If Death is Only the Beginning, Then Why are We Alive Today?

just a thought.

many people believe death is only the beginning of our lives.
I both hope and believe death is simply a gateway into the afterlife, whatever that may be...

but if death is the beginning, then why are we even alive today?

I would like to hear everyone's input on this.

I mean, why are we not simply born into the afterlife, where a wide array of possibilities and answers lay?

I see what you mean , I think . Why is this life a prerequisite before an infinite mystery that is already infinite ?

reply to post by Odessy


G-D has all the angels They need------They would like to have literal sons of G-D just like Themselves----but we have to learn how to control ourselves and not have temper tantrums with the power of G-D that in the wrong hands could be used to destroy the universe and create more misery.
we are made in a temporary physical shell that can die so that if we are not interested in becoming members of Their family then we can be allowed to cease to exist-----forever.

those that died in ignorence of what They are doing will get their first chance to find out in a physical resurrection and be given 100 years to qualify---those that died in the past and now, knowing and going along with Their plan will be resurrected as G-D Beings(ezekiel 37 /revelation 20)

yes sir, thats exactly my question...
why do we need to live before we die?

reply to post by yahn goodey


thanks for the reply yahn.

I'm just not so sure about all the religion stuff anymore.
and lets take christianity for example...
many people believe God gives everyone a second chance on their death beds to accept Jesus, granting them access to heaven...
Well, if everyone gets a second chance, then what does this whole life really mean when you can just accept him when you die?

that never really made sense to me, because it takes faith to believe in religion while your alive, but if your given a second chance on your death bed, then your probably SEEING god or jesus, which takes no faith because they are showing themselves to you.
I mean, isnt that why God doesnt show himself like he apparently used to?
because then no one would need faith, they would just know the truth.

but like I said earlier, I'm not too sure about all this religion stuff.
which is why I would like to hear everyone's answers, so that it also gives me many options to understand different possibilities.

Thanks again!

only G-D knows what really lies in the heart of a man upon their death bed but i have a strong hunch that if someone has been disobeying G-D's laws all their life but thru fear of death suddenly becomes remorse full--------there's just not enough time to prove to G-D ? that this person would constantly always want to do the right thing forever.

it usually takes a lifetime to build character/or lackof it that gets more set in our ways as we get older.

Because many times people discover pretty sayings that are poetic and beautifully ignorant. Most of these people are not in touch with reality and existence and/or are habitually religious. They take sayings and concepts for their emotional entice instead of for their truth.

I would like to ask it another way, if i could:

Its been bothering me for awhile. My question is: Were we "dead" before we were born?

I have a little language comprehension problem tied into the ADHD with a sprinkle of OCD and PMS, so forgive me if its already been mentioned or if it is the same thing.

That all depends on what you consider dead and alive. Everything is conscious so a prerequisite you would have to consider is what is "death"? No longer in the Human form? Then sure. Unconscious? No. Everything is conscious and everything has consciousness.

But we were always something or a part of something. Imagine in your mind yourself going back in time. Back into your mother's vagina and to the very point of your Father's climax. Before then you were stored inside of his testicles. Your Mother has had a piece of you since the day she was born. Females have all the eggs they need at conception. But even former these truths, your Father must have had to nurture his body with foods and drinks to elementally alchemize you into a state of semen or the single sperm that you were, and that food and drink also goes back eternally. Think about it... so, it's very possible and 100% probable that at one time before you were born you were alive.

[edit on 25-3-2008 by LastOutfiniteVoiceEternal]

reply to post by dgtempe


my understanding from reading scripture is that we have never lived before----this is our first time and we are all very unique----there is not another person on the face of this earth that is or has been exactly like ourselves.

G-D loves variety otherwise They would not have made possible so many different types of flowers/birds/insects/cattle/dogs/cats/fish---etc. and so many different races of peoples and personalities.

lets face it-----if everyone on earth was exactly like you---wouldn't you get bored real fast---and start to hate "yourself" ?

