So, What Are You Doing After You Die?
Death has come to my attention lately. My son, who is four, asked me what will happen after I die. My response, as we hurried across a busy intersection (trying not to die) was: “I will lie down and not get up, and you will have to go live with your dad.”
Which is all my son needs to know right now. But then I thought about it: What if, after you die, what happens to you depends on what you believe: If you believe you deserve Heaven, there you go; Hell, and you are on your way. I think when I was a young teen I read a science fiction short story like that once. But what if you believe in something else? Heaven/Hell may not apply. For instance, I know a few neo-Hellenics, and they will pass through the River of Lethe, forget their whole lives, and then live in sorrow in a grimly half-lit Underworld.
I like the afterlife of the Ancient Egyptians a little better. If you believe in the Egyptian gods, then you better make sure your two halves (spiritual and physical) meet and then you can become a force that wanders the earth, not unlike the latest version of the movie,”The Mummy.” It makes me think of zombies. I suppose I could terrorize the people who gave me grief (I’ll have to make a list before I’m entombed) and stop cars from hitting all the people who were good to me (another, much shorter list).
Speaking of Zombies, if you believe in voodoo, you can eventually join cosmic forces, but first you have to trust your relatives to protect your gravesite for a week (so no one can make you into a zombie) and then to remember to “raise” you in ceremony a year later, after which you become a minor divinity they pray to (you do their bidding) and then, 16 cycles later, you get a break.
Something else that takes a long time, but more restful: Islam. I am sure by now you’ve heard about the 72 virgins (and what are us girls supposed to do after we die?) but did you know that’s not supposed to happen until after Judgment day? There are Muslims who have been waiting in their graves hundreds of years already!
Something more immediate: I have always liked the idea of reincarnation. More Hindu than Buddhist (Buddhists suggest reincarnation, but Buddha himself did not believe in idle speculation on the afterlife. Besides, Buddhists don’t believe we have souls that stay the same.) Hinduism is closely related to the caste system.If you do lots of good, release your desires, you’ll be born into a better caste next time around. What better way to keep your servants on their best behavior.
Jesus and his Heaven are looking better and better.
If you can do without Jesus, a Hopi belief, shared by many other Native American groups, was a sort of happy hunting ground: we just go back “where we came from.” Somewhere at the beginning of time, where all is still wonderful: convenient two-way rivers, and a whole lot of buffalo.
I was raised more Protestant than anything else, more from my parents’ unconscious value system than any formal teaching. My son will get that from me. But maybe I can learn more about the Hopi, and tell my son when we die we go back where we came from–two way rivers and buffalo sound fine to me.
For a complete list and explanation of afterlives, visit http://www.near-death.com/religion.html
Janeiro 19, 2007 às 1:28 am
Have you ever wondered if maybe human ego created all the versions of an afterlife? That we think so very much of ourselves, we can’t picture this being it so we came up with all these versions?
When I’ve put forth this idea to some, their reply is, “This can’t possibly be it.” Maybe it’s time for them to make “this” better, eh?
Janeiro 19, 2007 às 5:47 pm
Well, I think it is pretty obvious that a lot of the afterlives created are used to control the general populace–if you act against these tenets set forth in this book, scroll, or words of elders, you’ll end up in a bad place. And if you’re good, you’ll end up in a good place. Afterlives where everyone goes are something else though. The Ancient Greeks were clearly transferring their own feelings of grief onto their dead (being in a gray place, wishing they could forget). The Hopi have no hell. Everyone goes to the happy hunting ground at the end.
Janeiro 19, 2007 às 9:05 pm
One thing I do believe is there is no hell. Even when I did practice religion, I couldn’t believe in a physical place like that. I was one of the ones who believed hell was turning your back on light and that it could be here just as it could after death.
Right now, I’m in a weird transitional state where I have no earthly idea what I believe.
I’m certain, though, that religion is a way to control the populace.
My anti-spam word is mookie.
