Is death actually natural?

darkcanyon10 said:

I'm digging this. 😁

And for me, 😬 respect! 👍

I agree that fear is a real thing, which makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint... I don't want to steer the conversation too far in that direction, but I do believe that true Catholics feel much less burdened by it. For those who truly live out their faith, death isn't an end, but rather a beginning... I’ve had many opportunities to witness people's reactions right before they pass, seeing life fade away firsthand. To me, it all seems perfectly natural. From the moment we are born, we are moving closer to that moment every single day. How someone chooses to face it really comes down to their own convictions, or perhaps even their conscience... Thank God.

John Martin18 said:I agree that fear is a real thing, which makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint... I don't want to steer the conversation too far in that direction, but I do believe that true Catholics feel much less burdened by it. For those who truly live out their faith, death isn't an end, but rather a beginning... I’ve had many opportunities to witness people's reactions right before they pass, seeing life fade away firsthand. To me, it all seems perfectly natural. From the moment we are born, we are moving closer to that moment every single day. How someone chooses to face it really comes down to their own convictions, or perhaps even their conscience... Thank God.

It strikes me that you might be rooting for your own "home team" here👋... well... Catholics certainly seem to be the heavyweights in the religious championships🙄

From my perspective... the religions I am familiar with—and what they "interpret" as (if I may use that word instead of "convince")—tend to idealize death. It is presented almost as a sort of "reward for faith"... dying as a believer to secure a spot in eternal paradise... though, I suppose, let us pause there for a moment... 😬

It is quite curious how every one of these gods seems to "love" only their own followers... and by some miracle, these "chosen" people always seem to live comfortably without being worked to death🤔

I don't particularly wish to dwell on this further, as it feels like a rabbit hole with no bottom... ☕

Look, if we’re talking about the literal definition of "natural," I don't see how death—or the cessation of biological functions, if you want to get technical—could be anything else. It’s natural. Period. Even those "unnatural" ways people pass away? At the end of the day, that’s just matter and energy interacting in a specific way, which is still entirely within the realm of physics. Death is just a process involving natural things, like organisms. Organs stop working, systems shut down, and that's that. Nothing in this entire universe is permanent; eventually, everything is going to vanish.

We’ve all got this hardwired survival instinct baked into our DNA. It’s pure instinct. When you’re staring down a life-or-death situation, panic is going to hit, and there isn't much you can do about it in the moment. You can't just switch that fear off entirely, but I guess you can try to manage it somehow. Seeing a therapist would probably be a good move.

The fear of death is really at the core of every single phobia out there. Honestly, fearing death is just human nature... it’s completely rational if you think about it.
So, my own fear hits a little harder because of how I process things.
I’ve been reading up on all kinds of different phobias, and some of them just make zero sense to me.
But... if I have a phobia rooted in the ultimate fear, it totally explains why I’m so overly cautious about everything I do, constantly avoiding anything that feels risky—like, I don't know, just going for a swim... though I'm not going to let myself be paralyzed by it... I’ll definitely raise my voice at other people, though, if they're being reckless, like running a red light or riding a bike right in the middle of the street.😂

My fear basically stems from the way my brain works when I look at what's right in front of me...
My mom once told me; there are people who see a cat hit by a car on the road
and they just think, "oh, a dead cat," and keep walking...
then there’s someone else who thinks
"God, look at how people drive!" and they actually stop to pull the cat off the road.
Some people don't even give the cat a second thought.
...
and then there are those who think, "poor little thing," and get genuinely heartbroken over it.
And that’s me—plus, I start analyzing exactly what happened to that cat, playing the whole scene on a loop in my head, getting flooded with all these emotions, and one of the biggest ones is fear.

