Death, what is it and why do we die?

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aka-djposted 15 years ago
We all know how to recognize life, and death. I have heard that modern medical science does not understand why we age and die. Cellular structure and reproduction "should" theoretically go on and on. So why does it not?
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  AEvansposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Only God knows and we should not question his deed.
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  JayDubposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Why not? Just curious
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  amdgposted 14 years agoin reply to this
  The epitome of life is learning and evolving. So why would you keep yourself in the dark about your own mere existence? As they say, knowledge is power.
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  mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  A poem Death
  http://hubpages.com/hub/Deathpoem
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  dingdongposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Do you mean a poem's death? Or death poem?
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  mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Have a look.
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  dingdongposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Science has so many doubts, but death is end of life, and it has to be
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  Zarm Nefilinposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  There is no evidence (yet) that death is the end of consciousness however. The end of human life, yes.
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  dingdongposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Huh Nobody comes back after death to tell us how was the experience, but we are curious
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  aka-djposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Are you sure?
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  dingdongposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Then, will you say Jesus came back?
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  mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Yes he was enlightened or reborn-that means died and came back.
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  mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  I have and am telling you all along .
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  dingdongposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Your messages are funny and they do entertain, and hence many forum users don't take them seriously here. Get it?
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  mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Well you are not very intelligent since you think I am fooling around claiming to be enlightened and a poet.ding dong correct name for you
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  dingdongposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  People who agree with you are intelligents and all others are....? Great arguement
  
  You are doing the good job of a joker
  
  And, about my profile name...I chose it myself, nothing wrong with it
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  mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Speak for yourself and am connecting with others incase you havent noticed.Cannot force you to undserstand what we are talking about.Add something usefull if you can.If what I am saying is bouncing over your head its not my fault.
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  dingdongposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  No need of forcing, I'm all aware of your so-called-enlightment.
  
  I know what all others are taking about, except you do nothing but boasting of yourself.
  
  Get it?
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  mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  ding ding dong dong/
  What the hell is wrong ?
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  dingdongposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Ask it to yourself, man
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  mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  ding dong ding
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  dingdongposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  You need enlightenment
  
  I know, it's HERE
  
  See the light
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  mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  ding dong
  meaning -An idiot - like that defination about you its perfect thanks for sharing .
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  dingdongposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Never mind Remember that I gave you the link, obviously who enlightened who
  
  Yes, I'm an idiot as I waste time with you. But, it's true - You're a BIG Entertainer being funny ding-dong yourself
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  mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Its your name and thank you for sharing such vast knowledge I desperately needed it from a ding dong
  The topic is on Death can we go back to that now?
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  dingdongposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  There you are See, this is what you do The TS started discussion with a science viewpoint, you and some others took it to somewhere
  
  By the way, when ding-dong has many meanings and YOU pick YOUR favourite one, I have nothing to do with it
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  mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Sorry Master ding dong.I am unable to comprehend your sense of humour.
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  dingdongposted 15 years agoin reply to this
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  Mark Knowlesposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  
  What are you - a closet christian?
  
  There is no evidence (yet) that god does not exist and the christians are wrong. :lol
  
  That does not make it so.....
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  sandra rinckposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  rotflmao...some people wonder about you too. lol.
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  quotationsposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Actually, I think it is pretty well established that normal cells have a built in process that causes them to die after a certain number of cell divisions. This means that as we get older we have fewer and fewer cells reproducing and eventually we are not able to replace the damaged components and organs etc begin to fail and we die. The only cells that are truly immortal in the sense that they can reproduce forever and do not have a built in expiry date are cancer cells. They can divide an unlimited number of times.
  
  If we could find out how cancer cells do that and apply it to normal cells without causing the normal cells to reproduce out of control and essentially turn cancerous, then we might be able to greatly extend our lives. However that would not be immortality because we would still eventually die of accident and disease or homicide.
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  taveuni13posted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Well, to try and get this back on track and honor what I think was the OP's (and this forum's) intent-
  
  This limit of division is known as the Hayflick Limit, but is not limited to cancer cells. Apparently unlimited divisions can also occur in stem cells, some cells in long-lived sea birds, and likely others yet to be discovered. Ironically it is thought that the built-in aging mechanism is thought to be to protect the body from creating a potentially cancerous cell.
  
