Deathcabforugly
Member
- Apr 25, 2020
- 72
Does anyone believe in an afterlife? I'm just curious to see what some of the different beliefs might be.
This gave me a different perspective of the after life. It's a short story.
The Egg
By: Andy Weir
You were on your way home when you died.
It was a car accident. Nothing particularly remarkable, but fatal nonetheless. You left behind a wife and two children. It was a painless death. The EMTs tried their best to save you, but to no avail. Your body was so utterly shattered you were better off, trust me.
And that's when you met me.
"What… what happened?" You asked. "Where am I?"
"You died," I said, matter-of-factly. No point in mincing words.
"There was a… a truck and it was skidding…"
"Yup," I said.
"I… I died?"
"Yup. But don't feel bad about it. Everyone dies," I said.
You looked around. There was nothingness. Just you and me. "What is this place?" You asked. "Is this the afterlife?"
"More or less," I said.
"Are you god?" You asked.
"Yup," I replied. "I'm God."
"My kids… my wife," you said.
"What about them?"
"Will they be all right?"
"That's what I like to see," I said. "You just died and your main concern is for your family. That's good stuff right there."
You looked at me with fascination. To you, I didn't look like God. I just looked like some man. Or possibly a woman. Some vague authority figure, maybe. More of a grammar school teacher than the almighty.
"Don't worry," I said. "They'll be fine. Your kids will remember you as perfect in every way. They didn't have time to grow contempt for you. Your wife will cry on the outside, but will be secretly relieved. To be fair, your marriage was falling apart. If it's any consolation, she'll feel very guilty for feeling relieved."
"Oh," you said. "So what happens now? Do I go to heaven or hell or something?"
"Neither," I said. "You'll be reincarnated."
"Ah," you said. "So the Hindus were right,"
"All religions are right in their own way," I said. "Walk with me."
You followed along as we strode through the void. "Where are we going?"
"Nowhere in particular," I said. "It's just nice to walk while we talk."
"So what's the point, then?" You asked. "When I get reborn, I'll just be a blank slate, right? A baby. So all my experiences and everything I did in this life won't matter."
"Not so!" I said. "You have within you all the knowledge and experiences of all your past lives. You just don't remember them right now."
I stopped walking and took you by the shoulders. "Your soul is more magnificent, beautiful, and gigantic than you can possibly imagine. A human mind can only contain a tiny fraction of what you are. It's like sticking your finger in a glass of water to see if it's hot or cold. You put a tiny part of yourself into the vessel, and when you bring it back out, you've gained all the experiences it had.
"You've been in a human for the last 48 years, so you haven't stretched out yet and felt the rest of your immense consciousness. If we hung out here for long enough, you'd start remembering everything. But there's no point to doing that between each life."
"How many times have I been reincarnated, then?"
"Oh lots. Lots and lots. An in to lots of different lives." I said. "This time around, you'll be a Chinese peasant girl in 540 AD."
"Wait, what?" You stammered. "You're sending me back in time?"
"Well, I guess technically. Time, as you know it, only exists in your universe. Things are different where I come from."
"Where you come from?" You said.
"Oh sure," I explained "I come from somewhere. Somewhere else. And there are others like me. I know you'll want to know what it's like there, but honestly you wouldn't understand."
"Oh," you said, a little let down. "But wait. If I get reincarnated to other places in time, I could have interacted with myself at some point."
"Sure. Happens all the time. And with both lives only aware of their own lifespan you don't even know it's happening."
"So what's the point of it all?"
"Seriously?" I asked. "Seriously? You're asking me for the meaning of life? Isn't that a little stereotypical?"
"Well it's a reasonable question," you persisted.
I looked you in the eye. "The meaning of life, the reason I made this whole universe, is for you to mature."
"You mean mankind? You want us to mature?"
"No, just you. I made this whole universe for you. With each new life you grow and mature and become a larger and greater intellect."
"Just me? What about everyone else?"
"There is no one else," I said. "In this universe, there's just you and me."
You stared blankly at me. "But all the people on earth…"
"All you. Different incarnations of you."
