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What happens when you die?


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#1 Melchoire

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Posted 15 January 2011 - 08:29 PM

Does the fact that non-existence is impossible to imagine or picture rule it out as a possibility for the afterlife? Just because I can't imagine not existing, doesn't mean I won't cease to exist once I die.

But to be honest, I don't believe that. The most I can say about the afterlife is that it exists and there is something there. You don't simply stop existing and turn back to earth. And I know it often involves tremendous pain, where you might be almost happy you're dying because it means the pain will end soon. But what scares me the most about death is it's mysterious-ness. Not-knowing is exponentially more troubling than the death itself. At least in my opinion.

Of course none of what anyone here suggests can be backed up by evidence. I attribute my belief in the afterlife to my spiritual side; I believe in ghosts, aliens, abilities exhibited by the human mind that go unexplained by science. But I'm sure growing up religious had a lot to do with it.

Anyways, enough rambling. Share your thoughts; personal anecdotes are always comforting to read :p

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    #2 cara

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    Posted 15 January 2011 - 09:08 PM

    Personally, i believe we cease to exist. I don't believe in an afterlife. But for arguments sake if there is a heaven .. mine would be along the lines of you put on a virtual reality type thing and live an epic life (Star wars? Narnia?) without knowing you're actually dead or anybody there isn't real ... which makes you start to wonder ...

    #3 Homer

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    Posted 15 January 2011 - 09:21 PM

    Everything goes black and nothing happens. Until you come back to life with a defibrillator then sell stories about your afterlife
    to make millions. Then spending those millions on a house, car, and neocash only to lose them all again. Then you commit suicide, but it fails
    and you come back to life... repeating the whole process again. The circle of life.

    #4 Melchoire

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    Posted 15 January 2011 - 09:38 PM

    Personally, i believe we cease to exist. I don't believe in an afterlife. But for arguments sake if there is a heaven .. mine would be along the lines of you put on a virtual reality type thing and live an epic life (Star wars? Narnia?) without knowing you're actually dead or anybody there isn't real ... which makes you start to wonder ...


    Doesn't that scare you? The non-existence I mean...

    #5 Mr. Hobo

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    Posted 15 January 2011 - 09:40 PM

    Doesn't that scare you? The non-existence I mean...


    Its terrifying

    Here's to hoping my views about the after life are flawed. or my hope placed in cryonics is well placed and I'll be thawed out in a futuristic paradise

    #6 Ziz

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    Posted 15 January 2011 - 09:44 PM

    Our body goes back to the earth and is recycled (eaten by worms, bacteria, plants and degraded).
    I would like think a part of us don't cease to exist, that somehow our spirits reamain here.
    But I think one can only "live" through the memories or the way you *contributed to the world.

    Edited by Ziz, 16 January 2011 - 12:12 PM.


    #7 cara

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    Posted 15 January 2011 - 10:16 PM

    Doesn't that scare you? The non-existence I mean...


    In all honesty, not really .. death doesn't scare me, rather then the dying part. The only 'terrifying' thing about not existing is hoping that i lived enough to be happy with ending it.

    #8 Random

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    Posted 15 January 2011 - 10:22 PM

    In all honesty, not really .. death doesn't scare me, rather then the dying part. The only 'terrifying' thing about not existing is hoping that i lived enough to be happy with ending it.


    That's a really fucking great quote.

    #9 cara

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    Posted 15 January 2011 - 10:26 PM

    That's a really fucking great quote.


    Haha thanks :cool:

    #10 Guest_jcrgirl_*

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    Posted 15 January 2011 - 10:31 PM

    There was a really funny comedy skit this one Comedian did. He was mocking someone who was an Atheist (or something along those lines) that personally believed that when he died, he'd decompose and turn into a tree.

    So the comedian went on to say that he hoped that this "tree" would get chopped down, then painfully chopped into pieces, processed through a bunch of machines, turned into paper, and then have the bible printed on the paper. It was pretty lulz xD If someone can find the comedian + post a YT video it was awesome lol

    #11 cara

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    Posted 15 January 2011 - 10:34 PM

    There was a really funny comedy skit this one Comedian did. He was mocking someone who was an Atheist (or something along those lines) that personally believed that when he died, he'd decompose and turn into a tree.

    So the comedian went on to say that he hoped that this "tree" would get chopped down, then painfully chopped into pieces, processed through a bunch of machines, turned into paper, and then have the bible printed on the paper. It was pretty lulz xD If someone can find the comedian + post a YT video it was awesome lol


    It was dane cook .. i saw that shit live!

    Atheist Sneeze

    #12 Melchoire

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    Posted 15 January 2011 - 11:57 PM

    I'm a little surprised at the number of people who subscribe to the "cease-to-exist" belief. :p

    In all honesty, not really .. death doesn't scare me, rather then the dying part. The only 'terrifying' thing about not existing is hoping that i lived enough to be happy with ending it.


