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 deCypher
Registered: 02/10/08
Posts: 56,232
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 Suppose you were granted undeniable knowledge of the afterlife...  1
#13854516 - 01/26/11 02:41 PM (13 years, 2 months ago) |
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And it turned out that there's nothing after we die. No more experience, no Heaven, no Hell, no anything. Would this change how you live your life? What would you do?
And similarly, what if you found out with absolute certainty that there will be an afterlife, but you know nothing about it apart from that there will be something after death (be it reincarnation, purgatory, or what have you)? How would your life be affected by this knowledge?
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We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
  
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 argg
Stranger
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Posts: 4,848
Loc: Nigeria
Last seen: 12 years, 10 months
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 Re: Suppose you were granted undeniable knowledge of the afterlife... [Re: deCypher]
#13854569 - 01/26/11 02:51 PM (13 years, 2 months ago) |
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no difference to me. The way people thinks its judged if pretty stupid if there is even though I think there is not. If some cocksucker told me I had to worship him everyday or I go to a "hell: I would probably kill him.
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Chronic7
Registered: 05/08/04
Posts: 13,679
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Re: Suppose you were granted undeniable knowledge of the afterlife... [Re: deCypher]
#13854584 - 01/26/11 02:54 PM (13 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
deCypher said:
And it turned out that there's nothing after we die, no anything.
That 'nothing' is more alive then any of us pretend to be, so either way there is life after death, just not necessarily for your ego
Im diggin the freeman pic though, im watching through the wormhole series atm
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g00ru
lit pants tit licker
Registered: 08/09/07
Posts: 21,088
Loc: georgia, us
Last seen: 5 years, 4 months
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Re: Suppose you were granted undeniable knowledge of the afterlife... [Re: Chronic7]
#13854654 - 01/26/11 03:07 PM (13 years, 2 months ago) |
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My goals and daily life would be exactly the same, if anything i'd just have a smaller context for all my actions that i do now, where i pretty much assume that there is an afterlife.
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check out my music!
drowse in prison and your waking will be but loss
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Tony
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Re: Suppose you were granted undeniable knowledge of the afterlife... [Re: g00ru]
#13854762 - 01/26/11 03:25 PM (13 years, 2 months ago) |
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Suppose you just became conscious as you emerge from the ocean of sleep as some kind of a being made out of water, propelled by some invisible force upwards into the sky. For a while you enjoy the flight, passing through clouds towards the stars, but then the momentum runs out and gravity begins pulling you downwards again. Free falling through the clouds you realize you're going to splash back into the ocean and disintegrate entirely. And now you ask, "Will I ever taste air again? Was this my only chance?"
Suppose there were millions of similar beings constantly jumping out of the ocean and falling back into it, and all of them are asking the same question during free fall, "Am I going to die now?"
Suppose that this play was eternal.
How would I live my life if it were like this? Hmmmm... 
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deCypher
Registered: 02/10/08
Posts: 56,232
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Re: Suppose you were granted undeniable knowledge of the afterlife... [Re: Tony]
#13854809 - 01/26/11 03:34 PM (13 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
argg said:
If some cocksucker told me I had to worship him everyday or I go to a "hell: I would probably kill him.
Deicide, aye? Good luck considering the petty bastard's supposedly immortal. 
Quote:
The Chronic said:
Quote:
deCypher said:
And it turned out that there's nothing after we die, no anything.
That 'nothing' is more alive then any of us pretend to be
How so?
Quote:
guruu said:
My goals and daily life would be exactly the same, if anything i'd just have a smaller context for all my actions that i do now, where i pretty much assume that there is an afterlife.
You really wouldn't change anything? IMO if I believed there was an afterlife I'd be much less driven to get anything done now because there's not as much urgency; time wouldn't be as significant a factor.
Quote:
Tony said:
Suppose you just became conscious as you emerge from the ocean of sleep as some kind of a being made out of water, propelled by some invisible force upwards into the sky. For a while you enjoy the flight, passing through clouds towards the stars, but then the momentum runs out and gravity begins pulling you downwards again. Free falling through the clouds you realize you're going to splash back into the ocean and disintegrate entirely. And now you ask, "Will I ever taste air again? Was this my only chance?"
This reminded me of the whale scene from the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
"And wow! Hey! What's this thing coming towards me very fast? Very very fast. So big and flat and round, it needs a big wide sounding word like... ow... ound... round... ground! That's it! That's a good name -ground! I wonder if it will be friends with me?"
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We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
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Icelander
The Minstrel in the Gallery
Registered: 03/15/05
Posts: 95,368
Loc: underbelly
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Re: Suppose you were granted undeniable knowledge of the afterlife... [Re: deCypher] 1
#13854819 - 01/26/11 03:35 PM (13 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
deCypher said:
And it turned out that there's nothing after we die. No more experience, no Heaven, no Hell, no anything. Would this change how you live your life? What would you do?