Janeiro 19, 2007 às 11:37 pm
I never bought hell either. The God in the Bible is supposed to be about love. Part of love is forgiveness. Secondly, people get used to situations–even torturous ones. Humans can’t be tortured forever. They just turn off and shut down. More mind/behavioral control.
Janeiro 20, 2007 às 12:16 am
Okay, who does the anti-spam words? This one is Klingons.
And that’s exactly why I never bought hell or the whole left behind thing. You love your kid. God’s love is supposedly something we can’t fathom–it’s that powerful. I know that no matter what my child did, I would love them and never want them hurt. I couldn’t understand why people believe a being with infinite love would do such a thing. Nope, that part has to come from man. It the very first thing that made me question what other parts did, too.
Janeiro 24, 2007 às 9:29 pm
I chose the anti-spam words. ha. If you want me to add some, let me know.
I’m with you on the rest.
Janeiro 24, 2007 às 9:43 pm
I didn’t know you could choose them. I’ve been wonderfully amused– so thanks.
Fevereiro 1, 2007 às 8:33 am
I got Klingons in the last post, and sheng in this one.
I would figure out what happens to us in death is at least as diverse as what happens to us in life. Interesting reading the rundowns of afterlife possibilities, though.
Fevereiro 7, 2007 às 2:23 pm
I got the great and mighty anti”Spam” Vulture, which makes sense as that is the only damn thing that will eat that crap… BAHAHAHAHA, I love this idea and it ties in neatly with the discussion at hand.
Okay, religion is man-made as a survival tool. Spirituality, however, is not. We are made of Light—that has been proven by those rascals, the Scientists and even the Psi-entists who have been saying it all along.
I have perhaps, one up, literally, on you guys.
I have died.
During surgery, my “Chef de Jour” nicked an artery and it was fascinating to find myself suddenly airborne and looking down at myself.
I never looked so bad.
I never felt so GOOD.
All those flying dreams? Lead feathers to what this flight felt like. I was suddenly air-lifted up up up into ever increasing particles of glowing molecules and DUDE, I WAS DEAD AND HAPPY ABOUT IT!
I have never felt so very ACCEPTED for who I am, was, will be and etc. then I was at that point in my, er… life than I was at that everlasting moment. Gone was every feeling of guilt or pain or any of this earthly “thought weight” that we carry around with us. All that was left was contemplation and yes… LOVE.
I spoke to 3 Advisors who were FUNNY AS HELL. A real Comedy Team and they were cracking Dead Jokes the entire time I was there which actually seemed like a mini-holiday. I even got the tour and saw a few things that were and are remarkable. I was basically told that I had some choices to make, but that I had to go BACK to make them and yup yup yup, back I was going.
I threw a tantrum. I did not WANT to go back. I liked it just FINE where I was. Mmmmm, nice sparkly melty champagne quality Light. Nuh uh, I denied re-entry.
They laughed again and said that it was not part of my Original Plan to die yet so “See Ya!”
I was then vacuum sucked back into my most heavy of heavy bodies to a lot of needless yelling by the medical staff and I must say…
I was PISSED.
The thing is. I learned a few things while I was UP there.
It is the idea of a Happy Hunting Ground so to speak. We Begin and we End at the same source. We come here to Experience. Not only for our own soul development, but for the benefit of those around us, those we meet in “life” and for the concept of “god” however we see it or do not see it. The Universe is expanding—god is the Universe. It is growth and joy and experience. This earth, this place HERE is as low a level as one can be. We chose this place because it is the most difficult testing ground there is. THIS is the proverbial “hell”. What cannot rise up, comes back down here. And rather quickly at that… So for those who say “this world just keeps getting worse and worse” they would be correct.
However, from what I was told, there are those of us who are so brave we actually CHOOSE to come here to do what we can to bring our light particles here to share what we can, to learn what we can and to help where we can to improve the morale.
Yay.
~Skyclad, antispam—antivulture