Okay, so right now I'm feeling really... bad. I'm feeling panicked, scared, and really desperate. And I know that the reasons for this are... well, some of you may think my reasons are stupid. Some may not. I don't know, I'm not sure, I don't know what to think or what not to think. I'm having problems in deciding.
So, lately I've been having bad thoughts. And by 'bad thoughts' I mean, 'thoughts that scare the hell out of me'. Thoughts about death. And, of course, these thoughts only come out at nighttime. Fucking nighttime.
Anyways... I start thinking about who I am. What I am. About my life and my existence. I admit, my existence is pretty self-centered, in that I exist, I am myself, I am the one thinking this, I am the one typing this, me, me, me. I can only think about me, because inside of my head, there's only one voice. Me. My voice, who I am, controls my decisions, controls my thinking, that person inside of me, that person who IS me, the one who is thinking about what to type here.
So, I start thinking about what made me. About why I am like I am. About the reasons I feel this, or feel that, or think this, or think that, etc. I start realising that it's all my past experiences that made me who I am today. Right?
But then, I start thinking. If there's a heaven, how does this all work? Have I lived multiple lives? Is this my only life? What kind of personality did I have before, compared to how mine is now? Did I live in past lives? If so, what were they like? I start to wonder what kind of person I was and what kind of person I am.
But, then, inevitably, logic kicks in. Logic tells me that 'thinking' is just synapses firing in my brain. That my existence is little more than electrical currents flowing through my brain, and that when I die, everything that I am, me, my memories, my personality, everything, suddenly ceases. I won't be around to think. I won't exist. And I won't know or care because I can't think anymore.
This really... really scares me. The thought of non-existence. The thought that there can be an end to my conciousness, my personalities, my memories. Group 'em together, call it a soul, I don't care, what scares me is that my 'soul' is nothing more than electrical impulses firing through my brain, and that once I am dead, that's that, no more thinking, no more me, no more Chris.
The thought of reincarnation isn't very soothing either, because me, Chris, will still be dead. If I am born again, I am born again as someone new, without memories, without experiences. I won't remember my mother or father or loved ones. I won't be ME anymore.
There are only two thoughts that really hold any solace for me.
The first, is that perhaps someday we'll actually find some way of achieving immortality. I don't want to die, period, I don't want to lose my memories, I don't want to lose the people precious to me, I don't want to forget them, don't want to become someone else, someone I am not.
The second, is that there is a heaven or hell or some afterlife. That after I die, I will move on to something else, and be able to remember. Be able to be me. Be able to be the same person, shaped by my experiences and memories here, to have the same personality. But mostly... to remember. The thought... of forgetting who I am, who I care for, who I love, who I hate... when I think of that I just get this instant panic attack.
Some people out there like the fact that life is all about uncertainty. About not knowing, about facing things as they come. And, for life, I can handle that. It's death, the uncertainty, not knowing what happens after, and... most importantly... the fact that I do not think that I can escape death... that after I die... me, Chris, who I am, what I am, who I love and hate, everything that shapes my thoughts and my reality... will someday just cease entirely... even if 'i' am reborn, I won't be me anymore, I will be someone else, and 'i' will be dead...
That really, truly terrifies me 
[ 11-24-2003: Message edited by: Jargum ]
quote:
Black obviously shouldn't have said:
Illusions, Khryon. Vagaries of perception. The temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify an existence that is without meaning or purpose.
The problem is, I happen to be that feeble human intellect, and I don't really care if my existenec is justified, has meaning, or has purpose.
I just don't want that existence to come to a screeching halt.
Since you can't control the afterlife, why worry about it? What if I controlled the afterlife? How would you feel then?
[ 11-24-2003: Message edited by: Suddar ]
quote:
Mr. Parcelan had this to say about Reading Rainbow:
I thought about this four years ago.Since you can't control the afterlife, why worry about it? What if I controlled the afterlife? How would you feel then?
