Question for you old timers

So I was thinking about life and death more recently and I wonder what your take on what all this is from you have been around the longest.
Is life just a dream? When we die do we wake up? And what about people who die by "accident" or before their time?
Maybe this should be in philosophy but I wanted to hear more from the older crowd. I'll be glad to explain my question more if you want I just dont want to limit your answers, go deep. I have an open mind right now.

 

any attempt to answer any of those questions would be and is mostly a matter of speculation. we know there is more then what we know. if we are honest with ourselves we admit that we don't know it.

i can go on at great length about what i have felt of course. anyone probably can if they think about it. how much good this would do you i don't know either.

you mention not limiting our answers. i think that's where your answer lies.
in not limiting your own answers to yourself.

what are the limits of what is not known?
if it is not known, how can there be ANY?

=^^=
.../\...

 

in other words i know just as much now as i'm ever going to know?

 

When you die, the veil that kept certain knowledge from you is lifted..then there is perfect understanding,and memories of a before life, and the life you just left are revealed, then you go on to your next life and continue learning.

 

these are among the nice things i like the idea of believing.
they are very real good possibilities.
i don't really KNOW any of them.
i don't KNOW if anyone else does either.

i'm inclined to think they are quite probable.

=^^=
.../\...

 

this is one very real possibility.
others exist, but it is very deffinately one OF them.

=^^=
.../\...

 

So far in my 57 years here; I have lost 7 loving family members and/or friends-It hurts to lose them for sure; but I cannot stop living- The nature of the human spirit is survival-It is hardwired into us to continue as a species-A fantastic design-I have become much more spiritual then I was at your age as I have seen alot more miracles happen since then-and they happen all the time-I watched the birth of my daughter at home 30 years ago-I was drinking alot and playing in a rag tag rock band in the bay area-When I saw that birth I was amazed and completely blown away-I actually cut the cord=I almost fainted-it sobered me up and opened my eyes-That was a Godshot and a an eye opener-never take life for granted-It is a gift we are given-enjoy the day and don't plan ahead for your death-it will be here soon enough-

 

hi
not real sure i,m up to answering but??
rob very glad you had a "turning point" I was birth coach andcut cord also and giving that kid anything I may have missed is what keeps me going, true peace.
trying not to get into the whole right/wrong end of different religions is tough.
I am in very trying times at present with just these q,s on the table with my wife
of many yrs.
not a yeah or ney side to things but I personnally do not see how someone is justified in their behaviour I.E. going to church all the time andtaking valuable family time away from things that need attended to ,"life"witha home and a kid and family.
oops I said I would try. but no matter what it is if it is taking that one thing we have and need ,,TIME, it can,t be justified and if it is chronic it is no different than any other problem that can come up in life like gambling. alcohol, drug abuse, sex, or just hangin to much with our buddies if it is chronic it is wrong . sorry but can,t say one without the other.
do I think we have a soul is essentially the ? here. wished I did know they would have statues of me everywhere and be fighting wars to prove I was right.
me personnally no I do not believe this for basic reasons mainly because of history why are,nt all the others right also ? there have been some huge great religions that ruled most of the population that no longer exist mainly based on another idea came along and those believers (soldiers) conquered the others.
I feel we are much simplier than we are willing to believe and pretty basic folks (idiots) just a step in the food chain , and when we have been placed in situations where we did not have any idea what happened or was happening we have used our religions to explain it whether it was drought ,famine, earthquakes, there are still some folks that believe there gods in those volcanoes,.
if we really study our religious history we will find the powertfull religion of the time has done some serious conquering to convince people of it and still is doing it .
I do not condemn these folks outright just because of a different thought and our basic morals all stem from these religions without these morals we are even a step lower in the food chain and we need something as a base to be ourselves even the hardcore athesists of the world that are,nt murderers and heathens probably took some of it as a backbone.
I have a saying that is often repeated on another website that I typed out after my dad died and I was just sitting "life is short paint it pink" my house is pink and purple I will try to post a pic.
I also have witnessed death many times and been to way to many funerals and my dads ashes are on my wall . did I change or get closer to the truth ??????
I do not think so, am I different than all the fanatics of the world ???
I do not think so . better, surely not ,worse, surely not.
please read a post I made when asked what I would tell myself at 18.

I do know for fact that all the meetings,groups, therepy, friends ,money all of it will no be able to tell you anything long term until you are able to be yourself and make some sort of peace with yourself that means you are not hiding anything and to accept change as it comes .
oops rambled a little ,neves are shot and need alittle sleep. p.s that search for the meaning of life is what makes you a "philosphor" and not some nutty poet.
peace true peace is simple Rick

 

iT IS A GOOD DAY TO DIE - AS LONG AS YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT HOW YOU'RE LIVING

 

^yup^

all i can hope for is that i don't take my last breath pondering regret.

 

sez who?

 

i'm sorry. i think i accidently reported this as a bad post. i honestly didnt mean to. the mouse slipped.

 

I've always thought that people who wonder about life and death are people who are not involved enough in living. People live and people die. I will try and spend my life learning as much as I can about being alive, and the very last thing I will learn is how to die, no matter how it happens. I can wait. Meanwhile....!