And similarly, what if you found out with absolute certainty that there will be an afterlife, but you know nothing about it apart from that there will be something after death (be it reincarnation, purgatory, or what have you)? How would your life be affected by this knowledge?
Anybody who can honestly say no to both is enlightened. 
I had to go back and include the word "honestly" after reading the other responses.
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"Don't believe everything you think". -Anom.
" All that lives was born to die"-Anom.
With much wisdom comes much sorrow,
The more knowledge, the more grief.
Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC
Edited by Icelander (01/26/11 03:38 PM)
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Icelander
The Minstrel in the Gallery
Registered: 03/15/05
Posts: 95,368
Loc: underbelly
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Re: Suppose you were granted undeniable knowledge of the afterlife... [Re: Chronic7]
#13854830 - 01/26/11 03:36 PM (13 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
The Chronic said:
Quote:
deCypher said:
And it turned out that there's nothing after we die, no anything.
That 'nothing' is more alive then any of us pretend to be, so either way there is life after death, just not necessarily for your ego
Im diggin the freeman pic though, im watching through the wormhole series atm
I would expect you to cop out on the question.
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"Don't believe everything you think". -Anom.
" All that lives was born to die"-Anom.
With much wisdom comes much sorrow,
The more knowledge, the more grief.
Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC
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Chronic7
Registered: 05/08/04
Posts: 13,679
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Re: Suppose you were granted undeniable knowledge of the afterlife... [Re: deCypher] 1
#13854868 - 01/26/11 03:43 PM (13 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
deCypher said:
Quote:
The Chronic said:
Quote:
deCypher said:
And it turned out that there's nothing after we die, no anything.
That 'nothing' is more alive then any of us pretend to be
How so?
Nothing lasts, things don't.
Surely that which endures is more 'alive' that that which decays 
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Edited by Chronic7 (01/26/11 04:02 PM)
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Chronic7
Registered: 05/08/04
Posts: 13,679
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Re: Suppose you were granted undeniable knowledge of the afterlife... [Re: Icelander]
#13854976 - 01/26/11 04:00 PM (13 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
Icelander said:
Quote:
The Chronic said:
Quote:
deCypher said:
And it turned out that there's nothing after we die, no anything.
That 'nothing' is more alive then any of us pretend to be, so either way there is life after death, just not necessarily for your ego
Im diggin the freeman pic though, im watching through the wormhole series atm
I would expect you to cop out on the question.
I didn't answer the original question because both scenarios lead to me living my life exactly how i'm living it right now... so it would make no difference at all whether reincarnation or total extinguishing of a personal identity is true at the moment of death. The momentum leading up to that point of release would move in exactly the same way as its already set in motion.
I thought it would be more helpful to reconsider what we classify as 'life' rather then speculate about its continuance, we may just find it never started so it can never end, so continuance is a mere concept, as for something to continue it must have had to have had a definitive start.
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Icelander
The Minstrel in the Gallery
Registered: 03/15/05
Posts: 95,368
Loc: underbelly
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Re: Suppose you were granted undeniable knowledge of the afterlife... [Re: Chronic7]
#13854994 - 01/26/11 04:03 PM (13 years, 2 months ago) |
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more helpful? To whom? People create threads for their own ends, not yours. Just sayin.
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"Don't believe everything you think". -Anom.
" All that lives was born to die"-Anom.
With much wisdom comes much sorrow,
The more knowledge, the more grief.
Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC
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g00ru
lit pants tit licker
Registered: 08/09/07
Posts: 21,088
Loc: georgia, us
Last seen: 5 years, 4 months
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Re: Suppose you were granted undeniable knowledge of the afterlife... [Re: deCypher]
#13855161 - 01/26/11 04:34 PM (13 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
deCypher said:
Quote:
guruu said:
My goals and daily life would be exactly the same, if anything i'd just have a smaller context for all my actions that i do now, where i pretty much assume that there is an afterlife.
You really wouldn't change anything? IMO if I believed there was an afterlife I'd be much less driven to get anything done now because there's not as much urgency; time wouldn't be as significant a factor.
Well, death is still a huge event. There's still a giant incentive to accomplish anything because from the perspective of "me," of the ego, this life is all there is. I do think that certain projects can span multiple lifetimes, like artistic pursuits or the quest for enlightenment. But sooner or later you gotta put the work in, and it might as well be in this life. I want ever day to be better than the last and ever life to be better than the last.
