How do you cope with the concept of death
It’s been bothering me nonstop. For those who don’t believe in an “afterlife”, how do you cope with the idea that everything will one day cease to exist?
I went through a midlife crisis of sorts where the idea of aging and dying was on my mind for months. It’s possible that you’re processing this at the moment and you will move onto something else soon. What helped me was living life more fully and preparing for my future. As far as when things truly end, I figure it’ll be like those dreams we don’t remember. There was simply nothing and that’s okay with me.
I’m glad that you’ve accepted it. It’s still pretty difficult for me to accept this as inevitable, and the possibility of losing everything I love—even the concept of love and life, brings me so much despair. I don’t want someone else to ever feel the way I’m feeling right now, but the only way I could think of to maybe release this is to vent about it here
Scientists say that even the universe has an expiration date. And I can’t argue with scientists because only they have, and understand, the data. In my heart, I yearn to believe that our essence will last forever, but I also want to be able to be comfortable with the idea that it won’t, so I won’t spend my life dwelling on it. How were you able to just accept it?
coping with this now. some moments hit much harder than others. the slightest unlikely thing can become a trigger.
I just thought of something that, for some reason, actually comforts me.. “wherever you go, you’ll be at peace and at rest”. That’s the conclusion I’ve come to. The most positive mantra I could find. That no matter what happens, I’ll be at peace and at rest. I don’t need to worry about the now or the future, because everything happens organically. I’ve spent a month dissecting what happens—all the negative and wishful hypotheses, and I was searching for something—anything—that could help me accept whatever happens, and I couldn’t find it in any quote or theory. But I remember what my friend said, that life is so long, that she can achieve everything she wants to achieve within 20 years, and then she doesn’t know what else to do with it. I didn’t want to believe that everything has to have an end, even though that makes sense. There could always be a concept beyond our understanding that allows our essence to go on infinitely, but of course, the idea that it doesn’t still lingers, and no matter what kind of wishful thinking I’ll come up with, I can’t erase that fact. But just now I thought of a phrase that has actually turned everything I’ve been fearful of, to something positive—that whatever happens, I’ll be at peace and at rest.
