Afterlife

Abrasax · #1 (**permalink**) 01-07-2008, 07:57 PM

Life after death seems to me a near impossibility. Our brain is solely responsible for our consciousness and it would make sense that after our brain decays, all of our consciousness will cease and we will become like we were before we were born. Life after death, to me, seems more like wishful thinking. I've been labelled a "pessimist" for believing in no after life.

Even if somehow an after life did exist, I'm not sure that I would want one.

Right now, because we have a limited lifespan, all of our actions are infinitely signifigant. We have a limited number of actions so each of our actions has more importance.

On the other hand, if we had an after life our small actions wouldn't seem to matter near as much because we have an unlimited number of actions to replace those actions.

Since I've stopped believing in heaven I've begun to love this life more. I take advantage of all of the experience i can and I enjoy life while I can. I don't fear death. I understand that I won't care once I'm dead so it doesn't really matter. I simply want to take in the universe through this small lapse of time I've been given.

Believing in an after life would also encourage looking forward to death. Nietzsche actually called Christians "the lovers of death" and believed that the religion was formed through a hatred of the world. This seems far from positive to me....

Anyway I would like others opinions......

Stossel · 01-07-2008, 08:06 PM

You have my congratulations. Because, no matter what I try to do, I can never live that, even as I think it. If there is something after this, I hope you're well off. But if it's anything like this world, you won't be guaranteed that.

The way I see it, anything's possible. The only way to really, really know is to die. If nothing's there...it's not like you'd know, anyway. But if there is, I wouldn't want to wait around for it to happen. That's why I try to live, actually live, as much as I can. I don't always, hiding behind secrets and second thoughts. But I try, goddamnit, and I do what I can.

Because of that, I prefer to think there's nothing so I can fool myself into living as much as I can. If there is something, though, I can't wait.

Seeing religion as a hatred of the world seems a little harsh to me though. To me, religion seeks to explain the world. However, an afterlife-centric religion isn't so much as a hatred, rather than a hurt reaction. While it isn't always a terrible place, the world can be pretty damn cruel. It's perfection that these people want, and they won't find it here, because of the nature of the world. So, as a result of that abuse, maybe they do hate it. But it's all about how you bounce back from the unfortunate things.

NachtEngel · 01-07-2008, 08:10 PM

I don't think in all cases that believing in afterlife would be a reason to look forward to death. I personally view the "soul" as consciousness itself. Not in the same respect as the brain but as the essence of the existence of ones consciousness on a more subtle level than the brain. I think that the possibilities of what exactly may happen in an afterlife are nearly endless. My views go much deeper than that but my intention is not to go off stating my personal beliefs in detail. So that is the short version on what I think about it. I don't really apply my beliefs in after life to a religious paradigm because I like to leave room for formulating my own opinions.

**Ristaron** · 01-07-2008, 10:13 PM

My own philosophy is somewhat similar to that of Abrasax, but in fundamental ways also quite different.

I also do not believe in an afterlife in the sense that I think it's what will happen. I haven't, however, discounted the possibility that we may continue afterwards in a state similar to that achieved by astral projection.
I don't believe in an eternal paradise, merely the possibility of eternity itself. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, and consciousness is an emergent property (even all of our brain put together cannot explain the phenomenon). It would be foolish to discount the possibility of an "afterlife" of sorts.

Similarly, it is also foolish to discount the possibility of a supreme being. I don't see any evidence for it, however, and therefore I don't 'believe' one exists.

We differ in outlooks about death, in that regard as well. I fear death, because I don't gamble on there being anything after this... therefore to end this risks ending my time to experience the universe. I am, however, curious about death, because it is the final frontier that confronts us as we are in our present state. People can be brought back from the dead, yes, but not all the time, and not when the cell death (also known as old age) is too extensive.

When I read or hear about experiences that seem to proceed death (such as the white light, or flashes of their life before their eyes), I think about them rationally. Your mind experiences a number of chemical reactions as the brain shuts down, which I speculate are the cause of visual hallucinations. The experiences, then, aren't real. At least, not within the parameters we consider 'reality' defined by.

Curiously, aging only occurs because the ends of our chromosomes (known as telomeres) become frayed with each replication. This results in physical decay, known as aging. If we could repair the telomeres, we could extend life indefinitely.

WillyBubba · 01-08-2008, 05:16 PM

I would suggest Camus' Myth of Sisyphus. He explains what you bring up, and how this is the plight of the absurd man, though I think he leads to a much different conclusion. I've yet to read the entire thing, but I find his writing making me think 'Why?' and 'Is it really worth it?' more than giving meaning and desire to live in a world where death is the only promise. I suppose since his opening questions have to do with suicide being desirable or not, he's done a pretty good job qualifying an argument for it.

Swift19 · 01-08-2008, 05:37 PM

as long as the person's beliefs aren't destructive then what's the problem? i believe in something similar to Rist but i can't find the right words for it. it seems to make sense. at least it does to me.

**Brother of Yeshua** · 01-09-2008, 12:12 AM

I have a problem with the idea of consciousness just ceasing. It doesn't seem logical to me. Consciousness is a source seperate from ourselves. Scientists do not know where we go when we sleep, so our consciousness can exist outside the walls of our brains. I've also had some lucid dreaming/OBE type stuff that has given me experiential validity to these statements.

And that aside, what is consciousness other than a highly complex energy? It can't be destroyed, only change forms. I don't know what that means. Perhaps some style of "reincarnation?" Perhaps we merely became part of some Absolute Awareness, something that could be called God?

And perhaps nothing but cold darkness awaits.

I just can't seem to buy it though.

**Ristaron** · 01-14-2008, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brother of Yeshua

I have a problem with the idea of consciousness just ceasing. It doesn't seem logical to me. Consciousness is a source seperate from ourselves. Scientists do not know where we go when we sleep, so our consciousness can exist outside the walls of our brains. I've also had some lucid dreaming/OBE type stuff that has given me experiential validity to these statements.

And that aside, what is consciousness other than a highly complex energy? It can't be destroyed, only change forms. I don't know what that means. Perhaps some style of "reincarnation?" Perhaps we merely became part of some Absolute Awareness, something that could be called God?

And perhaps nothing but cold darkness awaits.

I just can't seem to buy it though.

Hmm, I don't know about it being separate from the rest of us, after all, we experience the world through our bodies. Unless you follow Descartes' theory...
I think we found the real purpose of the pineal gland, though... >_>

I think that consciousness can be separated, but not by force. You can't rip someone's consciousness out, because it's pure energy. And I think that if the consciousness was ripped out the body would still exist, but it would be comparable to a headless chicken. It would have reflexes and a pulse and be alive, but it wouldn't have a thinking process.
In an OBE, your consciousness leaves your body, but of its own volition. I think that something comparable might happen when the body dies, and the physical shell no longer holds the consciousness.

Damn... where has that Xenkai guy gone? I want to ask him useful tips for achieving an OBE that would compliment the guide he gave... I have tried it a few times but haven't succeeded.