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check out my music!
drowse in prison and your waking will be but loss
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blewmeanie
Registered: 10/01/06
Posts: 28,984
Loc: 
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Re: Suppose you were granted undeniable knowledge of the afterlife... [Re: deCypher]
#13856467 - 01/26/11 08:37 PM (13 years, 2 months ago) |
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I'm already leading my life under that assumption, so no, difference. On the other hand if there was life afterwards, it would depend on the context whether or not my life would be any different.
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deCypher
Registered: 02/10/08
Posts: 56,232
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Re: Suppose you were granted undeniable knowledge of the afterlife... [Re: Chronic7]
#13856493 - 01/26/11 08:43 PM (13 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
The Chronic said:
I didn't answer the original question because both scenarios lead to me living my life exactly how i'm living it right now... so it would make no difference at all whether reincarnation or total extinguishing of a personal identity is true at the moment of death.
Cool, I like how you meet Icelander's criteria for enlightenment.
Quote:
blewmeanie said:
On the other hand if there was life afterwards, it would depend on the context whether or not my life would be any different.
Indeed, and that's an interesting gamble. Do you live your life so morally that you avoid stepping on bugs just to get on the possible good side of a God if He (or She!) exists? Do you flip a coin to decide which religion to follow on the slight chance you actually pick the one that doesn't get you sent to a Hell? Or do you just hope really hard that whatever afterlife you get sent to it will be a benevolent one?
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We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
Edited by deCypher (01/26/11 08:50 PM)
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blewmeanie
Registered: 10/01/06
Posts: 28,984
Loc:
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Re: Suppose you were granted undeniable knowledge of the afterlife... [Re: deCypher] 1
#13856594 - 01/26/11 09:01 PM (13 years, 2 months ago) |
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Raging my way into Valhalla seems like the best choice at the moment. Maybe I'd break into the Hofburg Museum in Vienna, steal the spear of destiny, and charge my way out the door with it in one last bloody confrontation with the world.
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dmob12
SupaFuxed
Registered: 09/14/08
Posts: 846
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Re: Suppose you were granted undeniable knowledge of the afterlife... [Re: deCypher]
#13856614 - 01/26/11 09:04 PM (13 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
deCypher said:
And it turned out that there's nothing after we die. No more experience, no Heaven, no Hell, no anything. Would this change how you live your life? What would you do?
If this is the case then I have already been granted this knowlege. Your second question I will not consider because I am stubborn in my beliefs, or lack thereof.
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Traversing the galaxies one trip at a time.
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deCypher
Registered: 02/10/08
Posts: 56,232
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Re: Suppose you were granted undeniable knowledge of the afterlife... [Re: dmob12]
#13856633 - 01/26/11 09:06 PM (13 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
blewmeanie said:
Raging my way into Valhalla seems like the best choice at the moment. Maybe I'd break into the Hofburg Museum in Vienna, steal the spear of destiny, and charge my way out the door with it in one last bloody confrontation with the world.
That sounds pretty awesome, actually.
Quote:
dmob12 said:
Your second question I will not consider because I am stubborn in my beliefs, or lack thereof.
Too stubborn even to entertain a hypothetical? 
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We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
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c0sm0nautt
Registered: 05/19/08
Posts: 10,303
Loc: The Astral Realm
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Re: Suppose you were granted undeniable knowledge of the afterlife... [Re: deCypher]
#13857044 - 01/26/11 10:09 PM (13 years, 2 months ago) |
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I believe there is something after death. All this dream/obe stuff has me convinced. I'm not sure if "I", my personality, will make the trip when my body dies. If there is absolutely nothing, what a bummer, but there won't be any me to dwell on it. I'm going to live my life pursuing what excites me without thinking about any post-life consequences, yea know.
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DieCommie
Registered: 12/11/03
Posts: 29,258
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Re: Suppose you were granted undeniable knowledge of the afterlife... [Re: deCypher]
#13857227 - 01/26/11 10:42 PM (13 years, 2 months ago) |
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Quote:
Indeed, and that's an interesting gamble. Do you live your life so morally that you avoid stepping on bugs just to get on the possible good side of a God if He (or She!) exists? Do you flip a coin to decide which religion to follow on the slight chance you actually pick the one that doesn't get you sent to a Hell? Or do you just hope really hard that whatever afterlife you get sent to it will be a benevolent one?
If I knew there was an afterlife, but I knew not of its nature... I sure wouldnt assume a 'heaven for good hell for bad' christain paradigm. I would probably assume that what I did now would not impact my 'station' in the afterlife at all.
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Cups
technically "here"
Registered: 12/24/09
Posts: 1,925
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Re: Suppose you were granted undeniable knowledge of the afterlife... [Re: DieCommie]
#13857389 - 01/26/11 11:15 PM (13 years, 2 months ago) |
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I don't think either realization would change how I live my life...but I DO think it would play a role in how long I choose to live my life.
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What's up everybody?!
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