What is one thing you would want an answer to?

[smitcompton]

Hi,

My question would be very similar to previous posts. The How do these things happen and the why.

I have had a fairly active dream-life. Often my parents, a lost son, and various people that I don't know. I never dream about my oldest son. I have often thought it odd because it is certainly not because of a lack of love or fondness for him, I just don't. He has been yrouble for my life but I still cared about him.

One night I dreamed he died. It was a vivid scene and when I awoke I was a bit shook. But as the day progressed my mind was at ease again and I thought it was just a bad dream.

A week later he told me that on the night I had my dream his heart had stopped, and they rushed him to the hospital. where they got his heart beating again. Of course he was taking illegal drugs at the time and was barely 20 yrs.old.. I have wondered what mechanism told me that he was dead, which he was for a short amount of time. A puzzle to this day.

I had some treatment for cervical cancer. All looked fine at the end. One morning I woke and KNEW I had cancer in my lungs. I called the radiologist that had treated the cancer and explained what I thought. I wanted an evaluation. My Doctor was Indian and we' had a nice rapport in treatment. and he said he believed such things can happen. It was possible my unconscious was alerting me, so he ordered an ex-ray. The exray was clean. So I called myself a bit crazy.

The following month I needed a surgical procedure at the hospital, by another DR, which required a chest ex-ray.. That chest exray turned up cancer in both my lungs. I was doomed.

That was 40 yrs ago. I listen to myself now. But the answers, I can't say.

Annette

 

[Ally T]

Hi,

My question would be very similar to previous posts. The How do these things happen and the why.

I have had a fairly active dream-life. Often my parents, a lost son, and various people that I don't know. I never dream about my oldest son. I have often thought it odd because it is certainly not because of a lack of love or fondness for him, I just don't. He has been yrouble for my life but I still cared about him.

One night I dreamed he died. It was a vivid scene and when I awoke I was a bit shook. But as the day progressed my mind was at ease again and I thought it was just a bad dream.

A week later he told me that on the night I had my dream his heart had stopped, and they rushed him to the hospital. where they got his heart beating again. Of course he was taking illegal drugs at the time and was barely 20 yrs.old.. I have wondered what mechanism told me that he was dead, which he was for a short amount of time. A puzzle to this day.

I had some treatment for cervical cancer. All looked fine at the end. One morning I woke and KNEW I had cancer in my lungs. I called the radiologist that had treated the cancer and explained what I thought. I wanted an evaluation. My Doctor was Indian and we' had a nice rapport in treatment. and he said he believed such things can happen. It was possible my unconscious was alerting me, so he ordered an ex-ray. The exray was clean. So I called myself a bit crazy.

The following month I needed a surgical procedure at the hospital, by another DR, which required a chest ex-ray.. That chest exray turned up cancer in both my lungs. I was doomed.

That was 40 yrs ago. I listen to myself now. But the answers, I can't say.

Annette

Our brains are wired in such a fascinating way! It could have been intuition with your son & your lungs, but it also could have been something else. I feel in our lifetime they won't have the answers to these things, but one day they will. Absolutely.

@Tartansparkles I also believe the Pyramids were built by aliens! Not little green men, but perhaps humans like us from another planet who have evolved with life & technology for a million more years than we have. They had the technology to explore space at a far greater depth than we currently do, they found Earth & they populated it. A bit like an experiment? And every so often in the early days they dropped down to give us a nudge. Makes me sound like a nutter, but regardless, I think it's extremely naive of us as a species to think we are the *only* life in an infinite space. And that fries my brain as much as @Karl_K did with his question!

 

[Matata]

In other words, I ponder if we actually exist.

@Karl_K have you read about the hypotheses that we are a computer simulation? Is that the idea, or a similar one, that formed your question? https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-we-living-in-a-computer-simulation/

 

[stracci2000]

I think @Alex T and I were typing a similar idea at the same time.
I know this will sound weird, but here goes.
I want to know if we humans belong on this Earth or not.
Maybe WE are the aliens.
I've been thinking about this idea alot recently.

