Death

[Siberian Husky]

how often do you contemplate the psossibilities after death?...i know i often do...only because i know no one can ever be sure about what to expect after death..there are solid faith-guided notions..but even still..there lies no security objectivly because every other believe engraves their own post-death prediction..funny how everything leads to religion...anyways..gimme your thoughts stupids

best wishes

Bernhardian Johamburger

[donjuan]

it's fun to believe that there is actually more to life after death, and I think you will have more fun in life if you go and psych yourself into looking forward to something.  So go ahead, if it makes you happy!

But really,

Sorry, nothing happens when you die.  Remember way back to the industrial revolution? No. Of course not.  I wasn't around.  Remember my funeral? pssh. No. Of course not.  I guess I'm not around for that one either.  What's the difference?
donjuan

[ted]

Consciousness is still a mystery. Whatever its origin, it does seem very dependent on the physical brain - dependent to the extent that it is difficult to conceive of it being an independent entity. If it were an independent entity then it would have to possess memory in some form, and yet memory is clearly drastically affected if the physical brain changes.

It seems obvious that a higher animal possesses consciousness, but what are we to say about a microbe or a molecule ? Where does one draw the line ? How do we know whether or not another physical object possesses consciousness ? I readily assert that my cat has it and my computer does not, a chimpanzee has it and a tree does not, but it's all intuitive; I cannot prove anything at all.

It therefore seems logical to me to assume, in the absence of any contradiction, that when a physical entity ceases to function its consciousness also ceases to function. However, that is not a proof, but a response based on absence of any demonstration that a consciousness can exist outside its physical capsule.

So at the personal, sensory level death itself doesn't bother me at all. I imagine I shall feel as I did ten thousand years ago or during my hernia operation, that is to say I did not feel at all.

[thalbergmad]

Having had Retrogressional Hypnotherapy on several occasions, I do strongly beleive in re-incarnation.

Death, therefore holds no fears for me.

[danyal]

You know... I'm not even going to try and guess. Nobody can possibly know, cos everyone who's gone there cant exactly come back to tell the tale. It could be completely different to my expectations, or very alike, so whatever. I'm not going to brood about death when I have living to do. I HAVE to live my life to the absolute fullest, its one of my goals. No regrets. I cant afford to waste time wondering what it'll be like when life is over. Whatever, I'll see when I get there. I'm not there now. Right now I'm high on life  

[pianistimo]

if you take death with a grain of faith - you will read 'o death where is thy sting, o grave thy victory - but thanks be to God who giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ.'  i believe that there's something really good in store for anyone who has a mustard seed of faith.  even doubting thomas (one of his own disciples) had to see it for himself - and really didn't even have the mustard seed until he saw with his own eyes. imo, that will be the chance everyone has when they see the return of Christ, if it is in our lifetime.  every eye will see Him when He returns, so there won't be any doubt.  and, the awesome things leading up to His return will cause people to realize that we are only in control of very little things here on earth, whereas God has the power to give us everything here and beyond.  that's what the kingdom of heaven is...something that's beyond this physical earth and possibly reaches farther out into space than we thought possible.  why else would he create such magnificent galaxies, if we can only see a little bit of them right now?

[rimv2]

Ah see death.

Ah see it every day.

When I get on the interstate... All those cars surrounding me... People driving like thin sheets of metal make them invincible 20 ... 30 ....40 miles over the speed limit

Switching lanes in an instant... who cares if there's someone beside them


Then ah laugh as they honk their horns and turn on their sirens

[Jacey1973]

I had a really vivid dream the other night about heaven...(it was quite a long dream btw!)

It started where i was an old lady watching tv in a nursing home ( i remember looking down at my hands and they were really old, wrinkly).

