what would you do if you found out that death is the real end?

[noone]

lets say for the sake of argument that you people who are spiritual found out that it is the 100% truth that after our physical body dies,that is it the complete end of our consciousness and all of our thoughts and memories are completely wiped out. would you guys live your lives differently? would you be more scared? would you be depressed? i think many people would probably live their lives differently.

[frosting]

I would keep living exactly how I am.

[Midnite]

Not to be too cynical, but I would go and kill myself tomorrow for I would be living a waste of time. Fortunately for me, I am more than 100% convinced an afterlife exists.

[arpee]

If death were eternal, I would be living in the same way as if life were eternal...


This life is NOW, and whether you believe in an afterlife or not, you have to live NOW in this day to day life. So I guess things wouldn't be too different.

[DayDream]

I have no doubt. There is an afterlife, I have been given proof many times. I am thankful that I have this knowledge. My hope is that people who have doubts will one day experience something to erase those doubts. Life is so much easier when you no longer have to be afraid of death as well as knowing your loved ones who have passed are still there.

[Silwer]

If death was the real end there really wouldn't be anything to worry about :3

[MrRottenTreats]

i would go out and do some crazy things beause there would be no judgement day or anything to worry about if you die... it would just be over.

[cheesedip1]

Originally Posted by Midnite

Not to be too cynical, but I would go and kill myself tomorrow for I would be living a waste of time. Fortunately for me, I am more than 100% convinced an afterlife exists.

Wow. Really? rofl

I'd want to live life....

[ChristsLight]

Originally Posted by Midnite

Not to be too cynical, but I would go and kill myself tomorrow for I would be living a waste of time. Fortunately for me, I am more than 100% convinced an afterlife exists.

I mean no offense by this, but do you think this attitude is healthy?

If you are wrapped up in your identity, then you're bound to suffer, whether or not consciousness continues after death.

It's actually a very good question, because it shows us what we'd do when the ego's very existence is threatened.

[ButterflyWoman]

I don't know that death is NOT "the end" or that it is. I don't know anything about what will happen or not happen when I die. I've heard hundreds of stories about what happens when people die, and for all I know, they're all true, but maybe that's only what happens when THOSE people died. Perhaps when I die, something else, or, possibly, nothing, will happen.

There's no way to know, and no point stressing about it, IMHO. I don't live my life in anticipation of an afterlife. In my observation, a lot of people who live that way end up missing out on a great deal while they're alive, because they're so focussed on their particular concept of what will happen when they're dead! (Note: I didn't say "everyone". )

Whatever happens, happens. Whatever is, is. Whatever is not, is not. I'm comfortable with the idea of death, and I'm comfortable with the ambiguity around it. I'm not attached to "knowing".

[Rezzy7]

How?!??

(For the sake of argument.)

[Midnite]

Originally Posted by ChristsLight

I mean no offense by this, but do you think this attitude is healthy?

If you are wrapped up in your identity, then you're bound to suffer, whether or not consciousness continues after death.

It's actually a very good question, because it shows us what we'd do when the ego's very existence is threatened.

It's quite unhealthy when you think about it. But I am by no means a 'healthy' kind of person. Being healthy means the continuation of the body with the least resistence other than that presented by ageing. I however place greater importance on that which is spiritual rather than that which is physical.

I am not afraid of death. I have died before when I was 3 years old. I have also met 'death' himself. What's left of my Ego is quite centred on the materialistic rather than on it's continuation.

I wouldn't waste my time going through the amount of crap I have without knowing there is some kind of reason for why I do. We are too minimal for the Universe to care whether we are here or not. In the end of the day, what matters is personal spiritual growth. Growth that continues on an inter-life basis.

I'm not sure I understand your comment about the Ego's existence being threatened. If it all ends after one life, how does the Ego become affected?

[DarkTears]

im pretty sure I would be the same since im already weird and if their is an end, im pretty sure alot of people where to be different.......which I want to say but in the world we live in dieing is already like that, since lots of people already think about it, even I sometimes think that the afterlife is a fake place to mislead you into going there just to be "deleted"....... of coarse, no one will ever know til it is there time............

[supremeDMK]

If I found out death is the end then I would literally do everything that's illigal/immoral since it won't be punished in the afterlife (just as long as I don't get caught while I still life lol)

[ChristsLight]

Originally Posted by Midnite

It's quite unhealthy when you think about it. But I am by no means a 'healthy' kind of person. Being healthy means the continuation of the body with the least resistence other than that presented by ageing. I however place greater importance on that which is spiritual rather than that which is physical.

I didn't mean physically healthy. I meant emotionally, mentally, yes even spiritually.

Originally Posted by Midnite

I am not afraid of death. I have died before when I was 3 years old. I have also met 'death' himself. What's left of my Ego is quite centred on the materialistic rather than on it's continuation.

