| Courtesy of Weheartit.com |
Statements like this always make me think.
The afterlife means many things to many people and is believed for a whole different range of reasons.
Say you are a person who believes that when you finish with this life you go to a place where souls gather, you reunite with your family and loved ones, then proceed to spend eternity (which is a really, really long time) doing your favourite activity while eating and drinking your favourite things (writing longhand, listening to music or watching current fav TV series, while eating popcorn and drinking red wine [yes I'm a highly developed being]).
So you are okay with whatever happens in this life because you believe that what is waiting for you is going to leave you in state of peace and contentment for all time.
Now that is taken away from you.
There is no afterlife.
The real question now comes out-
What about this life?
Are you doing everything you hoped you would in this life?
Regardless of whether there is an afterlife or not, shouldn't we all be concerned with what is actually happening in the life we have? This one life, never to be repeated (do you think much new stuff would happen in the afterlife as it may just be a projection of what you know, ie: if I never go to New York during life, will I get to see it in the afterlife... but that is an ENTIRELY different conversation), this one life, are you being true to yourself?
Are you living the life you thought you would? And if not, what did you think would be different? Are you going to do anything about it now? Can you do anything to change the path?
If you have one life, you can never come back, and when you're done that's the end of the line, are you living true?
Is your life an honest, true reflection of everything you hold dear in your heart?
i love this post
ReplyDeleteand have been thinkign about stuff like this lately myself (about how i want to spend my life and what is important to me)
Good post. Have you heard of Paschal's Wager? It's an interesting take on a reason to believe in the afterlife and the quality of this life...
ReplyDeleteI read an article about Stephen Hawking's comment this morning. He seems so certain about everything he says; but I wonder if he really is? When his final moments come, will he still believe his "circuits" are about to freeze up and go out forever, or will he pray at the end because there will be a smidgen of hope for himself that he was wrong? I wonder.
ReplyDeletePlease visit my blog. I "tagged" you there!
@nomes - thanks nomes! It's something that does come up from time to time doesn't it...
ReplyDelete@faith - thank-you! i haven't heard of paschal's wager but now i'm intrigued and will have a look into it.
@lisa - i wonder as well whether or not he will be so matter-of-fact about the end of his life. i will pop over to your blog now!
thanks for your comments guys! i guess sometimes i feel like i should be doing more, or something else, but im just not sure what, and i hope that when my time comes i can say that i lived how i wanted to live and made the most of every moment. i think at the moment i am worried that i dont think i can say that.
i will say one thing- having the support of all my blogger friends makes me feel better :) xxx
Hey Alison, I saw you tagged over at Lisa Ricard Claro's blog so popped over. Given Stephen Hawkings condition and tone of retoric I wonder if what we are hearing is his anger at God. Pascal's Wager is worth your time. This was my blog on the topic. http://livelearnwithsally.blogspot.com/2010/10/pascal-me.html
ReplyDeleteHave a great day!
This is something I think about now and then, mostly to wonder about people who DO believe in an afterlife, and whether that affects how they life this life. I guess my hope is that people are all living this life as fully as they can, and then if they are proven right and they do have an afterlife of some kind, it ends up being an awesome bonus round.
ReplyDeleteNo matter what your beliefs, I do think it's pretty critical to stop and take stock now and then, make sure you're living your life the way you really want to live it.