Gary Coleman in a dress can control the afterlife, for all I care.
I just want to be me. I don't want to be reincarnated as someone else, I don't want to lose the memories of my experiences here, I just want to have my sense of self... I want to be the same person then, as I am now.
I just want to stay as Chris.
quote:
Suddar thought about the meaning of life:
And lo, God sent down upon the world chicks, and yea my brothers, nobody thought about this shit ever again. Except Khyron.
HAH
The damned shall be sent to a Political Science class taught by Geeorn.
Those who would otherwise go in purgatory shall attend my country club and serve as staff.
I hope you enjoy hearing myths about Bush all day, Chris.
quote:
The logic train ran off the tracks when Mr. Parcelan said:
Yea, those who lead a just and righteous life shall be sent to the most holiest place: Gydyon's House.The damned shall be sent to a Political Science class taught by Geeorn.
Those who would otherwise go in purgatory shall attend my country club and serve as staff.
I hope you enjoy hearing myths about Bush all day, Chris.
Like I say, Parce... long as I don't lose my identity... so long as I can still be who I am... you can sit there and lecture me about Bush and Gore's forbidden affair with Nader, and I can take it. I won't ENJOY it, but at least I will still be myself.
quote:
There was much rejoicing when Khyron said this:
Like I say, Parce... long as I don't lose my identity... so long as I can still be who I am... you can sit there and lecture me about Bush and Gore's forbidden affair with Nader, and I can take it. I won't ENJOY it, but at least I will still be myself.
Instead, you will be a Geeornling.
quote:
Khyron had this to say about Captain Planet:
The thought... of forgetting who I am, who I care for, who I love, who I hate... when I think of that I just get this instant panic attack.
Hay duder, don't be stressing over forgetting me. It's not that big a deal, you know. 
It's normal to have these kinda thoughs, duder. Ya may not like 'em much, but they're there. Just gotta kinda shrug 'em off.
But remember.. Ya won't die as long as you're remembered. I mean, I will NEVER forget you, duder. Yeah, you hate my guts, but it's all good. You're a really cool guy otherwise, and I'll remember for the rest of my life what you were like. Be that bad or good from your perspective.
Besides, life is what you make of it, duder. If your life ends when you die, you probably didn't live much anyway, right? *hugs*
In any case, your neural impulses are not the only part of you. Even in the most basic sense you're still leaving out your endocrine system and the rest of your body 
but beyond that...your essence stretches beyond your body. That post you just made is a continuation of your existance too. It began as a collection of impulses in your brain which ordered themselves, then sent messages to your fingertips to activate runic symbols in the proper sequence which would encase your thoughts in this hypertextual amber. (er...sorry, prose outburst there)
Anyway, this post is an extension of yourself; it allows us to interact with you...(I've been reviewing the section of this post I had and decided it didn't work so ZZZT)
I don't think worrying about it is going to help either way. You know how most people pray fervently in hopes that will get them into the afterlife? It seems to me, and I do not mean to make light of you here, that you are doing the opposite - worrying fervently in hopes this will make an afterlife for you. In any case, I don't think you need an afterlife to validate your life on this world. Fortunately, these thoughts only come at night, which is for the best: they do not stop you from living in the daytime.
As for your individual life stopping, your identity being lost...that does not seem to me to be likely. When you go to sleep, you are not conscious, yet at the same time your brain is aware and flaring and your mind is creating worlds about itself, though we may not remember them later. Maybe you each night live an entire dream life and awaken, and is its protagonist gone? No, though your memories of who you were when you slept are not in your conscious mind, they are in your unconscious no doubt, and you are, through the day, enhanced by that dream, though you remember it not; if you drempt of heroics you will find yourself more courageous, or if of acrobatics you will be more dextritous, or if of seduction more, i suppose, charming. But in any case...that is how it may be in the next life. You may not remember it but you will be better for your life in this world, and you will still be who you were, if in a different life. (if this disquiets you go ahead and discard it as a useless conception of the multiverse, please)
Worrying is something everyone does and we all have our phases in which we tackle repeatedly these problems - that's what makes us intellectuals. After working through it you'll feel better about life and death, I'm sure of it. But in the meantime, be peaceful.
