die dying dead

[Tazz]

what do you believe happens after you die? Me, being an atheist an all, I dont believe you go anywhere, youre just gone. But it would be nice to think that you go to another place. not necessarily "heaven" just some place where you wont get too bored, a place that presents you with challenges. Id like it if theres music and stuff too, then I guess I could be happy. and people to talk too, friends. Someone I knew died not too long ago, and things like that makes you wonder...
twould be cool if you could be born again or something, but it would be very uncool to come back as a tapeworm or,... i dunno, a maggot. ew. I dont think Id wanna come back unless it was as a human, or maybe some animal like a tiger (in the wild though) or a the queens puppy. on second thoughts, the queens dog is butt ugly and fat so maybe not. neway, im going off topic here.
Basically, I believe that when youre dead youre dead and thats it. but it would be cool if there was something more to look forward too. I would be nice if I could believe it too, but I really just cant.

I heard something (excuse me if I dont get all the details right) but that after youre body is dead, your brain can still be active for a few split seconds, and to you this time can feel like years and years, and it feels as though youre dreaming.
What if you have a nightmare though... and it feels like years and you dont even know youre "dreaming". Sounds like hell to me.

what do you guys all think?

peace,
Tazz

[Epee_Pox]

If you've ever blacked out or passed out suddenly, you know what it feels like for the blood to stop getting to your brain. You get all fuzzy for a second then lose consciousness entirely.

As dying involves the brain no longer getting oxygen, the same thing pretty much happens to you then. So the bit about staying conscious or dreaming for some time afterward is not likely; I wouldn't worry about that if I were you.

[telkanuru]

"Do you think death is like a boat?"
"No, no. Death isn't, if you take my meaning. Death is the ultimate negative. You can't not be on a boat."
"I've frequently not been on boats."
"No, what you've been is not on boats."
"I wish I were dead."
-Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, by Tom Stoppard

I'd just say it dosn't matter.

[ThatReallyHurt]

That's a tough question. I believe in the concept of a soul, and the concept of Heaven, but I don't see it as one thing for everyone... I see it as being an individual experience.

Hmm... reading that over again, it doesn't make a lot of sense, but it's the best I can describe it, sorry...

[cornflower]

In the immortal words of Ralph Wiggum -- "Dying tickles."

[cornflower]

If there's a Heaven then yay.
If there's a dark, empty and unconscious abyss, then why should we worry? It's not like there would be any suffering. If we were simply gone, then our consciousnesses would also be non-existent; therefore, we wouldn't be aware of the lack of afterlife.

[cornflower]

Originally Posted by ThatReallyHurt

That's a tough question. I believe in the concept of a soul, and the concept of Heaven, but I don't see it as one thing for everyone... I see it as being an individual experience.

Hmm... reading that over again, it doesn't make a lot of sense, but it's the best I can describe it, sorry...

You mean, sort of like that movie - "What Dreams May Come"?

[ThatReallyHurt]

Originally Posted by cornflower

You mean, sort of like that movie - "What Dreams May Come"?

Never heard of that one... I take it it's about dying?

[rcmatthews]

Its sort of an adaptation of The Inferno. It's a pretty good movie, but very depressing i think.

[cornflower]

Originally Posted by ThatReallyHurt

Never heard of that one... I take it it's about dying?

It's a good flick, Robin Williams is in it. Basically, the idea of heaven presented in that movie is that heaven is what you want it to be.

[Gav]

Personally I thnk that movie is quite quite flawed. But that's just the contrarian in me.

[MikeHarm]

I've always been partial to the idea that you start out trapped in this dream world where subjective and objective reality sort of swirl around so you can't tell the difference unless you're strong willed. If you're able to focus enough then you can sort of gain conrol and either force your way back into being able to interract with the real world or possess someone, reincarnate etc or abandon our world and travle on to wherever dead people feel like travelling to. If you're not strong enough then you sort of lose cohesion over time becoming sort of like an echo that slowly fades out of existance forever.

If you look at near death experiences and ghost stories its consistant with my theory. Yeah, people see angels and such. But the other stuff they report isn't consistant with the religious spin, people see people who are alive still, santa claus, the easter bunny and whatever else is in their minds too.

[howtobrew]

It is my considered opinion that there IS something beyond. I have three data points.
1. A near death experience of my uncle during bypass surgery. The external point of view, memory of doctor conversations, etc, consistent with other peoples.
2. The death of my cousin from AIDS when he saw the light, got out of bed, and walked toward a blank wall before getting back into bed and expiring peacefully.
3. My mother-in-law, a non-Christian, has seen and talked to ghosts many, many times, including sailors on the Queen Mary, departed family members, and ghosts associated with a house my brother in law bought. None of the family members stuck around for long, a few weeks at most. No we haven't had deep discussions about what it means, because as a non-Christian, it doesn't *mean* anything to her, and it creeps my wife out. And as a scientist, it creeps me out to a certain extent, so that I don't go poking at it, if you know what I mean. Kind of like Muggles and Dementors.

[swordwench]

Some part of me almost hopes that when it's over, it's over. Then I might have some hope of getting a full night's sleep FOR ONCE. It might be worth it just to be left in peace for all eternity.