Death†<

"Live every day as if it were your last...and someday, you'll be right."
- H. H. "Breaker" Morant

Dylan Thomas’ “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night”

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

 

People hesitate to ask questions about life after death. They do not ask, for they feel that only darkness awaits them. If people really believed in a beautiful world of eternal bliss waiting for them when they died; if they believed their friends and family would be waiting for them; if they believed that all pain and suffering of this world would end; why should they live through years of pain while an illness eats its away at them? Why fight against the dying of the light? This urge is found in every animal, in every plant. It is what Schopenhauer called, "the will to live." What we long for is a continuation of our present state of existence, not an uncertain reincarnation in a world of which we know nothing. The idea of another life is created only after we are convinced of our mortality. We do not “believe” in any real sense, we merely hope and we accept what we are told because it’s what we want to hear. And discount that which is less agreeable.

We are told to accept through faith alone. But everyone knows that faith can only come through belief. Genuine belief comes when the mind accepts an idea as the truth. Evidence is needed by intelligent beings for the likely truth to be determined. What if there is no evidence (and likely never will be). One is told to rely on faith, and no doubt this serves the purpose so long as one can believe blindly whatever he is told. But if like me you need more substantial proof then you should seek answers, in science, in philosophy, in life. I know this isn’t a subject we really think about, because to walk around considering our own mortality would be debilitating, we wouldn’t be able to function, deep down however we know life is a brief flame, we are here for only a short time and our expiration date is unknown. We will all die that much is guaranteed; it is the one thing that all people have in common.  "So what do you think happens when you die?" each of us has their own belief regardless of religion.

An Atheist would probably say, “Well, firstly, people cry. You get a nice suit and they throw you in a box and then put you in the dirt. Or they burn you.” A Christian “you are judged and go to heaven or hell accordingly” but the truth is the majority of us believe somewhere in between. Not fluffy clouds and a harp; not complete nothingness for all eternity. However no one will ever know for certain, it is question to be answered on an individual basis. Now if you follow a religion that religion in all likelihood will have its own explanation of the afterlife, and if you can believe that explanation then do so, but do so based on genuine belief, not blind faith. So, what if we come to the conclusion, after examination, that it is possible there could be no afterlife, isn’t that a little depressing? More than a little, but as with any uncomfortable idea that we have to admit could be true, we must make peace with the possibility for running from it does not make it false.

People say that life is the greatest gift God has given us. I believe that death is, for without the possibility of death, what would life be worth? - Oliver Roberts

What I’ll attempt to do here is rather than give an explanation of what I feel to be the truth encourage you to seek the truth for yourself, but I will give a scientifically rational explanation of death that will hopefully aid the acceptance of such a possibility and help you to see that even in a purely material sense we all live forever.

Neither Matter nor Energy is created or destroyed, simply transferred, this is a fact of thermodynamics. The human body is matter and energy. When it dies, its substance is completely converted to matter and energy that will be useful elsewhere. Perhaps that energy and matter will become a tree, a flower or one with the earth. I feel this is summed up perfectly in this quote from Edward Munch:
 
“From my rotting body, flowers shall grow and I am in them and that is eternity.”                                                     
 
When our body is cremated, all that my physical body is will be scattered, nothing is ever truly destroyed, energy is scattered about the universe. If buried over time our body becomes one with the soil it is food for the plants insects and worms and decomposes becoming part of nature. The dead are all around us, still with us in the form of different types of energy, matter, radiation, and such. Our atoms become one with plants, birds and animals. Although this is entirely scientific, it is comforting to think that our dear departed friends and family are still with us, still near us and possibly even within us. In this sense, nobody dies. The matter that is me will exist when I am dead and forevermore, in this way we are all immortal, however I my conscious self will be gone.

“There is no darkness but ignorance.” – William Shakespeare.