[I'm sorry if this post didn't help you out much or just repeated random stuff you already knew, or was patronizing or something, but my mind is fried right now, and i have quite a bit of homework left before 7 am this morning]
Disclaimer: I'm just kidding, I love all living things.
The fastest draw in the Crest.
"The Internet is MY critical thinking course." -Maradon
"Gambling for the husband, an abortion for the wife and fireworks for the kids they chose to keep? Fuck you, Disneyland. The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is the happiest place on Earth." -JooJooFlop
As for an afterlife, "Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?" - Douglas Adams
quote:
Pvednes's account was hax0red to write:
Only suggestion I can make is live your life as well as you can, and as long as you can, because otherwise you're just wasting it. If you're worried about the inevitability of death, write a journal, have children, make a difference. Leave a mark on the world, and there's at least something that survives; just look at the Egyptian pharaohs, for example. It's been thousands of years, and they're well remembered. While it's hard to make that much of a mark, any mark will do.As for an afterlife, "Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?" - Douglas Adams
I forget who said: "I would rather be remembered for why I don't have a monument then why I do".. or something like that.
In short, I think much of humanity has been too quick to accept our subjective experience of reality as "the truth". We believe, for the large part, that history, time, and our lives all fit on that tiny sliver of existence we call "the present", which moves ever-foward, irrevocably destroying the past and moving into the new future. I think that notion of the past as some fundamentally different condition is wrong.
Time is not the linear thing we make it out to be; so much of our modern knowledge tells us that. For example, one of the odder consequences of relativity is that there is no universal "Now"; depending on where and how fast you're moving, events that are simultanious in one reference frame occur at slightly different times from another, equally valid reference frame. The only way this kind of thing makes sense to me is to believe that ALL of the universe: past, present, and future exist, and, were we able to see it all from an objective (perhaps omnicient) view, we would see that all moments exist together, equally, with no "line of present" moving from one end to the other. In my mind, I can't help but feel our notion and experience that "Now" is somehow special and different from 2 seconds ago is a falsehood that lies solely in the fact that we live in a universe of cause and effect (so of course the past is the only thing remembered).
Now, the natural response here is "All right, that's all very well and pretty, but how does that change the fact that I'm going to get old and die, then no longer exist?" The answer is that, as this moment is in no way special, I must realize that this "inevitable movement towards death" is NOT the truth; every moment of my existence experiences this illusion, but in actuality, every moment exists as part of the complete, unchanging universe. Though it's not quite right to use words involving time to talk about this, every part of me in history "has always", and "will always" exist. Every moment of my life is part of that "permanent" fabric of the universe.
Death, therefore, is simply the establishment of a boundary for my existence, an area of the universe where I am not. There is no reason to fear that area of the universe's history, any more than I fear, for example, New York as a place where I do not exist, or the time before I was born as a place where I do not exist. Each moment of existence "eternally plays itself out" where I do exist in that fabric. (though again it's wrong to use time words when talking about a moment in time, it may be better to say that that moment of existence simply... exists. Exactly the same as this moment right now exists)
This type of "eternal" existence is a bit unsatisfying, as it does not speak of anything beyond the life we know; we will never experience true understanding or pure, divine bliss. On the other hand, though, there is certainly no chance of monotony or growing tired of this type of existence; remember, in this structure you're "already" locked into every moment that was and will be, and they all "already" exist, and are "playing themselves out". Existence is exactly as you feel it now, but at every moment in your life. Yes, it's strange and difficult to wrap one's head around, but it truly is consistent and workable.
