Answer 36

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Question 36

Do you, as an atheist, fear death and why?

can't honestly say I'm afraid of death. I'm afraid of dying because the process can be painful and debilitating. I suppose my greatest fear is of being severely incapacitated for a long period of time. A lingering death makes cowards of us all. But it's not a major worry. I'm more concerned with making the best use of the time I have available than worrying about when it will come to an end. (George Ricker #146)

am I afraid of death -- hell yeah!

I don't want to die alone or in a lot of pain, and I don't want to die anytime soon. I haven't gone through childbirth or visited Ireland yet, for Pete's sake.

Since realizing my own mortality around the age of 14, death has haunted me. But I'm not willing to lie to myself and pretend to be religious just to get some false comfort. (MischiefTK)

Yes and no. I'm not afraid of being dead, since there is literally nothing to be afraid of. I don't want to die, since I like being alive, and I have responsibilities. I realize I will die some day, and I've seen enough death to know that the process can be painful and undignified, so I'm not looking forward to it. (Niall McAuley #36)

I fear both the process of dying and the consequences of death. I would prefer an instantaneous death. I'm afraid that dying will be physically painful. I'm also afraid of the psychological pain of losing everything. And it's hard to say goodbye to those you love. I'm also afraid that after I die life will become more of a struggle for those who relied on me. (Patrick Dewey)

Yes I do. The fear is not rational. I have no reason for it other than to plead something like instinct. (Rian Jensen #317)

Nope. It's part and parcel of life. I've faced it several times and do not fear it. (Stoney #9)

I don't see any reason to fear death. I do, however, fear dying. I am a big wuss as well as being a pessimist, so I am utterly convinced that I will get some painful disease. The act of dying can be long and painful, however, there is no reason to believe that death will hold any such suffering since I will no longer be conscious. (Steve Shriver #553)

Well, I don't like pain too much, so hopefully my death isn't really painful. As for being dead, it doesn't scare me - I'd be more scared of being confined to a wheelchair or something for the rest of my life. (Mike Kulicki #1100)

Fear death? No. That doesn't mean I'll welcome it though. When the end comes, that's it. Since I won't have another chance, I'll have to make the best of my time now. I've been described as a "type A" personality, so far I have accomplished many things that others wouldn't. Skydiving, SCUBA, ballooning, others. Once when asked for a quote, I replied, "As an old man, I don't want to look back on my life wishing I had done things I am now too old to do." I don't want to die feeling that way either. (Rev. Rick #1128)

Myself no, I just want to quietly die in my sleep, preferably without a long and painful pre-death. The biggest reason for this is that I'm not into pain, and I don't want to be a burden to my family, friends, society, etc. BTW, I do have an organ donor card, so that in my death, I can help more people to live. (DeeAnne Doseman-Flaws #112)

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