Venting Fear of "Nothingness"

[AveryConure]

It doesn't sound dumb to fear nothingness. I was in that same place only eight months ago before the pain got worse. I personally believe that as a rule of thumb, your physical/emotional pain has to reach a point of suffering that overrides any fear, including one of nonexistence.

I would also ask yourself why the thought of you not existing anymore is really all that scary. After all, all of us are going to die one day and we will be forgotten in time. Once you're actually dead, you will feel no pain, you'll feel no fear… In fact, it's quite easy to be dead because you'll feel nothing at all. Really what you're likely fearing are the last moments that you have before your actual death.

Survival instinct is a complicated and difficult thing to battle before you finally end your life. I know this type of talk is discouraged here, but sometimes there are deeper reasons why you may not be ready to stop existing. Yes, the instinct to survive is undoubtedly biologically built into us. There's also some percentage of chance that perhaps some part of you is not really ready yet to stop existing because there is something that you havent addressed or fulfilled yet and some part of you still wants that resolution. That would be perfectly fine too.

Part of what help me overcome the fear of nonexistence is understanding that death is very mundane and as humans we have a tendency to over estimate the value of our individual lives. There are 7 billion of us existing on this planet attempting to survive a fleeting existence in a world that happens to be inhabitable. You will die one day. Everyone will. Everyone of us on this form is going to stop existing one day. And once you can finally accept that, you will be at a big step closer to overcoming your fear.

Thank you for your post. I'll definitely consider that.

 

[2 be or not]

If you are a western materialist and equate your ego with everything that exists then the fear of "nothingness" seems reasonable. However if you follow the eastern thought of universal consciousness, your consciousness is a small, seemingly insignificant, part of a universal whole.

"Nothingness" has never been scientifically proven or observed in nature. Even the vacuum of space isn't a perfect vacuum. It makes more sense to say you fear the "unknown" with respect to your death.

 

[2 be or not]

Fear of "Nothingness"

I am no philosopher but I think it might be helpful to contemplate your position on the philosophical viewpoits of idealism vs. materialism:

https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-idealism-and-vs-materialism/

Are you an idealist or materialist?

 

[CuriousAboutThis]

I've been slowly preparing for the realization that I'm going to die soon. I've been half-assing it at my job cause I'm only collecting some money I can hoard until I finally commit suicide, and for some reason the only thing that's holding me back anymore is not the pain or etc. that comes with it (because at least the last few times I practiced with partial I didn't really feel any pain or just dissociated long enough to not feel anything), but it's just...as dumb as it sounds, the fact that once I'm gone, there's nothing. Just darkness. Even if I was religious, I would rather burn in Hell than experience eternal nothingness, cause I guess at least Hell is "something".

Though as many others have said, even if not by suicide, we're all going to die soon, so I'm only delaying the inevitable, just I'm obviously not enjoying living and know things aren't going to get a whole lot better for me, socially and economically. I'm just wondering if there's a mental exercise I can use to ease myself into letting the inevitable happen. I honestly just want to get it over with and am even planning on cutting off my relationships just to prevent interference and etc. Just thinking of how I will suddenly no longer be aware of anything or feel is just terrifying to me, as dumb as it sounds.

Personally, I rather not exist than go to "hell" and even if God does exist I rather have Him, Her, It or they take me out of the equation and I think God(s) already know whether they forgive my sins or not just don't send me to heaven or hell or whatever afterlife just leave me with this one life and let me cease to exist sure I would rather go to heaven but honestly for I don't think I deserve an afterlife.

 

[CuriousAboutThis]

I'm sorry to hear that. There's nothing like a long and dreamless sleep, it's so peaceful. I get where you're coming from though but that's just my way of handling the existential dread when confronting death. The pain no matter what I just cannot accept nor do I look forward to but if we are to accept death at face value then atleast look on the bright side you won't feel no more pain ever again which for me imo is the only thing I could think of if I were to die an agonizing death.

In truth I like how worded you view on such things for there are different ways to die sure dying in my sleep would be nice.

 

[Smilla]

If you are a western materialist and equate your ego with everything that exists then the fear of "nothingness" seems reasonable. However if you follow the eastern thought of universal consciousness, your consciousness is a small, seemingly insignificant, part of a universal whole.

"Nothingness" has never been scientifically proven or observed in nature. Even the vacuum of space isn't a perfect vacuum. It makes more sense to say you fear the "unknown" with respect to your death.

This is an interesting perspective and one I hadn't heard before. Thanks for this.

 

[CuriousAboutThis]

This is an interesting perspective and one I hadn't heard before. Thanks for this.

Making everything seem whole again that is why I like something about philosophical or eastern religions more or less instead of religions about self deserving damnation.

 

[2 be or not]

This is an interesting perspective and one I hadn't heard before. Thanks for this.

Thank you. To put it another way in my own words, "Is matter or consciousness fundamental?"

The materialist would say matter is fundamental; consciousness emerges from matter. The idealist would say consciousness is fundamental; matter emerges from a consciousness of which we and all that exist are a part.

I don't buy into the Abrahamic schools of thought on universal consciousness or God, they are too divisive and warring for my taste to believe they are from a peaceful and loving God. I prefer an eastern view of universal consciousness without the rigidity of the belief in reincarnation into lower life forms as a form of punishment. We really don't know for sure what is next. Wherever we look, as far as the intergalactic cosmos or down to the quantum level, we see something; nothing seems an impossibility from everything we can and have scientifically observed.