 

As an aside, no one knows ANYTHING about death, period! No amount of poetic writing will prove otherwise. After reading some of these forums, some people are a bit blank about living too! Not saying that to be mean, but an individual view on how life is actually being spent by some people, and that's the one thing more people need to concern themselves with, how to improve the lives they already have. Why are they concerning themselves about something absolutely no one has any idea about? I loosely compare how people conduct their lives with how they conduct their communities. Unfortunately, many communities will look to pouring money and energy into increasing the size of their influence, building new areas of interest, while letting the older areas fall into disrepair and neglect. Quantity, not quality is the driving force (and yes, it's economically driven). But there is also a need (and profit) in maintaining, even improving the existing. Loosely translating this to people, people worry about death when they should concern themselves with improving what is already right in front of them, and it is really needed! But how many people have accepted mediocrity and stagnation in their living habits, education, etc? Philosophying about death is a young persons folly and an old persons fear. Get on with life!

 

hi
thanks
Loosely translating this to people, people worry about death when they should concern themselves with improving what is already right in front of them, and it is really needed! But how many people have accepted mediocrity and stagnation in their living habits, education, etc?

this is my very argrument with my wife and the churches , in that by donating so much time energy ,money, to "the cause" and trying to be so watchfull of what you are doing and not doing to make sure you are redeemed in "the end" you lost and lose a lot in the present and in some cases can not afford to .
if I bring home paper work saying I am from this day forward donating 25% of my income to a casino, or freds(a liquor store) or i just decide to use it for garage sales
or this yr I,m spending all this money on concert tickets SRS, child wefare any good divorce lawyer would probably take my kid or send me to parenting classes BUT
if I give in the name of "---" all is fine and i,m a upstanding citizen ????
huh. if I say i,m DEMONIC and worshipping there they will really flip a lid
huh ???
not to rant at all but this is truly a big issue with me .
I see the peace is in finding the peace at present also . "paint it pink" Rick

 

Rick - Excellent points. I was going to include the faith aspect in what I wrote, but that requires a more complex list of assumptions that have to be made clear before diving in. I try to sum it all up with the observation that 'you don't have to be a christian to do christian things' (you can substitute any other faith, order, cult or belief in the place of 'christian' for that saying). Our human side is very much capable of conceptualizing any aspect of organized religious dogma without including the mechanics of a structured organizational (religious, faith based) order. Faith wasn't invented by a church, just defined by it. And a lot of the definitions, unfortunately, tend to be human driven and not of a intangable spitual nature. One very human trait that is exploited by every religion I'm aware of is the fear of death. The very same species that created insurance companies and casinos have also given us 'the hereafter'. Convenient. But the 'pot' they convince you to wager on is your 'eternal soul'. To hedge that bet you can increase your odds by..and the list is long and ALWAYS includes mammon! I think I'm agreeing with you in that I am saying we are good people based on the lives we lead, not by the faith we serve. And the life we lead is a result of empirical AND a priori influences that are not always meant to be understood, but to be acted on and hopefully evolved. Like I said, there are a lot of assumptions that go along with this, but the general idea lies within. Buy your way into heaven? Well, a fool and his money...! Death is not to be feared or wagered against. It is an eventuallity that has no rules, no timetable, no promises. So it is best just ignored until it happens. Live for today, plan for tomorrow. Be good to each other, tolerant to those who struggle, firm with those who provoke. I will mention this one assumption, tho! Taking care of your body, bar none, is the best hedge towards putting off some deaths. A long life to you!

 

"I've always thought that people who wonder about life and death are people who are not involved enough in living. People live and people die. I will try and spend my life learning as much as I can about being alive, and the very last thing I will learn is how to die, no matter how it happens. I can wait. Meanwhile....!"


Great post! I noticed that around the time I turned 35 years old, I suddenly became obsessed with the, "what happens after we die" question. I often wonder where it is that my Dad's spirit resides because I know for a fact that a wonderful man like him could never have been permanently snuffed out. Where are my grandparents, all the dogs and cats that I loved, and the many beloved friends who were snatched from me? It doesn't make any sense.

I realized that it's easy for me to believe in an after life because it comforts me, but if I'm completely honest, it's perfectly okay to believe that once we die, that's it. We become what we were before we were even born--non existent. We close our eyes and the blackness envelopes us.

If there is a heaven where we can go after we die--great. If not, I won't know any better because I'll be dead and won't really care. I think we need to spend our energy on the here and NOW, not on the possibility of life after death.

That's just my opinion

Take care,
Kimberly

 

Dying is a wild night and a new road

 

Yah - I tend to think in terms of existence rather than life and death.

And so much is where you focus you thoughts and energy - best be(a)ware - for me it's all an amazing wondrous adventure into going Beyond - even the Wholeness Changes.

Yee Hah !

 

might as well put my two cents in too ........to have the privilege of living you will also have the privilege of dying ..no one gets out of this life alive ..it's what you do in the meantime that counts .........i live my life for myself ..and to the fullest ..i don't believe in reincarnation so it's the only shot i get to get it right .....i come from a small village ..population 1500 ......so when someone dies ,the odds are that i knew them very well ........on top of being the local gravedigger .......last year i buried 35 people and only one of those i didn't know ....an american who had his body shipped here for a burial in his native village.........you grieve for these people and their family but you also realize that their journey on earth has ended and life goes on ..........so many people chase their tails for the almighty dollar that they forget to live till it's too late ...when my time comes there should be no grieving cause i have made a wonderful journey through life so far and hopefully i hope to be able to continue my journey for a long time ...and i do agree with the other posts about being present at the birth of someone ..i was present for the birth of my three sons and that is something i will cherish forever ..call me sentimental if you wish but to me that was the most beautiful experience so far on this trip called LIFE