Exploring the Afterlife: Perspectives and Preparations

[quantumcarl]

I don't mean to be an alarmist but, we're all going to die. Everyone. All of us. Not one of us "gets out of here alive" (Jim Morrison).

Are you prepared for this inevitable event?

How are you prepared for this event?

Are you ready to let go of all your attachments in your life?

Please explain what this means to you.

 

[dgoodpasture2005]

This explains my entire existence and why I live the way I do. It also defines what life truly means to me and what is honestly important while I'm living. When the being dies the attatchments and materials live on. Maximize the efficiency of one's existence. Delve into the meaning of being. The being is within, not outside. The secret to life is to die before you die, so that life and death may be clearly understood and envisioned. Peace.
David.

 

[quantumcarl]

This explains my entire existence and why I live the way I do. It also defines what life truly means to me and what is honestly important while I'm living. When the being dies the attatchments and materials live on. Maximize the efficiency of one's existence. Delve into the meaning of being. The being is within, not outside. The secret to life is to die before you die, so that life and death may be clearly understood and envisioned. Peace.
David.

Very cool philosophy!

When the being dies the attatchments and materials live on.

This idea confuses me, though.

Attachments are established by an individual. The individual forms notions of importance with regard to the specific phenomena the individual encounters during their life.

The attachments are a result of choices made by an individual.
For instance:

attaching importance to enjoying a good lobster dinner then the memory of that dinner

or

the attachment to the importance of "your team" winning a game

How can attachments "live on", as you say, without the originating system which has formed the attachment concerning an event or object?

If your answer includes the fact that the importance of your attachments can be continued, in memory and practise, by people who knew you...

...I'd say that the importance of the attachment is no longer your's... its theirs. In fact, they have created an importance and attachment of their own with regard to the attachments you have "let go of" as a result of one's demise.

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What's with this idea: "Death as a part of life"?

I suppose its as essential to life as water. Water is a part of life. Without water, death is a part of life.

Is the opposite true? Is life a part of death?

 

[Giulio B.]

I hope that when i will die god won't do the bastard with me, because I'm intentioned to conserve my mind for the other life.

 

[-Job-]

What do you mean "prepared"? My death is not my problem, i am the one who won't notice a thing.

 

[quantumcarl]

What do you mean "prepared"? My death is not my problem, i am the one who won't notice a thing.

Prepared.

An infant has no way to prepare for death. It has no concept of life or death. It is simply expiencing stimulus and reacting with predetermined reflexes that are not modified because has had no previous experience with any of the stimuli found in life.

As adults we have gathered a certain amount of experience and maintained our memory of them. Some of the experiences have been repeated during our life and our reflexes have been or will be modified to the experiences as a way of modifying the results of our reflex to the experiences.

We also gather opinions from other people with regard to some of our own experiences. When we utilize another's opinion concerning an experience we make their idea of what has or is happening our own. That idea may not be what is happening in truth... but, as far as we know, the idea we have assimilated is the truth.

In preparing for an event that we have never experienced... such as death... we can only base our preparation on what we have researched on the subject. Our preparation is an accumulation of facts and information we have put together from other people's stories, ideas etc... and our own feelings and ideas on the subject of the event.

This is not a good method of preparation because, inevitabley, what we have prepared for is somthing we have not experienced and so it is, again, inevitable, that our preparations will be off the mark.

What we can only surmise about an experience, like death, that we have not personally experienced is the it is a major change with regard to what we're used to.

Our whole system of values, survival issues, everything we've learned or constructed in life becomes secondary. The primary concern with death seems to be that there is no primary concern.

How do you prepare for that?:uhh:

 

[heartless]

I don't mean to be an alarmist but, we're all going to die. Everyone. All of us. Not one of us "gets out of here alive" (Jim Morrison).

Are you prepared for this inevitable event?

How are you prepared for this event?

Are you ready to let go of all your attachments in your life?

Please explain what this means to you.

