Life After Death

[Deebank]

I believe in death after life if that helps.

[Minnie the Minx]

I believe in death after life if that helps.

[Sneelock]

am I alive in my dreams? I think maybe I can go there after I die -- wherever the hell that is. I think that's an option.

[Polishgirl]

Are you talking about a belief in life after la petite mort?

[Sneelock]

give la petite mort my best. best wishes to Big Mort too!

[Minnie the Minx]

I don't believe in life after death, no. The older I get, the more I am attracted to the notion of life cycles being finite and worth more because of their comparatively short span to the timeline of the Earth. I see others take great comfort in the notion of an afterwards, and I am sometimes envious of that and I am glad that they find something solid in that idea. It's not really for me though.

I've watched a lot of people die, and as they have gone and their body stops I've always felt thank fuck for that, it's over for them. I would hate to think that they would carry on when they've tried hard to get some bloody rest. I mean life's knackering enough as it is. To suddenly wake up again? For infinity? Surrounded by everyone else who ever died? That's about the least peaceful thing I can possibly think of.

[Samoan]

Are you talking about a belief in life after la petite mort?

It's just sex sex sex with you.

[Samoan]

Do you believe in an after life and if so, can you describe the form you believe it takes?

Hopefully yes, I'm on the organ donation list.

[hookfinger]

If there is life after death and my cat Fang isn't there waiting for me, I ain't going!

[Polishgirl]

Are you talking about a belief in life after la petite mort?

It's just sex sex sex with you.

I'm Catholic.

[harvey k-tel]

No. The christian idea of heaven, with the clouds and pearly gates and angels with wings and harps is fucking ludicrous, although it's made for some pretty pictures.

I think one just stops living, and that's it. I'm prepared to be pretty fucking freaked out if there is something on the other side, and I'm aware that I've died and entered this "other place" or whatever.

[Polishgirl]

To answer the question, yes, for animals. Not so sure about people.

There's DEFINITELY a cat heaven.

[harvey k-tel]

Cats get all the fucking exemptions, don't they?

[Rayge]

I think that Life is unitary and continuous, and that individuation and self-consciousness is a shockingly brief, yet glorious, effulgent aberration, much like a spark chipped from a flint or a laser striking a cosmic disco ball, and that while every individual life ends, Life, as a principle, continues, continually recreated and celebrated by the flashes that come after (and before, and around in all the many cycles), and there is comfort there for those approaching death. It's all good
I assumed in your poll you meant an individual life, and voted accordingly,

[Polishgirl]

Cats get all the fucking exemptions, don't they?

That's why they're so smug and snooty.

[Davey the Fat Boy]

I believe that whatever happens (or not), happens (or not).

[Rayge]

yep, exactly. Except I hope that at the moment of death I will become aware that I am being reabsorbed and that the tiny nugget of pain at my centre, the grit that made my pearl, was the sense of separation into consciousness.

[toomanyhatz]

I went with 'don't know.' I'm so predictable, I know!

As always, I define anything spiritual in such nebulous terms as to not really have a logical answer in terms of who/what we are on earth. Does some physical part of us survive? I think it's unquestionable that it does- back to the earth and all that- pushin' up daisies, feeding worms, mixing with the soil. All good stuff.

Does our consciousness survive? Maybe, but certainly not in its current form.

I'm with Hookfinger on the cat thing, though. Pillowz and I always joke about entering heaven and every cat we've ever lived with greeting us all at once. We figure we'll be up to at least 25 between us if we both live a good long life.

It'll certainly be nice to see Jack again (*sniff*).

[Davey the Fat Boy]

Was there life before birth?

[toomanyhatz]

Just to further the discussion, a friend of mine (who is an atheist) balked at the notion of loving someone 'forever' saying that you can only love someone 'until death.'

But if your consciousness no longer exists once your gone, doesn't that mean your 'forever' is over?