'The After Life'

Beruthiel

does it exist?
other than your atoms moving on to bigger and better things, I don't think so.
I require proof.....

Merrick

I'd like to see proof too, but I very much doubt I'll get any.
Looks like we'll have to wait until we go there... if there is a "there" to go to...

Stephen

I believe that once you're dead, that's it. Worm food.

Dades

Don't believe in one now I have to say.

Would like to think that I can accept that when I'm on the way out, though there's always the chance wishful thinking will take over. Human nature I guess.

Read the end of Carl Sagan's final book, Billions & Billions where his wife (also atheist) has to finish his book writing about his final hours of dying in the belief of nothing to follow. Very poignant.

monkeyfudge

I'd very much be of the opinion that once your brain and body cease to function that's it for you.

The only way to continue on in someway is to spread your genetic material and create offspring with similiar characteristics.

There is also 'memes' to take into consideration. I like the idea of memes a lot. They are esentially ideas that are transfered from one mind to another through communication. Memes act in a very similiar way to genes and follow a similiar set of rules to those laid out by Darwin in his ideas around biological evolution.

Strong memes will survive longer and mutate. Clearly the God meme has been with us a long time and has mutated in many ways as it is transfered from person to person and culture to culture. While other memes become extinct and die off...

The reason I like the idea of memes a lot is because it allows for a way for some aspect of our intellect and ideas to carry on long after we have died.

Crucifix

Dust to dust if you ask me. I agree about the genes and memes thing though; you can still leave your mark on the world, and it'll live on and develop (hopefully).

lostexpectation

I think this one of the most life affirming thoughts, that there is no afterlife but what you leave behind on earth, (children, invention, struggle etc).


did anyone see that docu on genetic memory a few months back, too complicated o explain but it suggested that your ill heath can effect several generations down the line ie, if eating loads of chemically loaded foods, as we do, it could well harm the health of your great great grandson.

J.R.HARTLEY

it's a belief you either believe in it or you don't, you can't get proof, one way or the other.
you can't prove itdoes exist and you can't prove it doesn't


i'm not swayed by any argument for it.

Crucifix

lostexpectation wrote:

did anyone see that docu on genetic memory a few months back, too complicated o explain but it suggested that your ill heath can effect several generations down the line ie, if eating loads of chemically loaded foods, as we do, it could well harm the health of your great great grandson.

I think I caught that myself; 'epigenetics' they call it. Quite interesting.

Tar.Aldarion

Beruthiel wrote:

does it exist?
other than your atoms moving on to bigger and better things, I don't think so.
I require proof.....

Depends if you believe in a 'soul'. Do you believe that your consciousness is greater than the sum of your parts and that you are not purely thinking what you are thinking due to biology and chemical impulses.
It is all about belief. This is something you believe in or you don't, no human has proof.
Personally I don't know either way and nobody has the ability to sway me.
I do hope something is after life but if there is not, oh well...it's not i'll be depressed because I won't exist.

ronbyrne2005

i dont beleive there is an afterlife, i also hope there is but if there was ther would be some sort of transition from your living perception/reality on earth to someother realm,there would surely be some indication of this in this dimension/realm ,but you never know,the universe ,reality, life, time are all beyond our comprehension maybe there are even stranger things in parralel dimension/universes or some other exotic "location " i dont spend too much time dwelling on my ineviatble death as it depresses me too much,as does thoughts of "what is reality" "what is time" "what is 3 dimensional space" "what is the universe" better to just take reality/life as you find it and try to be content and enjoy it.

plonk

I guarentee if you did a poll only about 15% if even would say yes no proof all it does is help people get on with their lives Personally I dont believe in it I would like to think there is something out there but i doubt it

Asiaprod

I believe in reincarnation, I have no proof its true. I would like to think that some thing carries on.:rolleyes:

plonk

fair play to you. I wish i could believe in it but there are too many things that put me off the idea. The problem is there will never be proof in our lifetime

Rev Hellfire

I also would like to believe that we carry on in one form or another.

Looking at it in the cold hard light of reason I would say no, but 'I want to believe' since it provides me with a level of hope.

monkeyfudge

I sincerely hope that there isn't an afterlife.