Death both fascinates and terrifies me.
Someone sees a dead person...
and that's it, they move on...
but me...
"How was this person alive just a moment ago and now they're gone?"
Just look at their eyes... they're so empty... totally devoid of soul or life...
What if they suddenly snap back to life right now and scare the life out of me?
Look at them... we're all just humans... just bodies... why do we love corpses and worry about them and feel so much emotion for them... as if any of that matters to them now?
Jesus... that stare... and look at how bruised and broken the hands and feet look... they were walking around just yesterday...
How can someone just vanish forever like that? I don't feel like I could ever truly vanish... it feels impossible... I just can't wrap my head around it...
What if there isn't an afterlife...
And what if there isn't even a God...
This dead body used to be a person... which means every single one of you is currently just a corpse in waiting.
How do all the organs inside just... stop... I can't believe it... I really can't...
Will it be like that for me too?
Oh man.... what happens when my day finally comes?
And it will come... what will I be thinking in that exact moment? Will I be absolutely terrified?
What was he thinking... and that vacant stare... maybe his brain is still functioning... because death isn't always instant... maybe he can still perceive things and hear... maybe he can see us rushing past... maybe he's terrified and trying to scream that he's still alive, but he just can't move...
How am I ever going to get this image out of my head!?!?
What if he passed away and his soul is just hovering in space in a total panic...
What if he can see me and everyone else, but not through his eyes...
What if he's watching me right now... brrrr...
What if he comes into my room... and at midnight, he's standing there looking for someone to talk to... I remember my wife telling me how her grandmother's spirit used to move things around the house in front of the whole family... (now I'm remembering every spooky story I've ever heard or seen) I'm just deep-diving into this, comparing every data point in my head with every assumption, every image I've seen or imagined...
Emotionally, I'm trying to bridge the gap between what I know and what I've witnessed to reach some kind of conclusion...
When I'm flooded with all these feelings after an analysis like that, it's so hard to shut my brain off, and every single emotion just intensifies... in this case, fear turns into a phobia. Anxiety turns into obsession. Sadness turns into despair....

It's a mental loop that I just don't know how to stop...
That's just how I think about everything. In other areas of life, that kind of brain tends to bring out the best in every moment... but in other cases, it brings out the absolute worst.

I'm the type of person who can sit on a park bench, staring at nature, and just obsessively analyze everything I see... comparing, observing, and whatnot... looking at a mountain in front of me, I try to reconstruct how it formed, fascinated by its massive scale compared to mine, yet realizing how tiny it would look if I were viewing it from the moon... where my own size would finally be greater than a microbe.
I try to really step into people's shoes whenever I meet them... just trying to feel their pain, their fears, or even their joy as if it were my own...
Like, I actually tried to tap into the fear of someone who has a phobia of books, haha, because it just felt so illogical to me...

I guess what I’m saying is that my fear starts and ends entirely within how I perceive everything around me...
And if I want to heal, I'd have to change the way I look at this world I admire so much—I get so easily fascinated because I'm always searching for a deeper sense of purpose in everything...

A psychiatrist... I mean, obviously, I’d love to go...
But honestly, I just don't see how they can actually help me...

haha, here we go again... this latest article has me spiraling into another deep dive that I won't be able to stop until I hit some kind of epiphany...
The first big questions and impressions popping into my head right now are...

1. Could a person actually live forever if they just swapped out parts like you would with a classic car? Like, if they had access to perfectly fresh organs and healthy tissue indefinitely... even skin transplants... would death ever actually catch up to them?
2. And how can someone even feel okay knowing that their own heartbeat is fueled by someone else's passing...
Is the fight for survival really that intense...
And how can doctors justify giving someone that level of care when others are dropping dead from heart failure right in the middle of a transplant procedure... I guess money really does perform miracles.
To me, all of this just proves one thing...
It proves that while the body inevitably ages, the spirit and the mind stay timeless...

Plus, what would happen if you performed a brain transplant... would that person still be the same individual?
That would be the ultimate proof of the soul...
If a brain transplant caused a shift in personality—like, if the donor's persona somehow resurfaced...
Or would the patient fundamentally keep their own identity?