No, I can't be certain I'm correct, but it offers me something that nothing outside of religion gives me; an existence other than oblivion, while giving a consistent and plausible explination for how the universe is working. And I don't even have to give humanity any kind of credit beyond simply being part of the universe; if I define living, existing, and being me as the state I'm in now and at all the points in my life, then this perfectly preserves that, outside of our notion of time. This may not give that blissful, perfect notion of immortality that religion offers, but it does offer me exactly what I have now. And all in all, this isn't so bad.
Final note: if I wasn't clear enough in this thead, I did once before take a try at explaining this idea, In a thread a long, long time ago; I thought it was about time for me to take another. I don't honestly know whether I was clearer then or now. One can only shore up their ideas about something by taking some time now and then and considering them carefully. And before any of your go "OMG!! Khyron did this topic before! Flame!!", I'll point out that that thread was over a year ago. Topics are quite definitely safe to re-open after that much time.
[ 11-24-2003: Message edited by: Chalesm ]
I don't know whether any of this helps, but I hope it can offer some comfort.
In the beginning the Universe was created.Douglas Adams, 1952-2001
quote:
Pvednes had this to say about Matthew Broderick:
Only suggestion I can make is live your life as well as you can, and as long as you can, because otherwise you're just wasting it. If you're worried about the inevitability of death, write a journal, have children, make a difference. Leave a mark on the world, and there's at least something that survives; just look at the Egyptian pharaohs, for example. It's been thousands of years, and they're well remembered. While it's hard to make that much of a mark, any mark will do.As for an afterlife, "Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?" - Douglas Adams
Picard: After all number one, we're only mortal.
Riker: Speak for yourself sir, I plan to live forever.
quote:
The logic train ran off the tracks when Khyron said:
Late night angst..
You'll die.
Everyone does.
You'll lose who you are.
Everyone does.
You'll lose loved ones.
Everyone does.
Well, this is why it is, because, hell, even if God doesn't exist, those of us that beleive that he does, those of us that beleive in an afterlife, we're not as afraid. [ 11-24-2003: Message edited by: OtakuPenguin ]
quote:
Verily, Gunslinger Moogle doth proclaim:
Don't listen to logic in this case. You are more than the sum of your parts. Maybe your existance is just eletrical impulses, but I don't think so. Can an electrical impulse appreciate music, or gameplay, or the myriad other things you take pleasure in?
Yes, it would seem so, wouldn't it?
I die, I cease to be. The random electrical firings controlling my actions stop, my brain dies, and I, as a person, cease to exist
And since I'm not alive anymore, it isn't a concern. I'm not worrying about what happens once I die, because I will be dead and suddenly, I just don't need to care. I wont exist, so why worry?
I'm not concerned, simply because I know I am not special. I may like to think I am greater and more important than a Cat or a Mouse or a Lion or whatever, but they all die to, I am not any different. They don't worry that no one will remember that squirrel in the oak tree by that rock when they die, because that is not the purpose of life. The point of life is to endure, to live. As long as I have a family when i die, I have done my job. Animals eat the same things I do, they feel pain, they feel pleasure, they dislike fire. The only difference is we are intelligent enough to think we are special, simply because we want to believe we are. Because dolphins and apes don't use english, they obviously aren't intelligent, we are superior to both of them in every way.
Meanwhile we are the ones wiping out the planet of our own accord.
Humans don't deserve to exist as we are now, we are killing a planet simply because we cannot control our excesses, and unless some sort of super virus wipes out humanity as a whole, we are going to render this planet incapable of supporting pretty much ANY life by the time we are done with it.
Personally, I hope I die BEFORE I see humanity finally destroy this hunk of dirt I use as home. I mean, I want to have children, but at the same time I have to think to myself, what am I going to be getting them into? Am i going to have children merely to hand to them a world that they can abrely use and which may very well kill them before they can even live their full life, simply because as a whole, our species is rockshit stupid?