Come on, nobody prepares for death. Nobody knows when one will come up. You have these religious books that try to prepare you for that, but not a Christian or Muslim or whatever seem to give a thought about this. People just tend not to think about death. If you push a life to your limits, you achieved what you wanted to achieve, get what you wanted to get, and give what you wanted to give, then that's enough of the preparation. How else would you prepare? If you live for yourself and also other people, you've done a lot for the people, then that's all your preparation. You're ready to face God or either death or both. God will look at you and see how you lived and that will impress God, as not many people really lead a wonderful life. If you face only death, your name will be memorized for hundreds or even thousands of years. People will talk good about you for centuries. That's a good death. You can get both. In other words, you prepare for death all your life, without even thinking about it. Every your deed is a preparation to death.

Thanks,

 

[quantumcarl]

Come on, nobody prepares for death.

Do you have a survey that shows this?

Have a look at the number of clients any life insurance company has. This appears to be evidence of a form of preparation for an event like death or incapacitation. Usually this preparation is for the benefit of those people surviving or supporting the client.

In the same spirit, wouldn't it be insuring or assuring to prepare one's self for death?

This wouldn't have to involve an insurance company or an organized religion... for that matter. This would only involve the individual, alone, through some kind of excercises specifically designed to take the importance out of the silly things in life. Like status or dramas and competitions.

The function of these excercises would resemble the function of a life insurance company where you leave things behind. But in this case you have to separate yourself from possessions like those of self-image, self-importance and a slough of other mental constructs. Of course, these remains would be better off disposed of rather than being willed to some unsuspecting heir .

 

[heartless]

[...]

Actually I didn't think about preparation like this. Obviously you're right. I rather thought about preparing like for the vocation. Packing a suitcase, reserving a place in a hotel...

Thanks,

 

[dgoodpasture2005]

Come on, nobody prepares for death. Nobody knows when one will come up. You have these religious books that try to prepare you for that, but not a Christian or Muslim or whatever seem to give a thought about this. People just tend not to think about death. If you push a life to your limits, you achieved what you wanted to achieve, get what you wanted to get, and give what you wanted to give, then that's enough of the preparation. How else would you prepare? If you live for yourself and also other people, you've done a lot for the people, then that's all your preparation. You're ready to face God or either death or both. God will look at you and see how you lived and that will impress God, as not many people really lead a wonderful life. If you face only death, your name will be memorized for hundreds or even thousands of years. People will talk good about you for centuries. That's a good death. You can get both. In other words, you prepare for death all your life, without even thinking about it. Every your deed is a preparation to death.

Thanks,

Preparing for death IS living life to its fullest. Yet you contradict yourself by starting off with saying "nobody prepares for death"... when in fact, the way I prepare for death is by living my life the way that I do. It's ok, no big deal. You made a good point, just thought I'd point out that minor contradiction.

 

[octelcogopod]

I think death is comforting, it's a way out when things go out of hand, it's also the kitty way out.
In a few million years the Earth may be destroyed, carrying my remains into outer space, and then I live on, through my remains.
In the end, there won't be anything left of me, only scattered molecules and atoms that were once in my body.

I am not just my body and my mind, I live through other people, in their minds, I could be a faint memory in some girls mind, or a strong memory in my mothers mind.
Me, as a being, influence everything around me, everything is connected, on an abstract plane, death is simply our natural way of departing our bodies.

The peace and serenity that comes with death (the opposite of life), is something that comforts me.
Not to say I'm not afraid of the inevitable, I'm afraid of dying, but also losing all my memories and my mind.

We have to face the facts, as they are now, that we WILL lose everything we loved, but we won't know it, after we're dead, we won't care.
That's also comforting.

 

[Rader]

I don't mean to be an alarmist but, we're all going to die. Everyone. All of us. Not one of us "gets out of here alive" (Jim Morrison).

Are you prepared for this inevitable event?

How are you prepared for this event?

Are you ready to let go of all your attachments in your life?

Please explain what this means to you.

The only sure thing in life, is death. Death of what? I know my body will be eventually reduced to a sack of dust. If black holes eventually give back everything that is swallowed up, that a relief, my dust will still remain within this universe. What concerns me is what happens to my information, that is, what am I. Will my information know other information in the same way that I know, I am now? This truly bothers me, not knowing how this knowing might be.

