I agree that while one may have no fear when contemplating the logic that death is inevitable, that it may well prove different when the time comes to test the theory from the personal perspective.
Why are people afraid of dying?
- Thread starter geekzilla
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I agree that while one may have no fear when contemplating the logic that death is inevitable, that it may well prove different when the time comes to test the theory from the personal perspective.
That would depend on what preparations one has taken.
In some cultures, the moment of death is considered of crucial importance, and people spend their whole life preparing for it.
Enmos
Valued Senior Member
And a very healthy response at that.
Being prepared for death is one thing. Not doing your best to avoid it is another.
Enmos
Valued Senior Member
I hope you were smiling when you said that.
I'm afraid not, I was being dead-serious..
I find it interesting that the will to live is such a driving force, even when we logically can observe that life, as far as the individual is concerned, is a one way path to a 'dead end'. :bugeye:
From that observation, I would hypothesize that the will to live is an inherent force that has little to do with our thought processes in regard to logic.
To embrace the potential struggle that is life is not logical otherwise, IMO.
kx000
Valued Senior Member
Wrong answer. Staying calm in this situation will give a far greater chance of survival. The tiger will react to the idiots running around like headless chickens. Fear is not a necessary emotion. Yes, I fear getting mauled by a tiger, but I won't let it show.
kx000
Valued Senior Member
The other night at a party 5 hispanic gang members enter. How do I know they were gang members? because they were hispanic. Thats racist. Really, because one had a identical scar under each eye lid, meaning he was a jail house snitch, and I could tell they were looking for a fight as they entered a party. Anyways, 3 of them were slapping my friends ass. What do I do? I contemplate the situation. There are 5 of them, and one of me. I have a dilemma. I can't fight 5 gang members, but at the same time I can't let them treat this girl like this. So I look the head dude in the eye and tell him stop slapping my friends ass, and say if you want to talk to her go ahead, but don't slap her in the ass again. Then what do I do? I say, "Tori, lets go time to go," and I slap her in the ass. I remained calm, I showed I wasn't afraid by looking him in the eye, and also showed that im not a punk. I had to fear for my life because I didn't know what these guys were packing, but I could tell what they were capable of, but being afraid is no reason to act in such a manner. I got out of the house with all my limbs in tact.
I'm not sure survival instinct and fear are the same thing. I'm not scared of something I can't prevent, but I'd still like to live as long as possible!
I dunno about totally assuming those guys are gang members. Probably, though, yeah...gangbangers regardless of race all start to act like each other...not a population as a whole so much at their close gangmates...they move and gesture and talk and dress just so, and it gets really obvious.
Either way, I know trouble when it walks in the room, apparently you do too.
You got yourself and your friend out of a nasty situation. Good job.
Enmos
Valued Senior Member
Agreed, the will to live is just an instinctive force within us. There is little we can do to counter it.scheherazade said:
Although, our thought processes (read rationality and intelligence) can also help us a great deal with regard to survival. They can also work against us however.
Tigers go for the easy picking. It might get excited because of all the running and screaming people but it will go for the one that appears less able to flee.
Fear is a very important component of survival instinct. People that have no fear will die young.
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It is a component, and it's true many would die young and the chances for this are increased, but fearlessness is not the same as recklessness. Whilst you could not be afraid of an action without awareness of the consequences, you can be aware of the consequences, without being afraid.
In my opinion it is not always those without fear that die young, but those without sense.
It also does not necessarily mean fear is still present amongst all that survive.
People in richer countries are less afraid of dying now than they used to be.
Without painkillers, death must have been a frightening thing to watch, and to anticipate.
Old people are not usually afraid of physical extinction, they are usually more worried about their surviving relatives.
Without painkillers, death must have been a frightening thing to watch, and to anticipate.
Old people are not usually afraid of physical extinction, they are usually more worried about their surviving relatives.
Death is inevitable to all, we put up with the conditioning of it's arrival through knowing people or having loved ones that die over time. Death itself to my knowledge doesn't have to exist, it only does so because of Human Conditioning and because we are slaves to tradition.
If there was no death, what purpose would any Religion serve?
Of course the absence of death would express why there are so many stars in the sky, after all if no one died, it would get awfully crowded here on this bluey-green rock, we'd obviously have to look at some way of dealing with over population which would likely involve populating elsewhere in the universe.
In essence though death is an abstract, since everybody that has properly died has never come back with the necessary corrections to make it anything else.
From the moment of our first breath, we are slowly dieing. In some respects it's similar to portion of Schroedingers Cat in the sense that we aren't "Alive" unless we are in a pendulum state of dieing, so should you fear what's around the next bend, I wouldn't it would likely just drive you into madness, constantly guessing what unknown's are in-store for you.
If there was no death, what purpose would any Religion serve?
Of course the absence of death would express why there are so many stars in the sky, after all if no one died, it would get awfully crowded here on this bluey-green rock, we'd obviously have to look at some way of dealing with over population which would likely involve populating elsewhere in the universe.
In essence though death is an abstract, since everybody that has properly died has never come back with the necessary corrections to make it anything else.
From the moment of our first breath, we are slowly dieing. In some respects it's similar to portion of Schroedingers Cat in the sense that we aren't "Alive" unless we are in a pendulum state of dieing, so should you fear what's around the next bend, I wouldn't it would likely just drive you into madness, constantly guessing what unknown's are in-store for you.
Enmos
Valued Senior Member
Absolute fearlessness is not the same as recklessness because while being reckless one usually knows that ones life is at risk. Being reckless also does not rule out being afraid.
Fearlessness, though, is a trait that is very heavily selected against by nature. So much so, that I don't think real (absolute) fearlessness even exists.
Anyone that claims to be fearless hasn't really had a chance to be fearful yet. Either that or there is something horribly wrong with them.
I contest that
I can't disagree with that, but then there is not a whole lot of difference between the two in this contextIn my opinion it is not always those without fear that die young, but those without sense.
Well, there's always such a thing as chance I guess
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They say a hero is someone who is afraid, but acts as though they were not afraid. The person without fear is a fool.
Can't remember who said it.
Probably heard it in a John Wayne film.
Or it could have been Hoss in Bonanza.
Anyway, it's true.
Can't remember who said it.
Probably heard it in a John Wayne film.
Or it could have been Hoss in Bonanza.
Anyway, it's true.
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Bravery is not an absence of fear. It is the ability to function, despite having full awareness of your fear. Fear is a useful tool in assessment and decision making if one learns how to use it appropriately, IMO.
Maybe it's not always a fear of death. Sometimes it can be a fear of not dying. An example of this would be coming out of an accident and finding out you are now a quadriplegic cripple for the rest of your life. Give me death over that anytime.