Now, if it turns out god (or gods, whatever) actually exist. Well, shocking news to me. I sure wouldn't have expected it, but I'll cross that bridge if I come to it. [ 11-24-2003: Message edited by: Vorago ]
quote:
OtakuPenguin screamed this from the crapper:
Those of you that call religion a safety blanket...Well, this is why it is, because, hell, even if God doesn't exist, those of us that beleive that he does, those of us that beleive in an afterlife, we're not as afraid.
Be that as it is, there are some atheists, like myself, who are totally unafraid of dying. Yes, I can tell you with complete confidence that if death is oblivion, I'm completely not scared by that. I mean, don't want to die, but when death comes, I won't be afraid. If death means Heaven or Hell, then I'm really scared.
You see, if you exist as yoy are on earth, which is finite in an afterlife which is eternal, be it Heaven or Hell, eventually, you're going to do insane. There's only so much the human mind can take before it just snaps. The most obvious workaround of this human frailty is for God or Satan to change your mind so you can stand it. What's the change? Who knows? The point is it has to be drastic enough to let you withstand eternity of pleasure or torture.
I submit that that change is so drastic, that you would, in effect, no longer be you. There would be a soul with your personality, your earthly memories, and all this other stuff which allows you to withstand eternity without going batshit insane. This soul is a superset of you. The basic human you were doesn't exist anymore.
I don't see how that is all that much better than oblivion. Whatever the outcome, however, I approach death totally unafraid of its consequences.
Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite. - John Kenneth Galbraith
quote:
When the babel fish was in place, it was apparent OtakuPenguin said:
Those of you that call religion a safety blanket...Well, this is why it is, because, hell, even if God doesn't exist, those of us that beleive that he does, those of us that beleive in an afterlife, we're not as afraid.
I'm scared shitless of dying. I never want to die. In fact I'd make just about any sacrifice not involving the integrity of my personality or mind to avoid dying.
A hundred times sooner the fear than the "safety blanket" of illusion you describe, though. You may or may not be right, but you have no logical reason to believe in it other than the fact that you do.
I'm also not afraid of dieing and finding out there is some form of god or afterlife, even if contrary to everything that seems likely there is one, I doubt that a being so advanced that it is able to transcend death would somehow punish me for my lack of blind faith over reason.
Any form of eternal afterlife would be hellish, I don't see anything that I could do for, say 500 years without getting insanely bored, let alone eternity.
One is the progression of science. Who's to say we won't discover some way of combining stem cells and genetic repair to essentially repair our aging bodies endlessly to live forever? Replace decaying organics and cells as they atrophy, using a genetic blueprint established when we were at our prime? If only we could speed up the research on this kinda thing...
Another is that even though we die, we aren't neccessarily forgotten. Our family members and friends still remember us, and some memories continue for generations, as even our grandchildren can relate their memories of us to their own grandchildren. Then there are family trees, photos, etc that mark that we were here. Even a gravestone serves as a marker that you were once alive.
This is one of the reasons why I want to make a book, poem, or film, so that when they see my name as the author or the screenwriter, they'll wonder, "Who was that guy?" Or at least they'll appreciate my vision, even if for a short segment of their lives. Ovid, Virgo, Homer, and the other Greek philosophers are some of the earliest writers to be recorded, and we study their lives and works extensively in school. Shakespeare had an impact on literature, drama, and entertainment as we know it that has lasted and continues to last.
But that is not the limit of marks one can leave. War memorials hold the names of people that fought, leaving a tribute to their heroism. Colleges have buildings and plaques of alumni that contributed to the education of future generations. I think it would be quite interesting to have kids two hundred years from now sit in a library or sleep in a dorm that bears my name.
In any way that you look at it, its very hard to escape leaving a mark on the world. Just the fact that you lived will keep your memory in people's minds for years to come. In that way you will have never died, at least to them.
quote:
Karnaj enlisted the help of an infinite number of monkeys to write:You see, if you exist as yoy are on earth, which is finite in an afterlife which is eternal, be it Heaven or Hell, eventually, you're going to do insane. There's only so much the human mind can take before it just snaps.