 

[quantumcarl]

The only sure thing in life, is death. Death of what? I know my body will be eventually reduced to a sack of dust. If black holes eventually give back everything that is swallowed up, that a relief, my dust will still remain within this universe. What concerns me is what happens to my information, that is, what am I. Will my information know other information in the same way that I know, I am now? This truly bothers me, not knowing how this knowing might be.

The things that bother you are the things you need to leave behind when you die. If you try to take them with you this probably ****s up the whole function of dieing. It may even delay your departure or... at least the departure of everything that was you. "You" might, (according to my own insignificant calculations), remain in the physical realm as an ElectroMagneticChemical anomaly. A construct of EM waves that you painstakingly built with mental constructs concerning "the way it is". When you may be absolutely wrong in your assumptions.

But, I'm just talking like I know what I'm talking about. No one knows what not-living is all about or what happens to "us" after the experience of dieing.

I know there are people who've had "near death" experiences. There are reports of "out of body" experiences. There are those people who have been declared medically dead who, after 20 minutes, are revived and live on to talk about it. I'm not referring to any of the re-written biblical accounts here either.

What I'm asking is, do you, personally, know someone who's died... been cremated or buried... then come back and given a lecture on the experience of death and what goes on after life ? Probably not.

There are those people like the ones I've mentioned with their stories, books, movies and bank accounts based on "near death accounts"... but, I don't know them. They could be any salesperson from anywhere selling anything people are gullable enough to buy. Sort of like religion. No credentials required. No proof of the truth. Just "have faith" and believe.

Not I said the wolf.
Not I said the blind man as he picked up his hammer and saw.

 

[quantumcarl]

Actually I didn't think about preparation like this. Obviously you're right. I rather thought about preparing like for the vocation. Packing a suitcase, reserving a place in a hotel...

Thanks,

Thank you. I think its more like un-packing the suit case and giving away everything. Then you go skinny dipping. The only problem is that your grandmother and the rest of your anscestors are watching!

Which brings me to another analogy of death.
Imagine you're at the lake with some friends. Its midnight and the idea of a midnight dip sounds cool. You're all a bit tentative, though, about jumping in the lake since, of course, it feels cold to the first touch to the big toe.

Is that death in a nutshell? Is it like a big lake that seems cold at first so everyone shivers and decides its a gross idea to jump in? Look what you're leaving behind! A nice dry, warm set of clothes. Maybe a nice fire. Maybe a friend who happens to be a potential mate who isn't going to like a wet, shivering, mostly naked and possibly drowned guy. I don't know. But, there are some similar parallels here.

 

[heartless]

Imagine you're at the lake with some friends. Its midnight and the idea of a midnight dip sounds cool. You're all a bit tentative, though, about jumping in the lake since, of course, it feels cold to the first touch to the big toe.

Is that death in a nutshell? Is it like a big lake that seems cold at first so everyone shivers and decides its a gross idea to jump in? Look what you're leaving behind! A nice dry, warm set of clothes. Maybe a nice fire. Maybe a friend who happens to be a potential mate who isn't going to like a wet, shivering, mostly naked and possibly drowned guy. I don't know. But, there are some similar parallels here.

There indeed are some parallels. Although this world seem bad, it isn't such a bad world, and it's better to live in such one, than get yourself into something worse like in that case a freezing lake. But anyway, although death seems like a good idea for many, it isn't such an astonishing peace for yourself. Many people think about death like a fun, but only a few actually decided to play russian rullette. I would rather stay up, and don't rush anywhere, because does it mean anything that after death you still are a part of the universe? Your physical body is gone, your senses are gone. You are left with either a soul, mind, or nothing. You cannot experience any wonders anymore, you don't have senses. You don't have yourself. And in addition, what if this life is the only one? You have one chance, one life, one world, no others? That's the reason why you should stay, and don't rush anywhere, take up your chance and don't wait for death, let the death wait for you.

Thanks,

 

[Tzemach]

One of my favourite quotes comes from Stephen Vincent Bent who says, "Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand uncaring ways."

Don't waste your life by worrying that it will end, get out and live it, enjoy every moment the Almighty grants you and be gratefull for what you do have. You will always be happier and more successful if you concentrate on your joys than if you worry about negatives.

