What Happens After We Die

I'm writing this in response to Kev Quirk's article of the same title, which can be found here on his blog.

This is a interesting topic for me, one that I'm not sure I'll be able to do justice with my writing, but hey let's give it a shot.

I was raised in an atheist family, so to me there never has been an alternative to the idea of "nothing" (as Kev mentioned) happening after death. Just like I didn't exist before I was born, I'll simply not exist after I pass. To me, it evokes the same feeling as thinking about space, and what occurs outside of the observable universe. It's impossible for me to imagine just pure, infinite nothingness. But that's just it, and to be honest, it is a terrifying thing.

There'll be moments, maybe once or twice a year, were I feel an existential dread as the thought crosses my mind. After life, is just...nothing. The feeling typically passes in a few moments, but it's a reminder of the space the thought occupies in my head.

As I got older, I started to dive into Buddhism a little bit. Not too seriously, but enough to pick up some concepts from various books. In Buddhism, there is the concept of Maraṇasati, or mindfulness of death. In short, embracing and being present in the now, knowing that death can come at any moment. At first it seems a negative notion, one could interpret it as being constantly afraid of death. But really, it's acknowledging that yes, death awaits, and that's even more reason to not waste the present. Be more mindful, life is impermanent and that's okay.

Buddhism also teaches of the interdependence of all things. This ties directly into Kev's statement that the elements that we are made of will go on to to be recycled, and eventually make other life. Birth and death are not the end, they are simply milestones on the journey the elements that compose you are taking. Noah Rasheta did an excellent podcast episode on this topic, which you can find here.

I probably should have more in depth thoughts on this subject, especially as my mother is a philosophy professor that teaches a class specifically on death and dying, but to be honest I still try to avoid thinking about death. I've experienced a fair amount of it, my grandfather when I was a teenager, my father in 2017, and my grandmother a few days after my father. While it is comforting to think of the concepts I detailed above, it doesn't (and shouldn't) fully ease the pain of loss, or remove the fear of death. These concepts simply help you understand and guide your emotions, and live a better now.

Anyways, thanks to Kev for posting an excellent article that got me thinking this morning!