I wouldn't waste my time going through the amount of crap I have without knowing there is some kind of reason for why I do. We are too minimal for the Universe to care whether we are here or not. In the end of the day, what matters is personal spiritual growth. Growth that continues on an inter-life basis.

Exactly what I'm saying. You need to know there's some sort of greater reason, and that this all leads to something.

Originally Posted by Midnite

I'm not sure I understand your comment about the Ego's existence being threatened. If it all ends after one life, how does the Ego become affected?

The ego is your sense of separation. So one's thoughts about death would be the same as their thoughts about ego death. it's all the death of the self.

I'm not blaming you in the least. It's just that your post surprised me.

[DarkTears]

this is a different question from what was out, but who made the word, or how was the word death found...........

Ive always wanted to ask these questions but i was always suppressing them + forget fullness........I have many different questions about the words we have today and wat now, and how they relate.........sorry for going of topic :0

[ButterflyWoman]

Originally Posted by supremeDMK

If I found out death is the end then I would literally do everything that's illigal/immoral since it won't be punished in the afterlife (just as long as I don't get caught while I still life lol)

See, I don't get this. Do you really want to kidnap and torture people? Commit forcible rape (on men, women, children, animals, whatever)? Poison crops? Whatever... ?

Why would you WANT to do all those things? What possible pleasure could you get from it?

I've always wanted to understand why and how people get pleasure from these kinds of things. Please, explain it to me.

[DarkTears]

some people just do, some just want to experience doing things...........

but alot of things, hold everyone back from doing what they cannot........

my head is hurting to let me continue.........

[supremeDMK]

Originally Posted by ButterflyWoman

See, I don't get this. Do you really want to kidnap and torture people? Commit forcible rape (on men, women, children, animals, whatever)? Poison crops? Whatever... ?

Why would you WANT to do all those things? What possible pleasure could you get from it?

I've always wanted to understand why and how people get pleasure from these kinds of things. Please, explain it to me.

First of all allow me to put up a little disclaimer:
This is ALL hypothetical!!!

Now in this world I have a belief that we live for a greater purpose and when we die we reincarnate/move to a different plane/whatever floats your boat.

But in the hypothetical world we talk about there is no such purpose. We can effectively do what we want because the constraint of a higher purpose to aim at is removed. This opens up all sorts of things that can be done without fear of divine judgement after death. So in this little world it would not be "why would you WANT to do al those things" but instead "why would you NOT WANT to do al those things."

[ButterflyWoman]

Originally Posted by supremeDMK

First of all allow me to put up a little disclaimer:
This is ALL hypothetical!!!

Yeah, I get that. I'm genuinely interested in why people want to cause horrific pain and harm on others. I've always wanted to understand it.

Originally Posted by supremeDMK

But in the hypothetical world we talk about there is no such purpose. We can effectively do what we want because the constraint of a higher purpose to aim at is removed. This opens up all sorts of things that can be done without fear of divine judgement after death.

Yes, I get all that.

You said you would do everything immoral and illegal. I wanted to know if you really wanted to do everything that could be considered immoral or illegal, including some of the ones I mentioned.

I don't have any concerns about some sort of divine retribution, and yet I still don't want to torture animals or randomly kill people. What I wanted to know is why someone wants to do that, and what sort of gratification and pleasure they get from it. Your first answer implied that if it weren't for the constraints of your belief system, you'd commit all manner of immoral and illegal acts, and I was interested in the mindset of that, but apparently you didn't mean what you wrote, or I read it differently from what you intended.

So, nevermind. I'll have to continue in my quest to understand what I was asking about. There ARE people in this world who do those things. I have always wanted to understand how their minds work that makes these things attractive. I get the "why not" thing, but that's not what I was asking.

[supremeDMK]

Originally Posted by ButterflyWoman

Yeah, I get that. I'm genuinely interested in why people want to cause horrific pain and harm on others. I've always wanted to understand it.


Yes, I get all that.

You said you would do everything immoral and illegal. I wanted to know if you really wanted to do everything that could be considered immoral or illegal, including some of the ones I mentioned.

I don't have any concerns about some sort of divine retribution, and yet I still don't want to torture animals or randomly kill people. What I wanted to know is why someone wants to do that, and what sort of gratification and pleasure they get from it. Your first answer implied that if it weren't for the constraints of your belief system, you'd commit all manner of immoral and illegal acts, and I was interested in the mindset of that, but apparently you didn't mean what you wrote, or I read it differently from what you intended.

So, nevermind. I'll have to continue in my quest to understand what I was asking about. There ARE people in this world who do those things. I have always wanted to understand how their minds work that makes these things attractive. I get the "why not" thing, but that's not what I was asking.