 

[Dichter]

The truth is that without understanding death, life makes no sense. You can ignore the issue and pretend it doesn't matter, but that leaves a feeling of quiet desperation that Mars every joy you can possibly have in this world.

 

[BSMSMSTMSPHD]

As George Carlin once put it (referring to death): "It is on your schedule."

I'm a mathematician and my wife is a criminal psychologist (works with several very interesting people) so I am exposed to a lot of serial killer / true crime / death stuff on tv in books, etc. I was thinking about this the other day.

Mathematically, I see fear of death as being quantifiable on two axes: fear of emotional trauma (knowing that you're going to die) and fear of physical pain (suffering). So, if we rank everything on a scale from 0 to 100 on both axes, we get a coordinate for each type of death.

Of course - people's opinions (including my own) might cause disagreement on the exact position of the coordinates, but I'm okay with that...

So, take for example - plane crash. A big one, with no survivors. I would give this a coordinate of (100,0) because you know the entire time that it's going to happen, but when you hit the ground at 500 mph, you're not around long enough to feel anything. Same goes for jumping or falling from a large building.

Conversely, it is hard to imagine a method of death with a coordinate of (0,100) because if you're in that much pain, you probably are aware that time is up soon.

(100,100) would be torture (literally and figuratively).

(0,0) would be the sniper shot to the head.

But of course, I think most deaths fall in the middle of the square somewhere with unequal amounts of both fears. Suicide would be difficult to place because it depends on the mindset of the individual. Someone who decides to take pills and just fall asleep may be a (0,0) or not, depending on the emotional toll.

Then there are natural deaths. Given that we're all going one way or the other, I would imagine the best way to go is in your sleep when you're very old. That's about a (0,0).

The worst type of death would be around a (50,50) because most of us aren't in situations where a (100,100) is realistic. Drowning or other types of suffocation might be near here, but I don't really know, because, well, I'm still here.

Anyways - like I said - I was just thinking the other day...

Hope no one was offended, but I would appreciate any comments.

 

[Dichter]

Mathematically, I see fear of death as being quantifiable on two axes: fear of emotional trauma (knowing that you're going to die) and fear of physical pain (suffering).

I think you're missed the most important factor, which is the fear of ceasing to exist. I'm afraid of the physical pain, but I'm also afraid of the dentist so I don't see pain as particularly relevant. Emotional trauma is certainly something I'd like to avoid, but if I didn't have the fear of ceasing to exist, knowing I was about to die would mean the end of my suffering. Nothing to be particularly sad about.

It's really the prospect of never again doing things you like and being with people you love that is scary. And if you like to quantify this, I'd say atheists get a 100, lunatics get 0, and religious people get various scores along the range (almost every religious person is both an atheist and a lunatic)

I would appreciate any comments.

Hope I'm not sorry you asked

 

[quantumcarl]

There indeed are some parallels. Although this world seem bad, it isn't such a bad world, and it's better to live in such one, than get yourself into something worse like in that case a freezing lake. But anyway, although death seems like a good idea for many, it isn't such an astonishing peace for yourself. Many people think about death like a fun, but only a few actually decided to play russian rullette. I would rather stay up, and don't rush anywhere, because does it mean anything that after death you still are a part of the universe? Your physical body is gone, your senses are gone. You are left with either a soul, mind, or nothing. You cannot experience any wonders anymore, you don't have senses. You don't have yourself. And in addition, what if this life is the only one? You have one chance, one life, one world, no others? That's the reason why you should stay, and don't rush anywhere, take up your chance and don't wait for death, let the death wait for you.

Thanks,

Very cool advice, Heartless.

I notice that you point out many things about death... you know, like "no senses, no body, not experiencing wonders" and that sort of thing.

I don't know why you know these things. These seem to me to be assumptions because, of course, you have never died. Try to let go of preconcieved presumptions. This makes things much easier on you.

For example: if you tense up before jumping into the lake at midnight... everything is hieghtened in sensation. You're nerves are expecting a major uncomfortable hit. You "preconcieve" that the water is "freezing" so... even if it is 76 degrees, it will still be "freezing" to you because your mind has prepared your body for "freezing" water.

