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I was wondering if you are an atheist, how exactly would you explain death to them. One said he'd simply say that it's like going to sleep without the dreaming, you wouldn't tell them there's an afterlife or anything obviously. Have you ever had any of your kids ask about it? What did you tell them?

Shrykull wrote:I was wondering if you are an atheist, how exactly would you explain death to them. One said he'd simply say that it's like going to sleep without the dreaming, you wouldn't tell them there's an afterlife or anything obviously. Have you ever had any of your kids ask about it? What did you tell them?

I haven't had that conversation with my kids yet. I imagine they'll ask sooner or later. I plan to tell them that you return to become part of Mother Earth again, which is quite literally true.

Shrykull wrote:I was wondering if you are an atheist, how exactly would you explain death to them. One said he'd simply say that it's like going to sleep without the dreaming, you wouldn't tell them there's an afterlife or anything obviously. Have you ever had any of your kids ask about it? What did you tell them?

I've always liked the lines such as
"No one is ever dead as long as they are remembered...."

"I don't know. I'm not dead." But then again, that sort of encourages them to find out...so...maybe that's not the wisest thing to say.

I haven't had that conversation with my kids yet. I imagine they'll ask sooner or later. I plan to tell them that you return to become part of Mother Earth again, which is quite literally true.

Mother Earth? Sounds poetic, guess you'd return to the Earth if they scattered your ashes or buried you, unless they disintegrated you.

I've had three close relatives die as a child. But I can't really answer your question; I was old enough to pretty much know what death was. If I was a few years younger it would have been different.

Darth Wong wrote:I haven't had that conversation with my kids yet. I imagine they'll ask sooner or later. I plan to tell them that you return to become part of Mother Earth again, which is quite literally true.

If the dead person was an astronaut.

I haven't had that conversation with my kids yet. I imagine they'll ask sooner or later. I plan to tell them that you return to become part of Mother Earth again, which is quite literally true.

I'd like to be buried on Mars. I imagine we'll have the means to get there by the time I die.

By Mike's definition, you can't die!
(Wonders how many more jokes he can get out of this.)

My parents always just told me that when you die, that's it, it's over. There's nothing; you cease to be. This parrot is no more.

It sounds like a kind of harsh thing to tell a kid, but death is pretty fucked up. I don't remember ever being too worried about it. I recall that it struck me as somewhat peaceful, to just cease to be.

My parents explained to me the cycle of biological life, and that as sexual, independant organisms, that we had to be cleared away to make room for further generations. Now that I remember it, it was a fairly brutal outlook, but I have to congratulate them for being very clear to point out the good things that come from natural death, such as the fact that you don't have to live a dessicated and immobile and senile little husk, and that you contribute by feeding animals or bacteria and nourishing the soil, or by being donated to science so that the next generation might live longer and stronger.

Darth Wong wrote:

Shrykull wrote:I was wondering if you are an atheist, how exactly would you explain death to them. One said he'd simply say that it's like going to sleep without the dreaming, you wouldn't tell them there's an afterlife or anything obviously. Have you ever had any of your kids ask about it? What did you tell them?

I haven't had that conversation with my kids yet. I imagine they'll ask sooner or later. I plan to tell them that you return to become part of Mother Earth again, which is quite literally true.

Isn't that what a Druid, Pagan or New Age HippieTM would say to his children??

Darth Wong wrote:

Shrykull wrote:I was wondering if you are an atheist, how exactly would you explain death to them. One said he'd simply say that it's like going to sleep without the dreaming, you wouldn't tell them there's an afterlife or anything obviously. Have you ever had any of your kids ask about it? What did you tell them?

I haven't had that conversation with my kids yet. I imagine they'll ask sooner or later. I plan to tell them that you return to become part of Mother Earth again, which is quite literally true.

I assume the Gaia aspect of that isn't what you mean. But yeah, at least you aren't lying, just withholding certain facts.

Admiral Valdemar wrote:

Darth Wong wrote:

Shrykull wrote:I was wondering if you are an atheist, how exactly would you explain death to them. One said he'd simply say that it's like going to sleep without the dreaming, you wouldn't tell them there's an afterlife or anything obviously. Have you ever had any of your kids ask about it? What did you tell them?

I haven't had that conversation with my kids yet. I imagine they'll ask sooner or later. I plan to tell them that you return to become part of Mother Earth again, which is quite literally true.

I assume the Gaia aspect of that isn't what you mean. But yeah, at least you aren't lying, just withholding certain facts.

Not really, that is pretty much the jist of it, noone can come back and tell us if there is something that lies beyond...it is somewhat of a one way trip...

I've never had much trouble with the idea of ceasing to be after death. Given the choice, I would choose that over having some people go to heaven and some people suffer eternally, something that I wouldn't wish on even my worst enemy.

If you accept space / time equilvalance, then worrying about the length of your life makes about as much sense as worrying about your height. Just because I have no existance a meter above my head does nothing to negate the existance I do have within my bodily dimensions.

So I don't exist a year past my death, I still exist in the period of time (space) from my birth (or conception if you'd prefer) to my death. And that is external. I've been alive for over 2 meters so far.

I'd tell them the simple truth, people only fear death when they have something to fear (such as hell).

Heres a nice way to confuse the little shits; tell them itll be like before they were born.

Shrykull wrote:

I haven't had that conversation with my kids yet. I imagine they'll ask sooner or later. I plan to tell them that you return to become part of Mother Earth again, which is quite literally true.

Mother Earth? Sounds poetic, guess you'd return to the Earth if they scattered your ashes or buried you, unless they disintegrated you.

You'd return to Earth no matter what happened to you, prvided you weren't on another planet or something.

I'd tell them that the deceased in question eloped with Santa Claus after his wife left him for the Tooth Fairy.