Imagine there's no heaven

No hell below us, above us only sky.

The loss of someone in my department to accidental death at only 43 has got me thinking about mortality in general. I am very saddened by death, partly because I don’t believe in an afterlife… at least not in the way it’s most commonly conceived. I do think that such things as memories or impressions might be passed along genetically, and maybe it’s also possible that one has some kind of a consciousness beyond the life of the flesh. There are too many unexplained events and stories related to near-death experiences, out-of-body phenomena, and the incredible coincidences in the lives of twins raised apart for me to be able to dismiss it all away, but I reject the concept of the “supernatural”. If something occurs, then it occurs within the realm of nature -- things which happen (in nature, in the world, in the world) are not "supernatural" any more than dreams or the sense of smell. I generally reject the concept of the "spiritual" as being a different realm than the "physical" or "natural".

I don't know the answers and don't think it's possible to know. Well... that's the definition of an agnostic, right?

Mythology is cool, it's fascinating because there are a thousand fairy tales that have been created to explain natural occurences... and people believe them... literally... with all their heart and mind (speaking figuratively, of course) [grin]

I try to remain skeptical about everything that will never have a definitive answer, and to question all my beliefs. It's fine to commit to a belief, as long as you know why it is that you believe it. Believing in a heavenly afterlife to maintain a delusion that maybe life doesn't end in death does not have a good enough reason for the belief.

I guess it depends on whether you prefer the blue pill or the red.