Consciousness Cycles

[MonDie]

I think I avoid death because of my self, not my consciousness. Consciousness by itself is constantly renewed like the skin of a shedding salamander, so there is no reason to call it ours and fear losing it. However, the idea of a self incorporates the concepts of will and progress, and I don't want to die because I will lose my progress.

So I don't fear 'Game Over' because my turn will be done, I fear it because I want to finish the game. I know it's more difficult to be happy with this attitude, but it's the attitude I've chosen. Nirvana can kiss my ass.

Edited May 21, 2012 by Mondays Assignment: Die

[doG]

Consciousness by itself is constantly renewed like the skin of a shedding salamander, so there is no reason to call it ours and fear losing it....

Are you asserting that as some kind of fact, one you've failed to support, or just some personal belief?

[MonDie]

Are you asserting that as some kind of fact, one you've failed to support, or just some personal belief?

I've always had a hard time deciding what word to use to refer to the fundamental awareness of one's own mind being, so I just decide that "consciousness" is good enough.

It's constantly being renewed because the thoughts that compose one's mind now are different from the thoughts that will compose one's mind 5 minutes from now. The matter that dictates one's thoughts changes when they learn, but thoughts don't have a lasting existence.

 

This next argument might be stronger if you eliminate the assumption of a psychological time that is synchronized with the time of the physical world. The concept of time is useful for operating in the physical world, but it doesn't necessitate the existence of psychological time. In fact, time seems to be only a dimension of the physical world and not a dimension of the psychological world because one cannot experience the mind of the past despite having memories that reinforce the concept of time.

There is no death without time because death is a change that occurs through time. Therefore, there is no reason to fear psychological death, only physical death, which constitutes the death of the self within the physical world we share.

Ooh, but now I am considering that cause-and-effect is the basis for our belief in time for both the physical world and the psychological world. Time doesn't exist in the physical world either, but, just as physical events lead to other physical events, psychological events lead to other psychological events.

So we shouldn't fear death itself because it doesn't exist. Rather, we should fear not living up to our full potential, which dying sooner can cause.

 

If you want to end my suffering, you will stop asking questions now. I'm joking. I'm glad I finally refuted that second argument, which I had held onto for a few years.

Edited May 22, 2012 by Mondays Assignment: Die