Wtf is up with people and dying?

Greatem wrote:

History Mirror wrote:Why be afraid of something no one can change or stop?

If someone points a gun at you and asks for your wallet, you can change the outcome.
Seems stupid to me to risk your life for some almost worthless money. Like it was mentioned, it is a gun and bullets are quite fast. I'd rather live another day without some money then die to a random loser. Because i am not done exploring this world.
If there is a way to get around it, that is way safer, i would try it.

You are missing a very clear point.

It doesnt matter what is being stolen. It could be 1 penny. It's the.. reaction people have, without even thinking.

It seems stupid to you becuase you're afraid of it. Giving $ to someone just for pointing a gun at me seems really stupid.

History Mirror wrote:

RoyA wrote:death is just another way of saying 'the end'. we all fear it, it's natural for a living creature.

we are all hardwired to keep living and spreading our code throughout the environment

and besides, it's not always death that's the scary part, it's the pain that comes before it, illness, old age ect ect, it is a bit frightening.

Incorrect use of "We".

Everyone will die. You. Me. E.v.e.r.y.o.n.e Why be afraid of something no one can change or stop?

It is natural, you're right. But since when do we as humans give two ###$ about whats natural. We keep our sick alive. We keep things born into this world that will never have 1 logical or actual thought.. alive.. for years. is that natural, my friend? haha.

You may be hardwired to keep living, but not everyone is. And ironically that wiring can be undone quite easily. It's called enlightenment. Some spend years alone in temples in cliffs to acheive it. Others are born with it. And the rare few are thrown in face first.

Thing is, in this lovely world of our. enlightenment is essentially like removing that yummy candy coating from your eyes.. and you get to see this lovely world, for what it really is. Why do you think the monks are not part of our society. They're free, they choose to live their free lives away from us.

The theology behind their lack of fear, and mine.. well they differ entirely. The end result is the same though. They just.. tie peace and their god into it. They replace fear, with whatever religious nonsense they consume.

'natural' is a very arbitrary term, and sure, i used it, but death is something that we cannot escape, that's all i meant to say. on the subject of keeping our sick alive, the connotations attached to that very much depend on how sick these people are... what i gather you're talking about, the maintenance of vegetables incapable of thought, that's a complex topic, but i would say it's more out of fear on the caregiver's part than empathy for the ill. is it natural? i couldn't say, humankind came from the earth, and made these tools to keep them alive from resources found here, so whether that is technically natural or not is a question of semantics, which i don't have enough education to make a definite statement on. on enlightenment, i can't give you an educated response, but i very much doubt it's easy to obtain, and from what i know, the monks you speak of don't necessarily believe in a higher power.

Everything can be viewed under multiple lights.


"Enlightenment" In my eyes purely means you see the world as it is. You are.. enlightened. No smarter, faster, or any of that.. just simply, your eyes are open.

The fun part is, how do you KNOW what you are seeing, is the truth. In the end, you don't.

But there are certain things you can do to people to ensure their response is genuine, and from that.. you can see a lot.

History Mirror wrote:It doesnt matter what is being stolen. It could be 1 penny. It's the.. reaction people have, without even thinking.

My reaction would be after thinking. They won't fire the gun instantly, you have time to think.

History Mirror wrote:It seems stupid to you becuase you're afraid of it. Giving $ to someone just for pointing a gun at me seems really stupid.

I am afraid of losing to a loser. I could try some trickery, like trowing my wallet on the floor, away from me, in a convenient place, he would either go take it himself or tell me to take it, or run away(or shoot me). But if i don't come up with a good idea, is seems stupid, just to be stubborn.

I can understand your point, somewhat, that people get too irrational about death. But there is the phrase: "Stupid, But Brave". And not giving a small amount of money to some desperate guy who failed in life and probably will fail again, because you are not afraid, is stupid. Not that all muggers are like that, but most are.

I prefer calculated risks. They don't have to be too calculated, but in the above scenario, any small amount of calculations would show you are not in a good position.

I never said a lack of fear is.. smart.

if anything it's a defect. It goes against your primary drive to live. That keeps you ALIVE.


I've been.. lucky,although i don't believe in luck. By all rights I should be dead, or seriously injured..long term.

Yet, i'm not.

Anyone with fear, trying to lose it.. is a moron.

History Mirror wrote:Everything can be viewed under multiple lights.


"Enlightenment" In my eyes purely means you see the world as it is. You are.. enlightened. No smarter, faster, or any of that.. just simply, your eyes are open.

The fun part is, how do you KNOW what you are seeing, is the truth. In the end, you don't.

But there are certain things you can do to people to ensure their response is genuine, and from that.. you can see a lot.

but if every view is subjective, how could one ever actually see the world 'as it is'? wouldn't that render the idea of enlightenment meaningless?

and how would one judge someone's response to something as genuine or not? what's the criteria?

In my wallet I have five dollars, a debit card that can be frozen with one call, my license, my school ID, my library card and my health insurance card. If I were to be robbed at gunpoint right now I would forfeit my wallet without a second thought.

List of reasons:

• Everything in my wallet is entirely replaceable, unlike my life. I value a bit of plastic, paper and leather far less than being able to enjoy a broader set of experiences than what's inside my pocket. It seems inane to me to value something so insignificant that you would be willing to die in order to protect it; the same goes for one's ego -- protecting it is inane. What good is pride when you're dead? You can place some extrinsic meaning upon the act but once you're dead that meaning is dead as well and you're just another random guy whose face is on the evening news slotted between a conversation about some celebrity BS and an advertisement about V8 juice. Oh, and maybe the police never find the guy who bought himself a bag of candy and some chips with my money. What a great ending...

• Paper beats rock. Tactically, the person with the gun has the advantage. All he has to do in order to subdue you is pull his finger backwards. The same is not true for an unarmed individual as it would talk multiple and quick moves to subdue an armed individual. The majority of people aren't Neo or Rambo and don't possess the skills required to pull off a stunt of that caliber.

Would I ever fight back? Potentally, given the right set of circumstances. Choosing what you believe will lead to the best possible outcome would be the basis of any person's choice in this scenario. In certain cases it may be best to be complacent and in others it would be best to fight. Both choices reflect a will to live.

I fear death very much, but I don't fear threats. Nor do I equate threats with death. And I'd be immensely enraged by someone trying to nick my wallet.
Chances of getting killed in a muggery are extremely slim. Killing would be highly counterproductive to a mugger's trade. They capitalize on people's conditioned fear-response to threats.

Here's a "1 Pensioner 1 Handbag" story from last year about a little old lady and an armed gang of 6:
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/02/08 ... cnn_latest

Why do you fear death so much wooster??

because I don't know it.


But now you're derailing the thread Crys.