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comment by elizabeth
elizabeth  ·  3084 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: I sincerely don't care if I die, and that was news to me

Ive heard similar thoughts from people having near-death experiences. Last one I remember was my brother having allergies without his epipen and could barely breathe and he talked about a similar feeling of inner peace.

I think it's somewhat similar to Meditation. When faced with a near death situation, your brain sort automatically gives you extreme "perspective" on things where you become "enlightened" for a moment. At least, that's my theory.

Thanks for writing this out, it was an interesting read.





_refugee_  ·  3084 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Yes, I wonder if shock payed a role in this.

oyster  ·  3084 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Damn, I wish that's what happened to me when I got a second concussion a few days after the first one. I ended up passing out the next day after having freaky symptoms of brain swelling and I panicked the whole time trying to find water. Even once I woke up I went right back to getting water. No inner peace for me. Later that year a girl in my city died from second impact syndrome and that shit did not sit well with me.

rthomas6  ·  3081 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Yes. My wife had this sense of peace and perspective when there was a small chance she might die during childbirth. I, on the other hand, was a total sobbing mess.

Since then I've read a book that suggests this feeling of inner peace comes from an intense focus on the present moment, and that's why it often happens during crisis scenarios. It says a lot of other things, like that it's impossible to completely focus on something without accepting it nonjudgementally, and that the entity of you is not comprised of your thoughts or your emotions, and that your thoughts are no more you than your leg is you. The real you is your awareness behind your thoughts, that is, your attention or observation.