We humans are the only animals who:
Have adversity with raw foods, so we cook our food
Wage war/kill each other and are extremely violent to each other
Are ill-equipped for the weather and must build shelters, and need shoes and clothes to keep warm
Suffer innumerable illnesses/ many of us have very poor eyesight
Only have hair on our heads/faces that continues to grow unless we cut it. So strange.
Keep other humans and animals captive
Our babies are completely helpless for the first several years of life
We burn from the sun
We are compelled to travel long distances for no good reason
We have ruined our own environment with pollution, mining, logging, etc.
The list goes on and on.
Are we really part of this Earth? Or were we placed here? Because we sure don't seem like we belong.

 

[Madam Bijoux]

Mine is "Is there life before death?"
In other words, I ponder if we actually exist.
Which is not the easy question it seems.

The way to prove you exist is to start out to prove that you do not exist. When you can’t prove that you don’t exist, it proves that you do exist.

 

[Madam Bijoux]

My question: If there is an afterlife, will we be with all of the animals we loved?

 

[YadaYadaYada]

@Alex T, I was so moved by your story about the password and your father that I told it to DH and our two sons at dinner. We have a password now.

I'm sorry you lost your father.

 

[kenny]

It's a free country and everyone gets to do whatever they want in their mind.
Personally, for me, YMMV, etc. etc. etc., I consider it would be a total waste of my time to entertain questions that are unanswerable.
There's real stuff to pay attention to.

It's scary how much I identify with this guy.



I do find it fascinating (on a sociological level) that apparently the majority of people engage in this, what I see as, self gratifying mental masturbation - made up answers to made up questions. Not the real thing.

 

[Matata]

I consider it would be a total waste of my time to entertain questions that are unanswerable.
There's real stuff to pay attention to.

Still, I find it fascinating (on a sociological level) that apparently the majority of people engage in this, what I see as, self gratifying mental masturbation.

We don't know what isn't answerable. We only know what we don't have answers for now. A lot of the real stuff that you pay attention to were likely once grounded in unanswerable questions which were solved by what you call "self gratifying mental masturbation." That so-called masturbatory process is part of our evolutionary past and will propel us into the future. Some currently unanswerable questions, like all of those from the past for which we now have answers, may be answered if our intellect evolves to the point where we can discover and understand the answers.

 

[kenny]

Sure, of course, but the answers to previously unanswerable questions come from the top experts in their fields, not from us.
I fully support legit research by legit researchers.
These folks aren't mentally masturbating; they're doing the real thing.

... and do you seriously think Science and Medicine can prove there is life after death?
The answer is in the dictionary ... by definition a new life starts, and then ends at death.

The finality of death really really sucks.
People refusing to accept that go into denial and make up stories that they like.
They generate massive agreement and next thing you know, poof, we have what we have today.

Societies since the beginning have offered a zillion stories of the beginning of the earth, and a zillion versions of the supernatural stuff that tries to subvert the finality of death.

 

[Tekate]

Thank you so much @mrs-b I appreciate the link immensely, great read and pretty much sums up what I thought probably happened but with science to back up this means article.

Our mom's were strong women - like us!

Thanks again

Kate

@Tekate - I read a long article on MH370 the day before yesterday. It interviewed and referenced everybody and chronicled every aspect of the search. Their final conclusion is that it was intentionally pilot initiated and that the effectiveness was largely hampered by the Malaysian govt. It was a fascinating read. if I come across it again, I'l post it.

And I love your picture of your mother. Mine was a tad the same way.

ETA Here's the article, in case you fancy a read:

What Really Happened to Malaysia’s Missing Airplane

Five years ago, the flight vanished into the Indian Ocean. Officials on land know more about why than they dare to say.

www.theatlantic.com

 

[Matata]

@kenny, science and medicine have recently proved that we die later than previously thought -- that when the heart stops, the brain's neurons continue to function for hours (which to me explains what some people describe as near death experiences) and stem cells continue to try to repair the body for days after the heart and brain stops. Clinical death is still defined by cessation of heartbeat and respiration but technically doesn't happen until ALL cells and organs cease functioning. So yeah, in a weird way, they have proved there is life after "death" albeit it isn't the spiritual aspect that a lot of folks believe in.

