What happens after our time on earth as we know it is up? Unfortunately, we never know until we die. Although she wasn't close to me, I lost my grandma at the age of six, and this is when I first learned about death. Since that day, death has been my biggest fear. I always fear that I will go before I am ready, before I am truly satisfied with myself. I feared the thought that once you die you disappear into oblivion. Because of these fears, I have put faith, not necessarily in God, but in the universe that there will be something waiting for me after my last day on earth. However, this is challenging.
I grew up in the Catholic church, and the idea of heaven and hell was pretty believable to me. However, as I got older and gained some knowledge about how our world was created, science has created doubt within my mind. I knew I no longer fully believed in a heaven and hell when the idea of going to hell didn't scare me. I was no longer scared of hell because I no longer believed in hell. As science and knowledge filled my mind, I learned how bodies rot. Although a gross thought, to me rotting into the earth is a form of eternal life. The earth will always exists; perhaps the mass of the earth may change forms, as will my body, but I exist now, and a piece of me will always be out there.
My ideal afterlife would be a world where we can reunite with our loved ones and never have to worry about death. An ideal afterlife wouldn't have an end, it would be something permanent and certain so we don't have to worry. I'm not looking for an afterlife of luxury, simply just a life with no worry. I realized that this however is selfish. In earth's time as an inhabitable planet, there will be trillions and trillions of people who will exist (assuming we don't destroy our planet and population first). The wish to be immortal is selfish, yet natural. Death will happen, and it is necessary for the survival of the human population.
Instead of wishing immortality for myself with an afterlife that I find scientifically impossible to exist, I feel that making the best of the time you do have is an important aspect of life. Science has made it possible to mix human ashes with seeds, and your ashes can grow a tree. To me, this literally is an afterlife considering your remains are creating something living. Although I don't see how an afterlife is possible, I find peace in the idea that there was infinite time before me, and there will be unlimited time after me. This means I just have to be thankful for the time I am given, and if there is an afterlife, then that's awesome, but if not, I will be at peace with death when it comes and won't have to fear it.
Your blog post is such a knowledgeable way of looking at life after death. When i was little, I also went to a catholic church (but only for like two weeks though, with my best friend because her parents owned it) and I was listening to the bible stories and really thinking into them. I have never believed in heaven and hell, however. this is because with all the knowledge i have gained throughout my lifetime I do not see how it could be possible. I believe that the thought of a heaven and a hell gives people the comfort of knowing they will have a comfortable afterlife (in heaven atleast) You are right though, death will happen. It is inevitable and that is alright.
ReplyDeleteWhat I loved most about your blog post is its rationality and practicability. Our lives are very small in comparison to the greater things in the world, and the universe for that matter. You trust the facts and the known, and rightfully so! There has been very little strong evidence of an afterlife and it is only natural for us to believe in what we can see. It's rational to see our lives as they are, as animals just as the creatures around us. We value our lives enough to have an afterlife, but what really sets us apart from the other creatures? Do they not deserve an afterlife as well? It's more practical to believe in what we have control over. And I see nothing wrong with the idea that we will live on eternally as we blend back into the earth.
ReplyDeleteI love how you were honest about your previous beliefs in the church and how you view it now. I, too, grew up in a catholic/christian church and believe in the heaven and hell aspects. However, as you have grown older, you have branched out of that belief. I haven't so much gone away from believing in a heaven a hell, although as I've gotten older too, I do question whether they are true or not. With science classes in school we learn about the human body and what it is capable of, but none of it, even heaven and hell, are proved or known true. This is what makes it hard to find something that settles well with us on the after life. Great post!
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