Explaining death and the afterlife to children

[legion]

When should you tell them the truth?

[The_Absu]

Can you even explain it to adults?

And would you be doing this by discussing metal songs with your child?

[legion]

I know what my views are, I could "safeguard" him through what I think are already lies (religion) or I could simply say that you die and that's the end.

I love my little boy, but I can't protect him from the inevitable.  Obviously I'm already trying to ease his pain.

Happy Father's day, btw!

[Nick]

Fuck it. just flat out tell them as soon as they can comprehend what you are saying. say " hey you know what you are going to die and there is absolutely nothing you are anyone else can do about it."

And if anyone here actually believes in god or an "afterlife", get the fuck out!

[Kaliphobic Psychoblack]

As soon as possible, before he gets to school and the Christians and the neurotics put the fear of death in him...Tell him what death is, that it's just like becoming what he was before he was born. Tell him that it can happen in many ways, some of which are painful. Then tell him that there are people that are so scared of this that they'll try to tell him otherwise and get mad if he doesn't agree, and not to listen to them, even if they call him "creepy" or "weird" or tell him he's going to go to hell or that he's a bad person.

I'm not even close to a father though. I do have good memory and remember when my parents told me about death. I was about 4 or 5 and had some trouble comprehending at first, but they tried to give me their "soft" secular-humanist view about how we don't really have any clue what happens after death. And then they converted to Christianity, the fools...

[Badger]

It would proberly be best to be as gentle as possible about it, maybe finding a childrens book which you can read togeather in which a character dies. This should allow you have a discussion on the subject focused around the book, and not just on death.

Also present both sides of the argument, i.e many people believe this... however, I believe this... If you simply ignore other beliefs than you'll proberly create more questions than answers. Then as he grows and his mind develops come back to the topic every now and again and ask him what his views are. That way you can guide his development and ensure his understanding.

[LightningRider]

It all depends on your religious/spiritual outlook. Flat out telling them  they're going to be worm chow probably isn't a good idea though, esp. if they still believe in Santa Claus (or whatever other holiday faerie).

Truth is, when it comes to this matter, we're all children.

[AIDS AIDS AIDS]

Just tell them theyll go to heaven.

Theyll find out more once they are old enough. And if not, no biggie.

[Kaliphobic Psychoblack]

Truth is, when it comes to this matter, we're all children.

Like, gag me with a spoon, that is, like, totally the least metal thing I've ever heard. GNARLY!

Actually, some people,  for whatever reason, have either gotten over their indoctrinated fear of death or are working as best they can. It's an incredibly hard thing to do, and to some extent involves parts of your mind that you won't control. The fear will leave you when you're ready. It hit me like a spiritual freight train when it happened to me, because it was more like an epiphany that came from within, from beyond the areas of my mind that I consciously traverse. There were visions, an orgasmic sense of pleasure through the body, contentment, transcendence, the eternal..There were no drugs taken either. I hadn't eaten or slept in 38 hours. My body was feeling like crap, and then...mystical deathfear eliminating experience.

To some extent, "death" doesn't exist to anyone but you. It's a word. One of those things that William S. Burroughs* wasn't too big on later on in his career. What really happens is that you change form into something that you can't comprehend, because it doesn't take the form of your current consciousness. New life grows from your rotting corpse. Your "will" lives on, if it is compatible with the will of the cosmos...otherwise, it dies.

*
in impenetrable darkness.
and contaminates the air
she cloaks the world
When night falls
A chill rises
from the soil
suddenly...
life has new meaning.

in impenetrable darkness.
and contaminates the air
she cloaks the world
When night falls
A chill rises
from the soil
suddenly...
life has new meaning.

darkness
impenetrable
in
air the contaminates and
world the cloaks she
falls night when
rises chill a
soil the from
suddenly
meaning new has life

[as a sidenote, doesn't that sound like it could replace what was being gasped at the beginning of kathaarian life code when arranged like that?]

darkness
impenetrable
in
air the contaminates and
world the cloaks she
falls night when
rises chill a
soil the from
suddenly
meaning new has life

darkness impenetrable in air the contaminates and world the cloaks she falls night when rises chill a soil the from suddenly meaning new has life

air contaminates darkness impenetrable and in the
night when she falls rises a chill cloaks the world soil from the suddenly MEANING HAS NEW LIFE



people must think in concepts, not just words. words represent the most convenient place on a spectrum of ideas...the surrounding spectrum must be explored.

DEATH.

SCARY...!

nope. nope. nope.

