The Afterlife

The Afterlife

I begin with rather this simple question, Is there an Afterlife?, the question sounds simple in the ordinary context, but also vague because of the uncertainties and extravagances associated with the question and the thought of it. There  is  no  simple  answer to  this  question,  in  part  because  the  idea  of  “the  afterlife  as  commonly understood”  is  an  oversimplification.  Many  religious  and  philosophical traditions  have  developed  conceptions  of  the  afterlife,  and  these conceptions  differ  from  one  another  in  significant  respects.  I  have  no hope  of  doing  justice  here  either  to  the  complexity  of  these  various  doctrines  or  to  the  differences  among  them.

What are this General Assumption Of The Afterlife?.

The   afterlife  as  it  has  traditionally  been  conceived  offers  the  prospect  that  the  worst  deficiencies  of  this world  will  somehow  be  made  good  in  the  next.  Those  who  have  prospered  by  treating  others  cruelly  or  unjustly  will  be  held  to  account.  Those who  have  been  victimized  or  oppressed  will  receive  recognition,  reward, or  recompense.  Those  who  have  endured  pain,  poverty,  and  loss  will  at last  be  granted  comfort  and  relief.  The  sufferings  of  the  innocent  and  the triumphs  of  the  vicious,  so  hard  to  endure  or  to  accept  in  this  world,  will be  set  in  a  wider  context  that  makes  sense  of  them  and  reveals  them  to have  served  some  purpose  that  redeems  them. Also, the  afterlife  has  seemed  important  to people  for  (at  least)  the  following  reasons:  it  has  seemed  to  offer  them the  prospect  of  personal  survival,  of  relief  from  the  fear  of  death,  of  being reunited  with  their  loved  ones,  of  seeing  cosmic  justice  done,  of  receiving a  satisfying  explanation  for  some  of  life’s  most  troubling  features,  and  of gaining  assurance  that  their  lives  have  some  larger  purpose  or  significance. Well, all this idealogies I am indifferent about, thus, I do not say they are falsification or a justified truth.

My  primary  interest,  however,  is  not  in  whether  our  hopes  for  the afterlife  can  be  satisfied for the purpose of this article,  but  rather  in  what  those  hopes  and  desires  can teach  us  about  ourselves  and  our  values and on how to be better Humans". 

Since, we cannot prove or paint the exact picture of what the afterlife looks like because it is inexplicable; I would paint the afterlife as the " continued  existence  of  other  people (our loved ones)  after  one’s  own  death or the continued existence of other lives and all forms of activities performed by this lives after our death."

Why define afterlife as the continued existence of other lives and their activities after ones death? , it can simply be devised that, only the dead has the knowledge and full comprehension of what exactly the picture of the afterlife looks like irrespective of the traditional conception we may believe in. Hence, it is preferable to hold this analogy that "those that continue to live after the departure of our lives should rather define it as the continued existence of their lives after the death of a loved one"

Essentially true,  after our deaths all activities of those still living with continue inevitably. 

But of what importance or essence is the continued existence or other lives and their activities to us afterlife, some may say they bother less of what become of other lives and their activities and others may think differently in respect to the saying "we take nothing with us when we die, what remains of us are our values, the cultures and traditions we build during our lifetime. True, our death or the death of a loved one will definitely pose a devastating effect, most of our loved ones will have a measure of emotional breakdown , others will remain in denial depending on the level of bonding we had during our period of existence. But, as days, months and years pass by, the hurtings caused by our deaths will fade gradually. To further say, after the inevitable termination of our lives someday, will the continued existence and their activities still hold or show a reflection of the values, cultures and traditions or personal projects we built?, will their continued existence preserve our values, culture and traditions long after we're gone?

(For the sake of simplicity I will swap the term "personal projects" for "values, cultures and traditions".)

During our lifetime, we may embark on different personal projects such as getting a certification in Medicine, Journalism or Mathematics, finding a cure for Cancer, COVID-19, Ebola, HIV/AIDS; Advocating for peace in Afghanistan, standing for women education and equality and others. All this personal projects are ways to prove to oneself that one's life has a purpose and a course of direction. Tho' all the aforementioned projects are relevant projects which one could embark on in one's lifetime. However, the relevance of whether these personal projects hold importance to us and our loved ones during our existence is to be considered, another factor to consider is whether these personal projects will hold any importance or continue to survive after we cease to exist.

The value, culture and traditions or personal projects we built during our existence is what becomes of us and defines what our afterlife is. I therefore implore all readers for the sake of the afterlife that we live a value laden life; that we build projects or values, culture and traditions that will continue to survive and provide an amount of goodness to the existing lives after our death.

One should live ones life to the fullest, in the same vein, one should live one's life the way one wants, however one should live a "value laden life". 

The question is will our life matter after our deaths, will the values, culture and traditions or personal projects we embrace during our existence continue to survive even when we are no more.

Your comments on my insight on the topic will be really appreciated.

Reference: 

Movie and novel the fault in our stars.

The Afterlife_by SAMUEL SCHEFFLER on Tanners lecture on Human values.

Edited by Anonymous

Thank you all.

Sanusi Whenayon Oluwasegun