I don’t claim to know one way or the other but an afterlife seems like magic to me. I have never seen magic. I think this life is it. I hope I am wrong but I don’t think harps and clouds with everlasting happiness is feasible either.
It can’t be eternal darkness or nothingness. Your consciousness won’t exist in nothing. Your present memories and observations of your present consciousness will not exist. You’re either dreaming or awake, dead or alive. You’re just on the flip side of your existence. If you remember your past life, then that’s another topic. Life and death may just be iterations of life trying to get it right. Existence is and illusion, so shouldn’t death be one as well? Our problem is trying to change these f’d up thoughts in this iteration. We’re all signals and algorithms. Waves and vibrations. 1s and 0s. —.O what we can see and what we can’t see.
I’m not trying to be preachy, I just kept thinking of new analogies.
I don’t know if any of the latter was useful
“Your present memories and observations of your present consciousness will not exist.”
This is useful.
Ideas and conjecture about the afterlife, if one exists, often revolve around our present state. We opine and speculate about what is to come as it is relative to our flesh and blood consciousness now. That flesh and blood mind won’t be coming with us. The organ responsible for emotions will be staying here to feed worms. I’ve asked this before – – Where the hell are “WE” while we’re asleep? Why isnt my “soul, spirit, consciousness” aware of anything other than foggy dream images while I am sleeping? What I’m driving at is when our brain rests, the organ responsible for the management of conscious awareness, why are there no other coherent thought/feeling/awareness processes going on? Perhaps it is because there is no other element of us that exists outside of the state of consciousness, and the idea of souls transcending physical forms to merge with a higher energy form is just a fairy tale devised by our egos to make us feel warm, fuzzy and relevant.
I am comforted by your quote, and that concept has opened up a new venue of thought in the past year or so. As a recovering catholic, tortured with ideas of hell, fire and brimstone, it’s refreshing to ponder the idea that when our brains die, we die with them, and all our emotions and preconceived notions just simply stop. Whatever, if anything is left, will function independent of the workings of the mind, and Jesus will not smite me for killing myself when I show up for my heavenly appointment, because who wants to be smited (smitten? smut? SMOTE!) smote by The Big Guy?
Declensions! Ahhhhhhh!
“it’s refreshing to ponder the idea that when our brains die, we die with them.”
I am counting on this.
It is impossible to perceive what we cannot or conceive not being: I see embracing nothingness, but who is there to embrace it? I like your quote, chip.
Seriously though, where are “WE” when we’re asleep? Why isnt our “soul” doing something? Why does sleep begin and end with no realization of the passage of time? This same “soul” that is purportedly going to be aware of the afterlife and all of its trappings can’t seem to recall or be aware of a brief period during which our mind clicks off and rests? I don’t see it, unless physical death is the key to unlocking the “souls” ability to be functional and aware, in which case I’m obviously full of poo. Ahh, who knows.
I don’t sleep well. So I don’t get why you’re so puzzled.
I wake up before my alarm at the same time every day, which indicates some awareness.
We are aware of being hot or cold when we’re sleeping.
We hear. We think.
But your supposition that the soul kinda just “checks out” works more to point to an afterlife than not.
I know, I confuse myself with this line of thinking. If my awareness of the afterlife is going to be the same as my awareness of the here and now WHILE asleep, bring on the afterlife, because when my brain slows down to sleep, other than the unclear shadow images of dreams, I’m aware of nothing. When the brain is dead, I suspect that’s it, over, nothing. Sleep is probably as close to death as we come, and awareness during sleep is muted. I know I’m not making sense, this is just my personal conundrum. Thinking too damn much.
I hope theres an after life. Am I sure of it? No. But I believe that people whove spent their entire lives suffering deserve some kind of peace after that.
I hope there’s just sleep or nothingness. I hope reincarnation is a lie because I wouldn’t want to go through the same shit again.
Sleep is peaceful and comforting.
16 comments
I hope it’s jus sleep it has to be sleep cuz sleep is the best thing even better then being awake
Just like before you were born there was nothing so after we die there is nothing but the infinite darkness and restful unconscious sleep.
I expected this topic to be a sticky on a forum like this.
