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Andromeda321 t1_j9jyz5u wrote

Astronomer here! The funny thing I’ve discussed with my colleagues is you don’t really find many astronomers scared about the universe and things in it. Which makes sense- it’s probably somewhat self-selecting that you don’t go into a profession where you have to think regularly about things that scare you.

That said, I do have one colleague who once confessed to us that he freaked out for awhile after a lecture on the multiverse- what scared him was he spent all this time learning physics for our universe and thinking we know some things to be constant… but that would all be wrong and worthless in an infinite number of universes if there’s a multiverse! Personally, I thought that was endearing- this universe doesn’t phase him, but the concept of other ones was too much. :)

Mind, doesn’t mean I am not afraid of things- I have a serious fear of dying, because I love living and exploring the universe and hate to think that will end. It’s also the only problem I can think of where I can’t work towards a solution, so that is likely part of it.

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IamEclipse t1_j9k61s2 wrote

I'm right there with you on the dying thing. I've come to terms with it (nice and early in my life, thankfully), but it still sucks.

Like I just want to hang out forever. I'm not too bothered about changing the world, I just like the idea of making art and reading books and making friends for a few millenia.

It sucks, but it encourages me to try and enjoy every day, because whilst the universe is very scary, our time conscious in it is limited.

How do you go about easing your death anxiety, if you don't mind me asking?

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Andromeda321 t1_j9ka97n wrote

I can't say I have much beyond "keeping so busy that I don't have time to think about it". That's probably not healthy long-term and I should discuss further with someone for better skills.

Good luck, fellow wanderer.

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IamEclipse t1_j9kbg3x wrote

Oh, believe me, I've been there, done that (still do).

What helped for me was a mix of things.

  • First, just talking to people about it - friends, family, whoever will listen. It's not an easy subject to broach, but everyone has thoughts on it, and it feels better to know we're all in this together.

  • I also went on a bit of an existential media binge, and that helped, here's what helped the most:

Outer Wilds (Video Game)

SpiritFarer (Video Game)

Everything, Everywhere, All At Once (Movie)

The Good Place (TV Show)

Why Fish Don't Exist by Lulu Miller (Book)

  • The thing that has helped most for me is jorunaling. My fear of death stemmed from fear of time escaping me - the thought of blinking and being at the end terrifies me to my core. So, every day *for the past 2 years), I've grabbed time by the neck, told to slow the hell down, and chronicled how I've used it. It's not the most interesting life, but I do feel much better.

I hope this is somewhat helpful and you can utitilise some of the advice. Lord knows you've helped me understand plenty of space stuff through your comments.

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