If you listen to stories of near death experiences and someone thinks they see their deceased relatives, that is an illusion.
People who go all the way through the light and get to where they are going find out that there is no real material existance, as we know it.
So, my point is that it is not like what the OP says that the place for the afterlife has endless possibilities and knowledge.
It is more like a bunch of spirits sitting around the campfire singing Coom-by-Ya.
Despite the limitation of having to comply with a bunch of laws of physics, the material world is the real place for learning possibilities.(anyway, when neccissary, those laws can be broken by angels)

dgtempe:
I like your thought process.
I like the idea that spirits can chose to come back to the living etc.
However, I think that simply due to the amount of people on the earth now as opposed to a millennia ago, one has to conclude that the majority of people today are new spirits. but maybe they came from somewhere else. Or maybe we WERE born in the afterlife first, and when we are ready we come here...
so many questions, I wish we knew...

LastOutfiniteVoiceEternal:
I agree that becoming conscious is the ultimate purpose in life, if thats what your trying to say. Thats why I like to study a lot of eastern philosophies that deal with oneself. However, my question to you is, why do we spend our entire lives trying to become conscious when we were already or will be conscious after we die, or before we were born?
Do people in the afterlife sit around and say, "I bet I could gain consciousness if I were a human, I'm going to try."?
I dont know, maybe I'm just in a slump right now, I just wish a purpose was clearer as to why we are alive.

jmdewey60:
I respect your beliefs, but contrary to what you say, I think anything in the afterlife is possible.
And, having lived in England for a number of years and having personal experiences with "ghosts," I 100% believe that people can not only see deceased relatives, but what they are seeing is real.
However, if its like you say and a bunch of spirits are just sitting around, then its no wonder they want to be reincarnated, if reincarnation is even real...

I agree with Yahn for the most part. This life is a growing phase and a test.

my understanding from reading scripture is that we have never lived before----this is our first time and we are all very unique----there is not another person on the face of this earth that is or has been exactly like ourselves.

Absolutely.

G-D loves variety otherwise They would not have made possible so many different types of flowers/birds/insects/cattle/dogs/cats/fish---etc. and so many different races of peoples and personalities.

You know what Yahn. God love beetles!!! There are more species of beetles than any thing else on earth. Estimates put the total number of species, described and undescribed, at between 5 and 8 million. I think it is his hobby, designing beetles.
source

lets face it-----if everyone on earth was exactly like you---wouldn't you get bored real fast---and start to hate "yourself" ?

Exactly and if God wanted an army of robots to worship him he could've done that. He wants true worshipers. So we have to choose him over the quick thrills and pleasures of the world. This life entails suffering. It is not easy. But nothing of value ever is.

[edit on 3/25/2008 by Bigwhammy]

Odessy:

I personally don't look for purposes, that is only a Human delusion. I only look for the truth. In small scopes we can seemingly see "purpose", but in an all inclusive scope i.e. eternity, there simply is no purpose except for to be the being itself... I believe someone once said that, an Eastern teacher.

Ask yourself why must there be purpose? Maybe I'm here simply to understand what that purpose may be, which be a sempiternal mystery unraveling at every piece of new information I log into my data bank. As energy, as the universe, as consciousness... we never go away, we are recycled.

Originally posted by Odessy

why do we need to live before we die?

Because it's funner and more interesting that way, and it makes life a lot more beautiful.

We actually learn to appreciate life cause we know it can end tomorrow.

thehumbleone,

Thanks for the input.

Knowing something is going to end definitely makes it more interesting and beautiful.

I really do appreciate everyone's input on this subject.
It's interesting to know how everyone thinks about life and death since its something we all have in common.
Its also quite humorous how the one thing we all have in common can have so many different translations.

I don't know if there is an afterlife, but it isn't relevent either way. Whether there is an after life or not is not what is important. Now is what is truly important.

As far as we can see, being humans, is that at birth we come into existance, and upon death we cease to be. Everything else is baseless speculation. Everything from an after life to eternal consciousness is a result of speculation. Speculation that is a result of either fear, boredom, or ignorance. The speculation is of that which they know they cannot prove, but speculate anyway.

This speculation is rather pointless to me. It creates delusions. People repeat their own speculations enough and they start to believe it (and maybe others too). So I stay away from the senseless speculation and stick to what is pretty much certain. We see people born, and come into existance. We see people die, and cease to exist. This is what we are fairly certain of. Life, and the ending of it.