Then i closed my eyes and was suddenly in a huge group of people walking with them towards somewhere. I felt really good, healthy i looked down at my hands and they were young again. I realised i was in my 20s again. I spoke to a man next to me who looked really happy and i said "why am i young again? where am i, a minute ago i was watching tv in my bedroom" and he just laughed and said "don't you know what has happened to you? Isn't it obvious?" then i realised i had died!

Eventually another man took me to a corridor in a huge building. He showed me each room - each room was an apartment, in the first i met my great grandparents (i remember 2 of my great grandmothers as they died a few years ago) and i could see my great grandmother so clearly. In my dream i could see her face so clearly and hear her talking again to me - as she had a really distinct accent.

The next room were my dad's parents, they were together again, young, happy in love - in their 30s. The next room - were my mother's parents, i started crying because i had been quite close to them during my life and realised i had missed them.

Then the next room, i met my parents and i said "how come you still look the same age?" and they said "the people you knew during your lifetime will appear as the age you remember them, you appear to yourself at the age when you were at your happiest in life"

Next each room contained each of my siblings, then the next room......this was weird, had my 3 children in it (i dont have any children yet!!) i had 2 girls and a boy, the boy was the eldest - but i had a horrible thought - if my children were already in heaven they must have died before me!

The the last room had a name on the door (i dont want to say what the actual name was so lets say it was "Peter Smith") but it was a name i didnt recognise, i said to the man next to me "but i don't remember a Peter Smith" he just said "this man was the most important person in your life", then Peter Smith came out to meet me and i hugged him and instantly remembered he had been my husband for many years during my life!

It was sooooo weird as i don't know anyone by this name and i'm not married yet.....it will be sooo spooky if i come across a guy with this name in the future!

At the end of the dream the guy who showed me round said he would leave me, but he said there was one more room i had yet to visit - he said it was where all my cats were who had died during my life...lol! I just remember being so happy being surrounded by my family, then i woke up!

Can anyone interpret dreams?? The day before i had this dream i had been thinking of my cat who died nearly a year ago and got quite upset, so i'm thinking that's what made me have this dream.

[pianistimo]

very interesting!  i don't doubt that certain dreams have significance.  i was thinking about that dream i had of being in the basement of west chester and then only a week or two later i break my leg.  hmmm. 

well...if you ask God for an interpretation, he'll make someone help you if you don't understand it already.  and, time has a way of interpreting it, too (as in my case).

[ted]

I have had very many such visionary dreams. I used to keep a diary of them years ago but have not done so for ten years or more. Generally speaking, my dreams fall into three levels. There are purely physiological ones brought on by bodily functions and other physical events. These I have found to be of little use. There are symbolic ones which normally tell me of an issue I need to pay attention to. These are useful, and to ignore one is like not opening a letter addressed to me.

The third category comprises those visionary experiences similar to yours. They are invariably ecstatic and totally unforgettable. So called out of the body experiences, seemingly precognitive detail, blindingly vivid conversations with loved ones long gone - in fact all the paraphernalia touted by "psychics" and religious mystics. I used to form mystical notions about them but nowadays I just enjoy them for their overwhelmingly happy effect. Some, indeed, still give me a lift thinking about them thirty years afterwards.

[stevie]

[rc]

I've given death enough thought to decide it's not worth thinking about...

There's no way to know what comes after, so why bother with speculation? Maybe there's an afterlife, when our deeds during life are judged. Maybe we exist to pass on our genes and are no different than a blade of grass. Can't tell from here, I'll find out when I get there.

Also, death can come at any time. Slip and break your neck, get hit by any of the hundreds of cars you see every day, someone could shoot you. Hopefully we all live long enough that death comes as no surprise, but ya never know. I don't believe death is anything to be afraid of, when it comes it comes, one can only be so careful.

If I were to die right now, that would suck, but I could take comfort in the fact that I've been living my life well and have been a positive influence for the people around me...

On a sidenote; the best description of death I've ever come across was by Leo Tolstoy in W&P... 'cept it's a huge read. He also wrote a short story, 'The Death of Ivan Illych', if you don't feel like reading for 3 months.

