I don't. I have four theories as to what happens afterwards, but of course we'll all see at some point. I strongly believe that at least one of those is true, and neither is a really bad thing. I'm with the old saying: I fear death as I feared being born. On the other hand I have seen death and it was never pleasant or peaceful. Maybe we're just afraid of loss or change. Maybe organized religion made us afraid of it with their millennia of manipulation, who knows. Theory 1: All's over. Death is the end, there is nothing afterwards. All brain functions cease at some point a few hours after the heart stops and that's it then. Good night and good luck. This is IMHO the most likely and the most in sync with how I see the universe. It's also very much at odds with the question how 'the soul' comes to be in the first place. Theory 2: Reincarnation. Whatever the soul actually is gets transferred into a new body at some point. This is the most spiritual of my theories because it pretty much implies some higher power. It's also the nicest and the theory most at odds with evolution and how I see the universe. Weirdly enough is that sometimes I experience what could be interpreted as déja vu from what can only be a life before that one. Or it's just my imagination running wild. Theory 3: Unending. This isn't easily explained without a little background in astrophysics. Let's just say that death might be like crossing a black hole's event horizon. For the universe it's just a flash and you are gone. For you, it's an eternity due to relativistic effects. Could be interpreted as Limbo or Purgatory. Ugly, IMHO. But closest to Christian beliefs without the need for (a) higher being(s). Only problem: without a god, eternity seems damned long. Theory 3a: Same as above yet you are in control and you get to roam the universe as an astral projection or whatever. This can be connected to beliefs from Greek and Roman times: they believed that as long as the body wasn't properly buried, the soul couldn't enter the underworld Hades and had to roam the shores of the river Styx eternally. Funny enough, the Greek word Hades comes from the Indo-European word 'Haides' which means 'unseen'. And the souls in Hades are described in mythology as 'shadows'. Hm. Intermission: Hades as the common man's afterlife also shows up in the original Greek text of the Christian Bible in Acts, the Psalms and Revelation. Latin translation made it into infernus, which became hell. But Hades wasn't hell, it was what Joe Sixpack got. Really bad guys went to the Tartarus for punishment, heroes to Elysium - those two concepts being today's heaven and hell. But the mass of people went to the Hades. This 'normal' underworld somehow became Purgatory and thus a transitional state over time. Jewish beliefs preserved that underworld belief better as Sheol, the 'abode of the dead' (shows up multiple times in the OT/Torah). The concept of an underworld is very strong in various cultures around the world that definitely had no contact with each other at the time. Only modern Christian beliefs sidelined it for a black and white worldview where you go either to heaven or hell. Theory 4: Closely connected to #2. 'The soul' is actually a quantum relevant effect of some kind and death means nothing more than changing into a newborn existence within the Multiverse in another one of the infinite parallel universes. While this does sound like scifi, there is actually mathematical proof that something rather familiar and yet enigmatic can move between so called 'branes': gravity. Maybe 'the soul' is what string scientists are looking for? What do you believe?
I believe that if I lead a good life and love God (or the Force or the Universe or whatever facet of the same truth one wishes to call it) when I die, that thing that makes me me, my sould/life force/karma/ki/whatever joins with God in Heaven. Whether this means I remain a conscious and seperate individual or become part of some larger force is beyond me, but it's what I believe. I'm generally a Presbyterian, but I've added in a bit of Zen Buddhist thought into the equation.
But if the universe ends eventually, what will you roam? Sort of like the "where did God live before he created the universe" question. I know he didn't live anywhere with a Homeowners Association...he's too smart for that crap.
I fear nothing but dishonor and humiliation, but so long as I fear nothing else, I need not bear either of those, so in turn, I fear nothing.
I'm a strong believer in string theory, meaning that when one universe ends it means the birth of another one. And given that there's an infinite number of parallel universes, the death of one is bad for us but irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. In the very grand scheme, I admit
HOA Lady: Oh I'm sorry Mr. God, but your contract clearly dictates that you agree not to plant any perennials within 15 feet of any easement and this patch is 14 feet and 11 1/2 inches. You'll have to *BANG!!!* *ribbet* *ribbet* *ribbet*
Being of the Chrstian faith, no. I don't wish to leave my family, but I've got some family I'd like to see again or meet for the first time.
Haha, that's exactly what came into my head when I saw the thread title. Do ye fear that dark abyss? All yer deeds laid bare, all yer sins punished?
Been told not to go down a certain street near my house for a few weeks as someone i know had a friend had a "vision" of it with blood flowing down it. Still go down it..if i'm stabbed/shot theres fuck all i can do to stop it happening and i'm fucked if i'm going to hide from anything. (it makes no sense to me too, roll with it)
I saw that movie twice and it was so bad that I don't even have a quote handy. But the CGI make up was certainly a high point. Which is IMHO quite sad.
I think fearing death is a hard-wired instinct. The two basic missions (the very definition) of every living thing is: 1. Stay alive,hopefully long enough to.... 2. Reproduce (thus keeping the chain of life going) If even the most primitive creatures didn't fear (or at least avoid) death, none of us would be here.
Maybe it's "the other guy's" blood! Now go kick some ass! Where is this street? I'll put the action on YouTube.
I've only had one dream where I've actually begun to die. I never thought I was scared of it until then. I've always thought that death is nothingness, you just stop, so I could never understand why you would be afraid of it. I've had plenty of dreams where I've died and gone to somewhere else, or been on the verge of becoming a ghost or something, but this one was weird. I died, and felt everything in me come to a close... everything slowed down, and the only thing I could describe it as would be a darkness, a nothingness, moving through me. I had no control over it, and my mind was shutting down. It scared me because I wasn't ready to, I was never going to know what happened to my family, I'd never be able to talk to them, there was no potential anymore. No chance to allow yourself to put something off, or compare yourself now to a potential future, because I'd done everything. I'd given my pitch, and it was all up for discovery and judgement by the people left behind - what had I done? It's hard to describe, but that feeling of having everything taken away from me, and passing into something else, was the most terrified i've ever been i think. Thankfully I didn't finish dying in the dream. So yes, I do fear death.
Well, given your 'sources' on other science like global warming that really doesn't worry me too much Btw, when do you plan on getting 'reborn'? We know it'll happen, don't drag out the cliffhanger!
String Theory makes no predictions. String Theory has no equations. String Theory has no postulates. String Theory has no formulas. String Theory has no evidence. String Theory offers no physical model. Linky 1 Linky 2 Linky 3 That's just for starters. But go on believing, sister.