"Wait. I'm everyone!?"
"Now you're getting it," I said, with a congratulatory slap on the back.
"I'm every human being who ever lived?"
"Or who will ever live, yes."
"I'm Abraham Lincoln?"
"And you're John Wilkes Booth, too," I added.
"I'm Hitler?" You said, appalled.
"And you're the millions he killed."
"I'm Jesus?"
"And you're everyone who followed him."
You fell silent.
"Every time you victimized someone," I said, "you were victimizing yourself. Every act of kindness you've done, you've done to yourself. Every happy and sad moment ever experienced by any human was, or will be, experienced by you."
You thought for a long time.
"Why?" You asked me. "Why do all this?"
"Because someday, you will become like me. Because that's what you are. You're one of my kind. You're my child."
"Whoa," you said, incredulous. "You mean I'm a god?"
"No. Not yet. You're a fetus. You're still growing. Once you've lived every human life throughout all time, you will have grown enough to be born."
"So the whole universe," you said, "it's just…"
"An egg." I answered. "Now it's time for you to move on to your next life."
And I sent you on your way.
The Egg
By: Andy Weir
You were on your way home when you died.
It was a car accident. Nothing particularly remarkable, but fatal nonetheless. You left behind a wife and two children. It was a painless death. The EMTs tried their best to save you, but to no avail. Your body was so utterly shattered you were better off, trust me.
And that's when you met me.
"What… what happened?" You asked. "Where am I?"
"You died," I said, matter-of-factly. No point in mincing words.
"There was a… a truck and it was skidding…"
"Yup," I said.
"I… I died?"
"Yup. But don't feel bad about it. Everyone dies," I said.
You looked around. There was nothingness. Just you and me. "What is this place?" You asked. "Is this the afterlife?"
"More or less," I said.
"Are you god?" You asked.
"Yup," I replied. "I'm God."
"My kids… my wife," you said.
"What about them?"
"Will they be all right?"
"That's what I like to see," I said. "You just died and your main concern is for your family. That's good stuff right there."
You looked at me with fascination. To you, I didn't look like God. I just looked like some man. Or possibly a woman. Some vague authority figure, maybe. More of a grammar school teacher than the almighty.
"Don't worry," I said. "They'll be fine. Your kids will remember you as perfect in every way. They didn't have time to grow contempt for you. Your wife will cry on the outside, but will be secretly relieved. To be fair, your marriage was falling apart. If it's any consolation, she'll feel very guilty for feeling relieved."
"Oh," you said. "So what happens now? Do I go to heaven or hell or something?"
"Neither," I said. "You'll be reincarnated."
"Ah," you said. "So the Hindus were right,"
"All religions are right in their own way," I said. "Walk with me."
You followed along as we strode through the void. "Where are we going?"
"Nowhere in particular," I said. "It's just nice to walk while we talk."
"So what's the point, then?" You asked. "When I get reborn, I'll just be a blank slate, right? A baby. So all my experiences and everything I did in this life won't matter."
"Not so!" I said. "You have within you all the knowledge and experiences of all your past lives. You just don't remember them right now."
I stopped walking and took you by the shoulders. "Your soul is more magnificent, beautiful, and gigantic than you can possibly imagine. A human mind can only contain a tiny fraction of what you are. It's like sticking your finger in a glass of water to see if it's hot or cold. You put a tiny part of yourself into the vessel, and when you bring it back out, you've gained all the experiences it had.
"You've been in a human for the last 48 years, so you haven't stretched out yet and felt the rest of your immense consciousness. If we hung out here for long enough, you'd start remembering everything. But there's no point to doing that between each life."
"How many times have I been reincarnated, then?"
"Oh lots. Lots and lots. An in to lots of different lives." I said. "This time around, you'll be a Chinese peasant girl in 540 AD."
"Wait, what?" You stammered. "You're sending me back in time?"
"Well, I guess technically. Time, as you know it, only exists in your universe. Things are different where I come from."
"Where you come from?" You said.
"Oh sure," I explained "I come from somewhere. Somewhere else. And there are others like me. I know you'll want to know what it's like there, but honestly you wouldn't understand."
