this post was submitted on 25 Sep 2023
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As I see it, people keep developing mental constructs to make the experience of their own existence feel more meaningful, more important and potencially eternal, because the thought of insignificance and eventual death is just too scary.
But on the other hand: have you tried psychedelics?
it's all a hallucination
For me, this is less an emotional support philosophy, and more an earnest curiosity about the nature of consciousness and reality.
For all the words we can use on it, it's lost on people who never had thoughts and experiences that prompted them to be curious about the nature of consciousness and reality.
It's like discussing the ~~bitterness~~ sourness of a lemon with someone who never tried one.
I don't think "eternal darkness" is a good descriptor. Was there "eternal darkness" before you were born?
not the person you're replying to, but I was too young to remember
And you'll be too old to remember the eternal darkness once you're dead.
People love to repeat this but it's not as comforting as you think it is.
I didn't repeat the comment you replied to, it was my original thought.
You might not find it comforting, but plenty of people do.
Why not?
It amazes me how many people will take the specialness of their experience as a given, even when thinking about the big picture is literally their job.