What if this is all there is....??!

What if we are here to work, raise families and do the best we can, and when you die, thats it. Kaput. Over & out.

There is no afterlife??You wont see your dearly departed?

What if we're like a fish that takes its last breadth and thats it?

What if we go thru all this trouble and there is really nothing more???

If you found out today that all that you're grown up beleiving about a supreme being and the afterlife is just something we have created in order to mak e dying bearable???

Would you change what you do? Would you live any differently?

This isnt typical of my threads but i'm curious.

What do you mean, "what if?"

Hate to break it to you ol' buddy, but this is all there is. If you've got any convincing proof of anything else, and by that I mean something more than a lot of old campfire stories, I'm sure we'd love to hear it.

Originally posted by Enkidu
Hate to break it to you ol' buddy, but this is all there is. If you've got any convincing proof of anything else, and by that I mean something more than a lot of old campfire stories, I'm sure we'd love to hear it.

Likewise.

Then it really isnt going to matter. What would it be like if we knew for sure, personally i would make the most of every single day, i think i try to do that anyway. Id still work my ass off to try and give my kids a better start than i got, so id still have to get up and go to work. Id probably try and make more time for the little things that tend to get lost in the day to day craziness. Personally i dont think it would be such a bad thing.
Maybe we'd find different things to kill each other over,east vs west,religion vs religion,id hope it would bring us all closer together? Would we have a higher regard for human life if we knew this was it.I think so.



For grammer

[edit on 9/3/06 by mojo4sale]

Originally posted by dgtempe


What if we are here to work, raise families and do the best we can, and when you die, thats it. Kaput. Over & out.....

Would you change what you do? Would you live any differently?

This isnt typical of my threads but i'm curious.

I guess I kinda feel this way now. When it occured to me that I might be living my life in anticipation of something that might never happen, something came over me. I became happier. I stopped trying to be in control of everything. Stopped trying to be correct all the time. Stopped feeling a lot of the fear that had hindered me before.

I honestly don't know enough about this life to come to a critical conclusion about the afterlife, if such exists. But I'm determined to be more observant of my own life. Right here, right now.

Dag nammit, I was writing something along these lines as well.
Anyway, once you think about it, unless you enjoy work, all you live for is time off. You relish your breaks during hours, you have fun with your kids after work, go down the coast on the weekend, then go back to work, to make money to support the family, to look after the children until they can grow up and start a family of their own, which will continue this age-old, world-wide tradition.

Is there nothing more?
(err, nothing about 'love' and crap. I'm sick of that.)

Perhaps if everyone knew their life was finite we would value the time we have a bit better. Living your life for something thats never going to come is always going to cause strife. I'm here for a short while so I'm making the most of it!

if we knew the answers too those questions,
life would be a drag.
what keeps some people going is a belief,
a belief in the afterlife,that their god will look after them,
that what they belive is true.
for some life is an existance to their belief.
for others,itstheir existance is their whole belief in being reincarnated
because they can remember a previous exsistance.
each to their own in what they belive,
but from past experiance , ive had many freinds die,passover,cease to exist,
some i even had the conversation of "if there is anything after this"
that they let me know, and i aint heard from none of em
so i'd back it in as not much after this, but if circumstance's change,
i'll be sure n let u know

Wow, I'm shocked by how many people think that perhaps that is the truth of it. Whilst I agree that the possibility must be explored (how else would you find the truth), I don't think it to be so.

If THIS really was all there was to life, then would there be a point to living? If after this there was seriously nothing, then I would have no reason to continue living, because whilst I may make a difference to future generations, I can not make a difference for me. It's a little bit selfish I guess, but if this was all there was, then no one else would have a point for living either, and so it's not like it would affect them.


However, my thoughts are now turning to the other extreme which is almost equally unbelievable. My current going theory is that we are all God. I don't mean gods, I mean God - as in just one. How is this possible? Well, assuming that the soul is unrestrained by time, then a soul could live my life, and then go BACK in time and live my father's life! I could then go forward and live my granddaughter's life. If that were true, then it's actually possible that there is in fact only ONE soul that just living every life to experience life in all its possibilities. In that sense then, perhaps we are God, living out every life so that we can understand what it means to be alive (and to help with that, it's not just every life, but every way of those live's being lived - and so living "alternate" lives in alternate universes where different decisions are made).

This doesn't mean you need to be peaceful to your neighbour, nor should you not kill animals - for they're living their lives and your living your life. You're still in control, but it is a natural part of your life to hunt. Heck, it would even mean that God would have lived the life of Hitler - that we have lived, or will live, the life of Hitler.

Wierd, eh?

That can not be...because I have gotten many signs from my cousin who has passed. I have also seen him in Astral Projections, and I have even..belive it or not, had a very short conversation with him. There is no such thing as death, you go to the otherside, and you're there. How do I know this? Well my spirit guide told me, and...my cousin told me. I talked to him and I said in my mind of course, like telepathically, 'TR can you hear me?" And I got a reply, "Yes Kendall I can hear you." But then he said, "I'm in Chemistry and very busy." And my first thought was...what in the heck???? Then I told my mom, and my mom told my aunt, and my aunt gasps, she goes, "My god...that is exactly what he said to me." Plus, I have seen a ghost..so...I for one believe in the other side.

remember that i say, I did not have proof,
nobody came too ME and sed this is what is,
so, untill some one does,
i shall belive whit i do
show me proof,..............
my mind is open,.. just not gullible

Originally posted by Yarium
If THIS really was all there was to life, then would there be a point to living?

Why can't living be the point in itself? Why can't we just enjoy what we have--whether there's an afterlife or not--and take whatever we may get when it's all said and done?

