Exactly.
I fear pain not because of instinct (not anymore), because it can be a sign of reduced state of life, and possibly a preventative of what i desire to accomplish before i die.
I have no fear of the pain involved in the possible ways of dying - Sure i'd like my last few moments of thought to be peaceful and physically comfortable, but 'if yer gonna die, yer gonna die' (Iron Maiden - Die with your boots on). The fear during painfully slow death, would be death itself, for me.
I never want to die, because although i dont believe that i can find myself fully content in life (Though the general things will take me 99%), i want to create, develop, write etc infinately. Theres no way a mortal life can possibly satisfy the projection of my imagination to other humans, and apart from have a family, thats what i desire.
However that doesnt mean i wont be ready to die one day. I'll eventually get old, my memory wont be so usefull, and ill be too tired to use my imagination. Then i'll await my death bitterly, though withought fear.
I believe that when i die, that is it; The end of my existance, withought thought forever. Though the idea of not existing was one i tried contemplating as a child (I had unusual questions like "What would it be like - What would be there if nothing existed?", which usually just got me strange looks or told to shut up) i can accept it in the same way as i can say, wait passively for TP to be released, or completely ignore all the crazy drama that swamps this place.
In life, there are two obvious things to fullfill: Everyone wants to feel important (and cared for) (And for some, this is to be good, pure), and no-one wants to be bored out their skull.
Generally speaking, once the first ones out the way, the second problem can eventually arise. If my existance was a blank slate, death would be a saviour. Once people feel they have made 'their mark on the world', as it has been said many times in this topic, they can choose to die withought fear.
Unless im physically or mentally crippled, Ill always fear death. And that true fear has no respect to instinct - - I wish to learn, grow, develop and be forever amazed by what i learn of existance around me.
Of course, some believe that when you die, you go to a place where you have such knowledge. Well, i dont believe you are there to go anywhere when you die, and i'd rather learn for myself anyway.
Death is the shadow to my hearts content, not my inner-monkeys preprogramming.
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Topic: Why do we fear death? (Read 12145 times)