Not one religion has put forward an idea of an afterlife that I find in any way compelling. And it goes on forever? How boring is that?

Non-existence for me please... that's true peace.

Beruthiel

Asiaprod wrote:

I believe in reincarnation, I have no proof its true. I would like to think that some thing carries on.:rolleyes:

your atoms will survive, they will break down and become something else, so in a way, at least part of you gets to be a leaf or some grass, perpaps a worm

Butterbox

IF there is such a thing as reincarnation how come there are billions more people on earth now than a thousand years ago.
There is no afterlife, and there is no compensation in the fact that our genes, memes or atoms live on because eventually the earth will be destroyed and the universe will become dark, and looking back our very existance will have been a blink of an eye. Everything we became and learned is for nothing. Knowledge has no value beyond the life of man.

Rev Hellfire

Butterbox wrote:

IF there is such a thing as reincarnation how come there are billions more people on earth now than a thousand years ago.

I suspect a believer in reincarnation might depending on their beliefs argue that while the number of people has increased it does not follow that the volume of life has. Keep in mind that you arent guaranteed to come back as a human.

There is no afterlife, and there is no compensation in the fact that our genes, memes or atoms live on because eventually the earth will be destroyed and the universe will become dark, and looking back our very existance will have been a blink of an eye. Everything we became and learned is for nothing. Knowledge has no value beyond the life of man.

I would like to think that ultimately in the future man or the inheritors of our legacy will conspire to avoid the faith you have mapped out for us. This is again assuming current scientific thinking doesnt change, there's quite a bit of time left for us and I'm sure we'll reevaluate our understanding of the universe a few times between now and then.

Asiaprod

Beruthiel wrote:

perpaps a worm

Boy, I'm going to make for one hell of an angry worm. Brings to mind my dead grans fav quote to me.
" The worm will turn"
You better Believe Gran:)

Asiaprod

Rev Hellfire wrote:

I suspect a believer in reincarnation might depending on their beliefs argue that while the number of people has increased it does not follow that the volume of life has. Keep in mind that you arent guaranteed to come back as a human.

Close but for two important points
1 I don't depend on my belief, I believe in my belief.
2 you limit yourself when you say I might come back as an animal. It is a big universe out there, who ever said that the species on earth are the only sentient beings.:rolleyes:

As a matter of fact,many believe that the number of humans are actually limited and reincarnation is just recycling in action. The quantity remains the same. For every death, there is a rebirth

ronbyrne2005

it seems to me that people who say "i beleive " are actually expressing a desire or preference for a certain possible outcome,so optimists will be more likely to "beleive" in reincarnation afterlife etc while cynical pessimists like me are more likely not to "beleive"

Asiaprod

ronbyrne2005 wrote:

so optimists will be more likely to "beleive" in reincarnation afterlife etc while cynical pessimists like me are more likely not to "beleive"

Its a good statement. However, for me optimisim does not come into it, I don't believe something as important as the human race just dies out, I believe we each have a higher purpose. Can't explain it any better right now, I am still learning.:(

tabatha

dont know if any of you caught the doctor on tv the other day. his name was sam parnia. he is a critical care doctor in southampton in england. it was very interesting. this is a link to a story of his.

www.near-death.com/experiences/triggers11.html

very interesting. he has come across many peoples experiences of near death as he is a critical care doctor.

ronbyrne2005

why is the human race destined for greter things?why are we important? i think we are as important as any other animal,thats all we are,animals albeit a more advanced form
read book "straw dogs"

Dades

ronbyrne2005 wrote:

it seems to me that people who say "i beleive " are actually expressing a desire or preference for a certain possible outcome,so optimists will be more likely to "beleive" in reincarnation afterlife etc while cynical pessimists like me are more likely not to "beleive"

I would substitute wishful-thinking for optimism, and realism for cynical pessimism.
Of course everybody has different reasons.

saibhne

Reincarnation shouldn't be seen in a linear fashion, i.e. I will come back as.. that is viewing time in a linear fashion and time (being relative) is no use or relevant to you when you're dead.
The most scientifically correct way of viewing reincarnation is that, if it happens, it can occur at any moment. This is because time has no limit on those who are dead/getting ready to be born.