"Oh," you said, a little let down. "But wait. If I get reincarnated to other places in time, I could have interacted with myself at some point."
"Sure. Happens all the time. And with both lives only aware of their own lifespan you don't even know it's happening."
"So what's the point of it all?"
"Seriously?" I asked. "Seriously? You're asking me for the meaning of life? Isn't that a little stereotypical?"
"Well it's a reasonable question," you persisted.
I looked you in the eye. "The meaning of life, the reason I made this whole universe, is for you to mature."
"You mean mankind? You want us to mature?"
"No, just you. I made this whole universe for you. With each new life you grow and mature and become a larger and greater intellect."
"Just me? What about everyone else?"
"There is no one else," I said. "In this universe, there's just you and me."
You stared blankly at me. "But all the people on earth…"
"All you. Different incarnations of you."
"Wait. I'm everyone!?"
"Now you're getting it," I said, with a congratulatory slap on the back.
"I'm every human being who ever lived?"
"Or who will ever live, yes."
"I'm Abraham Lincoln?"
"And you're John Wilkes Booth, too," I added.
"I'm Hitler?" You said, appalled.
"And you're the millions he killed."
"I'm Jesus?"
"And you're everyone who followed him."
You fell silent.
"Every time you victimized someone," I said, "you were victimizing yourself. Every act of kindness you've done, you've done to yourself. Every happy and sad moment ever experienced by any human was, or will be, experienced by you."
You thought for a long time.
"Why?" You asked me. "Why do all this?"
"Because someday, you will become like me. Because that's what you are. You're one of my kind. You're my child."
"Whoa," you said, incredulous. "You mean I'm a god?"
"No. Not yet. You're a fetus. You're still growing. Once you've lived every human life throughout all time, you will have grown enough to be born."
"So the whole universe," you said, "it's just…"
"An egg." I answered. "Now it's time for you to move on to your next life."
And I sent you on your way.
a.n.kirillov
velle non discitur
- Nov 17, 2019
- 1,831
gus.nixon
and now we rise and we are everywhere
- Apr 19, 2020
- 309
x-Ace-x
Experienced
- Aug 20, 2019
- 295
BridgeJumper
The Arsonist
- Apr 7, 2019
- 1,194
Not sure. Id like to believe afterlife exists because the idea of not existing scares me, but I can never prove or disprove that theres something awaiting me after I die, until I actually kill myself
yetme
Arcanist
- Oct 20, 2019
- 486
I don't wanna be Hitler...
shit I just wanna be in a healthy body
shit I just wanna be in a healthy body
TheGoodGuy
Visionary
- Aug 27, 2018
- 2,999
This is probably the most probable answer but I also think life might be a simulation and desperately hope that it somehow is one or is a dream and when I kill myself I wake up from this nightmare living in the paradise that was my childhood.
Especially the part where he says death will most likely be the same experience as before you were born. I also made this thread a while back which I think is probably the closest experience you can come to death since you have basically no brain activity when you are under anesthesia you just go unconcious and suddenly wake up you don´t dream or remember some movement while sleeping you just suddenly wake up.
Especially the part where he says death will most likely be the same experience as before you were born. I also made this thread a while back which I think is probably the closest experience you can come to death since you have basically no brain activity when you are under anesthesia you just go unconcious and suddenly wake up you don´t dream or remember some movement while sleeping you just suddenly wake up.
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Mitty
Member
- Apr 19, 2020
- 16
I don't know nothing about this but I hope not. Hasn't life been hard enough already ? The thought of being stuck in an endless cycle scares me more than anything else.
I really hope and wish for an afterlife. That is of course, of my own design and not including Hell.
I don't believe there is an afterlife, and I also don't want there to be one. I'm tired of being alive and conscious, I want to sleep a dreamless sleep that lasts forever.
strand
Member
- Apr 11, 2020
- 45
No, I don't believe there's an afterlife but I sometimes think about what I'd like to come back as, just for fun. I wouldn't want to live as a person again, the possibilities seem scary, but I would like to live as a sea animal, a whale maybe.
