This post probably has stuff that can be deemed offensive about Christianity, sorry if it offends you.
So last RE lesson, we started a discussion about the existence of an after life and does the idea comfort people. Or something along those lines. It started off about that but then went into all sorts of different directions. Just wanna write all my thoughts about it down.
So many people believe in the concept of an afterlife and an idea of there being a Heaven after they die. They may believe that Heaven is just the next step and death doesn't signify the end of their life. I think all of that is bullshit. After you die, you are just dead and there is nothing you can do about it. But of course, people are scared of death, it's a natural reaction and that's why they cling on to the idea of an afterlife to make themselves feel better; it comforts them and helps them deal with death. I guess it's good that people do come up with this idea if it makes them feel better but I don't believe in any of it. I believe that when you die, that is it, that is the end of your life. Hopefully, you would've led a good and fulfilling life where you managed to at least do some of the things you enjoyed, which is better than doing nothing you enjoyed. Maybe I think differently because I've never had to go through the grief of losing anyone but I doubt that when I do, I will think “It's okay because they are dead, they are just in Heaven so it is all fine”. I'll most likely think “At least they had a good life and we had good times together, that was good”.
I take comfort in the fact that they had a good time while being alive instead of focusing on how they're in some magical, non existent place. I think this is better because it makes you cherish life more. Instead of wasting your real life not doing anything and restricting yourself, thinking “I have to do everything right so I'll get to Heaven!” and not commit suicide or anything, you should just do what you want to do and focus on making your life great. Not saying you should go and murder people and stomp on kittens but if you want to kill yourself – go ahead. I don't see why people say suicide is such a massive sin because surely it is better to end your life and end your grief rather than go on living in despair. Either way, the Bible is full of so much contradictory text you can't even really know what's wrong or right. It's not like they're actually God's own words either.
Also, someone in my class mentioned about how after her grandmother died, she believed that she was still a part of her and that her grandma was guiding her in her life still. I don't think that it's her grandma actually there but that she wants it to be like that so badly, she begins to imagine it and trick herself into believing it's actually real. The only thing alive about her is the memory of her. This is just another comfort thing and another way of coping, tricking yourself into believing they are somehow still there so you won't have to deal with the fact they're dead. It's like with ghosts. So many people think they see ghosts but I believe that they just trick themselves into believing it's real, like when you look at something and you're so sure it's one thing but then you look closer and it's something completely different altogether. It's like that.
The idea of reincarnation was also brought up but there's no proof for that. People make up all sorts of shit all the time – look at the Bible for instance. That was all made up by lots of different people. I don't believe in reincarnation either, but the idea of the Dalai Lama is pretty interesting. I don't really know how this happens. For those who don't know, you can read about it
here.
Although there is no proof for reincarnation, there is no proof of a Heaven or my belief of things just ending when you die either. But then again, these ideas aren't really about what is true or not. It's what people believe to make them feel better. Someone mentioned that we shouldn't question these things and let people keep on believing what they want because they got all pissy and upset that people said they didn't believe in Heaven like she did. I can see why she said this because if I believed in Heaven to try and help me, I wouldn't want someone telling me my cat wasn't living happily in Kitty Heaven after all or something similarly stupid. Except I don't believe in that. I think we SHOULD question these things and find out about it in order to gain more knowledge and educate ourselves, rather than keep on being stupid. Without questioning things, we wouldn't be able to have so many of the technological things we have no. Furthermore, there are still people who believe that God created people even when there is so much scientific evidence for evolution. People with firm beliefs will still believe what they want to believe.
Another point I'd like to add is what my friend Anna said. She compared our lives to being like a light bulb. The light bulb being on is like being awake and alive, off is like sleeping and the light bulb smashing is like death. Then there is no more of that 'life', it's dead. Does the light bulb go to a little light bulb heaven? No, it's just there, useless and dead. I think was such a genius thought and I agree with it fully. I may have written it wrong because it was a while ago but yeah. I don't know why but this managed to make so many people angry. Some people argued that we weren't light bulbs. Of course we aren't, the light bulb was just a comparison! Anna and I ended up getting into an argument with another classmate. I can't recall exactly what she said but it was... erm... not very great. She believed in Heaven and said that because religion came before science, that was the proof that religion was right. Except it really wasn't. There is no proper proof of a God but scientists do experiments and figure out things and there is proof of that. People like this make me wonder about humanity and why are they like this. It makes me sad.
Just wanted to write all of this down hah.