept the inevitable. You are a deliberate malcontent. I see no hope for you. You are ruining your life with your ridiculous whining about the impossible It's time you grew up. I have an open mind to the afterlife and it's this open mindedness that seeks to regain belief in the afterlife. Also, I am sorry. I can no longer engage with someone like you. You are of no help and are cruel to me unlike the moderator here who is nice to me. The moderator is the type of person I need to engage with. So I am completely ignoring you and your comments here on in. You call me childish. But ignoring you here and now is the mature thing to do. Suit yourself. I raised three sons and a daughter and I would never have let them wallow in self pity the way you do. Incidentally, they are all atheists and rationalists and they are all university graduates, successful and happy with their lives. None of them wallows in self pity. I must have done something right by by expecting them to grow up, take responsibility and not allowing them to feel sorry for themselves. I had hoped a kick in the pants might make you straighten up, but I'm afraid you are a hopeless case. Wallow away. I am not a hopeless case. I think you have failed to read my recent posts here. If you did, you would be informed otherwise. You just read that one post of mine and replied to that. But take a look at my other posts as well. I've read all your posts. Every one of them is full of self pity. I tried to point you in the right direction but you prefer the self pity. You ARE a hopeless case and will remain one until you stop feeling sorry for yourself and do something worthwhile.
Mozart, you seem to think that you know what misery is. FFS consider yourself lucky. I am a Carlisle United supporter.
Our brains never want us to die. They always want us to stay alive. In a situation where we might die, our brains give us the experience of stress responses (unpleasant feelings/emotions) such as feeling miserable in order to ensure our survival. So that is why an afterlife is so vital. {You've made this 2nd part up. Accepting the first part does not demonstrate that} Our brains don't want us to forever remain dead.Don't kid yourself, the operational centers of our brain know nothing of "forever" or "heaven".
So when the belief in the afterlife is taken away, our brains will also make us feel miserable in this situation as well.But, the part of our brain responsible for keeping us alive, never had any belief in the afterlife. The part of the brain busy with processing social signals and creating myths to rationalize and accommodate our social existence is a different matter all together and it will believe almost anything. Believer beware. You are right, we don't know at first. The concept of life after death is something we, along with other animals, are unaware of. But when it comes into our awareness, that is when our brains see trouble. Our brains are now aware that we will forever remain dead and that is when our brains will try to ensure our survival by, again, making us feel miserable, fearful, etc. But as long as we are unaware of our eternal death, then our brains see no trouble. It is only when our brains become aware of our eternal demise that it sees trouble and tries to ensure our survival. I must ask you, do you really believe that other animals do not have a drive to survive? If true, why does a lion hunt? Why does a lioness even bother to protect her young and teach them to hunt? Have you been to a slaughter house? Do you think the cattle stay on the kill floor and not even try to fight for life? Do you think they just stand there on the kill floor like clueless entities? I'm sorry, but cattle do sense that their lives are in danger, but unfortunately, humans have the upper hand and the cattle cannot escape, try as they might. They cry and scream in fear, because they know just from the smell of death around them. They aren't as stupid as you make them out to be. The idea of life after death is a religious concept that humans created because they don't want to face the finality of life, but we can't ask other animals what they think. We only know by their reactions, except maybe in cases like Koko, who can communicate with us and tell us what she feels. She nor other animals are complete mindless balls of fur. But then again, if you truly believe they have no drive for survival, what is the point of teaching their young how to survive? They might as well just let them lie there and die without even nursing them, if that is the case. Yes, some do do that, but in those cases, the mother isn't mentally capable of caring for young, which is another issue and has nothing to do with survival. Those who are capable know full well they have to teach their young to survive or they will meet their demise, some lionesses have left disabled young behind, taking only the capable ones in order for the capable ones to survive. The disabled kitten only drags the family behind, endangering them, causing the whole group to potentially meet their own demise. IF a kitten is born dead, the mother eats that kitten in order to keep predators from attack the other kittens and killing them. So they know about death and desire to survive, even desire their young to survive. The desire for survival is not just a human trait. Such an idea is created out of ignorance of other animals and is endemic among religious groups, though not exactly or always stated as you have done. The only difference here is the religious ideology has been removed and reworded a bit. I think this whole discussion on evolution and how the brain works in terms of survival is getting quite difficult. So I will just say that there are those types of animals such as myself who are devastated by the finality of their own death and continue to remain devastated unlike Koko. These are animals that are hardwired differently. This is where I was trying to get at this whole time.
