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How does the great void of death not disturb you? (programming.dev)

submitted 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) by Flagstaff@programming.dev to c/exchristian@lemmy.one

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Or does it?

I know we were once nothing, but it is still terrifying and depressing to me to think about returning to this. In fact, as of late, I've been unable to not think about it: the loss of all experience and all memories of everything, forever. All the good times we had, and will have, with anyone or anything ever will totally annihilate into nothingness. All our efforts will amount to nothing because the thoughtless void is ultimately what awaits everything in the end.

The only argument against this would have to be supernatural, like another cause of the Big Bang or somehow proof of reincarnation, but if my consciousness won't exist for me to experience it, then what does it matter either way?

There is no comfort in Hell, either. The anvil of death weighing down, infinitely, on all values and passions is becoming unbearable for me, so I could really use any potentially helpful thoughts about this matter.

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[–] FreddiesLantern@leminal.space 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

“All our efforts amount to nothing”

I wouldn’t say that. To me the obvious primary goal in life is to leave this place in a better shape then how you encountered it for the people that come after us.

If we truly take away the divisions in humanity (colour, religion, country,…) then there’s only one thing that remains: making sure we make it.

Love those around you and it’ll resound for generations. Clean up the planet and you just bought humanity a few more days if not years or ages.

It is NOT about what happens to us afterwards.

It is about what happens to them. The living.

[–] Flagstaff@programming.dev 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

But why do you care about what happens to them given how you won't even be there to experience the fruit of your hard work and labor?

Go even further and think really long-term: they will die, too. Whether you leave it in "a better shape" or not, everything will eventually die, even with perfect recycling programs, fusion reactors, etc.; I'm talking trillions of years into the future. The sun will become a black hole, everything will go extinct, and we'll continue to trudge along the path to total entropy until we're there and that's it for everything and nothing. So why does it matter if even billions of lives were improved for their brief 80-2,000 years (just to account for potentially how far life extension tech can go) versus the vast eternity of nothingness? Their better quality of life doesn't matter because they'll die regardless. A 100-year life of relatively less versus more pain: really? So what? That's nothing compared to the history of the Earth alone, and much more the entire universe. Why fight so hard if there is no life to come after this one?

Now, in saying this, I'm not promoting total hedonism and pleasure-pursuing, but my point is that in light of the looming, endless void, you can't claim moral superiority in saying you lived your life better or more altruistically than a more selfish person. The flat plane of the extinction of all consciousness levels any claims of living a "better" life; if you want to help people, then by all means, go for it, but know that you're just doing it because you want to do it; there is no moral basis in any particular action being "better" or "worse" given how we're all destined for death and annihilation anyway, no matter what we do or don't, ultimately. And that sucks that reducing people's pain doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, but we don't seem to get a choice in deciding that (aside from deluding ourselves over what "better," more moral living means; just because one feels it's right doesn't make it so, even as I continue to try to help my local community regularly).

[–] HubertManne@moist.catsweat.com 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

adding another comment as I like this woody allen quote. Its not that im afraid of dying its just that I don't want to be there when it happens.

[–] Flagstaff@programming.dev 1 points 8 months ago (3 children)

Ha, I think I read that many years ago. I actually might be fine with being there and even dealing with the pain to the end, however it may manifest, but it's the lack of anything after that's bothersome. I hope I'm wrong.

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[–] Brainsploosh@lemmy.world 1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Another answer to persistent impact is communality. Your actions echo in the people and places you've shared with others.

The laws, traditions, buildings, sentiments, norms, societal wounds, environment, relationships, etc. all come from people doing things during their lifetime. You can be one of those people, and choose what your contribution and legacy could be.

What will you leave for the next generation?

You can't affect if your consciousness will live on or not, but you can affect your conscience. Maybe start there?

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