I agree with you on a lot of points. Where we digress is that I believe human imagination and pondering of the imponderable aren't a waste of time for those who choose to do it. I'm sure there are scientific papers written on why imagination or what you consider to be mental masturbation is common in a lot of humans. I suspect it is the same mechanism/process that makes a lot of humans need to believe in a deity.

 

[MamaBee]

@Alex T, I was so moved by your story about the password and your father that I told it to DH and our two sons at dinner. We have a password now.

I'm sorry you lost your father.

Not to threadjack @StephanieLynn but you have little children... I think. I told my children when they were little a password that an adult had to say to them to let them know it was an okay from me to go with them. They still remember it and it’s been over thirty years...I think my son who has a child now will do the same..

 

[YadaYadaYada]

@Mamabean, yes you are totally right, two sons ages 12 and 5. We have discussed being safe and people to stay away from but haven't approached a safe word. So thank you for mentioning it because surely a safe word for the living is much more important than for the afterlife, at least with young children anyways

 

[Karl_K]

@Karl_K have you read about the hypotheses that we are a computer simulation? Is that the idea, or a similar one, that formed your question? https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-we-living-in-a-computer-simulation/

I have pondered that but it goes much more deeper.
For example if I am sleeping and dreamed of a dragon kite flying through the air I follow the string down with my eyes and see a man is flying the kite. My alarm goes off and I wake up.
Did the man exist?
What happened to the man when I woke up?

 

[Karl_K]

Another:
Many Children have imaginary friends.
Just because no one else can see or hear them mean they do not exist?

 

[Karl_K]

The human mind is not logical.
Which is why AI is a bit of a joke.
Lets take this problem:
5 cars that are in every way identical and the drivers are all of the same skill level and it is a strait line race are released to race by a starter one every five minutes. How could insure you have the best time?
A computer/AI would do billions of calculations taking changes in track wear and heat during the day from weather forecasts that would make one car faster or another slower by fractions of a second.
A human might bribe the starter for a 10 second head start.
A human might hire a hitman to shoot all the other cars tires.
A human might tamper with the gas in all the cars but his.
A human might stuff ice under his hood to cool the engine.
All solutions that a computer would not come up with because they are not logical.

 

[Tekate]

We had a password too!!!! It was 'broccoli' my kids hated broccoli and we decided that would be our password if someone different came to pick them up or a situation arose they didn't feel comfortable with - that person would know the PW.. Now my son has a baby girl, I'll remind him!

Not to threadjack @StephanieLynn but you have little children... I think. I told my children when they were little a password that an adult had to say to them to let them know it was an okay from me to go with them. They still remember it and it’s been over thirty years...I think my son who has a child now will do the same..

 

[Bonfire]

Yes, irrefutable evidence proves there is ... well, for maggots and many other organisms.

No biggie.
I say, we just go back to what we were before birth.
That wasn't so bad. Was it?

There is inadequate evidence for anything beyond this.

Honestly certainty gives me peace and motivates me to live these 75 years as well as possible, because that's all I get.

Kenny your comments remind me of a quote by Mark Twain. “I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it.”

Life is a big mystery.

 

[MamaBee]

@Mamabean, yes you are totally right, two sons ages 12 and 5. We have discussed being safe and people to stay away from but haven't approached a safe word. So thank you for mentioning it because surely a safe word for the living is much more important than for the afterlife, at least with young children anyways

@StephanieLynn That’s even a great idea for when I pass..I can visit my kids and say the password so they know it’s me! Haha

 

[MamaBee]

We had a password too!!!! It was 'broccoli' my kids hated broccoli and we decided that would be our password if someone different came to pick them up or a situation arose they didn't feel comfortable with - that person would know the PW.. Now my son has a baby girl, I'll remind him!

Haha @Tekate! I still use that password today so can’t share it..but LOVE your broccoli one! If your kids go to a psychic after you’re gone..and she/he says I keep seeing a pic of a head of broccoli your boys will know it’s you!

 

[missy]

The finality of death really really sucks.

Yes it does.



For me, how I work out the anxiety I feel about death and it being nothingness forever is by being fully present and mindful in each moment. Focusing on what is happening right now. And to enjoy (and deal with other emotions) and feel each day. This is what helps me feel at peace and helps me deal with the “what ifs”... especially when it comes to death. Because death *is* a part of life and there is no escaping it. Instead just living each moment and appreciating the time we do have here.