There is also a certain mad group of breakaway reincarnation fans who pertain that you do not have to devote your entire soul to any specific life.
This allows you to the freedom to spread yourself around a bit to live and learn life as different beings on the earth and in the universe. So if you subscribe to this you can exist as a human in Ireland, a snail in Samoa and a rock in Gibraltar - all simultaneously.

The theory about the growth of the human population at the moment is that this world is currently going through a crucial and unique evolutionary period and that many experiential rewards are available to those brave enough to get stuck in. The result of this is that everyone is just jumping on the bandwagon and incarnating as much as possible at the same time.

Thanks for all the fish.

S.


P.S. It's far better craic to believe in this than the nothingness thing you guys go on about..

Asiaprod

The most scientifically correct way of viewing reincarnation is that, if it happens, it can occur at any moment. This is because time has no limit on those who are dead/getting ready to be born.

As I understand reincarnation, that is the absolutely correct. Time as we know it not a factor and reincarnation can happen anytime. In Nepal for example, the high priests such as the Dali Lame and the other top two whose names I can not remember reincarnated within 67 days. Again, this is their particular belief. I believe in no time limit, it happens when it happens.

There is also a certain mad group of breakaway reincarnation fans who pertain that you do not have to devote your entire soul to any specific life. This allows you to the freedom to spread yourself around a bit to live and learn life as different beings on the earth and in the universe.

Hum, this really stretches the imagination. First point as I see it, a Buddhist, as I am, does not have a soul, he has a Seimei (Life-force), he does not regress backward to any animal state, he is born as a human (male or female) with either good or bad fortune, He does not split up into different entities, but his/her life-force is connected on a higher level to all living entities (A major key point in the belief system). Another interesting group for you is one that believes that reincarnation is not limited to past, present or future. You could pop up anywhere. Don’t believe this myself, but interesting idea al the same.

The theory about the growth of the human population at the moment is that this world is currently going through a crucial and unique evolutionary period and that many experiential rewards are available to those brave enough to get stuck in. The result of this is that everyone is just jumping on the bandwagon and incarnating as much as possible at the same time.

I would be nice if you could explain that one a little more clearly, it is rather confusing,[/font]

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homah_7ft

I think once we die that's it. I believe we won't live on forever through memes or through our children because unfortunately they will pass eventually too. In the end there will be nothing left of us.

biko

Well, there was life after afterbirth so shouldnt there be birth after afterlife?
In my opinion - no

There is no point to my life, as there is no point to the life of a bee or a tree. That does not imply that people should waste it. Live while you can and respect others lives too.

Goodshape

biko wrote:

There is no point to my life, as there is no point to the life of a bee or a tree.

Say that to the flowers.

saibhne wrote:

There is also a certain mad group of breakaway reincarnation fans who pertain that you do not have to devote your entire soul to any specific life.
This allows you to the freedom to spread yourself around a bit to live and learn life as different beings on the earth and in the universe. So if you subscribe to this you can exist as a human in Ireland, a snail in Samoa and a rock in Gibraltar - all simultaneously.

Similar to an idea I had.

I like to think of all life on this planet as a unity (experiencing itself subjectivly, if you will). If you go back far enough it all started from the same thing so this seems to make sense to me. With that in mind, Life does exist as "a human in Ireland, a snail in Samoa and a rock in Gibraltar" simultanesously. But the snail is non the wiser to it than you or I (not very 'subjective' if you know first hand what the snail is going through).

I think what you feel inside you as your soul is your linkup to this one Life. Think of it as an ocean, from which all life is drawn. When you die you are poured back into this ocean and will spread out within it to become a part of a countless number of lifes to come. All you are is the energy.

The experiences you've had are retained in the universal sub conscious for everyones benifit. As such, your 'self' will not exist again and has not existed before but past life regression and revisting dead relatives, and so on, is not ruled out as these past lives are a part of all of us.


(and you don't need to 'believe' anything to think about the issue. fact is, we don't have the answers. but you won't get them without asking some questions.. can be fun too)