I've read all your posts. Every one of them is full of self pity. I tried to point you in the right direction but you prefer the self pity. You ARE a hopeless case and will remain one until you stop feeling sorry for yourself and do something worthwhile.I don't know where you are getting that because I clearly talked about doing both approaches at the same time which was trying both my approach which was trying to regain those things in my life and the approach others have recommend me as well. I hope that I can get out of this misery. If nothing works, then I will have to put an end to my life since that is the only way to get out of wallowing in this misery. I really hope it does not come down to that. I really hope things can change and that all my efforts will pay off.
hardwiredYou keep using that word. I don't think you know what it means. Brains are malleable. We can't just think our way out of mental illness or choose happiness and become instantly blissful, but we do have feedback loops, we can affect our own thoughts to some degree. We all have ups and downs. We also have the ability to alter our environment to fit our needs.
I think this whole discussion on evolution and how the brain works in terms of survival is getting quite difficult. So I will just say that there are those types of animals such as myself who are devastated by the finality of their own death and continue to remain devastated unlike Koko. These are animals that are hardwired differently. This is where I was trying to get at this whole time.No they are not. Survival is a function found in the lower part of the brain, not the higher functions in the upper parts of the brain, but depression could be found in the upper parts of the brain. How do you know Koko, how has a far bigger brain than a frog and basically has all the components of our brains (has a smaller cerebellum), didn't feel as devastated as you? Is it possible she has good coping skills, especially with the help of the human apes who care for her? Is it possible Lois is right and you are just wallowing? Is it possible that you may suffer from chronic sever depression, which causes you to be fixated on death? I highly recommend you seek individual counseling, as well as check out the various groups I suggested to you, because such fixation potentially points to depression, which is not healthy or even normal, including in humans. It has nothing to do with being hardwired to fixate on one's death and the finality of it. If this is the case, then humans are hardwired for depression, OCD, and other mental health issues, which isn't quite true either.
I think this whole discussion on evolution and how the brain works in terms of survival is getting quite difficult. So I will just say that there are those types of animals such as myself who are devastated by the finality of their own death and continue to remain devastated unlike Koko. These are animals that are hardwired differently. This is where I was trying to get at this whole time.No they are not. Survival is a function found in the lower part of the brain, not the higher functions in the upper parts of the brain, but depression could be found in the upper parts of the brain. How do you know Koko, how has a far bigger brain than a frog and basically has all the components of our brains (has a smaller cerebellum), didn't feel as devastated as you? Is it possible she has good coping skills, especially with the help of the human apes who care for her? Is it possible Lois is right and you are just wallowing? Is it possible that you may suffer from chronic sever depression, which causes you to be fixated on death? I highly recommend you seek individual counseling, as well as check out the various groups I suggested to you, because such fixation potentially points to depression, which is not healthy or even normal, including in humans. It has nothing to do with being hardwired to fixate on one's death and the finality of it. If this is the case, then humans are hardwired for depression, OCD, and other mental health issues, which isn't quite true either. Right. I did mention I have OCD and depression. OCD and depression I think might be naturally selected. In other words, some animals are naturally not affected by the finality of their own death while others with ocd and depression continue to fixate and be miserable about it. I think OCD and depression are mechanisms to ensure our survival. For example, it is important that animals stay fixated on something that hinders or threatens their survival so that the problem can be solved. The reason why I am constantly wallowing in misery is because I have ocd and my brain wants to preserve my survival. It wants me to solve a problem that can't be solved. It wants me to solve the problem of the finality of my own death which can't be solved. So that is why I continue to remain miserable. My brain wants me to stay alive. It doesn't want me to forever die since survival is something obviously very important that the brain tries to ensure.
...So I will just say that there are those types of animals such as myself who are devastated by the finality of their own death and continue to remain devastated unlike Koko. These are animals that are hardwired differently. This is where I was trying to get at this whole time.Sources??? Your sources please? Who are these animals? How have they been tested or observed? What was that conclusion based on?