As my very wise (and now old) dad used to say (and still does) to me when I was a little girl and I was scared or upset about something, "Missy, no one gets out of this life alive". True dat.

 

[kenny]

@kenny, science and medicine have recently proved that we die later than previously thought -- that when the heart stops, the brain's neurons continue to function for hours (which to me explains what some people describe as near death experiences) and stem cells continue to try to repair the body for days after the heart and brain stops. Clinical death is still defined by cessation of heartbeat and respiration but technically doesn't happen until ALL cells and organs cease functioning. So yeah, in a weird way, they have proved there is life after "death" albeit it isn't the spiritual aspect that a lot of folks believe in.

Yes, scientists and doctors are doing their job to advance the understanding of death.
Great.
What does that has to do with what I posted above?

Regardless of improved accuracy of when death occurs, my point is when we die, that's it.

Actually, your response demonstrates my point.
We non doctors/scientists debating the exact biological process of death does nothing to advance knowledge.
That is the job of the experts.

 

[kenny]

I agree with you on a lot of points. Where we digress is that I believe human imagination and pondering of the imponderable aren't a waste of time for those who choose to do it.

Arg!
Hold on.
I didn't say that.
Notice all the disclaimers I posted in post #38 ...

"It's a free country and everyone gets to do whatever they want in their mind.
Personally, for me, YMMV, etc. etc. etc., I consider it would be a total waste of my time to entertain questions that are unanswerable."

I clearly stated for me it's a waste of time.

Why is it so common when one expresses an opinion (even bending over backwards to state that my opinion applies only to the me) it's interpreted as preaching to convert others?
This is very common.

 

[kenny]

I'm sure there are scientific papers written on why imagination or what you consider to be mental masturbation is common in a lot of humans. ...

" ... a lot of humans"?

Careful, a lot of people used to believe the world was flat.
That didn't make it flat.

It's called argumentum ad populum

Argumentum ad populum - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Snip:
"In argumentation theory, an argumentum ad populum (Latinfor "argument to the people") is a fallacious argument that concludes that a proposition must be true because many or most people believe it, often concisely encapsulated as: "If many believe so, it is so."

 

[kenny]

The human mind is not logical. ...

The mind can be logical and it can be illogical.

 

[Matata]

Ahhh, there's the old Kenny....

So as I understand it, you tolerate only logical discourse and don't respect logical fallacies since you were kind enough to attempt to point out fallacies I used in my attempt to converse with you. Noted and I'll respect that going forward.

Regardless of improved accuracy of when death occurs, my point is when we die then that's it. This is a logical fallacy called "appeal to ignorance." You provide no evidence to prove the claim. And yes, no one has yet proven your claim is untrue and should someone claim there is life after death, that would also be an appeal to ignorance.

Actually, your response demonstrates my point.
We non doctors/scientists debating the exact biological process of death does nothing to advance knowledge.
That is the job of the experts. This is an example of the straw man logical fallacy as well as appeal to ignorance.

... a lot of humans"?

Careful, a lot of people used to believe the world was flat.
That didn't make it flat.

It's called argumentum ad populum Incorrect because I am not recommending that you or posters here believe my opinion because everyone else believes it, all the cool people believe it, people will like me better if you believe it, etc.

 

[Matata]

Why is it so common when one expresses an opinion (even bending over backwards to state that my opinion applies only to the me) it's interpreted as preaching to convert others?
This is very common. Now that is a fine example of argumentum ad populum (see your snipped above) and misses the point (a logical fallacy) because I didn't accuse you of preaching to convert others. I actually said I agree with a lot of your points and then made the mistake of trying to expand the conversation for which I apologize and, going forward, won't do again.

 

[Austina]

Why can‘t animals speak (OK, so I know why), but you know what I mean. How much easier would it be if we knew when they were in pain, or ready for us to let them go?

 

[House Cat]

Why has my chihuahua recently started following me around? We’ve owned her for several years. She’s never done this. She’s even stopped sleeping with my son and started sleeping on my feet. It scares me.