Toggle sidebar

The Afterlife

K

KyCatFan_rivals45723

New member
May 6, 2002
30,804
2,202
0
I had a grandmother die about a week ago and have a mother in law and uncle with late stage cancer so it got me thinking. If it were my time to die, what would I want the afterlife to be like? The three most popular choices I believe are Heaven, reincarnation, and just fade to nothing. Each can have some positives to choose from. Let's say hypothetically they all are legitimate choices. Which do you choose?

Heaven - No one really knows for sure what it is like. The Bible says stuff like a city with streets paved of gold, crystal clear waters, gates of pearl, and walls made of precious jewels. So it sounds like Beverly Hills. Others believe it is full of virgins. Overall a very positive place it seems.

Reincarnation - Dying and getting a chance to come back and do things over again and try to improve on your previous existence is interesting. The only problem is supposedly you won't have any memories of that past life. Plus who's to say you won't end up being born to a poor family in a 3rd world country. If you can come back to a similar situation as your past life and go from there, then that could be promising.

Fade To Nothing - This one seems like a negative, but I think it could go either way. If you had a rough existence and just want it to be over with, it could be a possible choice. While Heaven sounds great, some may not want to be around for an eternity. So I could see this being a somewhat popular choice.

So of those choices I could see a reason to choose each. I think I would ultimately choose reincarnation to try and improve on what I accomplished in this life. Plus I've always felt like I should have been born in the future and would love to see all the technological advancements over the next 70 or 80 years after this life is over.

So what do you all think you would choose of those options? Let's try to not turn this into a religious war and keep things hypothetical.
 
MdWIldcat55

MdWIldcat55

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2007
20,839
5,796
113
I think most people pick Heaven because they lack the imagination to grasp the concept of eternity.

Think of the expression, "show me a beautiful woman and I'll show you a man tired of (sleeping with) her." Everything eventually runs its course and becomes tedious, from maximum sexual experience to gazing into the Grand Canyon to the joys of fatherhood or whatever.

And that's just in the span of a human life! But you say, what about being the best age in the best health and able to have a different woman every day (or visit a different spectacular city or natural wonder, etc.)

Maybe that would hold your attention for a thousand, or ten thousand, or, hell, a million years...that's not even the first SECOND of eternity!

It is possible that the consciousness could continue to exist in some form totally alien to our understanding, based on our earthly life, and that it would be eternally blissful. But why? To what end?

It always seemed to me, even when I was younger, that the concept of life after death was a trap to keep us from living this life to the max. I can honestly say I've avoided that, grabbed as much excitement and variety and pleasure as I could while also raising a family and being responsible in my work life. That's not to say I have had it all -- that I wouldn't wish to have a year or ten to frolic with young Michelle Pfieffer and young Sharon Stone in a fully stocked luxury suite in Hong Kong or Dubrovnik or Fiji. But not for ten trillion years. I'll settle for the experiences I have had in life, and take whatever comes next, probably nothingness, as the natural way of things.
 
  • Like
Reactions: IdaCat, Ron Mehico and Tinker Dan
warrior-cat

warrior-cat

Well-known member
Oct 22, 2004
190,035
4,439
113
MdWIldcat55 said:
I think most people pick Heaven because they lack the imagination to grasp the concept of eternity.

Think of the expression, "show me a beautiful woman and I'll show you a man tired of (sleeping with) her." Everything eventually runs its course and becomes tedious, from maximum sexual experience to gazing into the Grand Canyon to the joys of fatherhood or whatever.

And that's just in the span of a human life! But you say, what about being the best age in the best health and able to have a different woman every day (or visit a different spectacular city or natural wonder, etc.)

Maybe that would hold your attention for a thousand, or ten thousand, or, hell, a million years...that's not even the first SECOND of eternity!

It is possible that the consciousness could continue to exist in some form totally alien to our understanding, based on our earthly life, and that it would be eternally blissful. But why? To what end?

It always seemed to me, even when I was younger, that the concept of life after death was a trap to keep us from living this life to the max. I can honestly say I've avoided that, grabbed as much excitement and variety and pleasure as I could while also raising a family and being responsible in my work life. That's not to say I have had it all -- that I wouldn't wish to have a year or ten to frolic with young Michelle Pfieffer and young Sharon Stone in a fully stocked luxury suite in Hong Kong or Dubrovnik or Fiji. But not for ten trillion years. I'll settle for the experiences I have had in life, and take whatever comes next, probably nothingness, as the natural way of things.
Click to expand...
Since the universe is vast or as some say infinite, the imagination of heaven simply implies we will continue to learn and see new things.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rmattox
R

Ron Mehico

New member
Jan 4, 2008
15,475
2,062
0
Reincarnation has always seemed more appealing and interesting to me. The whole concept of walking around on a beach or whatever heaven is supposed to be for 10 bajilliion years never really made much sense or connected with me.
 