If after this there was seriously nothing, then I would have no reason to continue living, because whilst I may make a difference to future generations, I can not make a difference for me. It's a little bit selfish I guess, but if this was all there was, then no one else would have a point for living either, and so it's not like it would affect them.

You're basically saying that the only reason to live is to die. That's a bit cynical, no? Why even worry about making a difference to future generations? Just kick back and enjoy the ride. It's pretty much all we really have.

It's good to have a "goal" as it were, something standing on the other side of the finish line as an incentive, but I'm in the race whether I want to be or not. There's only only lap so I might as well enjoy what sights I can see until I get to the end.

I try not to worry about an afterlife. I mean, yeah, it'd be great to know that I'm going to live forever in some way or other, but either I will or I won't, and there isn't a whole lot I can do about it either way. About the only usefulness I see in an afterlife is trying to make sure that I play nice with others, and if I need the threat of God's wrath or eternal damnation in order to be a nice guy then I don't deserve any rewards I may get.

If THIS really was all there was to life, then would there be a point to living?

It depends on what you mean by "point." We are alive because our DNA has a funny itch to replicate, and diversify just enough so it can continue to replicate in a variety of environments. It's found a number of clever and interesting ways to do those things, us being one of them.

I guess that is the point of living. We're a delivery system for DNA. It's not tremendously lofty or noble. Nobody gets to be a hero, or villain. But all of that morality stuff is just part of the mechanism created to facilitate replication. Even religion commands us to "be fruitful and multiply," which is your DNA talking right at you. But all the babies saved from burning buildings eventually die, along with the firemen who pull them out. We're replaced by other hosts for the DNA. On and on. Von evikeit zu evikeit.

And if, a billion years from now, the last bit of DNA is scrambled so much that it can no longer replicate, I guess that's the end of it. Maybe the universe collapses in on itself. No matter. Nothing was really accomplished, anyway.

The only thing we can do as living creatures is to avoid pain and seek pleasure. Given what we know, hedonism is the only reasonable response. Which is not to say selfishness. Like I said, we're wired to do certain things, and if having babies and rescuing them from burning buildings gives you pleasure, go for it.

Life does have its fleeting moments of joy, and they should be enjoyed to the fullest. But for the most part, life is a series of torments that lead to death, and more often than not, a very unpleasant death.

That can not be...because I have gotten many signs from my cousin who has passed.

Maybe. But we fool ourselves all the time. You can't really be 100 percent sure it's your cousin's "spirit" giving you signs or whether it's your own mind, presenting scenarios to you so you won't just give up on life. Like I said, DNA is clever. It can even wire your mind in such a way that you feel that there is a greater connection out there. That your loving God is just around the corner. It's a pretty good trick.

Maybe I'm odd, but I find something comforting in the thought that there might not be an afterlife. That's not to say I reject the idea of an afterlife, but if the idea of no afterlife frightens you, or leaves you thinking that life is pointless, it may be a valuable exercise for you to get to get to the bottom of exactly why you feel that way.

Does the concept of non-existence terrify you? Are you so attached to your self that you can't imagine a universe without you in it?

Is it because you are afraid of going against the doctrine of your religion (if you have one)? If so, is fear the only basis of your faith?

Is the concept of an afterlife the only way you can make any sense of the world around you?

If your fear/angst/ego are the only things that fuel your belief in the afterlife, I would suggest that perhaps some skepticism and introspection might be a good thing, and may result in a healthier and more positive attitude toward life, both "current" and "after".

Originally posted by Saltman


Does the concept of non-existence terrify you? Are you so attached to your self that you can't imagine a universe without you in it?

I dont think its inconceivable that life could go on without me. Really. Life would go on very nicely without me.


This isnt about the ones left behind. This is about your soul. Everybody who has touched your life and you theirs....
I cant beleive that i was put on this earth just to make a few laugh, and something so insignificant as giving my neighbor an egg or a cup of sugar.
I gave birth to two sons...there's a reason to be here. What about those who never had children and never wanted any?

I am a catholic and beleive in God, but i just cant help wondering sometimes.

What about those who never had children and never wanted any?

I don't have children, never wanted any, and will never have any. But that might just be my little genetic defect that keeps my flawed DNA from continuing into the future. If I don't reproduce, my flawed genetics are eliminated from the population. That diversity trick works pretty good, don't it? Even if all of us humans died off because of some odd disease, there are still millions of other species around ready to keep things going.

You will die, all your children will die, and if they have children, they will die. To live and die. That's about the only discernable "reason" we're here.

Originally posted by Saltman
Does the concept of non-existence terrify you? Are you so attached to your self that you can't imagine a universe without you in it?

I am completely unable to site the source, but, years ago I read an essay by a philosopher on this subject. To paraphrase, he said:
"What's the problem? You're not freaked out that you weren't aware or didn't exist before your birth are you?"

And I thought....Huh.....Since then I haven't worried about it. If this is it, won't be much different than before my birthday, and if another existence goes on....cool.

NC

someone once said ... and i have no idea who its was, but i like it ...

" I would rather live life believing there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than live thinking there is no God and die to find out there is"

If this is all there is, than thats even a BIGGER reason to enjoy our short time on Earth, love our families, our neighboors... and sepcially those we can't stand... and if we die and thats just it...than it is ... at elast we would die happy about what we did. And if there is more to life after death, even better.... another reason to do the best you can while you have the chance.

Either way... its just fine with me...

Originally posted by Enkidu
What do you mean, "what if?"

Hate to break it to you ol' buddy, but this is all there is. If you've got any convincing proof of anything else, and by that I mean something more than a lot of old campfire stories, I'm sure we'd love to hear it.

hhmmmm... and you know this because you died and came back to life right ???