Wishful Thinking aside, is there any real reason to believe in life after death -

[Mr. Pickles]

I've had a lot of scary moments where I feared for my mortality, because truthfully I couldn't come up with an answer to this question.

Yes there are NDEs, but, aren't those just dreams?

 

[NOT Sword Fighter Super]

I do my best not think about it, otherwise it'll consume my day with worrying.

Why worry about something you can do nothing about?

Besides, I think as long as your a general-purpose decent person, you won't have to worry about going to a shitty place if there is an after.

 

[Mr. Pickles]

That is a fair point, I guess the reason I worry about it is... I believe in the soul and a higher existence beyond merely being flesh and blood.

If there isn't then I guess existence itself is all for not as there is no permanence or meaning.

Probably should have lead with that.

 

[Piss Clam]

I was standing on a deck in Billings Montana. When two balls of light crossed the Big Sky and that is when I knew:

1) I was hallucinating.
2) That was some military shit I've never heard of and I use to watch the Blue Angels from the bay so I know what they can do.
3) It was something natural that we've never heard of.
4) It was an ET or extra dimensional.

I'm going with #4...You can look up powder mountains conspiracy shit.

 

[NOT Sword Fighter Super]

There is no such thing as a 'general-purpose decent person'. Morals and ethics are subjective if not given an objective. Some musloid suicide bombers truly believe they are performing 'good' in this universe. Is that a good person? You need to learn how to critically think.

The golden rule is a pretty good reference. Things that are generally (and have been for most societies) considered crimes (murder, theft, etc) would be a decent gauge of weather or not you're a decent person.
Thanks for the fedora tip, though.

 

[OhGoy]

no

 

[IV 445]

Did you know that when you “die” in a dream you automatically wake up because your mind can’t process the idea of an afterlife?

 

[Okkervils]

Who cares.
If there's nothing, I'll never know or be aware of it. If there is, cool.

I have to admit though, it would be nice for there to be something more. Being parted from my family is the scariest aspect of dying/death for me. I can't comprehend not seeing them ever again.

Though I suppose if there is nothing, I won't have the ability to care.

 

[Hell0]

i do not fear death. it happens, its fine, nothing we can do.

 

[Smith Banquod]

Life has to come from somewhere so believing in some type of "reincarnation" isn't too far-stretched, yet it's so controversial because religion and old books should dictate everything.
Even with all of the answers and speculation about how the afterlife might be the only thing that science, religion and most people can agree with is that death sucks but it's just how it is fam.

Better to enjoy life while ya still can and let the credits roll once it's all over and done with.

 

[DuckSucker]

I feel like if you want to believe in life after death, reincarnation is probably the only way it would work out.

You have to think about what life is, it's just consciousness and that's basically just electrical impulses and shit like that--things like a soul that lives on eternally, that's a little unfeasible to me, but I think if you think of yourself as simply matter then matter cannot be created or destroyed and there is a slim possibility that some part of your being comes back in some other way throughout the existence of the universe.

I think technology can make a sort of extended life after death possible, shit like keeping the brain alive, and you if we understand the brain more, you could probably create a Matrix sort of scenario, which is kind of scary in a way, but I dont biologically think an afterlife is naturally possible.

This is definitely the age old question though, I mean theyve had to come up with things to explain why an afterlife, if it exists, wouldnt apply to something like a dog.

I think questioning it at all comes down to having a larger brain and the upper brain that other animals dont really have, that's capable of cognizance and realizing itself, and consciousness and shit like that. Every animal has an inherent fear of death, a hardwired sort of self-preservation it's just that humans ended up becoming smart enough to ask questions like "How did we get here," "Where are we going," "I think, therefore I am; so what happens after I die?"

I mean it's like what are "you"? Are you a brain in a shell? I mean a human biologically is just a bunch of organs interconnected that work together doing their own individual thing, like a heart will beat as long as blood pumps through it -- like the things are all almost independent but rely on each other right? Youre kind of more than just parts, but when you inspect it, youre kind of just a bunch of parts that work together to achieve something more.

Im kind of a fucking idiot.

 

[AnOminous]

Yes and I have proof.

Spoiler: Checkmate atheists

 

[PantsFreeZone]

Have you ever looked at the human lymphatic or integumentary systems? They are pretty intricate things. Makes it hard for me to buy into the "humans are accidents" deal.

I don't necessarily believe in religious versions of the afterlife, but life is a cycle and I fail to see why death can not be as well.

Of course, I do a lot of DMT whilst floating in sensory deprivation tanks so...

 

[NOT Sword Fighter Super]

That is a fair point, I guess the reason I worry about it is... I believe in the soul and a higher existence beyond merely being flesh and blood.

If there isn't then I guess existence itself is all for not as there is no permanence or meaning.

Probably should have lead with that.

Yeah man, it's a scary thought. I'd like to think that there is, but I seriously just don't know. It's easier to believe when you're a kid and the world (adults) look like they have their shit together. When you grow up and realize that those people are just as dumb if not dumber than you, it make you rethink everything you thought you knew.

 

[AnOminous]

Is there any particular reason to believe in the permanency of death?

I'm not sure why some people think fatalism and atheism are even logical.

 

[The Shadow]

People have committed a lot of thought to it, and most cultures have some concept of afterlife. Most of these beliefs also hinge on having a soul or spirit that can be transferred to the afterlife. Part of this is symbolic, I think- that this body and this existence is fleeting and transitory.

But even scientifically and non-religiously speaking, I think your form has an "afterlife" of sorts. As you decay, your body and its components are broken down and is returned to the earth. That goes to nourish future life. Memories of who you were will shape other people's thoughts and actions whether you realize it or not. We're composed of nutrients that have cycled through air and water and other life for millennia. That's kind of mind-blowing to me.

Wish I had my old World Religion professor on speed dial, he'd say something a lot more interesting about it than I could.

 

[Mr. Pickles]

Did you know that when you “die” in a dream you automatically wake up because your mind can’t process the idea of an afterlife?

I did not know that, I'm gonna google that, spooky if true.

 

[AnOminous]

I did not know that, I'm gonna google that, spooky if true.

That's wrong, though. I've had dreams where I died and at the same time, I was a witness to my own death.

 

[IV 445]

That's wrong, though. I've had dreams where I died and at the same time, I was a witness to my own death.

But you didn’t really die you were grievously wounded

 

[Mr. Pickles]

That's wrong, though. I've had dreams where I died and at the same time, I was a witness to my own death.

Makes sense, looking over my dream journal, I have at least twice in here where I dreamt about dying and becoming a ghost