Do you believe that some/all humans have some sort of metaphysical after-life?

[Torie]

I am just curious, so I just did it. Another poll could be whether or not one believes that there is some metaphysical force that is aware of your each and every action on this mortal coil.  

[12th Doctor]

Yes.  One notion that I have once heard is that the "virtuous unbelievers" face neither Heaven nor Hell when they die, but simply cease to exist.  I don't believe it, but it is an interesting notion.

[Alcon]

If I were betting, I'd say no.  But I'm not, so easily option three.  I'm a little surprised that so many people are decided either way but I think many of the arguments are strong.  Just, not to me in one way or the other.

[The Mikado]

Position 2.  I simply cannot see how, once your brain ceases to function, "you" continue.

[JSojourner]

Number one, as you would expect.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Option 2.

[© tweed]

God has a master plan

[Purple State]

Inbetween 1 and 2. Essentially, I find it hard to imagine that an afterlife exists, but there better damn well be one when I die. The thought of an afterlife is incredibly comforting for me.

[anvi]

I'm with Humphrey.  When the body dies, the person dies and there is no more experience of any sort. 

Hey Torie, nice "aum" ligature at the botton of your posts.  Can I ask why you chose it?

[dead0man]

I hope 1, but assume 2....or another way, my heart says 1, my brain 2.

[7,052,770]

I can't really contemplate how my consciousness/soul/whatever you want to call it, could cease to exist at some point, so I chose option 1.  I admit that I am using flawed logic, but spiritual/religious matters usually do.

[Bunwahaha [still dunno why, but well, so be it]]

I'd say, yes, in a way...

With the hope I would easily express what I mean in English.

I think that what we are is a materialization of the energy. I mean, I think that what make move our matter is all the energies that exist. By energies, I don't wanna go in "New Age" stuffs, I mean the energies we know (gravity, electricity, radioactivity, others I don't think about...) and those we might discover one day if we discover other ones, all the energies that make turn this world/universe/all what exists. And, I would gather them in the only concept of "energy" by opposition to the one of "matter" (all the atoms).

Our behavior, so what we are, our personality, would be the result of all the influences that the energies would have on us. And, once happens that our matter is no more able to get the energy to move ourselves, the death.

Our matter no more move, but the energies that made it move are still here, it's just that our matter can no more be the representation, the incarnation, it was of the energy. In that sens what made what our personality is what it is still exists, there is no death of the energy.

That said, it breaks the concept of "soul" or of "karma", because what moves us here would no more be seen as an only entity of personality.

Well, it has to be dug up, and I would surely make pass it better in my mother language.

I've been told recently that I have a Buddhist point of view in a way, I just know I don't share all what Buddhism says.

So, I voted 3.

[John Dibble]

I plead agnostic - option 3.

[Lief 🗽]

I hope 1, but assume 2....or another way, my heart says 1, my brain 2.

^^^Pretty much. The idea of an eternity of nonexistence terrifies me.

[John Dibble]

I hope 1, but assume 2....or another way, my heart says 1, my brain 2.

^^^Pretty much. The idea of an eternity of nonexistence terrifies me.

Non-existence seems more, for lack of a better word, odd to me than terrifying. If I don't exist, I won't feel pain... or anything for that matter. It's a strange state to imagine being in.

[Torie]

I'm with Humphrey.  When the body dies, the person dies and there is no more experience of any sort. 

Hey Torie, nice "aum" ligature at the botton of your posts.  Can I ask why you chose it?

Thank you. My old friend Luis Gonzalez suggested it, and I thought it kind of fit my posting style to some extent. I also like the design.

And there you have it.

[© tweed]

I hope 1, but assume 2....or another way, my heart says 1, my brain 2.

^^^Pretty much. The idea of an eternity of nonexistence terrifies me.

Non-existence seems more, for lack of a better word, odd to me than terrifying. If I don't exist, I won't feel pain... or anything for that matter. It's a strange state to imagine being in.

it would seem to be far preferable to existing forever

[John Dibble]

I hope 1, but assume 2....or another way, my heart says 1, my brain 2.

^^^Pretty much. The idea of an eternity of nonexistence terrifies me.

Non-existence seems more, for lack of a better word, odd to me than terrifying. If I don't exist, I won't feel pain... or anything for that matter. It's a strange state to imagine being in.

it would seem to be far preferable to existing forever

Well, existing forever and being bored or eternally tormented would suck, but if you had some form of eternal entertainment I wouldn't think it to be so bad. Why else would God have put that tree in the Garden of Eden? I imagine he gets a kick out of us humans going around and doing stupid human things.

[Alcon]

I hope 1, but assume 2....or another way, my heart says 1, my brain 2.

^^^Pretty much. The idea of an eternity of nonexistence terrifies me.

I had this same conversation with my best friend a while back.  Basically he said he was terrified of the idea of existing in a void.  I think the "dreamless sleep" analogy is aptest.  Our chemicals stop working, and no conscious soul exists, our consciousness stops working.  We have no awareness with which to be bored, terrified, whatever.  Infinite, dreamless sleep seems a lot more "probabilistic" than infinite awareness, which you'd assume would have to be orchestrated by some entity or force.

[anvi]

It has always seemed to me that the closest analogue from experience to death is being put under full anesthesia for a surgery.  That stuff basically numbs all the perceptual receptors of the neural network, and so, unlike dreaming or even dreamless sleep, there is no awareness whatsoever, even of the subtlest kind, of the passage of time or anything like that.  It's a great oddity that, when one regains consciousness from being put under general anesthesia, one has the feeling that regaing consciousness was practically instantaneous.  So, like death, under general anesthesia, we have nothing we can call "experience."

I guess the reason we all find death so daunting is that the body resists death as much and for as long as it can.  But, that doesn't change the fact that it's coming for all of us.  On the upside, I have no recollection of being unhappy about the "state" of my "being" before I was born, so I don't have any particular reason to dread what "it will be like" when I die.

[Earth]

Great post, Anvikshiki.

I'm paraphrasing quite a bit, but there's a particular zen saying, I think from Shunryu Suzuki, where he says something to the effect of "Do you feel nervous or scared when you think of where you were before you were born? Death is the same thing, a return."

That one always stuck with me. I don't see how an afterlife would be what's in store, but a negation of all senses. No more awareness, experience. The thought is fairly liberating, to be honest. Nothing to be frightened of.