One thing that surprised me was how accepting most of the people on here were of the situation... I don't know if it's because it is a religion chat area and so more contemplative and open??

I expected more "fighters" and anger. There were certainly some who said this but not as many as I thought...

Gypsy- it's not really what you would actually *do* while dying but more about how you feel about and deal with the fact that you will die- do you accept that, fight it, why? do you count on logic, reason and control like Jess or are you more emotional like me or from some of you answers maybe you don't really believe you will die. Which could indicate you have a belief in the afterlife or could indeed mean that...... you're crazy?

Slowhand- I thought it was pretty funny when you said, "oh no, not again"

I know you were joking, but- by any chance do you believe in reincarnation????

My understanding of a few of the posters here, are that they, like myself, may describe themselves as 'spiritual', rather than 'religious' (if they had to place a term on their beliefs), and I found the similarities between these posters interesting..

I find it difficult to see how your thread could be seen as antagonistic, and warrant any 'fighting'..your questions and subsequent explanations were delivered in such a gentle way, Anoasis.

I do believe in an afterlife....

as for your question about fighting the room, yes I most definately would fight but I did not see the choice that I had here. If I was told of this choice, I would go in kicking and screaming.....or if I could get outta work for doing this then maybe I would say "yes" a vacation....

I guess my response might reflect how I feel about life in a way. It's too damn short!

Jess, yes I think you are right and I would be more likely to describe myself as "spiritual" rather than "religious"- I was going by the name given to this "space" rather than what I think myself..

I also thought the similarities among the posters was *very* interesting.

Perhaps one of the reasons that few "fought" the locked room was because so many here practice meditation and are comfortable with low stimulation levels? Or are open to new experiences...

For me the whole exercise was fascinating, when I did it, but even more so when you all answered... to me it tells you something about the way that we approach challenges- whether you believe it reflects your attitudes toward death or not.

That just made
me think of that
Cream song.

What Cream song?

i didn't fight because it was locked. no sense in worrying or getting worked up about something you can't control.

Sounds an awful lot like being in a 7x7 foot green grey metal cell with a stainless steel bunk. I'd climb the effin walls man, climb the walls

Onoasis wrote, ""Perhaps one of the reasons that few "fought" the locked room was because so many here practice meditation and are comfortable with low stimulation levels? Or are open to new experiences...""

I was reading through the responses and pondering what my post might reflect about how I view my own mortality. Then I saw this statement you wrote. I think perhaps your may have something there.

Not that I know alot about everyone here, but I know through our writings here, that many have spent much time in isolation, self induced, either purposely for the sake of meditation, or forcefully, without an alternative having to cope. For me the isolation came from being so different from my peers that I found more comfort in being alone.

In my response I did, on a much more time consuming basis, what I do daily and most often when alone. I have a ritual every day in which I try to give a thought to every person in my life. Of course I never make it very far, but I try to run through from A to Z, so to speak before beginning again. The singing, I find, brings back memories of times and people I may have forgotten. So to me that room was a place to finally make sure I had not left out anyone from my life.

How this describes my view - simply put, I feel such a lack of time in this life to give my attentions and my care and my love to all those who have meant and do mean so much to me, that I feel the least I can do is remember them, even those I may not have liked much. Maybe in death those memories are my last attempt to leave with them all the good intentions of my heart.

For me, there is no future after death, so leaving all the good behind would be my last effort in life.

Having been locked down for a time. Being by myself during that time, in a room about the size of a small bathroom. I found myself sleeping a lot for a couple of days. (hopefully there is a bathroom) and if not I would figure that out too. Anyway, I would sing to myself. I seem to always revert back to my childhood songs then work up thru school with them. Then a lot of do re me's. I tended to try and think of ways to alleviate the situation. Checking every corner of the room out. Reading the ceiling, staring at the floors. Debating about my situation. I would take time to reflect on my life. Come to conclusions about topics of being unsure. Remember things that I had forgot about. Remember that a body in motion is a body that lives. Excercise at different levels. Jog in a circle. That one I did a lot til I began to run backwards and then pushups against the walls. Excercise is always a good mind jogger.
Analize my predicament, the whys, the whatfors. The causes and the effects. How to change it when I get out. Not to mention that no one is going to sneak a door unlocked on me for long, because I am always checking for any new and unheard or unseen changes.
Begin to know myself better and learn that my faith in myself is a wise move in such matters.
In between all this I would still get some sleep, because I know that my mind needs rest to try and keep it in working order. Converstaions with myself is necessary to keep it awake and my psyche together.
Putting together poetry and stories in my mind helps.
Through all that, thinking positive and excercising, and resting are all variables that I would need.

Kat

The Cream song "White Room".

"small bathroom" about a 8' by 10' ft size. Maybe medium, huh?

Kat

I love that song, "white room". My ex used to play that all the time. He was great on the guitar.

I know most have already given their answers to this philosophical question, and the real basis of the question has been revealed, but ill still give my answer.

If I was locked into a white room for ten days, and only had a chair for company, I would ask to trade the chair for a pen. or a pencil. I would draw on the walls, and write on the walls to keep my mind from totally collapsing. If I had no idea that i would be able to leave, I would formulate a plan of escape onto the wall. Maybe use the spoon they give me with the food, and do the old dig to china bit. But i probably wouldnt do that.

After sometime I would accept being in there. I would stop drawing and writing, and just sit on the floor and stare at what i created. I'd remember Old memories, and forgive people that I had long since refused to forgive. I would sing to myself in a low voice. Just to keep the mind from freezing.

No matter what, Id be in there. And if i was trapped indefintely...the guard with the food would be going down...

Ohhhhhhhh...guess I better go a find the reason for the topic. Always a day late and a dollar short.
Kat

No problem Kat- better late than never... as I always say when I'm late...

Maybe I should have said I would tell you all what it was about in 10 days?

The thought of death has never bothered me ever. I can’t even understand a fear of death. It makes no sense to me at all.

For me, death represents nothing more than going back into the state I was in before I was born. What could possibly be wrong with that?

More over, if I actually believe that I came into being with the birth of my physical body, then why should I not also believe that I will cease to exist when my body dies? Believing that I will continue to live without a body, but rejecting the idea that I could have already existed before I had a body seems to me to be totally absurd. Why the one-way thinking?

Our essence is either spiritual or not. And if it is spiritual then why believe that we came into being with the birth of our current physical body? That makes absolutely no sense to me at all.

Whatever we are we are. I believe that we do have a spiritual essence. Therefore we will not die when our bodies die, but then neither were we born when our bodies were born. It’s a two-way street. We’re either spiritual or we’re not. This one-way idea of human-body-factories that create spirits at birth that will continue to exist after the body dies, is to me, nothing more than irrational thinking. If we have a spiritual essence we had that essence long before our current bodies were born.

I believe that I’ve always existed. There was never a time when I was not. This life is merely a tiny part of a much larger journey.

I'd crack and tell whoever put me there whatever they want! (Probably wouldn't take even a few hours honestly). Barring that, I'd probably go insane till I finally die of starvation.

Joshy- fear death much??