I don't think I want afterlife, existence is too much pain and I don't believe in heaven.
Jumper Geo
Life's a bitch and then you die.
- Feb 23, 2020
- 2,910
Deathcabforugly
Member
- Apr 25, 2020
- 72
im scarred Im going to Hell. Sometimes I think I think I deserve it but I'm still scared. I've done bad things
last_tour
Member
- Apr 8, 2020
- 62
From all the stories I read about NDE's it seems to come to the same conclusions that as humans we won't be able to fully comprehend the after life. Like an insect or fish woulnd't be able to understand human life. We might see glimpses of it but never in its entirety. The only way to know it is to experience it ourselves, once we're there it will have very little semblance to human life. So it won't be heaven or hell, it will be totally something else none of us could have imagined 
William Barker
Experienced
- Mar 25, 2020
- 216
Lorntroubles
Photography by Haris Nukem.
- Jan 19, 2020
- 3,095
Nobody truly knows and if they get in a tizzy then they are a fool. There are those who will dispute "everything ceases and that's it" but do you know for 100% certainty and can you prove it? There is always more than what meets the eye and more than what our living minds can think up of. If I can go somewhere nice and cleansed from this world that dragged me down, I'd take it!!! I definitely don't deserve to suffer as I already have.
I believe when I die I will go to Heaven because, Jesus died for me.
Afterlife are just us human nature who afraid of death think of this ideal that even after we die there be a life exist. Nope.
If there is such thing exist, then SERIAL KILLERS out there wouldn't be hanging in jail enjoy their day by day pass by lol, because soul of those they kill will haunt them every freaking night, they wouldn't even be able to sleep well.
NONE, NOTHING. Dead is the end, and if you want to live in the bubble where it make you feel comfy and your ideal world of something after it, feel free to do so. Don't be disappoint when after you die you won't be know jack shit anymore, you wouldn't have a conscious left to know anything.
If there is such thing exist, then SERIAL KILLERS out there wouldn't be hanging in jail enjoy their day by day pass by lol, because soul of those they kill will haunt them every freaking night, they wouldn't even be able to sleep well.
NONE, NOTHING. Dead is the end, and if you want to live in the bubble where it make you feel comfy and your ideal world of something after it, feel free to do so. Don't be disappoint when after you die you won't be know jack shit anymore, you wouldn't have a conscious left to know anything.
Erdapfel
I am a german potato
- Feb 19, 2020
- 48
The more I think about it, the more I get terrified of it.
I don't mind paradise or nirwana, but I'm terrified of hell and reincarnation.
I don't mind paradise or nirwana, but I'm terrified of hell and reincarnation.
kaz
Member
- Apr 22, 2020
- 42
the only fear I have is to reincarnate in a worse life, otherwise I am not afraid of anything, going to hell or eternal darkness, paradise would be good
DyslexicForeigner
Student
- Dec 27, 2018
- 135
These videos from offTheLeftEye YouTube Channel has plenty ammount of information and evidence from the man whose name is Emmanuel Swedenborg.
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Disintegration
Life is a terminal sexually transmitted disease.
- Sep 28, 2019
- 190
Me too sometimes, it's hard to escape that mindset when your indoctrinated by Christian dogma. If you analyze religions that believe in hell they don't make any sense, they contradict their teachings way too often. I've concluded that the only version of hell that exists is in my mind. The nature of this universe doesn't support such illogical notions as an afterlife of eternal suffering.
Bct
Disqualified from Being Human
- Apr 20, 2020
- 419
I don't believe the afterlife exists or reincarnation happens. Yet if they do, worse shits will happen to me based on what I've done in the current life.
InTheAirTonight
I tried
- Feb 29, 2020
- 475
Afterlife is a purely man-made concept and holds no ground rationally speaking. Once you realize and accept this, it's very liberating.
Lutembëe
Student
- Feb 19, 2020
- 140
I'm way more afraid of reincarnation than going to hell or heaven. I really don't want to have a new shittier life once I CTB. That scares me.
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