  Here's a curious little website I stumbled on- http://www.whatisdeath.com/
  
  One of my favorite authors is Daniel C. Dennett who has done some inspiring work and theorizing in an attempt to "de-mystify" conciousness. Anyone curious about a new approach to theories of conciousness, and not ones mired in superstitious anachronisms might want to check out his book "Conciousness Explained". Note that explaining it in scientific terms, IMO, does not detract from my awe of the universe. Questions of a "soul" I think often center around theories of conciousness, and subsequently death and afterlife.
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  Jewelsposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Because our physical body is an organism and we put rubbish into it. Like a composting principle we just keep rotting until our organs stop working.
  
  We have the ability to live for a very very long time, yet we don't seem to know how to regulate ourselves to be able to achieve this very long life that is ours for the taking. I like the use of a piece of teaching known as the fourfold model. It partly comes from Steiner, sorry I can't get quotes etc.
  
  But shows that we are made up of our Physical dense body, it is kept alive by a life force, not unlike a plant, in fact the same as a plant. (This life force is what's known as chi, qi or prana in different traditions). We procreate and keep the species going. We then have thoughts and emotions which get us more animated. And what is said to be the only difference between a human and an animal is our sense of individuality and a higher state of consciousness (though excuse me if that is questionable at times!)
  
  If we were able to maintain a balance between regulating our life force and it's relationship to our thoughts and emotions, the impact on our physical bodies would change, and possibly lengthen our lives over and above what we currently find as the norm. People have become lazy, and their innate ability to use their own body to heal themselves is becoming a lost art. So much importance is placed on ABC knowledge and little time is spent on people as people and their bodies and it's abilities other than being sports heroes.
  
  It is interesting your question would mean different things to different people. I see you have had it hijacked to become a religious discussions. That's not hard to do considering people are from different backgrounds and that question will find different answers. My first answer would have been that Death is a transition and not even consider the physical death. But from a science standpoint, I gather you are talking about the rotting of the physical carcass.
  
  Or do you wish to include consciousness in the mix and our lack of it in regard to our own physical existence
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  Lady_Eposted 14 years agoin reply to this
  Well its just the way of life - we all have to kick the bucket at some point but hopefully later rather than sooner.
  
  What baffles me though is that Centuries ago, people lived up to 300years, 700years and 900 years but now I think the latest people live up to is about 120.... Food for thought.
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  vancouverposted 14 years agoin reply to this
  people used to live up to 900 years? Hadnt heard anything like that before. I think id better start eating my greens.
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  Lady_Eposted 14 years agoin reply to this
  lol. Well, that guy called Methuselah lived up to about 900 years old.
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  aka-djposted 14 years agoin reply to this
  Yes it is, but why is it so?
  I think that pre-flood, the earth was a different place. Nature did not "take it's toll" on the bodies of living beings as id does now. Just IMO! Works for me.
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knolyourselfposted 15 years ago
"Cellular structure and reproduction "should" theoretically go on and on." I like the idea but where you gonna put the 'on and on' population?
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  aka-djposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  I suggest you start a forum on "that" question. Dunno!
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knolyourselfposted 15 years ago
So think what i would do, if cannot get around the population problem, because of the nature of the environment, is create a non-material dimension where I could continue to exist, though my body must dust. Then maybe i could move back and forth.
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sandra rinckposted 15 years ago
for the same reasons leaves fall of trees and bees die after it stings, or a fly only lives a day, because it is a part of life and life needs a counter part to complete the circle so that it last forever, in some way, shape or form.

