Supposing that the life/societies that we have created for ourselves are a way of hiding from the fact that we will all die one day. What would we be like as individuals or on whole as a society. What would we do all those days without the purpose that we have created for ourselves?
Its funny though when I try to think what it would be like, the idea that springs to mind is on the far reaches of my imagination and then disappears as if it is an impossible reality.
Then I get a headache.
I don’t think I understand the question. I mean, I know I’m going to die one day. I think everyone knows that. So do you mean what if we let that fact consume our existence? Or. . . I don’t know. Can you expand?
Really i was wondering if over the millennia we have evolved, what would have happened if we didnt shy away from the fact that as individuals we are going to die, if we realised that what ever we do now does not ultimately mean anything for after we are dead it is of no use to us, yes it may be of benefit to following generations but they will die too. Its hard to explain really but if we ignore the fact that we will die we can give our lives purpose a path to move forward on, if we are fully aware that what we do is futile would we choose the same path if not what would it be?
If that is infact the question, the answer is that we would all be Christians.
I think it probably did/does happen throughout evolution. People that can’t find a reason to preserve themselves and procreate do not preserve themselves or procreate, and their genes die out. Lines of thought that end in “so who cares if we live or die?” are not that good at spreading themselves. Thoughts like that are not selected for, so they go extinct or they are kept to a minimum.
Well, if we stop considering “meaning” as something only associated with the future (or something that will happen only after we die…which seems insane to me), but instead associate it with present experience, then we might instead just walk around feeling content and more at peace right now. And right now. And right now… And this peaceful happiness would guide our actions toward others, including future generations.
I suppose that if we are contented in the present moment, then we would be encouraged to do those things now which would assist future beings to be content during their lifetimes, also. Like, say, taking care of the frigging planet…?
Most humans in history believed in an after-life. As such, they often felt what they did in one life would effect the next, thus this life was not a tiny nothing, it was a test and a developmental stage before the afterlife.
If they “didn’t shy away from the fact that as individuals we are going to die” they would moreso be “realists”. And who knows? Maybe more courage? Less fear? A better society?
I would hope that I can meet my end with a smile, even if our lives mean nothing We still lived and that itself has meaning.
For me this comes back to long reserch poured over the meaning of life and the only real conclusion is to live. But then I don’t think I could explain that even if I really wanted to.
I live I will die, as will everyone else, this is as reassuring as it is depressing since it means nothing lasts forever but nothing ends either.
Exactly Dan if we didnt have the constraints of the afterlife being a reflection of what we did in this life what as a race would we have been like?
Oh, so you mean “what would the world be like without religion”?
Better and worse, I’d say.
Hmmm…
Well, some people, when they cannot walk anymore, they use a wheel chair. It is the nature of humanity to suppliment themselves when they can.
If we didn’t have the constraints of the afterlife, and if people didn’t NEED the concept of an afterlife, I think it would be much like a man who does not need a wheel-chair anymore, because he could walk.
Life is not easy for humans. The idea of an after-life is somewhat relieving. And I would guess that more emotionally-stable and strong-willed sorts of persons would not have as many “spiritual needs”, etc. So in this sense, we may be asking for a strong, confident, couragious and stable society, if we ask that they cast aside all of their metaphysical wheel-chairs.
But… I feel like my post, all up antil now, was way too secular-western.
near-death.com/
nderf.org/
nderf.org/vonlommel_consciousness.htm
On the other hand… humanity is probably right about there being an afterlife… But they are probably wrong about the “soul” being “immortal”.
From what I’ve estimated, the morphogenic field is responsable for things such as phantom-lymbs and also the “unexplainable” parts of physical healing/regenoration. This rapidly-reforming low-density layer is the part of thyself which has highest odds of surviving after “death”, simply due to how much more stable it is compared to the material-body. I’ve called this the “astral body”, for lack of another word…
Various friends of mine, online, for example, have had feelings of phantom wings and phantom tails. Ofcourse we are curious about it, we want to understand it, so we test eachother out, etc. I project near them, and touch a certain area of their phantom lymbs. I don’t tell them where, I just ask them where they feel it [if they are sensative enough]. And then they tell me where, even though I never told them… That’s just one example, of the kinds of experiments that I’ve done with various “unusual” friends of mine. Some of the really spiritually sensative ones, can feel the more wild and deep sensations, from the more-mobile body-layer. 
I usedto have many doubts, in the beginning, but after much self-testing, I certainly believe that there are subtle, additional dimensional layers stacked attop of [and undernieth] common-atomic/electronic-matter.