What happens to my conscious self when I die? The truth is, no one knows, and just as the physical self is eternal, so I feel is this question. I have no doubt that men will debate this point many generations after my death, so to attempt to give a explanation would be foolish. Many religions claim to have the answers to this question but in truth all is speculation, however I can tell you what I do feel can be proved that it will not be darkness and silence for eternity that awaits us. I feel this can be proven without the need for the supernatural or heaven and hell.

What do we think of as the real us? Our Body? Our Mind? No. I think to us we are our Conscious self, that which speaks to us, which thinks, which learns, which feels. And if upon death darkness awaited us for all eternity, then fear would be an appropriate response, but this is not so.

What is consciousness but a continuous stream of memories, one that begins at birth and ends only when we die? When we sleep we close our eyes and upon awakening it seems that no time has past since we closed our eyes, the stream of consciousness remains unbroken. The same holds true if for example we are put under anaesthetic prior to an operation, no sooner are we drifting of listening to the anaesthetist speaking than we are waking up hours later with the operation complete. We are aware that time has past only because we are conscious that things have changed such as waking up elsewhere, light variation or a clock. This awareness comes primarily from our noticing that things have changed since we closed our eyes, you could follow the stream of consciousness as far back as the womb (if your memory was good enough) and there would be no gaps except perhaps for dreams, however these too are a form of consciousness. If we were cryogenically frozen (as some already are) our body stopped and we were awoken many years from now, although centuries may have passed for us, the trip would be instantaneous, and the stream of consciousness would remain unbroken. No sooner would we close our eyes, as we would awaken to the future. So when we die, why would we suddenly be aware of non-conscious time? It would not be an eternity of darkness, but rather if our consciousness does not live on after our death then we would not know of it. We would merely close our eyes and the stream of consciousness that once was us would end, living on in the memories and conscious streams of those who knew us. Mark Twain wrote, “I was dead for millions of years before I was born and it never inconvenienced me a bit.”

We need to face facts we do not know what happens after death, but belief based on fear and superstition is not the answer. Be strong. Be honest with yourself and live for the now.

"You only live once...but if you live it right, once is enough"

“Life is a grindstone, it will either polish you up, or wear you down, depending on what you're made of.”

The first principle of Buddhism is; Life is suffering. Personally, although I believe Buddhism to be one of the most rational and compassionate religions, I disagree with this sentiment. Life can be difficult and you may suffer through illness, poverty or loss, however for all the bad in this world it is a wonderful life. If we take the time to look around us there is beauty in it, in nature, even in every day things, a leaf, raindrops on the window, a sunset, the stars, these things have a beauty that is eternal. In love and our relationships, in our family and friends, in our ability to love and be loved, in a babies smile, in a kiss, in making others lives just that little bit easier, this compassion for others can make even the worst suffering less, there is power in it, and this power of compassion can heal all wounds, can aid the poor, can feed the hungry, can ease the suffering of the sick. This power alone is necessary for a life free of suffering; by caring for and aiding others we lessen our own suffering. For true happiness comes from living a life of universal compassion for all humanity.

 

I should be content
to look at a mountain
for what it is
and not as a comment
on my life

-David Ignatow

What is life’s purpose what is its aim we cannot say for sure, but this much we do know it’s for living. We aren’t here for long, forgoing all the possibilities of an early death such as accident or illness our lifetime will rarely extend beyond a century. That’s 100 years in which to learn all there is to learn, do all there is to do, say all you want to say, and love all you want to love. So enjoy the time you have, don’t waste it worrying about what comes next because by the time you get an answer it may be too late. Live this life so that when you die, you do so happy in the knowledge that you followed your heart and lived life to the full. You may have regrets, but the majority of regrets are of what could have been, not what was. And when lying in bed many years from now, with your family around you, at least you can say, “I have lived.”

In Latin; Carpe Diem - Seize the day.

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets: Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. "
 
- W.H. Murray, The Scottish Himalayan Expedition

- Duncan Rossiter