I just hope it doesn't hurt.
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hubby7posted 15 years ago
It seems to me that death is returning to Nature that which is Nature's. Everything we borrowed from Nature is returned upon our death. Just like some T-shirts read, "Property of the US Army", we have an invisible stamp, so to speak, that says "Property of Nature" or, some would say, "Property of God". As to why we die, I would venture to say that that is just how things are. Plants, animals, stars and the like are born, they grow, and they die. We are part of this same Grande Scheme of things; thus, we too die. I could get all philosophical on you, but I will spare you the gobbledygook.

hubby7
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Patty Inglish, MSposted 15 years ago
Scientist and futurist author Arthur C. Clarke predicted that humans would discover immortality sometime after 2100 AD. However, in the 1990s, it was widely published that human cells have a built-in life time for cell division up to the average of 113 years, give or take a few. Yet, certain scriptures indicate people with a lifespan much longer and I do not know myself if that could have been true. I suppose there are ways to lengthen this time and the number of cell divisions possible, but at what health costs? For example, cloned animals to not live as long as non-cloned animals. But it is all interesting to think about.

And matter and energy do, indeed, change back and forth in the universe.

Good thread.
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  sandra rinckposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Good points. I thought about that once. I figured maybe it had to do with the atmospher, purer oxogen and stuff like that. Pollutants seem to chane our life expectancies too of course behavior changes this as well, but I think, just as dinosaurs were bigger, presumably by the amount of oxogyn or whatever in the atmosphere, then it was likely that we became much smaller live shorter lives.
  
  Donno though. Interesting to think about.
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  mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Some saints have claimed to extend their lifetime in order to burn out their karmas in this life itself so they have no need to be reborn again as a human The Girnar mountains in Gujrat is supposed to have few saints who are 200 years old.
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Patty Inglish, MSposted 15 years ago
I though I'd heard something about that. Thanks for telling us!
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aka-djposted 15 years ago
Just to add some depth to the discussion, why do various species have (sometimes HUGEly) different lifespans. I mean even within the same "kind", like birds. Maccaws can live till (like)80, and other parrots 12-15?
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  topstuffposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Possibly due to having different genetics.
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  aka-djposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Could there be that much/little difference?
  I wonder if their diet has anything to do with it?
  Some humans smoke and drink (alcohol) and live over 100, and others (much higher proportionately) die young.
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  dingdongposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  That's an interesting question
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knolyourselfposted 15 years ago
"Some saints have claimed to extend their lifetime in order to burn out their karmas in this life itself so they have no need to be reborn again as a human" This is a new one haven't heard before. Haveta appreciate that.
I also have heard of the 100 to 200 year olds. What I don't understand is why everyone is so hell-bent on getting out of here and never coming back. Such a beautiful planet.
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  mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  It is beautiful but nothing compares to the dimension of the light which is absolute bliss.
  I am waiting to die patiently, was extremely suicidal for years after my spiritual experience,now I have patience and there is a lot of work to be done.
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  mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  As long as I have much to give,
  That is how long I will live.
  
  At the end to death I must go,
  Finishing a real tragic and funny show.
  
  I know I am going to die soon,
  That will be my biggest boon.
  
  My life like a candle has been lit,
  Suicide sadly is forbidden to commit.
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  Jewelsposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  That is a great statement. Those seeking 'enlightenment' are hellbent on leaving such a beautiful planet, when in fact you can experience states of bliss and have joyful fulfilling lives right here. Transformation is said to be the bringing of your higher self into your physical body. Even the stories of there being heaven on earth relate to this exact thing.
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  mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Krishna -when we finally come to our senses we never return to this painfull playground we mistakenly call home.
  After enlightenment you are in between not here or there.There believe me is just far far better than this beautiful planet-unconditional and never ending love:)
  As long as one is in the human body one will suffer as all humans do-no one is spared examples illness or pain-this is a painfull dimension:)
  
  We care constantly fighting like cats and dogs,
  Reality is covered by some strange fog.
  
  How long is this supposed to go on?
  Before I go back to where I came from.
  
  In this world we are all referring,
  To sparks of happiness and flames of suffering.
  