With that being said, there are a great many "I Don't Know's" that come into play. That is ok. There is nothing wrong with saying I don't know. Even the greatest philosophers in time must admit that they cannot know somethings.

Some would say "If there is no afterlife then nothing we do in life is important" but just the opposite is true. It is the possible lack of an afterlife that makes what you do here and now that much MORE important. If there is an afterlife, you will find out for certain eventually, will you not?

As far as the reason to life, well, that's a whole different can of worms.

[edit on 25-3-2008 by grimreaper797]

speculation can also be out of knowledge and experience, not just:

fear, boredom, or ignorance.

Im not sure if you would be the type to explore meditation or some type of spiritual experience such as Astral Projection, Remote Viewing, or even just praying, but these experiences all lead to some type of change in consciousness.
This change or activity in consciousness, as well as other paranormal activity that does occur in our lives, also lead to speculation.
I totally respect your opinion, and its up to you to try whatever you want to try or just to enjoy life in your own way, just know that speculation is also a direct result of experience, which would lead anyone to ponder the possibilities of what else is out there.
Just look at quantum mechanics, crazy, unexplainable things... even paranormal some would say, which could lead many students of the subject to speculate or explore other phenomena...

Originally posted by Odessy
speculation can also be out of knowledge and experience

Only when you have the ability and desire to prove such a thing. If you aren't going to do such, it is misleading. It is a hypothesis you never plan to prove. This hypothesis is spouted as a belief, or as knowledge. It is nothing more than a hypothesis though. If you are going to speculate about something, you should be prepared to prove whatever speculation you find. The definition of speculating is to start to come to conclusions on something unproven.

When you start making conclusion after conclusion on other conclusions that were also speculation, you will almost definately set up an entire belief system of speculation and nothing but the universes probability.

Im not sure if you would be the type to explore meditation or some type of spiritual experience such as Astral Projection, Remote Viewing, or even just praying, but these experiences all lead to some type of change in consciousness.

I have read entire government documents about remote viewing and things of that nature. Is it possible, yes. Will I speculate on it? No. A change in consciousness comes from asking the right questions, thats all. Provoke a certain though which sparks the right question. Thats the reason for books.

This change or activity in consciousness, as well as other paranormal activity that does occur in our lives, also lead to speculation.

And it is not knowledge, because you don't KNOW it. You just have another possibility. In my mind it is just as likely that a god exists as super alien race that created life on earth millions of earth. To try and go one way or another would be completely speculation. That isn't based on any knowledge.

I totally respect your opinion, and its up to you to try whatever you want to try or just to enjoy life in your own way, just know that speculation is also a direct result of experience, which would lead anyone to ponder the possibilities of what else is out there.

Speculation is a result of how you react to an experience, not the experience itself. It is about perspective and your frame of mind. Can you ponder? Sure. I can think about all the possible alien races out there. I can ponder about time travel and space travel across the universe. Of course I can't take a position either way because that would become speculation and I would need to work toward proving it to stand by it.

Just look at quantum mechanics, crazy, unexplainable things... even paranormal some would say, which could lead many students of the subject to speculate or explore other phenomena...

Quantum mechanics is interesting to say the least. From all the reading I have done about quantum mechanics, I find some things to be very interesting. Having dropped out of college and deciding astro physics is a waste of time, I can say that I still should not speculate about quantum physics. I can, but it is a bad path to take. It is counterproductive. Even with everything I learned about the subject, I should not speculate about it because it is unsound logic.

I understand what your saying, but I dont think speculation out of knowledge or experience requires proof.
Most of these experiences are internal, and the only proof one can give is the way they act in their daily lives, or perhaps to later take on students who share the same experiences, but that takes time and practice that some people are not willing to give.

I think many answers lie in study, meditation, perhaps the Akashic Records if they exist, but they take time, practice, and dedication.

And you should have stuck it out with college. There are some awesome career paths for anything physics, including fun stuff like flying jets

whatever way you believe, thats totally cool.
I believe everyone's path in life will yield similar results, its just how you live your life now that grants you perspective, knowledge, or speculation into the unknown.