Once you rationalize your position, of course, you realize the water is just fine. Its like going to a party and thinking everyone is going to notice the zit on your cheek. No one notices the zit but they do notice how you're always turning to one side and not really having any fun. Mean while... you rationalize you're situation and decide that everyone is ignoring you because of your zit when, in reality, they are ignoring you because of your attitude.

I think we need to leave pre-conception out of our ideas of dieing... and living for that matter. We need to better flow with what is actually happening, at the moment, on the day... and be bloody good with our reactions. What what?

 

[heartless]

I don't know why you know these things. These seem to me to be assumptions because, of course, you have never died. Try to let go of preconcieved presumptions. This makes things much easier on you.

I don't know, it's only based upon my belief, we would need a volunteer to test it.

For example: if you tense up before jumping into the lake at midnight... everything is hieghtened in sensation. You're nerves are expecting a major uncomfortable hit. You "preconcieve" that the water is "freezing" so... even if it is 76 degrees, it will still be "freezing" to you because your mind has prepared your body for "freezing" water.

Yeah, the same thing may happen with death. You actually expect that you lose your friends, world, physical body, and even if you don't you still are going to feel that way, that you lost everything. But on the other hand, if you expect your death to be pleasant, and free you from "something" you are going to be pleased and free, because like a said, you don't know what to expect from death. You expect death, but you actually don't know what death expects from you. Ok, I have to go, history class...

 

[quantumcarl]

One of my favourite quotes comes from Stephen Vincent Bent who says, "Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand uncaring ways."

Don't waste your life by worrying that it will end, get out and live it, enjoy every moment the Almighty grants you and be gratefull for what you do have. You will always be happier and more successful if you concentrate on your joys than if you worry about negatives.

This is sort of similar to how I think that the people who are so concerned about "near-death" experiences really ought to be seeking out "near-life" experiences. So many people are too wrapped up in a fear of death or pride or competition that they forget to or are afraid to experience life!

 

[RAD4921]

I don't mean to be an alarmist but, we're all going to die. Everyone. All of us. Not one of us "gets out of here alive" (Jim Morrison).

Are you prepared for this inevitable event?

How are you prepared for this event?

Are you ready to let go of all your attachments in your life?

Please explain what this means to you.

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about my death (maybe I have too much time on my hands).

Based on what I have read about Near Death Experiences and other things I have read I believe individual consciousness survives bodily death. Stil, this information does not subside my anxiety about the "inevitable event" even if a blissful existence lies afterward.

I am really not into materialistic things so attachments are not an issue with me as far as my death is concerned.

 

[nrqed]

Come on, nobody prepares for death. Nobody knows when one will come up.

! Having had people dying of multiple sclerosis, cancer of suicide in my close family, I can tell that sometimes people *do* prepare for death.

 

[quantumcarl]

I am really not into materialistic things so attachments are not an issue with me as far as my death is concerned.

Resisting the temptation to attach "importance" to material things is a good excercise in preping for the big change.

Learning not to invest in beliefs is an even tougher excercise. Attaching importance to what you believe sets you up for tripple-shock-effect when you find out that your belief is incorrect, missinformed or just totally whack.

However, preparing to find out that your beliefs do not jive with the way things are is another preparatory excercise that can be usefull in many instances. So, we could say that setting yourself up with a belief is fine as long as you leave room for errors.

I think that beliefs, thoughts, feelings, moods, convictions and so on can all be classified as being material.

I'm not suggesting that a person just drop their material wealth or they totally drop their beliefs. Both of those things are useful tools for living. I'm just saying it is beneficial to aquant one's self with the realities surrounding what is or is not important and whether one's belief's have anything to do with what is really happening.

It's said that what you believe is what is true, for you.
This is only true until you learn otherwise.

 

[munky99999]

I don't mean to be an alarmist but, we're all going to die. Everyone. All of us. Not one of us "gets out of here alive" (Jim Morrison).
Are you prepared for this inevitable event?
How are you prepared for this event?
Are you ready to let go of all your attachments in your life?
Please explain what this means to you.

Thats a matter of opinion. Everyone knows every rule has its exceptions.