  The wise are so totally detached,
  Pain is for those who are attached.
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dingdongposted 15 years ago
Some banyan trees live for several centuries
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Edwin Clarkposted 15 years ago
I don't know if there is a God or if I will meet one when I die. But to be honest that wouldn't really upset me. I think what would really sadden me is when I die, I can't see my family members who have past on already.
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hubby7posted 15 years ago
Let me raise a few questions: Are we our physical bodies? Are we real or are we mere appearances? Are we one or are we many? Who are we? Are we the complex temporal structures that exist in time in space or are we the "inner" self that some say exist outside of time and space? Depending on how you answers those questions, death is either real for you or not.

hubby7
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  aka-djposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Either way, it has to be real. Dead is dead!
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  mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Death is becoming more alive than we can ever get in the human form What is termed as an awakened one-someone who has woken up from this dream,
  
  At which age I wonder I am going to die,
  Dream stage, awakened to fully awakened I must try.
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  Jewelsposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  mohitmisra, Is the death you are referring to the same death that is being discussed in this forum.? Being reborn like a pheonix out of the ashes - yes it's a form of great awakening, the shedding of old ways at a very deep level. Isn't this akin to transformation? You could definitely relate it to death as in the non-continuum of life in the same body, the spaces of both are similar. But the death I am assuming you are talking about is one of transformation and continued life in the same physical body.
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  mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Dear Jewel
  Correct enlightenment is dying and coming back in this body itself.One dies and suddenly becomes the cosmos the Light.Then you think of yourself and the moment you do so you are back in this body-your thoughts materialise yourself and everything around you.Your very being changes as well as your priorities-it is a great awakening.
  I like what the shamans say-each of us is the centre and we are cocreating ourself and this universe together, the cosmic joke-all is you
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  hubby7posted 15 years agoin reply to this
  "Unless you be born again, you cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven." This is a psychological death and a spiritual re-awakening that takes place in the here and now. The body does not die. The ego, in a sense, does. And an expanded God-like self appears. Listen then if you have ears!
  
  hubby7
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  mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Correct- death is the door to God.When I mean one dies is that -you enter this tunnel and explode into the light on the other side.To do so you must give up everything -no attachments .This is another dimension where there is no you as a human and only endless blissfull light-One.All this happens in meditation.
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  Jewelsposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Yep, I concur with that. I use the term Fields of Peace, same as Kingdom of Heaven in your tradition. But even then Fields of Peace seems to be one level of a myriad of levels to see and to hear about. I do listen as I do have ears!
  
  There's a great book hubby7 called Putting on the Mind of Christ which is from a Christian standpoint. Talks about the dark night of the soul and that being a level that many seekers go into on their way to this state of psychological death.
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  Jewelsposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  That may be according to your understanding of your teachings. Enlightenment is the reaching of Nirvana in Hindu tradition - is that you're understanding? If one reaches the state of Nirvana they are no longer in duality. They have attained complete union which is pre-manifest. From this state you will not return to duality. You need to be in duality to reincarnate. So you ain't returning to no physical body, nor is there a need to.
  
  Paradoxes on the journey to 'enlightenment.' In some traditions enlightenment means different things. I don't mind the term God consciousness or Christ consciousness, but even then it's too vast for our little brains to fathom. Christ consciousness is too darn big, we can't hold it in our smallness. But the experience of dying and being reborn within the same body does create a higher level of consciousness.
  
  When I say we can't hold it - this is the explanation as to why people fall in a pit of depression after experiencing higher states of consciousness. They are beautiful, you feel elated, loved like you have never experienced it before. Yet you remember it, it's very familiar. The stillness is exquisite, the nectar that you feel sublime. People often say they don't want to live because the difference between that state, and the state we experience day to day in the world is so vastly different and deflating, it causes many to become disheartened. This is why many don't succeed in a spiritual path - it's just too much fire, too much love and we can't handle it. These experiences are just that, tactile experiences. They are not beliefs, no dogma, real states. They are actually beyond the state of bliss. These states forge an awakening where people come to understand there is a difference. The quest of a spiritual seeker therefore becomes one where you can learn to hold that higher state of consciousness more and more. And last time I looked, Jesus doesn't do it for you, he helps out a bit, but at the end of the day he shows the way.
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  mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Enlightenment is the stepping stone to Nirvana.Nirvana is when one is no longer in this body.What in Hindu philosophy is called samadhi and maha samadhi.Yes like I said one is inbetween after enlightenment -not here or there, or rather fluctuating a lot and reaching higher states of consiousness.Sometimes you are totally you or your body and at times you are one. One must become like Jesus
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  Jewelsposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Thanks for setting me straight on that. I've heard many people put Nirvana and Enlightenment in the same context. Very confusing when having conversations with people. Enlightenment can mean different things to different people. Which is why I prefer the terms Awakening and higher states of consciousness.
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aka-djposted 15 years ago
Sorry guys. I think I should have posted this thread in the Religion forum? (sarcasm mine)
Seems some of you are straddling the fence a bit. Only one or two people actually posted true to topic.
But then that happens a lot on these forums.
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  weblogposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  There are many, but Mohit seems to be the main contributor for what you mean
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  aka-djposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Yes I see that. He is not just on one side of the fence or the other, he IS the fence. Also the field its on, and the planet, and all of space too. Oh, and let me not forget, he is the light and the darkness too!
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  mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  You do not understand Jesus and would have laughed at him as well for saying one must be reborn.Or thy eye be single must be just too too funny for you.Many did and actually killed him for saying so.
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knolyourselfposted 15 years ago
"It is beautiful but nothing compares to the dimension of the light which is absolute bliss. I am waiting to die patiently, was extremely suicidal for years after my spiritual experience," Of what exact good is this experience of the dimension of light, if it makes one suicdal for years?
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  mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Sorry but this is how it is .Masters do warn you of having suicidal tendencies when one goes into meditation seriously and after a spiritual experience.Life is strange:)
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dishyumposted 15 years ago
Hmmm this does look more like a religious thread
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knolyourselfposted 15 years ago
"If one reaches the state of Nirvana they are no longer in duality. They have attained complete union which is pre-manifest. From this state you will not return to duality. You need to be in duality to reincarnate. So you ain't returning to no physical body, nor is there a need to."

"death is the door to God.When I mean one dies is that -you enter this tunnel and explode into the light on the other side.To do so you must give up everything -no attachments .This is another dimension where there is no you as a human and only endless blissfull light-One."
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  aka-djposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  That means the spirit/soul/life-force (call it what you will) separates from the body.
  I agree with that, but that does not answer "why" we die.
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  mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  True man doesnt know why or when he will die.We gain knowledge from the cosmos as and when it deems fit but again all knowledge or omniscience isconsidered the last stage which is supposed to happen only on death-something I havent reached yet.
  
  As long as I have much to give,
  That is how long I will live.
  
  At the end to death I must go,
  Finishing a real tragic and funny show.
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DeaneMcposted 15 years ago
In the beginning when God created Adam and Eve, God made them to live for eternity
And when they were in the garden God commanded them saying, Of every tree of the garden you may eat freely, but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat of it, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.
When Satan made his appearance and made Eve doubt the word of God, this led to her eating of the fruit which brought the death penalty upon her. Adam also ate of the fruit therefore this brought a curse on them for disobeying God. It was the fact they disbelieved God's truth and believed Satan's lie which brought the curse of death upon all mankind. God could no longer walk with them because they had sinned by being disobedient.
This is the curse that God pronounced upon man and woman, To the woman He said, I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you. Then to Adam He said, Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying you shall not eat of it: Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life.Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you. And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground. For out of the ground you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you shall return.
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God,God could no longer walk with them so they became spiritually dead.
Because of sin, not only are we cursed but scripture states that all creation is cursed.
What is death according to scriptures? It is the fact that our bodies will return to dust since they were made from dust. our flesh and blood bodies belong to Satan and can never enter heaven.Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood can not inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. ( 1 Corinthians 15:50)
We do however have a hope. There are two types of death. There is a physical death and there is a spiritual death.
Physical death is when our bodies cease to function or stop breathing. At that time our spirit and soul departs and the physical body begins to rot because it is in fact, returning to dust.Spiritual death is separation from God. No man on earth today has a clue as to how horrible a fate separation from God is.What separates us from God is sin.The way we become reunited with God is by believing and trusting in the redemptive work of Christ. Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he will live. (John 11:25)
Jesus came so that even though we die( our bodies) if we believe in Him we receive salvation therefore we live. God loved us enough that he gave His Son to become a sacrifice for our sins so that the ones that believe in Him will have eternal life with Him.
What happens to those that reject God? He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
Saying all of this I say also: 1 Corinthians 15: 56-57 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 9:27 states: And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment. When we die our spirit either goes to God or goes to a place we have come to know as hell. Hell is where God Isn't.
To live, we must first be born physically. To gain eternal life, then we must be born again spiritually. To gain eternal life , then the flesh must die.
What is death? For the ones who know Christ it is when we stop bearing the image of Adam and start bearing the image of Christ. It is but a step into eternity. To be like Christ we change from our old ways and start living a live pleasing to God, loving, with compassion, long suffering, kindness, faithfulness, gentle, showing self-control, having joy, peace, and patience. For the ones who reject Christ, then they will never bear the image of Christ and will be separated from God for eternity.
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aka-djposted 15 years ago
I apologise!
I wish I could have moderated this forum thread!
Please keep it on track, or else LEAVE this discussion alone!
Thanks.
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  dingdongposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Every thread has the possibility, don't you agree that we go off-topic in any forum here?
  
