Sam Harris

I guess I never really thought about it before, and I’m not sure why I thought of it.  But my mind was rolling over the big bang, and I was thinking about life of any kind in another star system.  We’re all connected.  Every single one of us, plant, animal, planet, star, galaxy…we’re all made of the universe and the universe is made of us.  Made me feel better than anything religion did, and oddly enough made me feel content about my own inevitable death.

So I’m kinda of curious.  Heavy subject, but how do other people who do not believe in an afterlife feel about their death?

I have had a long and interesting life, most of it as a church-going Christian.  I always looked forward to eternity as a place I would finally meet my grandparents as well as be reunited with those I had loved here on earth.  The scientific evidence is on the side of death as our annihilation. This has helped me focus on enjoying the here and now and spending as much of my retirement as possible with my loving and beloved family. Whatever I can do to bring joy and peace to those I love will have good consequences that will live beyond my death.

The idea of an afterlife has always been bizaar to me. Just seems totally irrational. The death of the cells in our body is the end our pain and suffering. It can be no other way. Just as it is for every carbon based life form on our planet.

I resolved the idea of my own death long ago. I made an agreement with myself to engage life, and try and stay as healthy and active for as long as possible. I want to challenge it for as long as I can but, when my time is up, I have internally already accepted it. I have done as good as I can.

I have a biological daughter. I look at her and see the connection you are talking about Cody. I see DNA and Genes. I see her mother and myself. I will live on through her. We are all truly connected and all very fortunate to experience, what we know as ‘life’ We cannot complain or not be accepting of death, which is just the other side of nonexistence. It’s the right hand part of the bargain. We once were not and we will once be not…again. And when we reach the right wall…we will no longer be able to care.

I think it’s inspiring to know we only have so much time. And it’s inspiring to know we are all in the same boat.