    I don't think I could ever be happy with ending it. There are always so many things left to be experienced, new memories to be made, etc...

    #13 Sweeney

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    Posted 16 January 2011 - 05:16 AM

    Why would non-existence be terrifying? It's not like I'll be there to experience it.

    #14 Information

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    Posted 16 January 2011 - 05:34 AM

    Exactly not existing is a paradox, because nobody ever will be able to experience it making this question without religious document and dogma... void.

    #15 unigirl

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    Posted 16 January 2011 - 05:36 AM

    Why would non-existence be terrifying? It's not like I'll be there to experience it.


    xD True.
    I'm not sure what to believe but agree on that part that not-knowing is more scary than the death itself. I don't want to be reborn or something. But I would love to go to some happy place where I finally would meet all my beloved ones again.

    #16 luvsmyncis

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    Posted 16 January 2011 - 09:48 AM

    Death is for the living.

    I can't quite agree with the whole non-existence thing. To not exist, there would be no trace of you in this world. You won't exist to yourself, of course, you'd be dead without thought or feeling... but the memory of you would still exist. The embarrassing photo your mother took of you as a kid on the toilet will still exist. Someone, somewhere will think about you randomly for something hilarious, or stupid, or scandalous you did, and they'll share that small antidote with someone else. Your phone number will still be written on the wall of the men's bathroom at that bar you went to when you were alive. You'll always be remembered at one point or another. Until your family line dies or whatever. 

    For instance...
    My grandmother is dead. I don't believe she's "watching out for me". I don't think she's floating around in the clouds. I don't think she has a conscious spirit doing anything ever again. But she still exists, because she influenced my life so greatly. I cuss like no one's business, get all quiet and tight lipped when I'm angry, and laugh loud and obnoxiously- all because I learned it from her. I can still remember the smell of her bad perfume and the sound of her voice when she used to scold me. And when I become a grandmother, I believe I will smack my grandkids on the ass with a wooden spoon when they don't do what I say, because that's what I learned from my grandmother. Just telling you about her now, you think to yourself, "Her grandma used to beat her with a wooden spoon." Now you carry her existence with you. Forever and ever AAAAAAAMEN!!

    p.s. I do not smoke pot ever.

    #17 unigirl

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    Posted 16 January 2011 - 10:27 AM

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    Agree with you. Would be scary if all that people would watch over me all the time xD
    And it is consoling to know that they will always be remembered.

    Edited by unigirl, 16 January 2011 - 10:30 AM.


    #18 Melchoire

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    Posted 16 January 2011 - 12:06 PM

    Death is for the living.

    I can't quite agree with the whole non-existence thing. To not exist, there would be no trace of you in this world. You won't exist to yourself, of course, you'd be dead without thought or feeling... but the memory of you would still exist. The embarrassing photo your mother took of you as a kid on the toilet will still exist. Someone, somewhere will think about you randomly for something hilarious, or stupid, or scandalous you did, and they'll share that small antidote with someone else. Your phone number will still be written on the wall of the men's bathroom at that bar you went to when you were alive. You'll always be remembered at one point or another. Until your family line dies or whatever.

    For instance...
    My grandmother is dead. I don't believe she's "watching out for me". I don't think she's floating around in the clouds. I don't think she has a conscious spirit doing anything ever again. But she still exists, because she influenced my life so greatly. I cuss like no one's business, get all quiet and tight lipped when I'm angry, and laugh loud and obnoxiously- all because I learned it from her. I can still remember the smell of her bad perfume and the sound of her voice when she used to scold me. And when I become a grandmother, I believe I will smack my grandkids on the ass with a wooden spoon when they don't do what I say, because that's what I learned from my grandmother. Just telling you about her now, you think to yourself, "Her grandma used to beat her with a wooden spoon." Now you carry her existence with you. Forever and ever AAAAAAAMEN!!

    p.s. I do not smoke pot ever.


    Yeh, I've thought about that before. The possibility that you remain "alive" through the experiences you have with people.

    But what about someone who doesn't exist for very long or someone who doesn't leave a lot of memories involving him/her behind?

    You neglected to say that you assume that there is more to "you" than a body. That's key to the opening of a philosophical discussion on the after life. :p

    I have a LOT of thoughts on the issue, but my sleeping capsule has begun to kick my ass... so I may have to update them tomorrow morning. :p


    lol I sorta assumed that's what people would take it as :p

    I mean I know your physical body just decomposes and stuff...

    #19 Ziz

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    Posted 16 January 2011 - 12:16 PM

    Yeh, I've thought about that before. The possibility that you remain "alive" through the experiences you have with people.

    But what about someone who doesn't exist for very long or someone who doesn't leave a lot of memories involving him/her behind?


    His/her existance dissapears completely, at least from this plane.
    There could be something more after death, but I don't think there can be "damned spirits" or anything similar, because IMO we can only leave memories about us in this world, nothing more.

    #20 jcrdude

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    Posted 16 January 2011 - 01:19 PM

    I don't believe there is anything after death.

