What would be considered real evidence of life after death here on ATS?

Just a little background on this. I know a person who wants to perform an experiment. As a confluence of things coming together in their lives at the same time, within the next few months their job of 25+ years is coming to an end, their marriage of 25+ years is coming to an end, their last child is moving away to college, thus effectively they feel the need for their parenting is coming to an end. In a nutshell, they feel life as they know it is coming to an end. Being that they're in their mid-fifties they are too old to start over i.e. new job, new life after divorce, no need for further for parental advice, although their college age kids will be financially secure. They are in the midst of considering shuffling off this mortal coil. They feel they have not contributed anything of great importance in their life, so they want to in death. By that they would like to try to communicate if anything, exists on the other side. Yes, Houdini told his wife the same thing, but there was no concrete proof other than charlatans trying to dupe her over the rest of her years. So what would members here consider evidence? What kind of controlled experiments, short of spending thousands of $$$ on sophisticated electrical gadgets, would suffice? What say you?

As an addendum, this person is in the process of getting professional counseling. This thread wasn't intended to break any T&Cs.

a reply to: UnBreakable

So are your friends thinking of suicide? No matter what the excuse, this is serious, and you may want to question them to see if their intent is to kill themselves or each other, and suggest mental health treatment. They may not be able to prove life after death, but they will be dead, which is the more pressing concern right now.

yeah come on, mid 50's cant be that bad. buy a harley and do some travelling.

originally posted by: Aleister
a reply to: UnBreakable

So are your friends thinking of suicide? No matter what the excuse, this is serious, and you may want to question them to see if their intent is to kill themselves or each other, and suggest mental health treatment. They may not be able to prove life after death, but they will be dead, which is the more pressing concern right now.

I know the person very well. They are not overtly depressed. They don't want to die alone in the future, (I'm their only friend and may not always be around) so they are contemplating exiting now on their own terms. Suicide has such a stigma of only depressed, desperate people being part of the club. This isn't a rash decision, but well thought out, thus their desire to contribute something positive through their departure since they feel they did nothing worthwhile in their life.

originally posted by: PLAYERONE01
yeah come on, mid 50's cant be that bad. buy a harley and do some travelling.

Good advice, except they're risk adverse and agoraphobic. Their job, marriage, and child rearing masked these things and now they have to deal with this, which is an overwhelming prospect at this age and juncture in their life.

a reply to: UnBreakable


Guten Morgen- It reads as if Your Friend is "stuck" ? This will also increase the chances of getting "stuck" on the 'other side' (when the Soul gets stuck between dimensions)..

It should also be that Your Friend is doing a lot of "comparing" How else could they come to the conclusion that this is "The End"? TRUE, this stage of Life is anew, remember: Alan Rickman didn't get His first role until the age of 48.

With them wanting to communicate from the "other side" wouldn't this also make You think that this Friend knows there is no "End"? There is no "End"...


Have Your Friend read this: www.sunfell.com... and see if that doesn't answer a query or 3...

namaste

a reply to: UnBreakable

If one of us died then came back to life to tell everybody, with pictures of course. I'm not volunteering for that experiment though.

With any life after death experience we can't really be sure that that what the individual experienced was any kind of death experience. Hallucinogenic substances and experiences related to Schizophrenia can produce very vivid hallucinations. As the brain dies perhaps there is a mechanism in nature that makes the experience of dying less painful and less conscious of what is happening in both people and animals? I also question those people with tales of the beyond because they ALL came back so in actual fact they did not die. They never experienced brain death because there is no coming back from that. There have been many cases of people being pronounced dead only to wake up a few days later. We have all heard the stories of the coffin lid scratchers and how they used to put bells over the grave with a string into the coffin in case they woke up.

There is no way of knowing. There is no experiment that can cross the divide. We can only guess. Anyone who says there is life after death can only go on hear say of peoples' near death experiences or people who claim some bestowed visionary abilities to perceive the after life (usually for a fee, lol). Those who don't believe in life after death are similarly perplexed because there is no proof of that either. It seems the rational thing to do is sit on the fence and wait until it is our turn. If there is nothing after then we will not even know. It will be like the infinity of our experience before birth, an eternity before with no memory, consciousness or sensual experience of that and the same after for ever more. If there is something then it will be yet another miracle of the universe to marvel at.

I am pretty sure that your thread is in violation of T&C's.

You might want to reword to avoid it's deletion.

