The Afterlife

WHAT IS HEAVEN? A RAINBOW OVER A WHITE CASTLE?

A few weeks ago, during one of our discussions we were asked to imagine being dead. I closed my eyes and tried to comprehend the inability to comprehend, I tried to experience nothingness. Of course I could not, because the essence of nothingness, or death, is the fact that it is never experienced. Afterwards, we were asked to imagine eternity. I imagined sitting in heaven with my family, friends, perhaps observing the planet and the endless toiling of life. I imagined a future so distant that everything I knew and loved became irrelevant. The idea of the planet became so detached that I couldn’t see myself relating to it. Again, I failed to grasp the notion of infinity; however, I realized that I didn’t want to exist in such a state. The discussion continued on some aspect of animal rights, but my mind was focused on the inevitable experience of death. If I feared the concept of nothingness, and was disinterested in eternity, what end could satisfy me? Before I examine the end, I would like to clarify what I believe about its counterpart—life.

I have never been too keen on the idea of suffering in this life in order to secure admittance to heaven. Did God really create mortal life to tempt people into pleasure, only to damn them if they indulged? I love the quote in Sullivan’s preface, “put away anxious thoughts about food and drink to keep you alive, and clothes to cover your body. Surely life is more than food, the body more than clothes.”[1] However, I disagree with part of its message. Yes, spirituality is important to me, and the image of a loving and all-knowing God is comforting and something I cherish. I want to live my life in a good, respectable way that God and I will deem worthy. Where I differ is in the total glorification of the afterlife. Life is not only more than food; life is more than death. There are so many beautiful things on the planet that I find it dubious to dismiss them as “worldly.” The trend Sullivan observes, that many religions “emphasize otherworldly goals and rejected this world as corrupting”, is something that choose not to believe. In my mind, life here on earth may be trivial compared to the eternity of heaven, but it is something that can be beautiful.

THERE'S MORE TO LIFE THEN MONEY...RIGHT?

When I was young I thought that there was a distinct heaven and hell. My faithfulness and careful observance of the Catholic dogma was the only surefire way to get in, and I thought that God was judging my every move. This belief is frightening and stressful to me, even today. As I grew older, my views changed. The idea that God is immovably just conflicted with the description of him as a loving and forgiving entity. Ben Gibbard also noted this in his song, “I Will Follow You into the Dark”, saying “They told me ‘son, fear is the heart of love’, so I never went back.” In high school, I read the book On a Pale Horse. It was written by Piers Anthony, it is about a man who becomes the incarnation of Death, or the grim reaper. In the novel, sin was determined by what each person believed; that is, if someone acted against their moral code, then it appeared as a sin on their soul. This view interested me because it accepts all religious views, even atheism, as valid ways to live life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIOHUR2TWPU
BEN GIBBARD'S SONG, I WILL FOLLOW YOU INTO THE DARK.


So, assuming that I can follow my beliefs and live this life full of love and happiness, what would my ideal ending be? More importantly, can I choose what it is? Phillip Pullman, author of The Golden Compass series, has an interesting concept of death. When spirits die, they dissolve and become part of everything on the earth. This parallels environmental ethics, which states that we should have a “moral consideration for inanimate things such as rivers and mountains, assuming pain and suffering to be a necessary part of nature.”[2] If we become a part of everything when we die, that gives us all the more reason to respect and love the mortal life of flesh and bone. Another interesting view of the afterlife is presented in the film, American Beauty. At the end, there is a narrative explaining death. The character explains that the second that your life flashes before your eyes actually feels like an eternity, and one cannot help but revel in the beauty of life and everything they’ve experienced. Although each of these views is interesting, I find it strange that I often try to choose which one appeals to me the most. We will never know what the afterlife is, if there is a God, or our death will resemble the one we believe every other living creature experiences.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYrgHju3d-E

THIS SCENE WAS A SURPRISINGLY UPLIFITNG END TO AN OTHERWISE DARK MOVIE. IT ALSO ILLUSTRATES A VERY POETIC WAY TO THINK OF DEATH.

It is interesting to imagine what would happen if someone managed to “prove” religion. In Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Mercerism, humanity’s religion of sorts, is proven to be an act. “Mercerism is a swindle. The whole experience of empathy is a swindle,”[3] an android states. J.R. Isidore, a human character, proceeds to have a panic attack and hallucination. Would the same thing happen today? The essence of faith is that one believes without knowing. Jesus even scolds the apostle Thomas who only believes in the resurrection after he feels Jesus’ wounds. Regardless of one’s faith, it is important to remember that everyone is essentially clueless. The sheer number of religions on the planet show that there isn’t one moral code that satisfies everyone’s beliefs. Although I may never follow the vegetarian code, “Thou shalt not kill for food,”[4] I am trying my best to follow the moral code I believe in. In the end, this is all we can really do. What happens after that isn’t up to me, so I may as well not dwell on it.
[1] A 96
[2] A 100
[3] DADOES 210
[4] A 110