Why a person who doesn't believe in God or an afterlife would find everyone drowning so troubling.

Drowning takes only a minute or two at most. After the first gulp or two it should be relatively painless (a lark when compared to a knife in the gut or a Saturday night special through the wherever, the Big C or the wife catching you in bed with her sister and mother).

And when it is over, it is over. As I understand not believing - If you're dead, you can't be all that disappointed in missing the neighbor's BBQ, can you? Or do you know something the rest of us don't. Please don't tell me that non-believers worry about what happens after they die if that death also includes everyone else.

For the non-believer, it seems that everyone dieing would be a "boring so what".

Death to the entire race could be a big problem solving solution, too. If a non-believer were even mildly concerned with global warming, they might consider that total elimination of the human race would be a pretty good thing for mother earth. In fact, mother earth would do just fine without any of us here.

Just a few random thoughts.

Anyhow, I thought the latest Ark movie was supposed to be a farce, sort of like Ace Ventura in a big row boat, with a beard. For a factual look at disasters of planetary scope, you might want to consider Discovery channel or National Geographic, or National Enquirer network ad let Hollywood do their thing in their way. This film struck me as a pretty good date flick for 13 year olds. Looking at it in that light, it all makes pretty good sense and should make someone boo-coo bucks.

We all want to live. It's what we know.

Logically, it would be the believer in an afterlife who should be pleased about dying, assuming hisorher vision of the place is pleasing.

I was drowning once. It was quite pleasant until someone pulled me out. That wasn't at all pleasant - all gasping, choking and vomiting!

I think what we would find troubling is just missing out on living a fulfilling life and we would feel empathy for everyone else missing out on living a fulfilling life.

But that's just pre-death. We're good with it after death...non-existence has a very mellowing effect.

Dieing quickly, that is?

No one wants to get sick and hurt for months. I've been there and seen that, but the flood story wasn't that way. You stand on tip toe and then the head goes under and you're gone. Why all the fear? If everyone goes, everyone goes.

Does everyone have that big a weekend planned - that a worldwide flood would wreck their Monday business meeting?

Re tomorrow, I have the grass and maybe a beer and burger. Sunday will be nice, but Monday brings another group of pushy self possessed customers and planning for new business that is the same as the old business, except that it is new and the old is old except to them and they think it will change the earth, except it won't. Other than my Monday will be essentially the same, except different.

Won't be all that much a loss to me to leave this God forsaken ball of rock if the big flood came and there was no room on the ark.

Just random thoughts, made in comment to the Noah and the flood film piece on Slate this afternoon. Sorry I have no idea what the name of the movie actually is, even though I've seen the previews. I do know it won't be another oceans 13, or whatever the name of that one was (And I saw it two nights ago). You know the one - George and brad and a cast of others. A nice time and the popcorn was good. Laughed when things went bad for the bad guys.

Just thought the Slate piece on the flood film was a hoot of silliness and lack of thought.

my apologies for messing up your Friday afternoon. It was snot intended to come out that way. Scout's Honor.

M2

My uncle nearly drowned many years ago -- had stopped breathing and no heartbeat when he was pulled out and resuscitated.

He always said that would be his choice of how to go -- that it was very peaceful and things just faded to black.

"For the non-believer, it seems that everyone dieing would be a "boring so what".

No idea why you would think so. Non-believers have families, friends, and communities and some believers don't accept Plato's Magic Kingdom of spiritual bodies. The world and man were called good and most non-believers I know agree with the B*g G*y.

I was a lifeguard for 35 years. Of the folks I rescued, I don't recall one who didn't fight to live until the raptures got them. That's the pleasant feeling your speaking of. It also happens to victims of hypothermia.

None of those I pulled out of the water decided to back and finish the job.

I'm an avid surfer for sometime now, and have some expiernce in this matter. Its actually how I came to believe in Aquaman. A couple of friends and myself were surfing off Maui's north shore just NW of Hana. The waves were a bit bigger and the current a bit stronger than I was used too and a little above my skill level. I took a bad wipe and was pushed down to the bottom of the ocean, the rocky bottom scrapes you up pretty bad as you tumble along with the force of the wave pushing you down. I felt the velcro tether on my leg that is attached to my surf board slip off and now I can't grab my board to float to the surface. Lungs burn for air for a bit than things start going dark in a tunnel vision. In my "laugh at everything" moment I think "Aquaman save me!!!" Now I'd love some scientific feedback on this. When your brain is starving for oxygen you get to hallucinate. This can happen when you go into a coma, huffing, drowning, and auto-erotic asphyxiation (ask Nanotech what that is if you don't know). Since I was thinking of Aquaman who should I see? You guessed it. Like right out of a comic book, ink lines and all. Suddenly another wave pretty much sucks me off the floor of the ocean and forces me to the surface. I'm dizzy and disoriented but I see my surf board being swept out to open ocean. I swim as fast as I can and retrieve my board. Only then do I notice that I had also lost my swimshorts when I was on the bottom. Aquaman may have saved me, but he stole my shorts and is a jerk.

Even if I believe that empathy and compassion are part of the human psyche due to natural selection and genetic inheritance, that doesn't render them any less powerful in my life.

Please remember that Aquaman doesn't get a paycheck. His need may have been greater than yours.

I don't know if I would call what I read 'thoughts'. To have thoughts one has to have a brain. Whether one believes in a god or not doesn't change the fact that one will miss people close to them when they die.

You are completely confused. It's the believers should be looking forward to dying - they get to spend an eternity with God. Other people dying? Good for them! They are angels now!

Non believers don't want to die. Besides the fact that survival instinct is deeply embedded in our genes, non-believers also know that our lives are all we have and the longer they are the better. The same goes for other people. We know they don't go to Heaven to be angels. After they die they die.

Of course, it's a fool's errand to try to explain logic to a religious person.

Not in the ocean, however, Never could pull off that bathing suit, although I could probably have towed a boat to shore in my younger years :)

Nice bit of empathy for Aquaman - I think someone is starting a foundation in his name...

You can send the check to me

MadderRussian:

You are completely confused. It's the believers should be looking forward to dying - they get to spend an eternity with God. Other people dying? Good for them! They are angels now!

Non believers don't want to die. Besides the fact that survival instinct is deeply embedded in our genes, non-believers also know that our lives are all we have and the longer they are the better. The same goes for other people. We know they don't go to Heaven to be angels. After they die they die.

Of course, it's a fool's errand to try to explain logic to a religious person.

"Non believers don't want to die. Besides the fact that survival instinct is deeply embedded in our genes, non-believers also know that our lives are all we have and the longer they are the better. The same goes for other people. We know they don't go to Heaven to be angels. After they die they die. "

Sounds like the perfect excuse for selfishness. If your life is all there is then why worry about anyone else?

"After they die they die."

You know what they say "born once die twice" (your words) "born twice die once".

my original post involved te noah movie and a question as to what is wrong if EVERYONE were to die.

A hint to those who have problems with reading.

If everyone dies, yourloved onesdietoo and they wont miss you.