I don’t claim to know one way or the other but an afterlife seems like magic to me. I have never seen magic. I think this life is it. I hope I am wrong but I don’t think harps and clouds with everlasting happiness is feasible either.
It can’t be eternal darkness or nothingness. Your consciousness won’t exist in nothing. Your present memories and observations of your present consciousness will not exist. You’re either dreaming or awake, dead or alive. You’re just on the flip side of your existence. If you remember your past life, then that’s another topic. Life and death may just be iterations of life trying to get it right. Existence is and illusion, so shouldn’t death be one as well? Our problem is trying to change these f’d up thoughts in this iteration. We’re all signals and algorithms. Waves and vibrations. 1s and 0s. —.O what we can see and what we can’t see.
I’m not trying to be preachy, I just kept thinking of new analogies.
I don’t know if any of the latter was useful
“Your present memories and observations of your present consciousness will not exist.”
This is useful.
Ideas and conjecture about the afterlife, if one exists, often revolve around our present state. We opine and speculate about what is to come as it is relative to our flesh and blood consciousness now. That flesh and blood mind won’t be coming with us. The organ responsible for emotions will be staying here to feed worms. I’ve asked this before – – Where the hell are “WE” while we’re asleep? Why isnt my “soul, spirit, consciousness” aware of anything other than foggy dream images while I am sleeping? What I’m driving at is when our brain rests, the organ responsible for the management of conscious awareness, why are there no other coherent thought/feeling/awareness processes going on? Perhaps it is because there is no other element of us that exists outside of the state of consciousness, and the idea of souls transcending physical forms to merge with a higher energy form is just a fairy tale devised by our egos to make us feel warm, fuzzy and relevant.
I am comforted by your quote, and that concept has opened up a new venue of thought in the past year or so. As a recovering catholic, tortured with ideas of hell, fire and brimstone, it’s refreshing to ponder the idea that when our brains die, we die with them, and all our emotions and preconceived notions just simply stop. Whatever, if anything is left, will function independent of the workings of the mind, and Jesus will not smite me for killing myself when I show up for my heavenly appointment, because who wants to be smited (smitten? smut? SMOTE!) smote by The Big Guy?
Declensions! Ahhhhhhh!
“it’s refreshing to ponder the idea that when our brains die, we die with them.”
I am counting on this.
It is impossible to perceive what we cannot or conceive not being: I see embracing nothingness, but who is there to embrace it? I like your quote, chip.
Seriously though, where are “WE” when we’re asleep? Why isnt our “soul” doing something? Why does sleep begin and end with no realization of the passage of time? This same “soul” that is purportedly going to be aware of the afterlife and all of its trappings can’t seem to recall or be aware of a brief period during which our mind clicks off and rests? I don’t see it, unless physical death is the key to unlocking the “souls” ability to be functional and aware, in which case I’m obviously full of poo. Ahh, who knows.
I don’t sleep well. So I don’t get why you’re so puzzled.
I wake up before my alarm at the same time every day, which indicates some awareness.
We are aware of being hot or cold when we’re sleeping.
We hear. We think.
But your supposition that the soul kinda just “checks out” works more to point to an afterlife than not.
I know, I confuse myself with this line of thinking. If my awareness of the afterlife is going to be the same as my awareness of the here and now WHILE asleep, bring on the afterlife, because when my brain slows down to sleep, other than the unclear shadow images of dreams, I’m aware of nothing. When the brain is dead, I suspect that’s it, over, nothing. Sleep is probably as close to death as we come, and awareness during sleep is muted. I know I’m not making sense, this is just my personal conundrum. Thinking too damn much.
Chip, we may not be speaking of the same thing. Consciousness/thought/spirit. Idk.
I hope theres an after life. Am I sure of it? No. But I believe that people whove spent their entire lives suffering deserve some kind of peace after that.
I hope there’s just sleep or nothingness. I hope reincarnation is a lie because I wouldn’t want to go through the same shit again.
Sleep is peaceful and comforting.
I believe in an afterlife, but the thought of there being nothing at all doesn’t scare me.
Only two possibilities scare me: Hell, which I do believe in, and reincarnation, which I don’t.
I do.
Yes and I believe I am going to hell because this god is sadistic and enjoys misery. This god deserves hell, not me.