kane
Student
- Jun 26, 2020
- 171
A large part of me seems to be convinced that the self, this conscious 'I', will somehow survive death. I'm not sure there's any rational basis for such a belief. Most of what I've observed suggests that individual identity is a transitory construct, produced within the brain, and that as the brain degrades, so does a sense of self. And yet if I had to bet on whether or not it would continue beyond death, I would have to say yes. This suggests either that my perception is being distorted by emotion, or there is some valid reason for such a belief which I'm not conscious of.
The idea of continuing existence beyond death terrifies me. I have an extremely guilty conscience, so the thought of just having to sit with that on my own with no earthly distractions seems pretty hellish, even without the punishments preached by most religions.
On the other hand, the complete extinction of self can also seem pretty terrifying. Again, I can't see any rational basis for this. If we come from nothing, and return to nothing, what is lost? But despite constantly thinking 'I want this to end', on some level I very much don't want to die.
Perhaps the conclusion is that my perceptions of reality are not based on reason or evidence but blind instinct. This would however make it rather difficult to make sensible decisions on life and death issues, especially when the immortality of self and the extinction of self are both equally terrifying.
The idea of continuing existence beyond death terrifies me. I have an extremely guilty conscience, so the thought of just having to sit with that on my own with no earthly distractions seems pretty hellish, even without the punishments preached by most religions.
On the other hand, the complete extinction of self can also seem pretty terrifying. Again, I can't see any rational basis for this. If we come from nothing, and return to nothing, what is lost? But despite constantly thinking 'I want this to end', on some level I very much don't want to die.
Perhaps the conclusion is that my perceptions of reality are not based on reason or evidence but blind instinct. This would however make it rather difficult to make sensible decisions on life and death issues, especially when the immortality of self and the extinction of self are both equally terrifying.