Ever since I was young, I've thought obsessively about death being 'final'. When I was six years old I would ponder in bed at night before falling asleep how after I died, death would be final. That I would never exist in any way again. I'm talking about everything that comprises 'me' (or anyone) -- right now
(Napoleon voice)LUCKY!!!!!!!!!
So thats what you thought about at night at 6?
no boogy man under the bed?
no vampire looking in your bedroom window?
mummies werent out in the kitchen eating your cocoa puffs?
no invisible-green predator swinging from hanger to hanger in your closet?
The good thing about these monsters is the fact that they are fiction.sure we all had nights like the examples i listed above where you wound up on the floor of your parents bedroom hoping you wake up and sneak out before they made fun of you.Any reasonable parents would right? because these monsters are fantasy.....they arent coming to get you unless you tell yourself they are......and your going against your loving parents guidance when you get scared about them.....as they have assured you they dont exist.not only that your grandparents will tell you the same thing....those monsters arent going to come after you,they arent real.in fact,ANYONE who cares about you(sans the youngest or most obnoxious uncle of the fam)will tell you you are safe.there arent any monsters to be worried about.
::sigh of relief::

predator still swings through the trees outside my house

)
now i on the other hand had a much different thought process going on laying in bed at night like apples when i was six.
actually lets take it back to age 3 or 4.
I'm an agnostic son of a southern baptist preacher.He was raised by the daughter of another southern baptist preacher.and while my father was young and still working as a laborer....i was being raised during the day by his mother.....a woman who was born in the smallest backwoods town in tennessee and raised by the most backwoods redneck pastor youve ever seen hold a spit cup.
I was in what we call "sunday school" here in the states
3 years before kindergarten.This is basically a religious form of pre-school except its funded by offerings during church services therefore they couldnt afford ice cream for the ice cream cones so they decided to put pudding in them(wtf).
If i wasnt in sunday school....i was with her....listening to some kind of bible story,her telling it exactly how she was told at my age in some run down shack in tennessee.now i mentioned earlier that the good thing about monsters is the fact that they arent real,and your family will assure you of this.you can feel safe.
except one........and to a 3 yr old.....who sounds scarier? a guy with big teeth and a cape? a guy wrapped up in band aids? how about the fucking Devil
"The Devil is always out to get you.he wants you to burn with him forever....remember when i told you not to touch that stove and you burnt your finger? think about that all over you entire body forever.he has horns and hoofs and he is the most evil thing that ever existed and all he wants is
you.he has been hiding out watching you since the day you were born and he wants to take you to a pit of fire you will never ever escape.He is laughing at you right now.can you hear him laugh?(oh by the way jesus died for your sins)"
The age you are indoctrinated in my opinion is probobly one of the most important things when it comes to religion/spirituality alot of us didnt need to hear the story o noah's ark because we had already
c o l o r e d him and his boat along with a couple of each animal.a three or four year old like i was can never overcome that.there is a thread over in CEP about a three yr old being raped and what its going to do to her mind.if we obviously view such a young age as capable of being altered mentally forever by something at so young....how many "believers" out there fear this devil...this real monster that your family who loves you CONFIRMED (yes he is after you) because it got to them so early?
like i said im agnostic by definition....and due to this thousands of ideas seperate my family and i as well as thousands of interstate miles.I dont have any religion in my life right now...it doesnt come up in my daily life....i havnt seen a bible since i left home and im pretty happy about the way i look at life and the world now.but when you talk about death......death being forever.....i cant help but seeing that devil whos been waiting for me...i dont belive it....but the three yr old boy who still lives inside me does.thats why i dont like to think about death.i think about life.....because that is all i want to experience.i have found joy in the fact that that is all i have to experience.
but hey if im wrong and he is down there when i get there....i cant wait to tell him that
eventually predator was scarier.
(btw great thread apples,lots of good replies)