...So I will just say that there are those types of animals such as myself who are devastated by the finality of their own death and continue to remain devastated unlike Koko. These are animals that are hardwired differently. This is where I was trying to get at this whole time.Sources??? Your sources please? Who are these animals? How have they been tested or observed? What was that conclusion based on? Perhaps I used the wrong term when I said "hardwired." Read my previous post which explains more on this.
I think this whole discussion on evolution and how the brain works in terms of survival is getting quite difficult. So I will just say that there are those types of animals such as myself who are devastated by the finality of their own death and continue to remain devastated unlike Koko. These are animals that are hardwired differently. This is where I was trying to get at this whole time.No they are not. Survival is a function found in the lower part of the brain, not the higher functions in the upper parts of the brain, but depression could be found in the upper parts of the brain. How do you know Koko, how has a far bigger brain than a frog and basically has all the components of our brains (has a smaller cerebellum), didn't feel as devastated as you? Is it possible she has good coping skills, especially with the help of the human apes who care for her? Is it possible Lois is right and you are just wallowing? Is it possible that you may suffer from chronic sever depression, which causes you to be fixated on death? I highly recommend you seek individual counseling, as well as check out the various groups I suggested to you, because such fixation potentially points to depression, which is not healthy or even normal, including in humans. It has nothing to do with being hardwired to fixate on one's death and the finality of it. If this is the case, then humans are hardwired for depression, OCD, and other mental health issues, which isn't quite true either. Right. I did mention I have OCD and depression. OCD and depression I think might be naturally selected. In other words, some animals are naturally not affected by the finality of their own death while others with ocd and depression continue to fixate and be miserable about it. I think OCD and depression are mechanisms to ensure our survival. For example, it is important that animals stay fixated on something that hinders or threatens their survival so that the problem can be solved. The reason why I am constantly wallowing in misery is because I have ocd and my brain wants to preserve my survival. It wants me to solve a problem that can't be solved. It wants me to solve the problem of the finality of my own death which can't be solved. So that is why I continue to remain miserable. My brain wants me to stay alive. It doesn't want me to forever die since survival is something obviously very important that the brain tries to ensure. I still think you may benefit from seeing a therapist and seeking out one or all the groups suggested.
I think this whole discussion on evolution and how the brain works in terms of survival is getting quite difficult. So I will just say that there are those types of animals such as myself who are devastated by the finality of their own death and continue to remain devastated unlike Koko. These are animals that are hardwired differently. This is where I was trying to get at this whole time.No they are not. Survival is a function found in the lower part of the brain, not the higher functions in the upper parts of the brain, but depression could be found in the upper parts of the brain. How do you know Koko, how has a far bigger brain than a frog and basically has all the components of our brains (has a smaller cerebellum), didn't feel as devastated as you? Is it possible she has good coping skills, especially with the help of the human apes who care for her? Is it possible Lois is right and you are just wallowing? Is it possible that you may suffer from chronic sever depression, which causes you to be fixated on death? I highly recommend you seek individual counseling, as well as check out the various groups I suggested to you, because such fixation potentially points to depression, which is not healthy or even normal, including in humans. It has nothing to do with being hardwired to fixate on one's death and the finality of it. If this is the case, then humans are hardwired for depression, OCD, and other mental health issues, which isn't quite true either. Right. I did mention I have OCD and depression. OCD and depression I think might be naturally selected. In other words, some animals are naturally not affected by the finality of their own death while others with ocd and depression continue to fixate and be miserable about it. I think OCD and depression are mechanisms to ensure our survival. For example, it is important that animals stay fixated on something that hinders or threatens their survival so that the problem can be solved. The reason why I am constantly wallowing in misery is because I have ocd and my brain wants to preserve my survival. It wants me to solve a problem that can't be solved. It wants me to solve the problem of the finality of my own death which can't be solved. So that is why I continue to remain miserable. My brain wants me to stay alive. It doesn't want me to forever die since survival is something obviously very important that the brain tries to ensure. I still think you may benefit from seeing a therapist and seeking out one or all the groups suggested. You are right. I will look into that and see where my life goes from here.
