To ask about the afterlife

[el1zabeth]

I'm hoping that someone will be able to explain to me how the whole idea of an afterlife works (if there is one) I am not religious at all, but my genuine question is this. Does everything that has ever lived, from the smallest insect to the largest animal, including dinosaurs live for eternity in the afterlife? Do they age, and if so would that mean there's a whole load of people, animals etc etc possibly millions of years old?

Also, and this is one thing that really baffles me; if I die when I'm 80 years old, well my mum died when she was 70, dad at 72 (I was mid thirties at the time) so, how then would they know who I am in the afterlife because I would be older than them when I get there or will they have aged too?
It's a lovely thought to believe that you'll meet your loved ones again, but it just doesn't make sense to think that every single thing that's ever lived since the beginning of time will be there too.
My mind is blown!

I believe in an afterlife where we exist as souls. The thought of living forever terrifies me though, but I think it’s simply because it’s incomprehensible to us in our current state, like the concept of infinity and eternity can’t be truly understood in this existence.

Don’t believe anyone who claims to know the answer as by definition they’re either lying or deluded

And I need evidence to prove that souls don't exist, saying they don't exist is not enough

Do you need evidence that gnomes don’t exist? Pink unicorns? Leprechauns? Do you believe in everything until it’s proved that it doesn’t exist? How silly.

Im a Christian and have no doubt in my mind that Im going to heaven, its great to know whats ahead for me. There's lots I dont know about heaven but do know its going to be even better than i can possibly imagine. Jesus died on the cross as a punishment for all the daft silly things I have done. I dont want to come across too heavy but everyone needs to ask God for forgiveness, start a relationship with him and u will b saved too. Maybe see u there.😉

We're all made up of atoms. Just like your car, sofa or the last dinner you ate. When we die, our atoms will make up something else. That's the afterlife as far as I know it.

As much as I'd love to believe I'd get a second chance at life, an after life or reincarnation, I don't believe there's anything else after death. It's a shame.

@someoneInTheLaaaaaounge

Yeah I really like Peter Fenwick, he is a psychiatrist and a total
sceptic until he started studying NDEs :)

It was only a few seconds, and I was a child, I couldn't breathe, was
choking and must have lost consciousness briefly, a relative saved me
and seconds before it, I was at one side of the room, my body over at
the opposite side. I saw myself - outside of myself. I didn't feel a
pull anywhere other than back into my body.

I've also had weird experiences when two of my relatives died. One had
cancer but we all thought she would get better, but on the morning she
died, I dreamt of her leaving her body in the hospital bed, being met
by an older man who took her hand, they were both sort of transparent
and they floated out and up through the wall. I woke and my dad had
left me a voice message (phone was on silent). I couldn't listen until
the next day (too freaked out in case it was what I thought it was),
when I did, he said she had passed that morning. It was the only time
I ever had a dream like that before or after. It literally only
happened on the morning she died and I had no idea she had gotten
worse.

The other time was more recent. Another relative who was in his 50s
had cancer but seemed to be recovering so thought nothing of it. Some
weird things happened the night before he died. I felt like someone
was standing watching me in my home. I never ever feel this way. It
literally felt like someone was physically there but of course no one
was. I had an urge to play songs by Bruce Springsteen - the first song
that came into my mind was Dancing in the Dark - I hadn't listened to
it for many years as I'm not a fan of his. I put it and a few others
on by him. The following day, my phone done something it has never
done before - the alarm ring tone changed without me even touching it

• literally, you have to go into several menus to do that so it can't

have happened by accident. And it went off and I wondered at first what it was because I didn't recognise the tone. It has never

done it
again since I changed the tone back. My relative died around 2am that
morning. When we went to funeral the next week, one of the songs
played was Dancing in the dark, the woman who done the service said
Bruce was his favourite singer - I did not know that because we were
never close.

Of course these things prove nothing, they are just plain weird..
there's other weird stuff that's happened to me (and people I've know)
but I don't want to go on and on about them!

But I do believe we have a soul that continues once our body dies. I
never used to. For most of my life I believed death was the end.

Total nonbeliever here. When you're dead, you're dead in my opinion.

There seems to be a consistent experience of people who have near death experiences. Many if not all of them I have heard say that they “see” their body from above or another side of the room. A pp on this thread has recounted such an experience.