Now, a thousand different things I've read or heard about transplants are flooding my mind at once; I feel like I could write an entire book on it... and even though I'm not going to type out every single thought in this mental whirlwind right now, I know I'm going to be chewing on this for a long, long time...

shadowheron49 said:The fear of death is really at the core of every single phobia out there. Honestly, fearing death is just human nature... it’s completely rational if you think about it.
So, my own fear hits a little harder because of how I process things.
I’ve been reading up on all kinds of different phobias, and some of them just make zero sense to me.
But... if I have a phobia rooted in the ultimate fear, it totally explains why I’m so overly cautious about everything I do, constantly avoiding anything that feels risky—like, I don't know, just going for a swim... though I'm not going to let myself be paralyzed by it... I’ll definitely raise my voice at other people, though, if they're being reckless, like running a red light or riding a bike right in the middle of the street.😂

My fear basically stems from the way my brain works when I look at what's right in front of me...
My mom once told me; there are people who see a cat hit by a car on the road
and they just think, "oh, a dead cat," and keep walking...
then there’s someone else who thinks
"God, look at how people drive!" and they actually stop to pull the cat off the road.
Some people don't even give the cat a second thought.
...
and then there are those who think, "poor little thing," and get genuinely heartbroken over it.
And that’s me—plus, I start analyzing exactly what happened to that cat, playing the whole scene on a loop in my head, getting flooded with all these emotions, and one of the biggest ones is fear.

Death both fascinates and terrifies me.
Someone sees a dead person...
and that's it, they move on...
but me...
"How was this person alive just a moment ago and now they're gone?"
Just look at their eyes... they're so empty... totally devoid of soul or life...
What if they suddenly snap back to life right now and scare the life out of me?
Look at them... we're all just humans... just bodies... why do we love corpses and worry about them and feel so much emotion for them... as if any of that matters to them now?
Jesus... that stare... and look at how bruised and broken the hands and feet look... they were walking around just yesterday...
How can someone just vanish forever like that? I don't feel like I could ever truly vanish... it feels impossible... I just can't wrap my head around it...
What if there isn't an afterlife...
And what if there isn't even a God...
This dead body used to be a person... which means every single one of you is currently just a corpse in waiting.
How do all the organs inside just... stop... I can't believe it... I really can't...
Will it be like that for me too?
Oh man.... what happens when my day finally comes?
And it will come... what will I be thinking in that exact moment? Will I be absolutely terrified?
What was he thinking... and that vacant stare... maybe his brain is still functioning... because death isn't always instant... maybe he can still perceive things and hear... maybe he can see us rushing past... maybe he's terrified and trying to scream that he's still alive, but he just can't move...
How am I ever going to get this image out of my head!?!?
What if he passed away and his soul is just hovering in space in a total panic...
What if he can see me and everyone else, but not through his eyes...
What if he's watching me right now... brrrr...
What if he comes into my room... and at midnight, he's standing there looking for someone to talk to... I remember my wife telling me how her grandmother's spirit used to move things around the house in front of the whole family... (now I'm remembering every spooky story I've ever heard or seen) I'm just deep-diving into this, comparing every data point in my head with every assumption, every image I've seen or imagined...
Emotionally, I'm trying to bridge the gap between what I know and what I've witnessed to reach some kind of conclusion...
When I'm flooded with all these feelings after an analysis like that, it's so hard to shut my brain off, and every single emotion just intensifies... in this case, fear turns into a phobia. Anxiety turns into obsession. Sadness turns into despair....

It's a mental loop that I just don't know how to stop...
That's just how I think about everything. In other areas of life, that kind of brain tends to bring out the best in every moment... but in other cases, it brings out the absolute worst.

I'm the type of person who can sit on a park bench, staring at nature, and just obsessively analyze everything I see... comparing, observing, and whatnot... looking at a mountain in front of me, I try to reconstruct how it formed, fascinated by its massive scale compared to mine, yet realizing how tiny it would look if I were viewing it from the moon... where my own size would finally be greater than a microbe.
I try to really step into people's shoes whenever I meet them... just trying to feel their pain, their fears, or even their joy as if it were my own...
Like, I actually tried to tap into the fear of someone who has a phobia of books, haha, because it just felt so illogical to me...

I guess what I’m saying is that my fear starts and ends entirely within how I perceive everything around me...
And if I want to heal, I'd have to change the way I look at this world I admire so much—I get so easily fascinated because I'm always searching for a deeper sense of purpose in everything...

A psychiatrist... I mean, obviously, I’d love to go...
But honestly, I just don't see how they can actually help me...

It’s honestly wild how fragile we actually are. It really hits you sometimes. I was hanging out with this guy not even that long ago—just grabbing coffee, shooting the breeze, having actual conversations, you know? And then, out of nowhere, I find out he passed away. Just like that. One day he's right there, and the next, he's gone. I haven't seen him since. It's heavy stuff. 🤣

Well, shit happens—that’s just how the cookie crumbles, I guess.