Hmm, I did mean it so I will attempt to explain more: To murder or rape a person can be done for multiple reasons but it all boils down to domination, think about it: it can be done out of anger which means that you belief that you are right no matter what and in an explosive fit you end another life to prove your point, same thing for murder out of political reasons or even revenge/human judgement. Rape on the other hand (if it's not followed by murder) is also about domination except you scar someone mentally and physically to make your point, it can also be done for reasons stated above. But for some people the domination doesn't need a cover and they just do it to satisfy their primal lust for domination and persons like them are branded psychopats. I hope this is enough explanation for you.

[ButterflyWoman]

I understand the domination aspect, have for a long time. It doesn't make much sense to me, though, because it's easy to dominate a helpless person or animal. Big deal. I don't understand the appeal there. I also don't understand the pleasure in causing some animal or person pain, particularly when they're helpless. Beating someone in a fair fight, I get that as as dominance thing, but dominating the weak and helpless just seems pathetic to me.

Ah, well. Doesn't matter. I'll find the answers eventually. (I always get an answer to my questions, even if it sometimes takes a long time ).

Thanks, anyway.

[little missy]

I don't think people would live differently. Why would they. Most people only care what they can get for themselves now ,not about spiritual stuff in the next life.

I would go happily knowing that I had loved my family and sharing happiness with other people and creatures( namily my dog and the frogs in my backyard).

But God damn it, there is an afterlife

Originally Posted by noone

lets say for the sake of argument that you people who are spiritual found out that it is the 100% truth that after our physical body dies,that is it the complete end of our consciousness and all of our thoughts and memories are completely wiped out. would you guys live your lives differently? would you be more scared? would you be depressed? i think many people would probably live their lives differently.

[Donatas Kaulinis]

To people who write they wouldn't give a rat's ass about morality if there wasn't an afterlife: you (at the moment) suck. Sorry but you do. And quite a lot. This doesn't tell that your level of suckiness couldn't be changed or destroyed of course and I don't know what kind of a person you are, but I think if you hold these views... you have serious stuff to work on.

Do you not kill/rape/steal etc. just because you are afraid of punishment? Is this the only reason? Why would a perceived existence of an afterlife affect your behavior in such a radical way? I highly doubt that what you're writing is true and you only think that you would act this way.

Consider this, what if it was possible to do immoral things in the afterlife? For the sake of argument let's say that some sort of afterlife is real, there is judgement there, but you get a freepass from judgement for a year. Both there, and here legally. You can do whatever you want and you still go to the afterlife where everything is good. What would you do?

[alphamind]

It isn't wise to judge others' morals, everyone is at their own path and everyone has their own reasons for what they do. We probably all felt like murdering and torturing others' at some point in our journey... We did not magically appear in the state of mind we are now. We got here.

If it makes those of you who judge the 'immoral ones' feel any better, those who think immorally are already blocking their way to Heaven. Wanting to murder or torture somebody will all your heart isn't very far off from actually acting on it, especially if the 'inactivation' is due to fear of punishment in the afterlife. Heaven is in our mind/consciousness, not 'somewhere' you will reach if you fake yourself being pure. You can't fool your own self, so the wise thing to do is work on actually purifying ourselves than simply acting like it. In Midnite's words, There isn't anybody to fool but our self.

[supremeDMK]

Forgive me for appearing like a closet psychopath but do think a bit further please. If there was no afterlife then that means that the world is fundamentally differently structured. I don't think immorally (much) now because it doesn't serve a purpose for me, it literally is useless to seriously entertain thoughts of murder and the like for me because I belief in a higher purpose of reincarnation.

I really love this thread by the way, there should be more discussions like this.

[ChristsLight]

Originally Posted by supremeDMK

Forgive me for appearing like a closet psychopath but do think a bit further please. If there was no afterlife then that means that the world is fundamentally differently structured. I don't think immorally (much) now because it doesn't serve a purpose for me, it literally is useless to seriously entertain thoughts of murder and the like for me because I belief in a higher purpose of reincarnation.

So you don't kill because you are afraid of bad karma?

[supremeDMK]

Originally Posted by ChristsLight

So you don't kill because you are afraid of bad karma?

No, I don't fear bad karma, I simply regocnize it's uselessness. I'm a pacifist by the way, I haven't fought in over 6 years (and I go out weekly XD)

[Donatas Kaulinis]

I don't think immorally (much) now because it doesn't serve a purpose for me, it literally is useless to seriously entertain thoughts of murder and the like for me because I belief in a higher purpose of reincarnation.

In what case would it serve a purpose?

[supremeDMK]

Originally Posted by Donatas Kaulinis

In what case would it serve a purpose?

For those that don't care for the aftermath of immoral actions, thinking of them will result (often) in acting on them. If I'm not going to do something it's useless to think of it. Years of practicing meditation ensure that I'm always aware of the nature of the things that I think and allow me to intervene the moment I notice my thoughts are slipping in the wrong direction.