[Dazzer]

life after death?

simple... just die and you'll find out.

[pianistimo]

last night i watched vanilla sky with tom cruise and penelope cruz.  it's interesting how close people come to death and the experiences they have.  i would prefer to dream than experience a horrendous car accident - but, it's really amazing how people come out of stuff like that.

was thinking about jenni's dream and then the scripture that says something like:  'come, my people, enter your rooms for a little while..."  forget exactly where it is in the bible, but i know it uses the word rooms.  it does make one think of literal places that God might have for us during the 'inbetween' stage of death and ressurrection.  also, in many places it refers to death as sleep.

[piano man 101]

it's fun to believe that there is actually more to life after death, and I think you will have more fun in life if you go and psych yourself into looking forward to something.  So go ahead, if it makes you happy!

But really,

Sorry, nothing happens when you die.  Remember way back to the industrial revolution? No. Of course not.  I wasn't around.  Remember my funeral? pssh. No. Of course not.  I guess I'm not around for that one either.  What's the difference?
donjuan

I cant really agree with that, cos that is just your opinion and I have my own opinion that there is life after death and the moment a read the 2nd paragraph a tiny tear appeard in my eye. So you belive what you want to believe and ill beleive what I want to belive, but never state them as facts, state them as beliefs!

[donjuan]

I cant really agree with that, cos that is just your opinion and I have my own opinion that there is life after death and the moment a read the 2nd paragraph a tiny tear appeard in my eye. So you belive what you want to believe and ill beleive what I want to belive, but never state them as facts, state them as beliefs!

I never stated anything as a fact.  And that's a fact!

I know it is impossible to prove anything, so I tried to disprove the opposite.  I dont remember anything before I had life, so why would I expect consciousness when it is taken away? 

You have tears in your eyes right now because you strongly believe in what you believe, and nothing scares you more than the possibility of something different from what you have always believed.  You tell me to shut up so you can bask in the sunshine on your beach of beliefs and promises that last an eternity without me at the front gate yelling at you to wake up.  But I am going to be honest for a moment and tell you that I want nothing more than to get in.  Unfortunately, I left that beach when I lost my imagination, became boring, and looked at the world for what it is.  The problem is that the second I did that, I threw my key to that beach gate away. 

So here I am, locked out, standing at the gate, staring at you, suntanning in your swim trunks, and envying you.  I also envy children who havent yet lost their faith in Santa Claus, or the tooth fairy.  However, eventually mommy and daddy dont want to play along anymore and suddenly the lie that draws a smile (quote from miracle on 34th street btw) dies. 

Ultimately, I am just responding to the thread topic on death.  I see the world, I remember back to the time when I was happy, and offer my view on what is real and what I want to be real.  But you, and probably other believers like yourself stand there offended because I offer my opinion.  You could tell me anything - ANYTHING at all, any preachings, and I would listen and think about it. (I had to go to a catholic school you know) But when I mention the possibility of people lying to themselves to be happy, I'll be damned if you would return the favor. 

I dont take back anything I said, and I will not apologize and humour you.    But keep in mind that I do envy you, more than you could possibly imagine.  In fact, if I were you, I would close the computer window now without another thought, put on your sunglasses and get back to suntanning on that white sand beach. 

If you dont want to hear anything different from what you already know, why would you come here and read this topic?  You know that there will be creeps like me here!  If you are already on this sunny beach where you enjoy believing in eternity, why, oh why would you want to ruin your own pleasure by coming here to read people's thoughts on the possibility of it all being false? 

So, that is my idea on death and my ideas (not just antagonistic facts) on other people's ideas.  I was a pious catholic for quite a while, ok?  I have seen this thing from other perspectives too.  I have experienced brainwashings and on the other side, self discovery. All I offer is my perspective.  It doesnt have to be yours.

donjuan