I reckon our souls do go elsewhere after we die. To the people who have said with confidence that there is no afterlife: we simply cannot know whether or not there is. People who have had near death experiences and been brought back from death are our most useful form of data so I do tend to listen to what they have to say!

Why do some posters insist that they know there is no afterlife? None of us know for sure whether there is or not. Such arrogance

No body knows really. However, I believe there is something. Before, I was not so sure, until my father passed away. When he was really poorly and we knew his end was near, I asked him if he could give me a sign that there was something more and let me know when he has crossed to the other side and suddenly I asked for a shooting star. At this point, he was mainly unconscious. But he could hear me, as he would squeeze my hand in response sometimes and also managed to open his eyes with all his strength when I asked him. Anyway, the night of the day he passed, we went out to look in the sky. After about 10 minutes, we saw two shooting starts in the space of one minute. The chances of this happening were so small, as all my life, I have never seen a shooting star in my home town. Not to mention, because of the tall trees and the house location, there was not a large amount of sky to look at. I would not have believed it happened, except for the fact my mom was there with me.

I guess that’s the point of having a faith. You believe in a certain afterlife etc for a good life on earth. You have faith it’ll happen by being a good person etc no one knows what it’s like.

Personally I like to think it’s like the good place.

@FreeBedForFlys my belief is not silly. There are a lot of things in life that you can't prove, so some people will believe it and other people won't. Like shrouding cat. It is not wrong or silly to disagree until absolute certainty comes.

I think we die, and are gone. I think our personality is brain-based; there's no spirit or soul. The afterlife is just a reassuring thought for those that need it.

Why do some posters insist that they know there is no afterlife? None of us know for sure whether there is or not. Such arrogance

It seems no more arrogant than those who are sure that there is an afterlife, and claim to know in some detail how it will be organised! But their arrogance gets relabeled as faith

(And in fact it's rather more rational only to believe things for which there is evidence.)

Nobody can insist either way that there is or is not an afterlife ,I think there is a lot of "unknown" and no one knows for sure .

Having lost a few people/beloved pets recently I'm kinda taking comfort from the idea of them all being together somewhere, but in my head I know that that's not really true or possible.

"Nobody can insist either way that there is or is not an afterlife"

Give it five minutes, there's bound to be someone saying "I'm posting from hell" 😁 likely just a commuter.

Waves to thigh (followed you over - which sounds a bit afterlifey) I think there IS an afterlife a) because I sometimes astral-travel and believe I've seen 'heaven' b) My Taoist daddy has just passed away and the ladymonk/incense & blessings will have helped him start his journey c) We're having a ceremony at the Temple on the 49th day after his passing to give him a final 'nudge' if needed... the 'proof' IS that Taoists believe/I believe and I expect to meet him in Singapore one day and walk down our favourite road/eat satay/go to his tailors in Pagoda St - so there...

Sorry elizabeth - my post doesn't offer anything at all... seems to be about belief though i suppose... the logistics have always bothered me too, in terms of ages/health/if people were divorced/age at death etc etc... yes mind-blowing i'd agree!! It's just the thought of NO afterlife feels/sounds too desolate for me atm after dad's recent passing

Mumsnet is good but it does not possess the answer to life, the universe and everything.
Literally, your guess us as good as ours.
So pick the version of the afterlife that brings you most comfort, and roll with that.
And, if you're wrong, remember to come back and let us know

What about people who commit suicide?

XJodie

That is really, really kind of you to share your experiences, thank you!

I am so so fascinated and I think you must have a really lovely connection.

Thanks everyone else who has shared their experiences. Starlight, beautiful story!

I do feel a bit riled when people suggest we all need to apologise to God or we are going to burn..... but whatever, that’s not what I believe!

I occasionally have a reoccurring dream where I am either waiting at the base of a vast tree, or at the entrance to a mountain pass. I am very impatient to ascend the tree/ enter the mountain pass and at the same time I experience this incredible feeling of wonder, awe and joy that far surpasses anything I have ever felt in real life. I am not religious at all, but I'm pretty certain that these dreams are foreshadows of what's waiting for me when I die.

mother87 I wholeheartedly agree, in as much as I don't think there's anything after death, but the lovely thought that perhaps I will see my parents again at some point brings comfort.