The Miracle of Death

[afghooey]

How do you feel when you think of death? What does the word, the symbol, mean to you?

For years, when I thought of death, I felt fear. Fear of the unknown, yes, but even more so the fear of not existing. Fear that my reality, my life, my memories, would someday disappear and be forgotten. I was afraid of becoming nothing. Sometimes it was just a feeling of unease lingering in the back of my mind, a queasy feeling in my stomach. At others, it was overwhelming terror. But it was constantly there, a demon haunting me that seemed impossible to escape.

This demon I struggled with. I tried to find solace with god, I prayed that Jesus would save my soul, but faith seemed no match for this perceived abyss. It was always around the corner, waiting like some silent wraith for me to make some fatal mistake. It would steal into my thoughts at night, keeping me awake. I was a slave to this concept of death, to my fear.

Finally, I began to push these thoughts aside. I realized that they were only making me miserable, so even though I had found no real solution to my dilemma, I did my best to ignore them, to drown them with drugs and alcohol, to do whatever I could to suppress them. For a while, it worked.

But my perceptions were changing. The drugs I had once sought as an escape were now helping to alter my view of the things around me. I began to question reality, as most everyone does during adolescence. By the time I hit legal adulthood, I was looking at things very differently. I still feared death, the demon was not quick to relinquish its control. But I had begun to appreciate life in ways that I never had before. I began to see beauty in things I used to think of as unremarkable, to fight against the feelings of despair and apathy that had dominated much of my young life.

Not long ago, I began experimenting with certain psychoactive substances that continued to offer me shifts in perspective. My views changed even more drastically. The process of re-evaluation that I had started in adolescence intensified, and still continues, ever more persistently. Now I find symbols and definitions of the world around me crumbling more and more, giving way to the reality that they were initially meant to represent. I find myself breaking agreements I once made with myself about the nature of the universe. I see dualities coalescing into one -- light and dark. Something and nothing. Life and death.

All at once, I find that I was never fighting a demon at all, but myself. I had looked too long and hard at the symbols and words, until I imagined that they had some deeper significance than they were meant to. I realize that this nothingness that I had feared is no more than one of these symbols, because once I stopped looking at it and looked past it instead, I found that it never existed to begin with except in my mind.

With this change in perspective my feelings regarding death are shifting from fear, to love. My fear of death is not only fading, but being replaced by an incredible sense of reverence and appreciation, one that reflects my growing love and appreciation for life. Death isn't just the price we have to pay for living. It is just as much of a gift as life, because without death there would be no place for change and rebirth.

If life is a miracle, then I think death must be as well, for I feel they are one and the same.

:upsidedow :upsidedow :upsidedow :upsidedow :upsidedow :upsidedow :upsidedow :upsidedow :upsidedow :upsidedow

afghooey Reviewed by afghooey on 01-28-2007. The Miracle of Death How do you feel when you think of death? What does the word, the symbol, mean to you? For years, when I thought of death, I felt fear. Fear of the unknown, yes, but even more so the fear of not existing. Fear that my reality, my life, my memories, would someday disappear and be forgotten. I was afraid of becoming nothing. Sometimes it was just a feeling of unease lingering in the back of my mind, a queasy feeling in my stomach. At others, it was overwhelming terror. But it was Rating: 5

[2600HERTZ]

I think the word death to be pretty powerful. For me in the same light as Life and Love.......These words hold a lot of weight.

[Stoner Shadow Wolf]

there is no death. all which is, is life.


when the body dies, the mind lives on. and the mind is the true self, the energy that is YOU, and energy cannot be destroyed or created, only altered, changed, and molded into different states of being, different parts of LIFE.


death is but an ingenious illusion.

it means nothing to me.

[orange floyd]

there is no death. all which is, is life.


when the body dies, the mind lives on. and the mind is the true self, the energy that is YOU, and energy cannot be destroyed or created, only altered, changed, and molded into different states of being, different parts of LIFE.


death is but an ingenious illusion.

it means nothing to me.

right on man. i agree completely

[Stoner Shadow Wolf]

LMAO i love your screen name!

[JunkYard]

Nice outlook, afghooey! Now, if I could only get past my fear of dying, lol. I do agree, tho. If life is a miracle then so must be death. I've always known that it was/is inevitable, but like you said in your opening, I can't bear the thought of nothingness. I haven't a clue as to what comes after, but like shadow suggested, energy doesn't just cease to be, so I'm certain we move onward into something else, if not to be reborn into the same world we leave.

I don't believe in heaven or hell, but reincarnation seems sensible to me for some reason. The thought of nothingness is far too heavy to become a valid view for me, so I'll choose a rebirth instead. I guess I'll find out when the time comes, eh? :thumbsup:


Love & peace!


Junk~

[Stoner Shadow Wolf]

ever seen what dreams may come?


basis. when we die, what we want, or think we deserve, is what we get.

some of it very well may be subconscious, such as the suicidals' sea of faces, as punishment to the self for taking your own life.

if you fear it is the wrong thing to do, you will punish yourself in your afterlife.


we all have personal private afterlives, as well as "open lobbies" for everyone to mingle. the astral plane, ethereal, etc....

reincarnation is the most likely choice. you feel that you failed, and want another chance, or maybe you feel there is just one tiny difference you feel you need to make in the world, or maybe you simply didnt learn all your lessons and your spirit guide(s) suggest/s you go back.

[JunkYard]

Do you think we "create" our afterlives, then? That would suck! Mine would probably be filled with scary, lol! Even my dreams are tainted sometimes.. ..

How do you clear you mind of the mental webs that hinder the positive, man? Just curious about your thoughts on this. (Shadow)

Junk~

[Stoner Shadow Wolf]

the mind is in a maelstrom from the time you are born until the day that you die.... i believe it is the whole day, not just the moment thereafter.

but anyways, when you shed your physical body, your mind will be free from all blockades of ignorance and darkness, but only by choice, you can still continue to choose ignorant darkness even in the afterlife, but the option will be presented to you to free your mind from all restraints.


however, this might lead to the conclusion that you have more to do on earth, and reincarnate.


but once born, you become ignorant, trapped once again in darkness. all memories squelched from your mind, you are once again, a brand new soul.



until you die, then you remember everything.

we create our own afterlife, because the afterlife is nothing but our energy. when we die, we get full authority over our energies, and can use them to create a heaven, a hell, or a limbo, or anything else you feel you should create with your energy.



all energy is infinite in a sense. that a tiny amount of energy is all it takes to recreate this universe in your afterlife.

and you dont "spend" energy, you use it, mold it, change it to suit your needs.

[JunkYard]

Why would anyone create a hell, tho? If we are in control in the after, then why would anyone choose anything but the good stuff? I can see coming back in attempt to make change in the world, but creating hell when we are in control seems umimaginable.