Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

d34nxvi t1_j39ub17 wrote

Reply to comment by aesu in The Persistent Problem of Consciousness: an astronaut's epiphany by simsquatched

I actually think the fact that it just ends isn’t that bad. Like you said until you gained the consciousness and knowledge to contemplate your being, there was nothing.

Somehow you came to consciousness and as yourself. Not one of the other billions of people on this rock that has that same insane ability. Knowing how lucky we are to have it in the first place makes me ok knowing it’ll end. It’s sad it will but it would be sadder to waste it always thinking about it ending. Sadder still to not realise how lucky you are to have it in the first place, which you obviously do.

The anaesthesia does sound really weird though.

2

aesu t1_j39woei wrote

Intellectually this all tracks, but the emotional reactio to coming out of the oblivion of anaesthesia, and knowing I never wanted to go back to that oblivionz and how sweet life is, still haunts me. I still have nightmares about dying. The irony is, in my nightmares, I'm panicked because I'm about to die and lose consciousness, but I'm not even really conscious in the dream state. I'm unconsciously repeating my conscious dread.

2