Kind of gruesome, but I'm curious...

[Aki Yasu]

I was talking with a co-worker the other day and somehow we got on to the topic of blood and death (don't ask where I work.) It occured to me as we were talking that, as a general rule, more blood is shed when we come into the world then when we leave it and yet we still think of blood as a part of death (I mean this in a very broad way, exempting murders, accidents and war)

So why is that? why do we think of large amounts of blood and immediatly think "death?"

 

[DragonRiderHP]

I'll admit when I first think of blood in any quantity I do think of death. I assosiate the blood with the loss of said blood, and that is why I think of death. I've never witnessed a birth, so I don't know how much blood is involved. The closest I came to a birth, other than my own, is watching the miracle of life in biology.  

[Videns Odoacer]

In the tarot, the "Death" card is associated with death AND rebirth. This can be seen throughout such types of symbolism, perhaps our own minds as well. This would make sense, since any such symbolism is not meant for cat or monkey minds, but for human minds.

[So, death=rebirth in our minds]

We are here right now, so we have been brought into existence somehow, so we have been "born". We have already experienced this, and is the required position in order to do anything. For how could we do anything if we in no way existed?

[We exist, and is our default position]

It is human nature to take things for granted, or, put in other words, to "filter" out information which is constantly experienced. Since existence and coming into existence are always felt, we "filter" out the existence part of the symbolism.

[We filter out the default position.]

So, what do we have left when we think of blood? Death. We filter out the coming into existence and existence because it is our nature to filter out information, thus by process of elimination, we have death.

Although there may be people who are exceptions to this, that is what they are, exceptions. I would guess that when one is asked the question and answers "birth", the person was asked the question in such a way that pushed him/her to more likely answer "birth".  

[SneakyPope]

I feel like instead of death, blood is ussually associated with life. This has always been historically true. This of course means that when you see a large loss of blood, you translate it as a loss of life.

_Pearl.  

[PhilosophyMind]

In my opinion, I feel this is an influence of the media. What people see in the media is blood associated with death (or as SneakyPope states, loss of life). Being that death IS the loss of life, loss of blood equals death or near death. The media has beaten certain images, concepts, etc. into people's minds so it becomes a common reaction or idea and it grows and passes on with society.


-shrug-  

[Fogwolf]

It could be the difference between seeing blood when it's natural to see blood, and seeing blood when it isn't. At births, it's natural. At any other time in life, something probably isn't right if you're seeing large quantities of blood. So, unless you're expecting there to be a birth occuring, you find the presence of blood unsettling.

It may also just be an ingrained kind of thing. A lot of people don't like seeing blood, and these people generally don't like seeing people give birth either, because of that blood.

It also makes sense from an evolutionary perspective. The things that saw blood and reacted as if there was danger probably lasted longer than those who saw blood and didn't.  

[nightlight]

context has a lot to do with things as well. a woman bleeds every month as part of a preparation to create life, after all. blood was used in as a symbol for life and a conduit for spiritual energy in cultures all across the world before western religion took over the vast majority of things.  

[Mikomi Katsura]

I think, it's because the way death was carried out in the past. Throughout the years, the human race seemed to associate with it on a familiar level. I mean, during the Middle Ages, there was the Black Death, Renaissance and Reformation, there was execution over you being Catholic or Protestant. Even at Jesus's time, there were harsh executions as well. And plus, considering wars, and what not ... And well ... What I'm getting at is that death is associated with pain. Alot. And pain hurts. People, or well, the human race, usually do not like pain. And usually when you get pain, it involves some kind of event that caused you to get harmed. When you get harmed, then it's all, 'ker-splat!' and there's the blood, and the gore. So, when someone sees blood, most likely, their instinct would be like, "Ouch, that gotta hurt. I'd hate that for that to be me", or something of the like. And these days, I'm guessing that we have seen so much of people getting hurt, and we're used to the fact that blood means that it hurts or it means that someone's dying. Not to look down on CSI or anything though ...  

[nightlight]

i remember reading that the aztecs actually believed the universe itself required blood to continue to function, and thus the mass sacrifices were carried out.  

[SneakyPope]

well. that sucks. at least for the people being sacraficed.

_Pearl.  

[nightlight]

i'm sure it did for the people unwilling to be sacrificed, but those were usually prisoners of war. when the aztecs had periods of peace and required sacrifices, they pulled willing people from their population to do it. it was an honor of sorts to keep the universe running and in one piece, i suppose >.>  

[SneakyPope]

I'm glad my religion doesn't require me to....ya know.....die.

_Pearl.  

[nightlight]

well, the idea of the greater good is pretty interesting... i was always of the opinion that it was against basic human nature. no, i take that back. it was against our more primitive instincts of fight or flight. has anyone seen 'stranger than fiction'? i love that film, its got a portion of it that deals with someone's mentality when they know that they're going to die and they're in a position to do something about it. really fascinating stuff, in my eyes.  

[Aki Yasu]

nightlight

well, the idea of the greater good is pretty interesting... i was always of the opinion that it was against basic human nature. no, i take that back. it was against our more primitive instincts of fight or flight. has anyone seen 'stranger than fiction'? i love that film, its got a portion of it that deals with someone's mentality when they know that they're going to die and they're in a position to do something about it. really fascinating stuff, in my eyes.

I loved that movie! I was so happy when she didn't kill him in the end!  

[nightlight]

i know, it was fantastic! will ferrel usual does goofy movies, but this was actually pretty deep! definitely a good career move on his part, i think. i'm just really sad because my local borders, which usually has really good dvd prices, is selling it at 30 dollars... cry