I

Ineverplayedthegame

New member
Aug 12, 2005
5,139
708
0
The concept of pearly gates, streets of gold, and crystal clear waters could be just a metaphor to explain what fulfillment and bliss are to the poor, uneducated, and unwashed masses which suddenly becomes a whole lot like choice number 3.
 
Tinker Dan

Tinker Dan

Well-known member
Jan 31, 2006
3,540
540
113
Can I choose to be the Highlander? Duncan not Conner. But leave out the whole cutting off heads. Just give me the experiences. Oh and the hot chicks.
 
I

It'saDoneDeal

Active member
Jul 24, 2007
19,229
371
83
mdlUK.1 said:
What kind of moron would choose "fade to nothing"?
Click to expand...

What kind of moron would want to live for 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,0000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years as just a drop in the bucket?

See? I can be judgmental too.
 
  • Like
Reactions: IdaCat
M

mdlUK.1

New member
Dec 23, 2002
29,712
3,216
0
It'saDoneDeal said:
What kind of moron would want to live for 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,0000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years as just a drop in the bucket?

See? I can be judgmental too.
Click to expand...
That was not the only other option. There was also reincarnation. That would seem to be the best option to me. Fading to nothing doesn't hold much appeal to me. But maybe you're such a miserable person, nothing would be best.
 
  • Like
Reactions: pikespeak1
I

It'saDoneDeal

Active member
Jul 24, 2007
19,229
371
83
I wasn't the one judging, homeslice. Your opinion has no more or less merit than anyone else. Some of us prefer the idea of slipping off into nothingness rather than some of eternity of whatever floats your boat.
 
M

mdlUK.1

New member
Dec 23, 2002
29,712
3,216
0
It'saDoneDeal said:
I wasn't the one judging, homeslice. Your opinion has no more or less merit than anyone else. Some of us prefer the idea of slipping off into nothingness rather than some of eternity of whatever floats your boat.
Click to expand...
Good for you. Hurry up.
 
JDHoss

JDHoss

Well-known member
Jan 1, 2003
16,371
2,253
113
Reincarnation for sure. Can't stand anything around my wrists or around my neck. Pretty sure I was hanged in one of my previous lives.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GhostVol and Moopyj
M

MegaBlue05

New member
Mar 8, 2014
10,042
2,686
0
Worm food.

I'm not going to magically float up or down. Just rot. In the ground. Next to everyone else. Although, I'm leaning cremation so my relatives can just empty me like an ashtray somewhere.

If the magic telepathic space daddy stuff is real, I'm going to be in hell with Willy sitting front row at the eternal GWAR/Slayer gig.
 
  • Like
Reactions: UKserialkiller, JDHoss and Tinker Dan
B

BlueVelvetFog

Active member
Apr 12, 2016
13,357
1,100
78
I heard someone describing hell as a place where you spend an eternity at a table with people you couldn't stand on earth.

Imagine you sitting across from an ex boss or ex girlfriend/wife forever.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Moopyj
J

jwheat

Member
Aug 21, 2005
97,626
11,400
42
It doesn't matter what you want it to be like. Treat people with love and compassion and you will go to heaven if you keep being a sorry piece of **** you're gonna come back to the **** hole earth whenever that big ball of gas sets everything ablaze
 
U

UKserialkiller

New member
Dec 13, 2009
34,297
35,841
0
MegaBlue05 said:
Worm food.

I'm not going to magically float up or down. Just rot. In the ground. Next to everyone else. Although, I'm leaning cremation so my relatives can just empty me like an ashtray somewhere.

If the magic telepathic space daddy stuff is real, I'm going to be in hell with Willy sitting front row at the eternal GWAR/Slayer gig.
Click to expand...


[cheers][banana]
 
  • Like
Reactions: MegaBlue05 and Moopyj
P

pikespeak1

New member
Nov 30, 2008
1,460
1,130
0
It'saDoneDeal said:
I wasn't the one judging, homeslice. Your opinion has no more or less merit than anyone else. Some of us prefer the idea of slipping off into nothingness rather than some of eternity of whatever floats your boat.
Click to expand...
Actually you were. You even said so in your post.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom