What happens after we die.

[Reincarnate]

That's why I'd rather be buried -- not cremated -- when I die.

[Mr. Dorbs]

When we die, we are placed into a casket and buried six feet under. Yes, it's really that simple.

/thread

[ledwix]

Originally Posted by Mr. Dorbs

When we die, we are placed into a casket and buried six feet under. Yes, it's really that simple.

/thread

Well, our bodies are placed there. To me, "you" is a placeholder term for not your body, but the set of all conscious signals experienced within that body. So I think nothing happens to you after you die. Things only happen to your body. You are a bunch of signals or qualia. If you cut off a limb, you lose some physical versatility, but your identity remains entirely the same, other than the addition of a traumatic experience of losing a limb which you will remember.

[cooke71892]

This is a very, very tricky thread.... Some say that our consciousness is merely transferred to an "astral" existence, which knows no physical bounds, it is a higher dimension of sorts, and once entered few stay on the planet where they originally dies. Others say that since the whole of consciousness and cognitive functions are asphyxiated after a few minutes without oxygen, that the biological machine we have evolved to become simply stops running and that is the end of the story. These are the only real answers in my opinion, it's just up to the individual to choose which best suits their beliefs.

[Crashfan3]

It is arrogant and selfish of human beings to believe that we are so important and so significant that our lives will continue posthumously. When we're dead, we're dead. End of the line. Period. Movie's over, get out of the theater.

Some people can't imagine what it's like to cease to exist, so I present this bit of information: I was born in 1992, and let's assume for a moment that I'll die in 2070. Other than what I know from books, the internet, and the stories of people older than me, I have absolutely no idea what went on in 1991, 1990, or any of the years before that. Death is just the same. If I die in 2070, I will have no idea what will happen in 2071, 2072, 2073 and so on. Death is just like never being born, because your corpse doesn't know the difference.

I've been an atheist since I was 16, but I'd guess that since I was about 12 or so I had to convince myself to believe in "God" and "heaven" only because that's what I really hoped was waiting for me after I kick the bucket. Honestly, if I had to pick the coolest post-death experience, I'd like it if reincarnation were real. But that's just not how it works, and lying to myself isn't gonna make the truth any easier.

edit: Holy crap, I plagiarized the first page without even realizing it. o_o great minds think alike, eh?
edit2: I hope we aren't continuing this "god vs. no god" argument any longer, I really don't want to get into that crap.

[cornmaker]

our bodies will be inside coffin and our soul will be somewhere else

[who_cares973]

where would that somewhere else be?

[Emithith]

Spoiler: Nothing happens when we die. We cease to exist. It's unfathomable that we stop existing because we have never not existed, but that's what happens. Now, what happens when we exit this existence is completely out of our hands. lol

edit: I USED to believe that we would just start dreaming or something, and that's the rest of our lives, but to dream your brain needs to be able to function. Your brain cannot function if it's DEAD.

I think it's unanimous Crashfan. I didn't even read the OP, or yours until like 10 minutes after posting this.

[DarknessXoXLight]

I believe we start a completely new life. It has nothing to do with our past or how we acted in a previous life, just clean slate new life. In order for there to be an existence somebody has to exist to observe it. That alone is enough to convince me of my believe.

[Cavernio]

I don't get it darknessxoxlight...
Why does your reasoning mean that each individual life starts over again because of that, rather than simply having a new life formed?
Another thing, your certainty that existence only exists because somebody observes it is a far cry from a 'fact'; it's just a rewording of 'if a tree falls in the woods, but no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?', to which my answer is apparently the opposite of what you would say, 'sound' is not heard, however it only makes sense that the physical phenomenon that creates the sound still exists.
And lastly, if you and me are reborn after death, how would I be 'me' and you would be 'you'? To even say that I would exist again, but not in the exact same way, (and it could never be the exact same unless time and all the events in it were circular...something you have not said), means that you believe you and me both must exist outside the bounds of our own individual experiences. This itself seems completely contradictory with your statement about existence. Afterall, if existence itself is only defined by observers, why do people not fit into that category as well?
And finally, the unsaid thing that I must assume you think to make sense of your statement is the idea that existence must always exist. Why?


fido: Feelings are the only things that give life meaning. I don't want to live a meaningless life. Not that if I were to eat someone means I have abandonned all meaning in life, but people who would refuse to eat another human if starving are holding onto the-yes, completely human created-idea that to eat someone else is abhorrent and something like the worst sign of disrespect and inhumane: to eat them means they would have lost a part of themselves.

[fido123]

Originally Posted by DarknessXoXLight

I believe we start a completely new life. It has nothing to do with our past or how we acted in a previous life, just clean slate new life. In order for there to be an existence somebody has to exist to observe it. That alone is enough to convince me of my believe.

This simply looks like wishful thinking. If I existed alone in this world would I not exist? Of course I would. Two people don't need to exist for one person to exist and I have no idea how you relate this to being reborn.

Originally Posted by Cavernio

fido: Feelings are the only things that give life meaning. I don't want to live a meaningless life. Not that if I were to eat someone means I have abandonned all meaning in life, but people who would refuse to eat another human if starving are holding onto the-yes, completely human created-idea that to eat someone else is abhorrent and something like the worst sign of disrespect and inhumane: to eat them means they would have lost a part of themselves.

How does eating a dead human in a time of starvation make the rest of your life meaningless? After I eat that body I might be able to live a happy life afterwards. To me, a dead body is a dead body and nothing more. I wouldn't give a crap if I knew somebody was going to rape my dead body when I'm dead. I honestly have no idea how eating a body would make you loose "a part of yourself". Eating other bodies is a daily occurrence to me.

[who_cares973]

Originally Posted by fido123

Two people don't need to exist for one person to exist

the other person would be to validate the existence of the other

[fido123]

People can exist without validation. Validation only proves things but not having any means to validate something doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.

[Spenner]

I'm just going to walk into death with an open mind. I'm sure our bodies have evolved through the years for long enough to make death a fairly mentally comforting experience.

I'm sure that at the time I'll be deluded into thinking and believing that my perception is shifting into the great beyond for some time, as my perception of time ceases, everything slows down and everything slowly drains. Like what one might experience on an intense psychedelic trip, to which they forgot they were even on a psychedelic, saw a god-like figure and thenceforth believed in what they saw. I dunno.

I'd rather be deluded and happy than realistic and depressed. in the end if it's the same outcome, might as well go into it feeling positive.

[irionman]

I think we rot.

[Reincarnate]

http://whatasianssee.ytmnd.com/
"What Asians See When They Die"

[Reach]

Originally Posted by DarknessXoXLight

I believe we start a completely new life. It has nothing to do with our past or how we acted in a previous life, just clean slate new life. In order for there to be an existence somebody has to exist to observe it. That alone is enough to convince me of my believe.

A few points of contention here. If you don't mind expanding on what you mean, I'd like to read it, because I have heard other people say similar things before.


You believe that *we* start a new life, but that it's a completely new life with no relation to the past.

How then do you know that the new life is actually 'us' starting a completely new life? If it's a completely blank slate, wouldn't that erase any evidence or physical connection between our current life and the new life? How does a blank slate qualify as starting a 'new life', rather than simply a completely different human being coming into existence?


Also, you say that in order for there to be existence, someone must observe it. Can you explain why this is supporting evidence for your previous claim? I'm not sure I even see the connection between the two statements. What does existence have to do with future lives?

And how do you rectify the fact that the universe has been around for 13.7 billion years, which is billions more than any life form has been in existence to have observed the universe? Did the universe not exist during this time period? If so, clarify your statement.

[Reincarnate]

To those that believe in afterlife/reincarnation:

Consider this analogy (seriously, guys, I want your answers to this):

Say you own a computer. You smash it to bits and send it into an incinerator. Does the computer experience afterlife? Does that computer experience another reincarnation in any way?

As you answer this question, draw the analogies back to life and try to pinpoint why exactly you believe in reincarnation/afterlife/etc.

[fido123]

Originally Posted by Spenner

I'm sure our bodies have evolved through the years for long enough to make death a fairly mentally comforting experience.

Evolution is the RANDOM mutation of our DNA (and whatever else may be mutated), and we gain more survivalbility out of this because life that mutates into ways which inhibit it such as a garaffe with a shorter neck, they die out and the ones who gain mutations to allow them to live easier, are more likley to live. Some if not all of us MAY have some sort of evolutionary death coping method, but it's not like evolution is guided to do stuff like this, or guided in any way. If there aren't any paper out on it now, I doubt it exists.

[Reincarnate]

I'm sure you know this, but a correction for anyone else reading this: Technically evolution is NOT technically random, but we treat the individual mutations as random (i.e. we model it as random even though it's still a deterministic process).

To survive evolution, you basically have to be strong enough to grow up and survive, strong enough to procreate, and strong enough to protect and raise your offspring to do the same thing. Past a certain point, in old age, you're no longer in evolution's good graces as your usefulness runs thin in helping procreation along.

Death may or may not be painful based on what you're actually dying from. Plenty of people die of old age without much pain, because things just decide to shut down peacefully, like a toy running out of batteries.