  Anyway, I believe it's over now, in this thread
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  aka-djposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  I hope it is over. I don't mind going off track, but it seemed (to me), that it became personal attacks between you and mohit.
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  mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Maybe we could start with why one gets born in the first place?
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  Mark Knowlesposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Mo this is a science thread
  
  If you need an explanation of basic human reproduction it is here -
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_reproduction
  
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  mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  True but I still keep asking myself why I am here on this planet
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  Mark Knowlesposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Then open a new thread on the religion forum.
  
  Science will answer the "how" not the "why"
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  mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  True once again ok
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sandra rinckposted 15 years ago
because if we didn't die there wouldn't be enough room on the planet and if we didn't die then we would suffer forever and ever with no releif.
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  aka-djposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Is that how you see life? Suffering?
  I know you "hate" the thought of (eternal) suffering. What if some (or many) enjoyed living here forever. It would be a different perspectrive for them.
  Maybe that's why the (evil) rich and powerful opress the rest. So they can "live it up" at their (our) expense. Just a thought.
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  mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Rich or poor all must die.
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  aka-djposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Another great equalizer!
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  weblogposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Great find
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Mathi Pposted 15 years ago
Why do we die ? ..

WoW .. it's Good Question , But , i think it's not yet a good answer .
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  dingdongposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Which one?
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  Mathi Pposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  am like u , becoz your activity is same ,and better with me .
  
  Death .
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knolyourselfposted 15 years ago
Maybe if you believe in reincarnation, death is time for a new and different take on things, and get out of the muck and mire of
a molasses existence.
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aka-djposted 15 years ago
If the soul is involved, then life is more than a physical "thing". The "body" dies, what then of the soul? Is it the same as the "spirit",or is it mere energy, that also extinguishes at the point of death, (or very soon after)?
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  Mark Knowlesposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Come on aka-dj, this is a science forum. The fantasy forum is one up
  
  When you die you are dead. It is the natural way of things.
  
  Death is an ending that allows for new things to grow. We die because all things that are alive die. This is how it works.
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  aka-djposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  True enough. I only mentioned it because taveuni13 introduced it at the end of his post.
  Otherwise, I had no intention of going there. Really.
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  Mark Knowlesposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Ah, fair enough. I didn't think his silly link was worth mentioning.
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  mohitmisraposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Soul is pirit.The soul can merge with the supersoul or Holy spirit and become One.
  Now think of it -if one person bonds with you how much love you feel.
  If the entire cosmos bonds with you then imagine that ecstacy-this happens on death and merging with the light. :)back to science of the material world and not spiritual
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aka-djposted 15 years ago
I did have a quick look at it. I don't have time to follow every link I see.
Silly? I think I agree, at least based on the little i did read.
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taveuni13posted 15 years ago
Yes, the link was admittedly silly.