Holy sh#t! Your friend is obviously depressed, contemplating suicide and you think it's an experiment?
I'm 50, my marriage of 20 years ended about 6 months ago.
My kids are getting older and more independent, but parenting is never over.
I've been disabled for years and can't work.
Never in this whole time have I thought of killing myself.
Your Friend Needs Help. He's not an experiment!!!.

originally posted by: nonspecific
I am pretty sure that your thread is in violation of T&C's.

You might want to reword to avoid it's deletion.

How should it be reworded? What T&C violations? The person is just at a crossroads in their life wondering how to deal with it. This isn't a definite event. Just a 'what if', what would be considered evidence. Thus the open thread asking what members think would be proof. The mods are free to delete this thread if they feel it violates any T&Cs.

originally posted by: UnBreakable

originally posted by: Aleister
a reply to: UnBreakable

So are your friends thinking of suicide? No matter what the excuse, this is serious, and you may want to question them to see if their intent is to kill themselves or each other, and suggest mental health treatment. They may not be able to prove life after death, but they will be dead, which is the more pressing concern right now.

I know the person very well. They are not overtly depressed. They don't want to die alone in the future, (I'm their only friend and may not always be around) so they are contemplating exiting now on their own terms. Suicide has such a stigma of only depressed, desperate people being part of the club. This isn't a rash decision, but well thought out, thus their desire to contribute something positive through their departure since they feel they did nothing worthwhile in their life.

I see. And would this "person" be a member of ATS with a name beginning with 'U', by any chance?

I have lived what most people would call a full life, now all the exciting parts of my life are over. It can and does give a very empty feeling and its very easy to let thoughts of ending it all to creep in. The way I survive is by never knowing what is coming tomorrow, and knowing what ever comes im ready for it. Look on life each day as a question and the reason for living is finding the answer

a reply to: UnBreakable

From the ATS T&C's

"Threats of suicide, discussion of past suicide attempts, or asking for advice on ways to commit suicide are also forbidden and will result in immediate account termination. "

It could be interpreted as such and wanted to give the Op the oppertunity to reword there thread.

a reply to: UnBreakable

Sounds like a midlife crisis complicated by agoraphobia and depression.

Take it from someone who has been there, life does go on,
and they need to focus on that instead of on offing themselves early.

The kids will still need them, for everything from advice, to moral/parental/financial support.
They still need to see their kids succeed.

This person needs help, not advice on how to prove they are still around after they commit suicide.
Do the right thing, get them help.

originally posted by: nonspecific
a reply to: UnBreakable

From the ATS T&C's

"Threats of suicide, discussion of past suicide attempts, or asking for advice on ways to commit suicide are also forbidden and will result in immediate account termination. "

It could be interpreted as such and wanted to give the Op the oppertunity to reword there thread.

Ok, thanks.

originally posted by: Darkblade71
a reply to: UnBreakable

Sounds like a midlife crisis complicated by agoraphobia and depression.

Take it from someone who has been there, life does go on,
and they need to focus on that instead of on offing themselves early.

The kids will still need them, for everything from advice, to moral/parental/financial support.
They still need to see their kids succeed.

This person needs help, not advice on how to prove they are still around after they commit suicide.
Do the right thing, get them help.

I did. I told them all along and reiterated this morning and they have made an appointment to get professional counseling.

originally posted by: CJCrawley

originally posted by: UnBreakable

originally posted by: Aleister
a reply to: UnBreakable

So are your friends thinking of suicide? No matter what the excuse, this is serious, and you may want to question them to see if their intent is to kill themselves or each other, and suggest mental health treatment. They may not be able to prove life after death, but they will be dead, which is the more pressing concern right now.

I know the person very well. They are not overtly depressed. They don't want to die alone in the future, (I'm their only friend and may not always be around) so they are contemplating exiting now on their own terms. Suicide has such a stigma of only depressed, desperate people being part of the club. This isn't a rash decision, but well thought out, thus their desire to contribute something positive through their departure since they feel they did nothing worthwhile in their life.

I see. And would this "person" be a member of ATS with a name beginning with 'U', by any chance?

Bingo.

a reply to: UnBreakable

Good for you!


Keep encouraging!
You might be almost all they have for now.

The question should be:- What would be considered proof of life after death here on ATS?

The answer for me would be 'nothing'. Dying and finding out I'm still alive in some different form would do it, but nothing short of that would convince me. Nothing here and now in this life.

Oh sure, there's evidence that it might be true, but that's not the same as proof. No evidence and no individual can convince me that it's either true or not true; I would need to experience it for myself.

originally posted by: Darkblade71
a reply to: UnBreakable

Good for you!


Keep encouraging!
You might be almost all they have for now.

Thanks, I am all they have for now.