Fear of Eternity

If we get to be ethereal beings who can think and explore all of space, that's awesome. If there is no afterlife and our entire presence goes away, that's okay too. We were all "dead" for infinitely many years before being born, and none of us are affected by it.

What worries me, though, is what happens if we are constrained to seeing the mortal plane (aka regular space-time, not heaven or anything), assuming we have an immortal soul. This universe will not last forever, and will eventually be totally black and empty. I do hope we become a part of God and create a new universe, or at least see the creation of a new one, once ours runs out of energy. Because floating conscious in nothingness sounds like a terrible hell.

 

I still sometimes feel overwhelmed and even afraid of the concept of eternity. Even if the afterlife is heavenly, I get scared because under certain circumstances, death is freedom, and eternity is binding. That said, since I do believe in an afterlife, and since I do believe I'll be going to a perfect state of being, I embrace it. There's so much to do here on Earth that I could fill a thousand lifetimes and then some, so the idea of eternity has turned into excitement for me.

As beings that are aware of our own mortality, we're so caught up in the idea of time that the idea of it not existing yet never ending can almost seem suffocating. I remember as a kid talking to my parents about this very idea, and my mom shared that she thought of Heaven like an art museum, where you can contemplate the works for as long as you please, never any restrictions or constraints. To my 10-year-old self, that was an incredibly comforting idea, and it hasn't really left me, so if I ever start worrying about eternity, I always conjure up that idea.

 

I hope its not like the afterlife in the His Dark Materials trilogy (the golden compass)
That would suck.

 

Nope doesn't bother me at all I spend a good bit of my time reading and thinking about transhumanist and post-human ideas and notions and immortality (And even living into the Deep Time of the universe (or beyond)) is a fairly common subject of discussion in those circles. As well as figuring out ways it might be done.

Todd

 

Infinity really humbles me, in the same kind of way that sitting on a beach and imagining the vastness of the ocean does. Or that star gazing does. Even something as relatively small as the Atlantic ocean intimidates me when trying to wrap my head around the size of it. I wouldnt say I have a fear of it, but I do feel the awe of even trying to imagine it. Theres also a very powerful element of beauty to it, something so beyond our understanding.

 

I haven't thought about eternity, but I have thought about dying. I don't have any fear of being dead. I am absolutely terrified of dying in pain though. Which is pretty useless, since I'm training to be a fighter.

 

I'm afraid that eternity becomes extremely boring. Like heaven would be so happy and fun but there's never bad stuff happening so you really don't have a lot to experience. I hope that my spiritual self abandons such notions of fun, pleasure, intensity pain, sadness, boredom and be replaced with some kind of elevated stage that makes me see things differently as a human.

 

The classical theological understanding of eternity is less "forever" and more "beyond the constraints of time." The first, existing forever, is terrifying and would be awful, the second is incomprehensible to me.

 

Hmm, I believe that when I die, I`m gone, since all my neurons and brain functions are shut down, I will never experience eternity. That said, if there was such a thing as an eternal existence, it would freak me out and make me hide under the bed. The thought is scary as crappers. I mean, life is tough enough as it is, but at least we only live once, and can use that as an excuse for making the most out of it, and get through the bad times in order to enjoy the good times. But if life or existence was endless? I guess I feel like my "spirit"/"being" is feeling a bit like an old lady already, despite me only being 26. One lifetime, and my poor spirit is going to get exhausted. You can only handle the roller coaster of life for so long, and I think 80 years approx is more than enough. An eternity? Nightmare!

 

The idea of eternity is thrilling to me--not the concept of human beings living forever, but just the concept of limitlessness or infinite vastness. Some hypotheses postulate the existence of infinite possible universes and infinite space, and the most exciting thing about them is that they're not wild hypotheses with no scientific merit.

Same here. If I knew I was never going to die, I'd be thrilled to know that I'll have time to learn all there is to know. If there were a way for me to become immortal (even if it meant having to eventually give up a physical body), I'd take it without hesitation, even if it means being driven to insanity by lack of human contact or just the sheer volume of knowledge accumulated over time.

 

That is what I would call HELL! An eternity in the wrong body would be the worst thing I can think of except in a old body! June

 

I have a friend who actually died & was brought back to life, she didn't see the white light but she was aware, she said "it felt so peaceful & the feeling was good" she said to me "if that is how Death feels, I no longer fear Death" I do believe in the afterlife & that made me feel better

 

I'm very similar to Femcassanova.

The idea of being forced to endure even another 30 years both terrifies and depresses me, let alone the idea of living for eternity. I don't think I'd be able to function at all if I thought I was going to have consciousness for ever, I would constantly be frantically searching for some sort of escape. I don't mean this to sound morbid, but...the belief that there will come a day when I will be released from my own thoughts is the only thing that brings me true comfort in life.

 

I feel somewhat the same, yeah.

Don`t get me wrong, life is a great experience, or can be, and I would never want anyone to give up on it. I think everyone ought to make the best of the time they have, because there are so many wonderful experiences to be had. Those experiences and emotions are worth some hardship. That said, it doesn`t take away the fact that life is a great walk up and down valleys, and a learning curve, and I feel I am already more tired on a deeper level than I might have been at my age. Because I know that the last 26 years have taken it`s toll, I know another 26 will take some more, although it will be worth it. But an eternity of life? I really cannot imagine anything worse. Never at some point find peace and quiet in the silence and undemanding state that non-existence is. I kind of see it as the natural reward that comes at the end of a long life where you`ve worked hard and had great experiences.

Not to mention all the things that get greater meaning simply because it is not something to take for granted. If we were immortal, life wouldn`t be all that special, it would just be unending days, going on and on, forever. People being born wouldn`t be so special, people having the achievement of their live wouldn`t be so special, because in a couple of hundred years it will be forgotten anyways. Stuff would start losing meaning :icon_sad:

Gah, this is actually a depressing topic :icon_redf

 

No, it doesn't scare me. But I can't really conceive of what eternity would feel like. It probably wouldn't actually feel like eternity, because we can't really consciously remember much of what happens to us in the past. You remember a couple of high points and low points, but everything else is a black screen unless you've kept a journal your whole life.

 

One vote for reincarnation. Hear ye, hear ye. SupremeEmperor calls for reincarnation. Any takers?

 

I actually have a pretty strong belief in this based on worldly evidence of it (children remembering previous lives, for example).

 

Maybe I'm thinking too wishfully, but could part of heaven be realizing any scenario imaginable? It would be like a spiritual holodeck or Matrix, where you could invent conflict to keep your afterlife exciting. And unconstrained by time, you could live out entire alternate lives this way.

Your mention of boredom reminds me of the long-lived people in Zardoz, who after millennia of immortality, just stand still and do nothing no matter what happens, utterly sapped of even a little curiosity for life.