fear of eternity

[lyn87]

I am not sure where this idea came from, and why it consumes me so much and others fail to obsess over it like I do but I am terrified of eternity after death.  I am not afraid of dying, but of eternity afterwards.  Do we remain aware of things?  This notion, even the idea of being in a happy place like heaven forever, terrifies me.  Anything, no matter how good, that continues without end, is my worst fear, and thinking about it literally forms knots in my stomach and intense fear.  I know that the answer to this can not be proven, and most would find relief in the idea of eternity, but it is my worst fear.  Does anyone else share this fear?  What can I do?  

[ctrl91]

it is useless to be afraid to question your beliefs. If so, what is that belief based on? truth or dogma? That is very much what we have learnt isn't it, to not ask questions, to accept everything or else. Being controlled by fear and unable to examine things is, if you think about it, one of the reasons why we suffer so much, because we are afraid to look and learn about things. Take for example anxiety. What is going on when anxiety arises. Our usual response to anxiety and everything we don't like is to push it away in aversion or follow after it, both of which makes it stronger. But when you look at anxiety not trying to control anything, what do you see?There are many things going on. First there is the thought, then the feeling of fear we associate with the content of the thought, then obsessive thinking, followed by the feeling of anxiety, followed by more thoughts and fear. It is a cycle, a habit. When you look at the mind and observe what is happening you see the same thing over and over again different thoughts may arise but the process is the same. We have many of these neurotic habits. It is through understanding them that we can let go of them. It is important to know that there is no deity that can help you with your fears and suffering, if they could none of us would be here. It is up to you to help yourself.

[D_E_N]

I, too thought I was alone.  I am 52 and have felt this way since I was elementary school aged 7 or 8 as well.  This thought will go as far as to make me go back and question my belief in God.  Was it all written just to give us peace to live knowing there is no hope because we die anyway?  But then I can cry out in fear, go to my knees and ask God to restore His peace in my soul and it happens.  Finding out today that I am not alone helps though.  It helps because part of the anxiety is wondering why no one else cares about this very important fact of life.  What could I be overlooking that everyone else has found that makes this 'living forever', 'living never again' thought OK? As most of your elder, I will bring forth this thought...We are not smart enough to think past the concept of time.  Time controls everything in existence that WE understand.  God is timeless and endless.  I too, have been confused about the cosmos - after all, what is at the edge of the sky...shouldn't there be one?  How can it not end?  Well, God has a mind that can wrap around the concept of timelessness.  Just as my dog cannot take measurements and build a barn, I cannot build a universe.  Faith is a concept that becomes more difficult the older you get.  I think that's why we were told to 'come as little children'.  Faith would have us to know that God is good.  He presents a moral, good, constructive way to live in His Word.  It would seem logical then that He does good things.  Our faith would then be in Him to be doing a good thing with us, whatever He chooses that to be...IF we give Him the  respect to be grateful for what He gave us in Jesus.  That seems like blind faith.  But if you cannot explain and re-construct what HE does or has done, then faith is what you have left.  I cannot look at the intricacies of this earth and believe it was happenstance.  He's there.  And He knows what He's doing.  To create a being who can have these questions only to leave the being no recourse but a dead end would be cruel and a waste of His time.  So, regardless of the "quality and content" of our existence after we die, I believe it will be an existence in which we will be content.  To agree to be content with what He has chosen for us now is to 'Accept what we cannot change' and make us all the wiser.

[Frankincense]

I am fearing eternity right at this very moment.  It takes over my mind and life.  What sparked it was seeing a programme about a ghost and a seance in which people were trying to get in touch with the dead.  It triggered something in me and I can think of nothing else. I am quite complex, I have complex thoughts and I wouldn't want this to continue eternally.  I have to force myself not to believe in an after life otherwise I cannot function properly.

[whiteboii]

I've read your post and admit that, you described my exact feelings when I think about eternity (luckily I do it rarely). I have come up with two quite comforting thoughts on that matter, that I hope, you and everyone else will find helpful. they are quite ridiculous, but then the fear is too. first one is, a spiritual one, and is about us, humans being 'inside time' ,our perspective can't really understand 'Timelesness'. We can't grasp eternity, that's the domain of timeless God. Second one is scientific. Scientists say that there are nine 'strings' in the universe. first three lenght, widht, hight and the fourth one time. then there is five more left and who knows what else is in there. What if you take away the fourth one? I can't imagine anything out of time. I hope I helped

[stormy_days]

Maybe I can help some of you.  I'm a believer of Jesus and according to the Word of God eternity can either be a place of joy and peace or of torment.  Yes we will have our memories according to Luke 16:19-31. Remember fear is the works of the devil, it's evil and God did not give us a spirit of fear but of power, love and sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7.)  Any kind of fear can paralyze us if we let it over take us.  Even as a believer I have had fear but I have to remember what the Word says and to be absent from this body is to be ever present with the Lord.  Just think of eternity as the life you have dreamed of.  Best wishes to you all.

[michiganmorris]

I've experienced this fear too - especially as a young boy. I have learned to cope with it, but have never solved it. I strongly suspect though, that the issue has to do with measurement of time and duration as a concept. Our minds measure - that's the way we have learned to negotiate our relationship to everything. But in between (or rather among and of)  our floating thoughts, thoughts that only understand measurement, is our Witness - and the Witness merely is.

In order to measure time, we have to divide our experience into two parts - the one experiencing and the one measuring that experience. In that divided state, we feel this intense fear of endless time ie time stretching out along a ruler. But in a unified state - like a cat hunting - we are undivided, not measuring and therefore truly "Timeless."

I believe, though I don't know, that what we experience after death has nothing to do with time, transcends time altogether, and therefore has nothing to do with eternity, which is endless time. The fear we are feeling now is something only the living are concerned with - because Time is an issue for those with flesh, not for those who have gone beyond. Much love to all of you - I truly know this fear.