"You have two lives. The second one begins when you realize you only have one." ConfuciusAgeless.Never saw this quote before. Love it.
We are not hardwired rationally and nor is any other animal. So that is the reason why the animal would, in fact, be devastated regardless of how it tried to rationalize.You obsess way too much over this idea. You live every second of your life obsessing on the last one. Understand that you have seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years and probably decades of life ahead of you, not just the very last second. If I went on a 70 year vacation, I wouldn't spend all day every day moping in my hotel room because it wasn't an infinitely long vacation! You are nothing like any other animal since you have a sense of self and identity and can entertain the idea of your death in an abstract way. No other animal can do any of those things, so they are never going to be 'sad' when contemplating their death since they can't contemplate anything. Maybe you should wonder how you can treat this problem in a more animalistic way, live in the moment and not dwell forever in the most distant moment of your life.
We are not hardwired rationally and nor is any other animal. So that is the reason why the animal would, in fact, be devastated regardless of how it tried to rationalize.You obsess way too much over this idea. You live every second of your life obsessing on the last one. Understand that you have seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years and probably decades of life ahead of you, not just the very last second. If I went on a 70 year vacation, I wouldn't spend all day every day moping in my hotel room because it wasn't an infinitely long vacation! You are nothing like any other animal since you have a sense of self and identity and can entertain the idea of your death in an abstract way. No other animal can do any of those things, so they are never going to be 'sad' when contemplating their death since they can't contemplate anything. Maybe you should wonder how you can treat this problem in a more animalistic way, live in the moment and not dwell forever in the most distant moment of your life. It's this OCD that needs to be taken care of. I am in this constant hellish mental state that makes my life seem distorted, dream-like, that nothing is natural, noting is right and the same anymore, that my entire reality is way off, etc. It is not a feeling of depression. It is a hellish miserable mental state to be in. Making the best of this one and only life I have seems so trivial to me. Whether there is or is not life after death is an all consuming reality for me and is the absolute most vital thing on my mind that does not go away no matter how I try to just focus on this life I have anyway. This hellish mental state prevents me from living an enjoyable and meaningful life.
We are not hardwired rationally and nor is any other animal. So that is the reason why the animal would, in fact, be devastated regardless of how it tried to rationalize.You obsess way too much over this idea. You live every second of your life obsessing on the last one. Understand that you have seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years and probably decades of life ahead of you, not just the very last second. If I went on a 70 year vacation, I wouldn't spend all day every day moping in my hotel room because it wasn't an infinitely long vacation! You are nothing like any other animal since you have a sense of self and identity and can entertain the idea of your death in an abstract way. No other animal can do any of those things, so they are never going to be 'sad' when contemplating their death since they can't contemplate anything. Maybe you should wonder how you can treat this problem in a more animalistic way, live in the moment and not dwell forever in the most distant moment of your life. It's this OCD that needs to be taken care of. I am in this constant hellish mental state that makes my life seem distorted, dream-like, that nothing is natural, noting is right and the same anymore, that my entire reality is way off, etc. It is not a feeling of depression. It is a hellish miserable mental state to be in. Making the best of this one and only life I have seems so trivial to me. Whether there is or is not life after death is an all consuming reality for me and is the absolute most vital thing on my mind that does not go away no matter how I try to just focus on this life I have anyway. This hellish mental state prevents me from living an enjoyable and meaningful life. You need to get off the internet and contact a doctor. Being on here is solving zero of your problems. I'm just enabling your avoidance of getting help by trying to help. So I'll leave you and let you get on with helping yourself. All the best.