    I don't really think of it as scary, either. I view it as a source of inspiration.

    Something that pushes me to make the best of every day I actually have.

    #21 Melchoire

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    Posted 16 January 2011 - 02:14 PM

    Well, some people here may believe that the "you" in which one identifies with is the body... or at least a experience that is created with various neurotransmitters. Because when you try to talk about what happens when "you" die, first you have to define what "you" are.

    For the sake of argument, I'll assume you believe in some mystical essence that each of us possess that is our true identity. I will refer to it as the "soul" from here after. (P.s. If this isn't what you believe "you" are, feel free to correct me.)

    First, why do you assume that we have a "soul"? Why does the thought of ceasing to exist frighten you? As Joe mentioned, there will be no "you" to experience anything...

    I think you know where I'm going with all of these questions... I basically want you to define what you believe you are, as it is the framework for what happens when "you" die. I'm not going to try to push any of my beliefs onto you (though I will share them.) But to gain comfort on the thought of death, you first have to understand fully what you believe you are and/or what else is out there. So do tell us!

    As for myself? Depends on the day, really... But I essentially go to the thought that energy and mass cannot be created or destroyed. I also think about what is the difference between myself and you? Myself and a planet? (at the atomic/sub-atomic level) We are all made of the same basic building blocks. The only difference is the number of atoms and the number of electrons/protons/neutrons within those atoms. But other than counting the number of each, we are made of the same exact thing. (I feel like I'm getting a little "out-there" for most people, so I'll try to bring this back to some base level. :p)

    I guess I just go back to the whole idea of creation. Whether it was in a Big Bang or by an omnipotent creator, I think that we all came from the same blob of energy. (I will call that massive blob of energy "God") So when this body perishes, "I" will still survive in the energy that I provide for other life forms. So in that respect, I will live on as a different organism or at least as the energy that provides life for that organism.

    I don't know... kind of rambled off for a bit there. I guess I just have no fear of death because I don't have a strong attachment to my ego. I see my ego as a byproduct of my mind in order to attempt to preserve my body. But we are born with an expiration date... To go through life fearing when it will come just means that your ego is working too hard. So chop your wood, carry your water. Do the things that are required of you to maintain this life, but do your sadhana on the inside. I work towards the liberation of my inner life from the limitations in is bound.

    Done rambling. Have human work to achieve for now. :p
    Cheers!

    One last thing... I truly appreciate the unknown of what comes after death much more than knowing it for a fact. Keeps you on your toes, ya know? :p


    Yes, by "you" I did mean soul. It's mysterious to me as well; I don't believe it's defined by your memories, or your body. You could be reborn in another body and have no recollection of your previous life but that body will still have your soul. It's like when you're dreaming; you don't remember everything about your real life or even that you're dreaming at all but "you", your soul, still somehow experiences that dream without your body.

    That's not to say I believe in rebirth, not that I don't either :p

    But that was the best way I can define what a soul means to me.

    If I understand you correctly; you define "you" as energy that can't be destroyed and thus "you" will always exist in a different form, whether it be energy provided to a deer from grass or the deer it self. You defined the soul as raw energy. Is that right?

    #22 onlyme

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    Posted 16 January 2011 - 02:28 PM

    Do you believe in the afterworld Or the afterlife? Do you agree there's a place for us Beyond our life Where the timless call for life Is lost and you will see The forgotten dreams That you once had become reality They will be set free - another day You cannot leave if you do not want to stay In the afterlife - in the afterlife Life's a dream that you will forget In the endless space And the scars you got on planet Earth Will be erased You were blind until your eyes Have stopped to see And your powers unfold by the moment You hit eternity You will be set free But you'll never return That's the price you have to pay In the afterlife - in the afterlife Now you're gone without a word You didn't say goodbye I miss you here where are you now An angel in the sky? Your visit here has been so short You left to be set free But I believe we'll meet again And together we will stay In the afterlife - in the afterlife In the afterlife - in the afterlife



    #23 Melchoire

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    Posted 16 January 2011 - 02:48 PM

    That is correct. :) Same concept of a "soul" just with more clearly drawn attributes. :p


    My definition of a soul is an entity that is self-aware. It knows that it exists. I guess that's where our views diverge =P

    #24 Kido

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    Posted 16 January 2011 - 07:13 PM


    How do we know we're not already dead and we're just cruising along in hell?

    Everything goes black and nothing happens. Until you come back to life with a defibrillator then sell stories about your afterlife
    to make millions. Then spending those millions on a house, car, and neocash only to lose them all again. Then you commit suicide, but it fails
    and you come back to life... repeating the whole process again. The circle of life.


    Although that sounds pretty realistic too :p

    #25 leurz

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    Posted 16 January 2011 - 07:58 PM


    How do we know we're not already dead and we're just cruising along in hell?



    What if you die when you go to sleep and in the morning there will be a new soul inhabiting your body, with access to all your memories?


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