The (personified) Afterlife

First and foremost I feel it's important to say that the ideas, criticisms and repudiations herein are non-denominational. Although I may exemplify my points with the perceptions of certain religions, the true intent here is the broad idea of an afterlife not just specific religiously-based concepts. Moreover, this isn't just the stereotypical Atheistic perception "When you die nothing happens! Ha!" approach, either.

So on with the point...

It's pretty safe to say that one of, if not THE, greatest fears amongst the population of the world is dying. Obviously there are numerous exceptions to this rule, but for the most part no one wants to die. At least not "too soon." But with that comes a lot of contradictive concepts of death as well as some incredibly interesting perceptions therein.

For starters upwards of half the population in the United States alone believes in some form of an afterlife. Although that may have to do with the religiosity of the US, it's still something to be looked at: People think that when you die, life itself is not over or in some cases that it's everlasting, eternal.

Broadly speaking, this all amounts to something greater to the living than it does the dead (besides for obvious reasons) because this perception is often thrust upon the dead by the living. Many times when an individual dies, even as soon as the wake or funeral, people will say things like "He/she is looking down upon us right now, smiling."

Although the late, great, George Carlin put this into perspective quite well in his last special, I'm going to delve into it as well and possibly a little bit deeper. But note that I may repeat some things he said because well, he did a good job and that's just that.

Is it really a positive thing to believe that? For starters this suggests that when people die they go and watch over people. Why do we believe that in death people become voyeuristic bystanders to the lives of those we knew? It's extremely hard to make sense of that concept beyond that it is somehow supposed to comfort the living and be some pseudo-replacement for the actual deceased individual. But beyond that is it really the case? I highly doubt it and not just because I don't believe there is an actual, existing, afterlife either.

It just seems a bit ridiculous to think that when someone dies they immediately lurk around and watch people, unable to truly interact or affect the situation whatsoever.

However even with that perspective there is still something far greater to that scenario alone, something that is likely overlooked entirely: the idea that the dead even have perceptive abilities.

Look at the simple facts of death: heart stops beating, brain loses oxygen and function and dies. The plain fact of death is your brain dies, you no longer have a consciousness. So why is it that people somehow seem to believe that in death we continue on in the same form and maintain all of the same abilities? If that is the case than what does dying actually mean and why is death (in life) essentially the aforementioned (death of the brain/body)?

It is absolutely impossible for the dead to continue to perceive if there is no longer brain function. I understand the arguments of a spirit and of the magnificence of a god or gods but that doesn't give much explanation to the fact that people seem to believe that in death we are ourselves in another form. How can someone actually believe that while their body rots on Earth in a tomb, mausoleum, grave or is incinerated that somehow we still keep that?

Which further brings us to the next point: Heaven (or in my case, Hell)

There are a lot of problems with the idea of these places after death. When you think of all the people that have died, that's a pretty huge number. Does Heaven or Hell have an infinite amount of space? And what is to suggest that when you die you will be amongst your loved ones? Does the door of death have some predetermined location?

And what about the people watching over you as you live? If they're in Heaven and it's not only invisible but thought to be way up there in the sky. Do they have a crystal ball like the Wicked Witch or do they have some kind of special TV that's 110% reality 110% of the time? It's contradictive, are they here watching over you or are they up in Heaven enjoying the fruits of "paradise?"

What about the 40 virgins idea? Is there some kind of pussy factory in the afterlife or is it just all those people that never got any in their actual lives? In such a case that seems much less appealing. Most people that don't get laid have a reason, they're not fuckable or they're a nun. Not very appetizing is it?

But even in such a case it still personifies us in death despite the death and loss of our physical being. How exactly do we continue in our shape and capability but leave behind our material - in a scientific sense - self?

To think that we watch or communicate or engage in sexual activity with a virgin or 40 is ridiculous and entirely unrealistic. It is far more likely that you would, in fact, become a tree or plant before you'd ever resume your life in the same form in some alternate dimension or whatever you want to call it. I'd even go as far as saying reincarnation (in human form in the same existing world) has a higher probability than a place like Heaven or the abilities to continue to live in the same form at all.

It seems to me that, in a way, these ideas of an afterlife make people a little more apathetic toward the death of people that aren't immediately attached to them. There is that rationalization, for instance, in the case of someone who is essentially suffering like starvation, invalidism, or just plain had it hard circumstantially. People look at that situation and say "Well he/she is in a better place now, they're not suffering anymore."

That mentality is apathetic and it ultimately assumes that this isn't the only life we have. But what if it is? No one knows for sure until you die. People can believe whatever they want but they cannot be absolutely certain, so why undermine the unfortunate life of someone in favor of the assumption the afterlife is somehow better?

Granted it's seemingly unrealistic, but what if when you die you "go" somewhere that enslaves you for eternity? Admittedly unrealistic, yes. But, it cannot be ruled out with an absolute certainty, especially based on the belief that an afterlife even exists.

My personal idea of an afterlife is blurry and convoluted at best and even I don't know if I actually believe what I think. But one thing is certain: The personification of life after death is foolish, contradictive in some ways and really doesn't even make enough sense for people to be so absolutely certain about it.

"The most common of all follies is to believe passionately in the palpably not true. It is the chief occupation of mankind."
-H.L. Mencken