We are not hardwired rationally and nor is any other animal. So that is the reason why the animal would, in fact, be devastated regardless of how it tried to rationalize.You obsess way too much over this idea. You live every second of your life obsessing on the last one. Understand that you have seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years and probably decades of life ahead of you, not just the very last second. If I went on a 70 year vacation, I wouldn't spend all day every day moping in my hotel room because it wasn't an infinitely long vacation! You are nothing like any other animal since you have a sense of self and identity and can entertain the idea of your death in an abstract way. No other animal can do any of those things, so they are never going to be 'sad' when contemplating their death since they can't contemplate anything. Maybe you should wonder how you can treat this problem in a more animalistic way, live in the moment and not dwell forever in the most distant moment of your life. It's this OCD that needs to be taken care of. I am in this constant hellish mental state that makes my life seem distorted, dream-like, that nothing is natural, noting is right and the same anymore, that my entire reality is way off, etc. It is not a feeling of depression. It is a hellish miserable mental state to be in. Making the best of this one and only life I have seems so trivial to me. Whether there is or is not life after death is an all consuming reality for me and is the absolute most vital thing on my mind that does not go away no matter how I try to just focus on this life I have anyway. This hellish mental state prevents me from living an enjoyable and meaningful life. You need to get off the internet and contact a doctor. Being on here is solving zero of your problems. I'm just enabling your avoidance of getting help by trying to help. So I'll leave you and let you get on with helping yourself. All the best. I will. Your worldview is something that makes all the difference in the world. It shapes your whole entire reality. It is not just some thought or philosophy. When I had my belief in the afterlife, I was living in the normal reality. Everything seemed completely normal. Now that I have this materialistic worldview, that has sent me into a different reality entirely. One that is the opposite of normal. I am living in an absolute hellish reality that seems dream-like, distorted, way off, horrible, etc. The notion that I will forever no longer exist is the absolute most horrible thing to me that I can't get off my mind. It consumes my whole entire reality and it is for this very reason why I will seek help and am not ignoring the advice given by others here.
Now I am looking to get help, but I would also like to talk some more here. I am not trying to waste time and complain. These are things on my mind I really wish to reason with and talk about. People would say to me that it is other things in life that are important. That I shouldn’t even be concerned with the idea that I will forever cease to exist one day since it was those other things and people in life who were important and not my own immortality and bliss.
But I don’t see it that way at all. Other things in life are nothing more than objects and situations. It is the person who is important here. It is a person’s longevity, happiness, and well being that is the #1 thing in life. The person is the #1 thing in life. I mean, if it weren’t for our very existence to begin with, then other things would just be nothing more than objects. It is our existence that brings all the joy, happiness, and meaning to things in life. So it is the person’s existence that is important. It is our own brains that allow us to give all the meaning and joy to life by giving us that conscious experience. So the person’s consciousness surviving after death and living forever in bliss is what is important.
It is, to me, utterly demeaning of a person’s importance in life to not be concerned by the idea that he/she will forever no longer exist when he/she dies. It is like saying that it doesn’t even matter that he/she is forever gone. Your legacy and memories can live on, but that doesn’t matter. The person is gone and that is the most horrible thing. Yes, you can be an important person in life through helping others and other things, but it is still the most horrible thing to me for a person to forever no longer exist. I can’t enjoy this life and find meaning since it will always be the most horrible thing to me that I will no longer exist. Now you might ask why is it so horrible that something or someone important to cease to exist.
If, for example, I had a trophy hanging up on my shelf and it was the absolute #1 thing to me in life and my life solely depended upon it, then that trophy must be there at all times. It must be there for all eternity. For that trophy to no longer exist anymore would be the most horrible thing since it was something of such importance. So in that same sense, I am also very important and it is the most horrible thing to me that I will forever cease to exist.
I could focus on others and help them out since they are also important. But I’m not sure that will change my life either since I still see myself just as important as anyone else. As long as I see myself as important, then I will always be horrified and miserable about this idea that I will forever no longer exist. To say to anyone that they will forever cease to exist when they die is completely demeaning of an individual’s importance in life. It demeans everything about them. It may be the truth, but I find this very truth completely demeaning of any innocent person.
It is no different than telling them that all they are is this. Nothing more than some biology that will live and forever die one day. Just something here like bacteria that survive, reproduce, and just die out. That to me is not only the most horrible thing for a person such as myself to believe in, but it is also completely demeaning as well.
I am glad you are getting help and that is one example in which the person’s existence is important in the here and now. As for one’s eventual death, there isn’t much you can do about it, except take care of your health (both mental and physical), enjoy your family, as well as life, and live in the here and now, instead of worrying about what happens after you die. There are many things to enjoy in life, instead of constantly worrying about death and I think a good therapist, as well as well some of the ex-religious groups I mentioned, can help you with that.