Lawrence Bailey77

What if one of them actually comes back to life right now and I end up losing my mind from fear?

Honestly, it’s just irrational fear. I mean, let’s be real—once you’re dead, you’re dead. It’s over. It’s permanent. You’re basically just spending all this energy spiraling and manufacturing anxiety through pure imagination and overthinking, which is honestly just a waste of time.

Look at this guy... we’re all just humans, that's the bottom line. Just meat and bone. A physical shell. So why do we get so attached to these corpses? Why do we pour all this energy into loving them and worrying about them, acting like our emotions actually matter to a body that isn't even functioning anymore? It's wild when you really sit down and think about it.

Look, let me lay this out for you because I feel like we’re missing the forest for the trees here. Premise one: when you're alive, you aren't dead. It sounds like some deep, pseudo-intellectual nonsense, right? But if you actually sit down and chew on it for a second, it’s just basic logic—one thing is the literal negation of the other. You can't be both at once. It's a binary. It’s simple math, really. People love to overcomplicate things just to feel smart, but sometimes a straight line is just a straight line.
Premise 2: A corpse is just a dead body. Period.
Bottom line: Living people aren't corpses.

Look, I’m gonna have to disagree with you there. Honestly? Cemeteries and funerals are really more for the living than they are for the dead. It's an old saying, but it's true. We're just going through the motions to help ourselves cope with the loss.

How does someone just... vanish forever? Like, completely exit the stage? I honestly can't wrap my head around it. I don't feel like I'm ever going to just cease to exist... it feels fundamentally impossible. I just can't even begin to imagine it.

Look, shit happens. It’s really that simple. If you’re sitting there scratching your head wondering why I’m even bothering to say it, just go Google the phrase. It’ll explain everything.

Human consciousness is such a fragile damn thing. Seriously, losing consciousness can happen in the blink of an eye, no warning at all. I used to know this one person who was constantly on the verge of passing out—just prone to these sudden blackouts. I actually witnessed it once myself. It’s a trip, man. One second you’re looking at a conscious, living being right in front of you, and the next, you’re just staring at an unconscious body slumped on the floor. In that split second when they slip away, their entire mental life—their whole private universe—just evaporates into thin air. It's heavy stuff.

Look, I’m not trying to get in your head or freak you out here, but let's be real—I know you've got that tendency too. It’s like, at any given moment, you could just... vanish. You could just pull the plug, walk away from everything, and then, after a while, decide to just show up again like nothing happened. Honestly, if you think about it, that wouldn't even be that hard to wrap your brain around, right? So, tell me—how does that actually sit with you? Does the idea of just checking out and coming back later give you the creeps, or are you cool with it?

So, what if there actually isn't a second act? What if this—right here, right now—is just the whole show? I was sitting on my porch last night, staring up at the stars over Austin, just thinking about how much time we waste worrying about "what comes next" or trying to prep for some grand afterlife. We spend our entire lives acting like we’re just waiting in a lobby for the real party to start. But man, what if the lobby *is* the party? It’s a heavy thought, I know. It’s enough to make you want to go grab a drink and forget the existential dread for an hour. But if there's no sequel, then everything suddenly carries way more weight. Every mistake feels bigger, sure, but every good moment becomes absolute gold because it’s finite. You can't bank these experiences for later. There's no celestial savings account. If this is it, then why are we all playing it so safe? Why are we so terrified of making a mess of things? If there's no redo, then maybe the point isn't to be perfect; maybe the point is just to be present before the lights go out. It’s a bit terrifying, honestly, but also kind of liberating if you look at it the right way. Just a wild, messy, one-shot deal.

Look, if you actually believe that consciousness just hits a permanent kill switch once we die, then what is death even? It’s basically just a permanent state of being unconscious. And honestly, think about it—as far as I know, nobody ever comes back from a deep sleep or coming out of anesthesia under general anesthesia at the Mayo Clinic complaining about how terrifying the "nothingness" was. Nobody’s ever been like, "Man, that void was intense!" I seriously doubt you’re even afraid of it. If anything, most people spend their whole lives chasing that exact feeling. After a grueling twelve-hour shift or a chaotic day running errands in Chicago, isn't the whole goal just to crash and sink back into that darkness? We spend half our lives trying to get back to that state of nothingness just to get some rest. So why act like it's some big, scary monster?

Man, I’ve been sitting here staring at the ceiling just thinking... what actually happens when my time finally runs out? Like, when that day actually hits and I'm gone? It’s one of those heavy thoughts that just hits you out of nowhere when you're alone with your mind. Honestly, it's pretty wild to even contemplate.
And when the day actually comes... what am I even going to be thinking? Honestly, will I just be a total nervous wreck?

So, I was flipping through Scientific American the other day—you know, when you're trying to actually learn something instead of doomscrolling—and they had this massive death special. It was all focused on that one big, terrifying question: What does it actually *feel* like to kick the bucket? It’s heavy stuff, right? Honestly, it kind of sent me down a rabbit hole. I started thinking about my old man and how he went out, just peaceful and quiet, while I’m sitting here overthinking every single heartbeat. It's wild how much science tries to put a neat little bow on something that is ultimately such a chaotic, messy end to a life. They talk about brain activity and chemical surges like it's some predictable sequence, but let's be real—nobody actually knows what's happening behind the curtain once the lights go out. It's enough to make you want to grab a beer and just enjoy the ride while you can.

Look, if you're sitting there shaking in your boots because you're scared of the unknown, do yourself a favor and actually go do some research on the topic. Seriously. What are the most common ways people actually pass away? What does the experience even feel like for them? You don't need a crystal ball for that—all that info is just sitting there on the internet waiting for you to click. Stop overthinking it and just look it up.

Man, how am I supposed to scrub that image out of my brain!? Seriously, it’s stuck on loop in there.

Look, you clearly aren't grasping how this actually works in reality. It’s pretty straightforward: a person is dead when their brain is dead. Once there's zero activity in that gray matter, it's over. Period. They don't have consciousness, they don't have perception, they aren't thinking—there's nothing left up there. And honestly, even within the medical community here in the States, there's debate about this. Some jurisdictions don't even buy the idea that total brain death is the only way to define it; they focus more on the brainstem. But if you think about it, that's basically saying the entire structure responsible for maintaining a conscious state has completely shut down. You don't even need to wait for full-blown brain death to lose consciousness, either. If the brain stops functioning in the specific way required to sustain awareness, then consciousness is gone. It's just basic biology.

Look, maybe consciousness manages to hang on through all that chaos, sure. But even if it does, once the body and the brain are gone, there's no way for anything to actually *be* conscious anymore—not then, and definitely not ever again. It just doesn't work like that.

It all came down to this one thought flashing through my mind—"What if he wakes up right now?" and honestly, I was terrified...
It wasn't even far from the truth, because after about seven or ten minutes, that man who was gone actually came back to life.
While everyone else was huddled around him, sobbing and insisting he was gone, he just went totally rigid... completely lifeless with his eyes wide open... and I was staring straight into those eyes in absolute agony... there were just way too many thoughts racing through my head for me to even notice what was happening around me, let alone cry...
I kept picturing how impossible it felt that he was dead, just visualizing him pulling himself back up and coming to... and the only thing I could manage to tell the people touching him was to get away from him, because he wasn't dead yet...
Because looking at his eyes, I could just sense that he was still perceiving things... you know... that spark of life...
I was basically forcing myself to believe it because I just couldn't wrap my head around the idea that he had passed... not while I was standing right there.
I was hunting for a sign of life in his eyes since they couldn't find it in his pulse... and honestly, I wouldn't have even dared to touch him then...
I just stared into his eyes, absolutely paralyzed with fear...
And every single one of those thoughts just flashed by in a split second...
And then, just as they were calling 911 to report he had died...
His gaze started to get that... that certain look... that specific kind of energy you only see in a living being... I don't even know how to put it into words...
And I honestly can't decide which part was more haunting...
Watching him die or watching him come back...

When a person slips into unconsciousness... death should theoretically be any loss of consciousness...
That’s probably how it works...
Why wouldn't it be?
But it hasn't really been studied enough to say for sure...
You can't really compare death to dreaming...
Because we dream all the time but we don't always remember it...
We dream about everything... seeing without eyes, hearing without ears, feeling without touch...
It’s almost like your body isn't even necessary for all that to happen...
I’ve drifted off into unconsciousness before...
And instead of a void, it felt just like a dream...
Since I usually remember most of my dreams—I have gaps sometimes, but that doesn't mean I wasn't "there."
Dreaming and dying aren't the same thing.
Even though it's super easy to assume they are logically connected.

Then, if we look at the only reliable metric we have for death—clinical death—even though that only scratches the surface of what needs to be uncovered...
You start to see that death isn't actually that simple...
It isn't just one single story...
There are millions of them out there.
Actually....
Death definitely isn't the 100% permanent "the end"...
And now...
If I knew everything, maybe I wouldn't be so scared of death...
Not necessarily the act of dying itself, but the sight of dead bodies... that's what truly creeps me out.
The physical bodies and my own fears regarding the souls attached to them...
Maybe that's just an irrational fear...
It's not even a fear for my own life; it's just this intense chill and negative energy.
Such a heavy chill. The kind where if something startles me, I'll jump a foot in the air.😂

Honestly, I have to say that "chills" is a much better way to describe what’s been following me around lately.
Fear is its own thing... it hits you suddenly and then vanishes the moment you walk away from whatever spooked you.
But these chills? They don't just go away...
They follow you everywhere, keeping all your senses dialed up to eleven and on high alert, just like pure terror would, making you jump at the stupidest little things you’d normally never blink at... and once you realize what actually scared you, you're just left wondering whether to laugh or cry.

Since this feeling isn't constant, Thank God, but when it hits and lingers for a few days from sunrise to sunset... man, it is seriously, seriously nasty to live through.

shadowheron49 said:Honestly, I have to say that "chills" is a much better way to describe what’s been following me around lately.
Fear is its own thing... it hits you suddenly and then vanishes the moment you walk away from whatever spooked you.
But these chills? They don't just go away...
They follow you everywhere, keeping all your senses dialed up to eleven and on high alert, just like pure terror would, making you jump at the stupidest little things you’d normally never blink at... and once you realize what actually scared you, you're just left wondering whether to laugh or cry.

Since this feeling isn't constant, Thank God, but when it hits and lingers for a few days from sunrise to sunset... man, it is seriously, seriously nasty to live through.

Did you seriously label "Thank God" as the ultimate salvation for the deceased?!

If I were as certain as you are about some "beautiful life after death," I wouldn't give a damn about anything else; when I die, how it happens, who’s left behind, all that nonsense...

Faith has to be absolute. Otherwise, you're just lying to yourself, spinning deeper and deeper into a psychological loop that's nearly impossible to escape.

This "chill" thing? It isn't real.
Just stay mindful of the fact that you will eventually pass away. Other than that, I wish you a productive, fun, and healthy life. 🙂

Death is just a natural, everyday part of life—it’s best to accept it for what it is. I have to agree with the previous comments here; your outlook on both life and death feels incredibly negative, which mostly ends up hurting you more than anyone else. Honestly, that's probably why you're struggling so much with this overwhelming fear.

That said, I suspect the core issue might be that you have too much downtime and not enough responsibilities, hobbies, or real interests to keep you grounded. When you're left alone with nothing to do, it’s easy to spiral into these heavy thoughts until everything starts feeling meaningless. It makes perfect sense, really—I tend to fall into those same depressive moods and bouts of lethargy whenever I find myself with too much empty time on my hands. Try to find some outlets; try to stay productive. Finding purpose is a deeply personal journey, but maybe take a look at this video.

The best way to deal with any fear is to face it head-on. Personally, I’ve found myself increasingly drawn to high-adrenaline activities lately—the kind of stuff that carries a bit of risk—and it’s actually made me feel less afraid of almost anything. I don't view death as something gruesome or terrifying; if anything, I’m quite curious about what comes next (or if there even is a "next").

Once I finally sign up for that skydiving course, I’ll shoot you a DM so you can come along. I truly think an experience like that would do you a world of good. 😁 😉

shadowheron49, let the terror consume you. Let it tear through everything. Let it shatter every single defense. Because that’s always been the point—to break through your fear. Dare to be crucified. Without mercy.
Tell Him: "Just do it. Show me Your full glory. Have no mercy on this girl. And as You cut, pierce, tear, and break me, I will feel nothing but love for You."
Break, lose your mind, go mad, die, and experience the absolute ecstasy of pain and suffering. Go deeper than what seems possible, and discover a new life within the wreckage of an old paradigm.
There is no other way, except through That. Because that terror... is nothing less than HIM... trying to reach inside you.

Andrew Price3 said:shadowheron49, let the terror consume you. Let it tear through everything. Let it shatter every single defense. Because that’s always been the point—to break through your fear. Dare to be crucified. Without mercy.
Tell Him: "Just do it. Show me Your full glory. Have no mercy on this girl. And as You cut, pierce, tear, and break me, I will feel nothing but love for You."
Break, lose your mind, go mad, die, and experience the absolute ecstasy of pain and suffering. Go deeper than what seems possible, and discover a new life within the wreckage of an old paradigm.
There is no other way, except through That. Because that terror... is nothing less than HIM... trying to reach inside you.

Whoa... 🤔 🙂

Eric Gray2 said:Whoa... 🤔 🙂

They have a point regarding surrendering to fear, I suppose.
There are certain psychological phenomena observed in people suffering from panic attacks—those who feel they are suffocating. A doctor might simply tell them, "Fine, then suffocate," or "Just pass out already." And strangely enough? You don't actually choke or lose consciousness.
Once you face that head-on, you’ve essentially conquered that specific brand of panic for good.
Back when I was younger, I dealt with these terrifying choking sensations myself. Neither my psychiatrist nor my psychologist could touch it; it wasn't until I saw an old-school neurologist that things changed.
The man was absolutely blunt with me. He just snapped, "Well, then just suffocate already!" It sounds absurd, I know, but the attack stopped within minutes and hasn't returned since.

As for the "upper" part of the text? Well, if it sits wrong with you, it sits wrong with me too. I can't stomach this bit about HE being able to reach you and all that... it feels a bit too much like esoteric nonsense, doesn't it? 🐔

Andrew Price3 said:shadowheron49, let the terror consume you. Let it tear through everything. Let it shatter every single defense. Because that’s always been the point—to break through your fear. Dare to be crucified. Without mercy.
Tell Him: "Just do it. Show me Your full glory. Have no mercy on this girl. And as You cut, pierce, tear, and break me, I will feel nothing but love for You."
Break, lose your mind, go mad, die, and experience the absolute ecstasy of pain and suffering. Go deeper than what seems possible, and discover a new life within the wreckage of an old paradigm.
There is no other way, except through That. Because that terror... is nothing less than HIM... trying to reach inside you.

Him? Who the hell is "him"?

darkcanyon10 said:Him? Who the hell is "him"?

The one dwelling in the heart. And the heart is essentially a third part of the brain. You have the pineal gland there too, acting as another component. The point is to engage the conscious use of the heart.
The brain interprets discomfort as fear, effectively blocking the path to the heart. Any physical sensation of discomfort tends toward integration. However, the brain perceives this as a threat, failing to realize the heart is a far more capable organ for processing that exact same feeling.
For the heart, there is no threat to the body, to life, or to the psyche. The heart knows how to handle any psycho-emotional arrangement. The trick, then, is opening that path to the heart. It remains a lifelong mystery—one that modern science is finally starting to answer, moving beyond just occultism, mysticism, the Bible, and other esoteric disciplines.

It honestly feels like it should be a given that we’re meant to be immortal, because let's face it, the whole concept of aging is just a massive design flaw, and if you listen to what some of the top researchers are saying, the human body isn't actually programmed to fail us like this... I truly believe they've already stumbled upon the key to eternal life, it's just being kept under wraps, hidden away from the rest of us mere mortals.

Guys, you're killing it.

Everything bad that could possibly happen to you can only occur while you’re still alive. Because of that, I've always felt that fearing death isn't just irrational—it's actually one of the most absurd anxieties a person can have.

I think Epicurus wrapped this idea up quite a while ago:
http://marklindner.info/writings/Epicurus.htm

😉