But the question of death isn't. It is thought (in a purely scientific manner) that not a single atom in your body is the same as the ones that were there 7 years ago. So from a purely materialistic standpoint what makes you "you"?

I don't subscribe to mystical answers to this question myself, but this sense of "yourself" persists anyway, does it not? This is where I think Dennett has broken some new ground. Essentially his theories center around the aphorism "The Clothes Have No Emperor". It is a fresh way of looking at conciousness free of the supernatural and mysticism.

So yes, when you die, you die, this is the only life you have, I agree. But all energy is conserved and the atoms that make up "you" go on to be utilized elsewhere in the universe. That's amazing enough for me without getting bogged down in mysticism.
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  aka-djposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Don't get me wrong, I believe (there's that contentious word again) in a soul/spirit, just avoiding it in this thread. The "scientific" side if you will, does point to it, as you have stated. Even if we are a "body" of cells, that uses, generates, and converts energy to sustain itself, that "energy" then ceases to exist. I mean within the body which (it) was in. But that all still does not really explain why we die, esp in the light of what you said re our every cell(atom) being replaced every 7yrs.
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  taveuni13posted 15 years agoin reply to this
  Well, if a materialistic "why" is all you are seeking, then I think the Hayflick Limit says all that needs to be said. Cells have a limit in the times they can divide, and this eventually leads to death.
  
  It can be thought of in the sense that immortality does not necessarily lead to the success of a species (in a Darwinian sense) given the environment from which we have arisen. Physical/material immortality might cause us to become simply a cancer which eventually destroys it's own host, and subsequently its own life, before we could gain the knowledge and wisdom to prevent this from happening. Or maybe I should say that it would have just happened faster than it's happening now.
  
  But you can't really ask this question and evade what it is that actually constitutes "you". And that's where you find yourself on the fringe of science, at least for now. Dennett says this sense you have of "you" is just an idea that doesn't actually fit with the scientific reality, it's a myth.
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  Mark Knowlesposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  This answers the how and the why. Simple biology.
  
  We are animals. We are made of cells. Cells have a limited lifespan. Cells die. We die. End of story.
  
  Realistically, "why do we need to die," is answered by merely observing the world around us. We need to die to allow for new life.
  
  Any metaphysical questions get conclusively defined, tested, refined and scientifically proven with no room for argument in the next forum up
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JYOTI KOTHARIposted 15 years ago
The answer goes beyond cells. There is a borderline between living and non-living. When atoms/molecules are arranged in a particular pattern it gives an oppurtunity to be called as living being.

In general these particular molecular combinations are refered as DNA or RNA. We may refer organic chemoicals in this catagory vaguely.

These chemicals are typical in nature. It has its inbuilt code of reproduction.

Though researchers could know mere 1% of the vast range of DNA and RNA it seems that reproduction system has a limit which brings death to us in normal conditions.

In abnormal situations such as accident or desease, it seizes its normal capabilities and functioning. This causes death.

Phbilosophically, there is a limit for staying a soul inside a particular body. Body siezes functioning after that limit and the soul goes out. Indian religions such as Jain, Buddha, Sanatana (Hindu) believe that the soul takes rebirth that means when a person dies his soul go away to get a new body.

Jyoti kothari
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SexyRedd009posted 15 years ago
U kno sometimes i feel bad and i know this doesnt have nuthin to do with science kinda but how do i get shorter ya see im 13 years old n i weight 119lbs and all my friends are short and i feel left out n sad because i dont want to be short i usta be short but every since i got and 6thgrade things started changing and its sad n i dont think im dat tall but i cant see what other people see is there a way to get shorter and yeah ima gurl dead serious im sadd
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knolyourselfposted 15 years ago
Enjoy it while ya got it, cause they is all goin to pass you up probably for long.
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  aka-djposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  It's all about attitude and perspective.
  Your life is like a glass of water, either half ful or half empty. The ratio does not change, but the perception does. Choose to make the most of every day.
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conflictuniverseposted 15 years ago
Our cells replenish just slightly off from how fast they die.
If we could get an equal replenishment, we would not age.
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Scott Mandrakeposted 15 years ago
It seems reasonable to me that if we are just a bunch of electrons and nutrients cleverly arranged, that when we die we should dissipate within our environment.