How can you apply a spirit in the afterlife (of which we know nothing about) to the current psychology of a living human brain?
This is an old statement used by many, which there's no real evidence to back it up. And it's also impossible to test, because you can't lock someone up for 500+ years to see if they go insane. The human mind doesn't simply just "go insane" from repeating the same types of stimulation. And you're also assuming there is a 'finite' number of things to do in either place.
It would be completely a guess to assume that the human mind on earth and the spirit (assuming there even is one) is even remotely the same. That's like saying there is gravity in heaven or hell because there is on earth.
I've determined the problem of "ending" stems from one part humanity (the whole essence continuing on deal), one part biology (possibly also your body telling you to pass on your genes so that you will go on), one part gas. [ 11-24-2003: Message edited by: Oscar 3/Xray 1 ]
The long and short of it is that right now, when I think of death, I think of an ending. I won't be around to care, I know, but I WANT to be around. In 60 years or whenever, I don't want to be sitting there wondering the next day if BAM, my existence is suddenly going to end.
I want to live forever, because the thought of not having any more thoughts, of ceasing to be... that's what really terrifies me.
I sit here, thinking of how I wouldn't be around to think, I can't comprehend it. Thinking is life, really. You're sitting there thinking. You're reading this. You're considering how to respond, or what effect these words have on you. I'm thinking as I type this, thinking of what to type, of how to say it, etc. I think all the time, think at my job, think at home, think about games, girls, love, hate, etc... I think, therefor I exist, or whatever. So when you stop thinking, because what lets you think (The billions upon billions of neurons in your head) stops...
Sometimes I wish I were really stupid, so I could just accept the fact that there's an afterlife, and not have to think about the other possibilities out there.
quote:
Mr. Parcelan was listening to Cher while typing:
I thought about this four years ago.Since you can't control the afterlife, why worry about it? What if I controlled the afterlife? How would you feel then?
That's like saying the Detroit Tigers will win a baseball game.
Point being? It will never happen.
Humans have to die. That's all there is to it.
There was a period in time, a particularly long period of time, in which you did not experience life. Do you remember anything from it? Nope, you weren't born yet. Was it painful? Nope, it was a void, nothingness. That's what death is.
quote:
Oscar 3/Xray 1 impressed everyone with:
I don't think I'm seeing what the problem is here. When you die, you are dead. You will be human up until you die. Once you die, you will no longer be a human. There won't be pieces of you left to experience death.Humans have to die. That's all there is to it.
There was a period in time, a particularly long period of time, in which you did not experience life. Do you remember anything from it? Nope, you weren't born yet. Was it painful? Nope, it was a void, nothingness. That's what death is.
The problem is that I don't wish to lose concious thought for the rest of eternity.
The problem is that I, right now, am capable of thinking. Thinking is how I define my self, and I do not wish to lose that self.
I don't want my life to be over and that's it. No more. I want to see what happens to the world. I want to be able to think, exist, I want to be able to keep the experiences that I have had on earth. I spend a lifetime learning, experiencing, watching the world grow, maybe helping it grow and advance.
Then nothing. I'm gone, finished, and I don't get to see what happens next.
quote:
Khyron had this to say about Jimmy Carter:
The problem is that I don't wish to lose concious thought for the rest of eternity.The problem is that I, right now, am capable of thinking. Thinking is how I define my self, and I do not wish to lose that self.
I don't want my life to be over and that's it. No more. I want to see what happens to the world. I want to be able to think, exist, I want to be able to keep the experiences that I have had on earth. I spend a lifetime learning, experiencing, watching the world grow, maybe helping it grow and advance.
Then nothing. I'm gone, finished, and I don't get to see what happens next.