I plan on being an exception and one of those people who never dies. That way i never have to deal with death. But rather deal with constant death around me. But this doesn't really affect me.

Im just your neighbourhood vampire-vulcan :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

ya so really. I am pretty young so i haven't really thought of death that much. If you look at it. If I indeed were to die now, it would be quick like a car accident or something. So i don't really have preparations at all.

Are you ready to let go of all your attachments in your life?

It might be me. But arent people usually trying to get away from responsiblity and attachments. Unless you mean materialistic things-capitalism type materialism-at which point this wouldn't really apply to me. As a trekkie i value knowledge/potential above all.

Another human being is more valuable then say an XBOX. because they clearly have more knowledge/potential.

This is usually a pretty good method of how to value things.

Though i must say. I would rather honestly love to be immortal. :rofl:

 

[quantumcarl]

Thats a matter of opinion. Everyone knows every rule has its exceptions.

I plan on being an exception and one of those people who never dies. That way i never have to deal with death. But rather deal with constant death around me. But this doesn't really affect me.

Im just your neighbourhood vampire-vulcan :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

ya so really. I am pretty young so i haven't really thought of death that much. If you look at it. If I indeed were to die now, it would be quick like a car accident or something. So i don't really have preparations at all.

It might be me. But arent people usually trying to get away from responsiblity and attachments. Unless you mean materialistic things-capitalism type materialism-at which point this wouldn't really apply to me. As a trekkie i value knowledge/potential above all.

Another human being is more valuable then say an XBOX. because they clearly have more knowledge/potential.

This is usually a pretty good method of how to value things.

Though i must say. I would rather honestly love to be immortal. :rofl:

Talking about immortality is like talking about infinity. There is difficulty in verifying the actuality of either state except by way of one's own neuronal activity. No one has lived forever to talk about it so, we're a bit in the dark on the subject. Perhaps you will be the one to provide this service.

 

[quantumcarl]

Walk on (all that you can leave behind)

And love
Is not the easy thing
The only baggage
That you can bring
Not the easy thing
The only baggage you can bring
Is all that you can't leave behind

And if the darkness is to keep us apart
And if the daylight feels like it's a long way off
And if your glass heart should crack
And for a second you turn back
Oh no, be strong

Walk on
Walk on
What you got, they can't steal it
No they can't even feel it

Walk on
Walk on
Stay safe tonight

You're packing a suitcase for a place
None of us has been
A place that has to be believed
To be seen

You could have flown away
A singing bird
In an open cage
Who will only fly
Only fly for freedom

Walk on
Walk on
What you got
You can't deny it
Can't sell it or buy it

Walk on
Walk on
You stay safe tonight

And I know it aches
How your heart it breaks
You can only take so much

Walk on
Walk on

Home
Hard to know what it is
If you never had one

Home
I can't say where it is
But I know I'm going

Home
That's where the hurt is

And I know it aches
And your heart it breaks
You can only take so much
Walk on

Leave it behind
You've got to leave it behind

All that you fashion
All that you make
All that you build
All that you break

All that you measure
All that you feel
All this you can leave behind


All that you reason
All that you care

It's only time
And I'll never fill up all I find
All that you sense
All that you scheme
All you dress up
And all that you see

All you create
All that you wreck
All that you hate

This song sort of illustrates the jist of this thread

 

[clouded.perception]

I've thought about it and concluded that I cannot prevent death, so there is no sense worrying about it. I have, of course, made necessary preparations relating to my possessions and future use of my organs, but death doesn't worry me particularly. The average life expectancy for women of my generation is approximately 85 years (last I checked), so I've planned my life to fall in the 80-90 year bracket. The ending doesn't concern me; it's just the limit. (I don't believe in an afterlife, so death won't concern me afterward since I won't exist. Why should it concern me now?)

 

[miss-hunni]

depends

thing is .. a lot of people don't think it is the end .. right ? they think the afterlife is there .so in all letting go, you're really just gettin a promotion of some sort , becoming a higher, better being who experiences bliss/torture/ reincarnation or watever depending on your faith...
personally to me,if every one else has done it , so can i . if that makes sense at all !