The way I view the body/soul, is as a finite resource. Though we may replenish most of what we take away, there is still some loss. Some would refer to this as parasitic energy loss, whereas things in our environment will slowly absorb some of our energy through friction, chemical reaction etc. Some would refer to this as residual discharge, whereas we are constantly giving only slightly more than we are taking. Hard to believe considering our greedy human nature

Another way to look at human life is like a battery. Depending on your recharge cycles and depth of discharge, you can lose, bit by bit, your maximum storage capacity.

Either way you look at it, death is natural, if only by habit. Being so, you should enjoy both life and death, as it means you are on the right track.

Scott
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Psypoposted 15 years ago
Dear fellow Hubbers, I am a medical doctor from India. I have thought of the real meaning of death in connection with an early death in HIV. I felt that if actual age of man is 1000 years and infected with an ancient HIV, and hence it fell down to 70...its a chance and there are some evidences also. I have made a blog post on it one months back. Sadly, no one reached that article through search, but that was the article I want to discuss about.

Please give me your valuable opinion on it. Death Is Just Another Disease, Neither A Phenomenon Nor A Fate
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  sandra rinckposted 15 years agoin reply to this
  That is a very interesting article you wrote. One I don't think I have ever heard of before and I like it.
  
  Death being a disease like any other virus or cancer or HIV as you put it. "no one dies of old age". Bravo!
  
  I like the notion, it is similar to my friend Misha who says, "You don't drink, you don't smoke, you die healthy?"
  
  I wonder however, do you think that anything associated with death is due to "natural causes", or is this expression just another "guise" for being infected with death.
  
  Where would your imagination lead you if I asked where would the original "death" gene have come from?
  
  I was a little confused when you said, "Fortunately HIV doesn't effect our reporductive system, (sperm or ovaries) otherwise we would be dying at 15 years old."
  
  Could you explain that for me? I thought it was a fact that HIV does infect your reporductive system and the disease gets passed on to your offspring (but not always) I also read a study a while ago about some white males who were unable to contract HIV and it had something to do with their genes. Very interesting article.
  
  Anyways, while I know that death is an inevitable part of life and all living things are then "infected with death", do you think that this "virus" has a predetermined life expectancy according to the host?
  
  Or do you think that the host can prolong the death virus? Of course doctors says that excercise and stuff can increase your life expectancy, but to be honest, I don't really believe it and only for a couple of reason.
  
  1. It doesn't make sense that perfectly healthy, health nuts die unexpectedly for no apperent reason and old age not being a factor.
  
  2. Some people live very "unhealthy" lives eating bacon grease, candy bars, smoking cigarettes and never excersising a day in their lives, live to be 100.
  
  What's up with that? Maybe it has to do with giving your body what it wants instead of what "others" thinks it needs. What do you think?
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ejbposted 15 years ago
There is a very good book - 'The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying' by Sogyal Rinpoche. It explains the Tibetan Buddhism attitude towards death. I never believe people when they say that a book changed their outlook on life, but this really did. An amazing book, and definately worth reading.
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  mohitmisraposted 14 years agoin reply to this
  I agree with you the book is superb .
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Gustav Weibullposted 14 years ago
The problem with thinking about death is that we overlook pre-natal non-existence. It bothers me that I wasn't around for many things we read about in history class.
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Dgerrimeaposted 14 years ago
I don't know if this has already been said, but one of the main reasons we die is the telomeres of cells in our body run out. The telomere gets shorter each time a cell reproduces, and when it runs out the cell can no longer reproduce, resulting eventually in death.
The other reason is because humans are self destruction machines. This is due to evolution: most mutations are harmful to the organism, but those whose harmful side effects kick in after reproducing age can still be selected for. In a way, humans have evolved to destroy themselves after a certain amount of time.
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