"you" are only afraid of death if you don't see the beauty of eternity...see, "you" is the problem, because "you" is just a part of your brain that is cordoned off as a thinking space. Your Will comes from your predecessors, whether they be Norwegians, Aztecs, Japanese or exploded nebulae....to not recognize the Will that is present in the universe is to create a false conception of death...may the molecules and energy that make up the form when your die never be part of anything better than yourself. you really deserve to have your ashes launched from the universe. to enter the last throes of death in ignorance, not understanding the pointlessness of your fear...is gay. to allow what you merge with when your transient time as a human is over with to become degraded is to be a fucking asshole, and this is exactly what people who are afraid of death will do to everything that surrounds them, subconsciously. they will sodomize their altar boys, they will blacken the air, they will throw the cigarettes they destroy their own body so non-beneficially with into a field where it hasn't rained in a month, they will teach their kids that sex is either shameful or to be had with anyone and everyone, they will eat fast food every day out of convenience, as long as they can get home and watch some tv, pop the newest SSRI anti-depressant, so they don't have to think about this death thing they're so afraid of...

death is not the end. death is the end of your Self. so what. there's bigger stuff out there than you.

TEACH KIDS NOT TO FEAR DEATH. TELL KIDS THAT DEATH IS FUN, AND THAT THERE'S A BIG ICE CREAM TRUCK AT THE END OF IT. JUST GET RID OF THIS HORRIBLE FEAR OF DEATH THAT'S EVERYWHERE.

[Nick]

yeah you know how they really get suicide bombers to kill themselves? they say that in death Allah will great you with 72 hot virgin girls and free ice cream!!! so just explain sex and all that shit then tell him about that! it'll work

[Hydrarguros]

To tell them that death is fun? That's probably the most retarded things I've heard in a while.
Even more the 'ice cream' at the end of it, it is exactly the same bullshit as what the retarded religious will tell you: There's something more at the end!

Our will doesn't move at your death, it simply disapear, nothing else.

[LightningRider]

To some extent, "death" doesn't exist to anyone but you. It's a word. One of those things that William S. Burroughs* wasn't too big on later on in his career. What really happens is that you change form into something that you can't comprehend, because it doesn't take the form of your current consciousness. New life grows from your rotting corpse. Your "will" lives on, if it is compatible with the will of the cosmos...otherwise, it dies.

"you" are only afraid of death if you don't see the beauty of eternity...see, "you" is the problem, because "you" is just a part of your brain that is cordoned off as a thinking space. Your Will comes from your predecessors, whether they be Norwegians, Aztecs, Japanese or exploded nebulae....to not recognize the Will that is present in the universe is to create a false conception of death...may the molecules and energy that make up the form when your die never be part of anything better than yourself. you really deserve to have your ashes launched from the universe. to enter the last throes of death in ignorance, not understanding the pointlessness of your fear...is gay. to allow what you merge with when your transient time as a human is over with to become degraded is to be a fucking asshole, and this is exactly what people who are afraid of death will do to everything that surrounds them, subconsciously. they will sodomize their altar boys, they will blacken the air, they will throw the cigarettes they destroy their own body so non-beneficially with into a field where it hasn't rained in a month, they will teach their kids that sex is either shameful or to be had with anyone and everyone, they will eat fast food every day out of convenience, as long as they can get home and watch some tv, pop the newest SSRI anti-depressant, so they don't have to think about this death thing they're so afraid of...

death is not the end. death is the end of your Self. so what. there's bigger stuff out there than you.

TEACH KIDS NOT TO FEAR DEATH. TELL KIDS THAT DEATH IS FUN, AND THAT THERE'S A BIG ICE CREAM TRUCK AT THE END OF IT. JUST GET RID OF THIS HORRIBLE FEAR OF DEATH THAT'S EVERYWHERE.

Bingo. You get it.

"Death is as sure for that which is born, as birth is for that which is dead. Therefore grieve not for what is inevitable. " - Bhagavad Gita

[we hope you die]

if they fear their own mortality, tell them to be heroic and comit heroic deeds, not so that they themselves will be remembered, but what we do in life, echoes in eternity, only those who change the world are immortal. even if it is the deed and not the person who committed it that is remembered.

[Christ Fucking Malarkey]

When should you tell them the truth?

It seems that the First Law of Thermodynamics applies to human circumstances just as well as it does to natural phenomenon. He did not ask how, but when. Undoubtedly, if Legion was successful enough in securing a mate, he has no problem about expressing himself intelligently, sincerely...with desirabl outcome.

Children do ponder a great deal more than adults may grant; many, however, do not verbalize their thoughts. My jarring encounter with the question of mortality came as a nightmare at the age of three and a half, for example. (Which was probably induced by squishing bugs the day before.)

As it had been suggested earlier, try to bring your child to awareness of these issues as early as possible, planting seeds of wisdom and dialogue. If you are satisfied with your own worldview, however, you've won half the battle. Your kid won't end up being screwed up!

This metalhead family moment brought to you by ANUS.

[pagan980938127]

When should you tell them the truth?

Isn't that what religion aims to do, convince us of "the truth" from as early an age as possible?  You might see lecturing your child here as vastly different; I'm not convinced.

Actually I don't think it matters much what/when you tell him about this subject, as he'll question it independently when the time comes.  Or he should if you do a good job parenting.  It seems like it would be more constructive to provide a solid intellectual basis for your child and instill within him values that are important to you.  That way when he does inquire about death or afterlife, you can give him your view without frightening him or supplanting his own unique thought.