Then just put this out of your mind, live life to the fullest, and realize that human and infinite are not words to be used together. 
quote:
This insanity brought to you by OtakuPenguin:
Those of you that call religion a safety blanket...Well, this is why it is, because, hell, even if God doesn't exist, those of us that beleive that he does, those of us that beleive in an afterlife, we're not as afraid.
"Religion must remain an outlet for people who say to themselves, 'I am not the kind of person I want to be.' It must never sink into an assemblage of the self-satisfied."
-Toure Bomoko, Dune.
quote:
Khyron had this to say about pies:
The problem is that I don't wish to lose concious thought for the rest of eternity.The problem is that I, right now, am capable of thinking. Thinking is how I define my self, and I do not wish to lose that self.
I don't want my life to be over and that's it. No more. I want to see what happens to the world. I want to be able to think, exist, I want to be able to keep the experiences that I have had on earth. I spend a lifetime learning, experiencing, watching the world grow, maybe helping it grow and advance.
Then nothing. I'm gone, finished, and I don't get to see what happens next.
Look at it this way, if you DID continue on after death and got crammed into some sort of afterlife like a sardine, no one would care
With all of the countless people that have ever lived, no matter WHAT you feel you do well, there will be a thousand people that do it a thousand times better than you. You would spend eternity being forever mediocre at everything you do and be entirely forgettable to the masses
Hell, imagine how CROWDED the afterlife would be with every single human being, monkey, dolphin, dog, cat, bird etc. that has ever lived all in one place?
Plus you would probably get stuck next to the noisy ice machine for all eternity
Don't know about everyone else, but my idea of eternal rest isn't floating around haunting the living
I want some rest dammit [ 11-24-2003: Message edited by: Vorago ]
You are shaped by your experiences and thoughts. Including your thoughts about this.
If you didn't have to face this problem, if you had no doubts about this, you would be a different person than who you are now.
This may not be the truth you want, but it is the only truth I have to give you.
Those pretty mych sum up my views on death, but if you'd like an in-depth discussion on the topic my AIM name is azreal0864.
Consider the implications of immortality carefully. It seems like you would eventually come up against a wall.
In time, you would experience everything you consider worthwhile, and it would become tedious with repitition. In time, you would learn everything your mind could handle.
On top of that, many other philosophical questions can't ever be satisfactorily resolved. Yes, the question of death would be out of the way, but everything else would remain. With as much grief as this is causing you, some of those other issues would eventually take its place, I think. At least, if your personality, your self, remained the way it is now.
quote:
Aw, geez, I have Reynar all over myself!
How can you apply a spirit in the afterlife (of which we know nothing about) to the current psychology of a living human brain?
Because the living human brain contains everything which I am, which is what's going to this presumed afterlife.
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This is an old statement used by many, which there's no real evidence to back it up. And it's also impossible to test, because you can't lock someone up for 500+ years to see if they go insane. The human mind doesn't simply just "go insane" from repeating the same types of stimulation. And you're also assuming there is a 'finite' number of things to do in either place.
The only thing I'm assuming is infinite time. And, of course, that an afterlife exists. At the very least, the stimuli experienced would at some point become more than my brain could store. I'd begin to lose memories in favor of new ones and no longer be me (at least, the me defined in my mortal life). Knowing this in advance, I can say with relative certainty that I'd go at least a little bonkers.
Even if the experiences are infinite, my human brain would only be able to experience a finite subset, since it is limited human sensory perception. The instant you expand the perception, however, you're creating something which isn't human. I become something else which is no longer me, but me + some junk.
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It would be completely a guess to assume that the human mind on earth and the spirit (assuming there even is one) is even remotely the same. That's like saying there is gravity in heaven or hell because there is on earth.
And you just proved my point: The soul must be so radically different to cope with eternity that when the human dies, his mortal mind is obliterated in favor of the new, eternity-compatible soul with the human's memories and personality.
Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite. - John Kenneth Galbraith