If anyone would like to read through the various areas, of those three links that I’ve shown, it could be a good place to learn. But I believe that at these philosophy-forums, even the “empiricists” prefer a somewhat rationalist-opinion-based analog of argument.
Various friends of mine, online, for example, have had feelings of phantom wings and phantom tails. Ofcourse we are curious about it, we want to understand it, so we test eachother out, etc. I project near them, and touch a certain area of their phantom lymbs. I don’t tell them where, I just ask them where they feel it [if they are sensative enough]. And then they tell me where, even though I never told them… That’s just one example, of the kinds of experiments that I’ve done with various “unusual” friends of mine. Some of the really spiritually sensative ones, can feel the more wild and deep sensations, from the more-mobile body-layer.
mmm i had wondered.
Well, now the pink striped teleporting wonder cat is out of the bag. 
To take this a step further, I wonder what the world that was ignorant or immune to death and suffering would be like.
The closest thing I can think of is the picture christians paint of “heaven”.
This idea is a weird one. It’s a world where there’s no need or point in helping anyone, etc. Very little development. Often I listen to christians and hear them describe heaven and think “just like the world, only without a point”… to think of that place as being the point to this place is kinda hilarious to me.
Immortality? Seems like the pervading social mood would be ennui. You’d have to subtract all the doctors and people who do charity work “to save lives” from their respective workforces. People would adopt emotional detatchment from all things without realising it.
Ultimately, I think this is a world that has less soul.
Well, not to split hairs here, but let’s look at this for a moment:
“Supposing that the life/societies that we have created for ourselves are a way of hiding from the fact that we will all die one day.”
Created for ourselves? It wasn’t me that decided to start engaging in agriculture. And I had no personal hand in instituting slavery, or founding the UN, or spreading Christianity in Ireland, or cutting the first rock 'n roll record.
I don’t think anyone really “created” society - it just kinda happened. Maybe it was inevitable after we got these opposable thumbs. And as far as doing what we do because we’re afraid we’re going to die? I’d imagine that that’s a far better alternative than just folding up the tent.
Our mortality is certainly an issue, but only at the very end for most of us. And as for the teleological explanation of why we’re here: why get bogged down in that gobbledy-gook? What if the purpose of our being here is just to be here, to do this one moment, that the next?
And why is it necessarily a bad thing to be aware of our impending death? How does that render what we do now as futile? Eating chocolate cake is one of my favorite things to do, but I’ve never had a cake so big that I didn’t eventually have to stop eating it. That’s just how cake is - you eat it and then it’s gone. But I wouldn’t call that experience futile - just delicious.
And really, from a philosophical standpoint, what wisdom is to be gained by ignoring one of the biggest moments in a person’s life? Why stop at death when we can ignore love and friendship too? I’d rather be aware of the beginning and the end, the good and the bad. Futile is trying to live a full life by ignoring huge chunks of it.
Definitely thought-provoking.
I believe we would be like the stereotypical view of cavemen. and i would also like to know what made you think of this, because i was thinking of something similar.
I’m not sure if people spend their lives shying away from the fact that we will eventually die. I think, philosophically/metaphysically, most people are fundamentally nihilists. Or existentialists. Whatever. When it comes to the big picture about life and death and the universe they throw their hands up as if it’s hopeless to understand, and one idea is just as likely as another… if they hear the truth they might temporarily go along with it but overall they don’t really care about it because they ‘can’t know’. Maybe if there’s something people shy away from, it’s the true nature of the universe–maybe if we knew what we really are, the world would be a better place–and maybe we wouldn’t even fear death. Not that people shy away from the true nature of the univers, per se, but are blocked from it either way. To dwell on the fact that we’re (presumebaly) going to cease to exist some day would be honest, but sometimes I wonder if honesty is a dangerous thing in this world of illusions. It’s like there are some things ‘everyone’ believes, but to take them to heart as an absolute frame of outlook is a form of naivete… i dunno… just some thoughts i’ve been having lately… but anyway I have a suspicion that the change you’re thinking about isn’t really based on not shying away from something, but on obsessing on an idea. Although it would be interesting to see the results of a society where everyone agreed on the same thing, whether it be the naivete of religion or the naivete of common sense, or the real truth, whatever it may be.
With this being said, i believe that most if not all people fear the truth, maybe because in a way there is only one absolute truth and even though many do not consciously know or believe it, they subconsciously know and believe it.
If learning is a form of work, maybe they fear work more than they fear truth in its raw form?
learning/work takes effort and who wants to put effort in and be wrong it would be a waste of time.