The Collected Writings of Sardonicus

Eh, might as well try to put myself on the hotseat. Let's talk about... afterlife. Sounds as good as any topic, I guess. Do I believe it in?.... Not really. I believe I've ruled out the usual suspects such as reincarnation, achieving nirvana or enlightenment, and the likelihood of some weird Heaven above the clouds where people walk around in white robes, or a Hell with fire and brimstone. What I DO believe is that SOMETHING must happen with the life energy. I'd find it hard to believe that this unique energy that all living things have is the one thing that defies universal law. So what is this then? I feel that just as life can be felt, so can death. Almost like a Jedi enterring the Force (forgive me for this analogy). Well... at least before Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan found a way to retain their independent personalities. That's when the comparison starts to get a little farfetched. Anyway, returning to the topic at hand... People leave "imprints," if you will, on the enviroment around them when they die. Now, of course I'm not talking about ghosts or wandering spirits in the traditional sense, but find the possibility of seemingly independent action from released life-force to be interesting enough to consider. I say "seemingly," because I don't think there's usually any real intent, but I do think that sometimes the characteristics of a life essence can reflect the nature of the energies of the person/being while they lived. For example, if a person died a gruesome and horrifying death while suffering, it's likely that they will leave behind a negative "imprint," and potentially leave behind a "haunted house"-like environment. If a person dies after living a long, fulfilling life, the "imprint" would likely be much more positive and loving. The strength of the imprint that's left behind would, of course, be indicative on the personality of the deceased, and the personality of his/her death.

Now here's going for brownie points. Does religion have anything to do with how someone passes on? Perhaps. People who take comfort in a religion probably better prepare themselves for the inevitable, and are- in general- more able to pass on peacefully and with a sense of comfort in the belief that they "know" what ahead of them and don't have to be scared. But would a person of one religion be inherently favored above another after death? No. Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, etc., it's not so much WHAT they think of afterlife that sustains these religions, it's how they instruct people to approach the subject of afterlife. Some religions probably prepare you better than others, but there's no categorical rule here. Now, I'm not much of a "believer" in guys like John Edwards- I mean the "psychic,"not the former Vice Presidential candidate- or any of the other people who supposedly talk to the dead, but even THEY seem to all generally agree that the religion of the person while they were amongst the living seemed to have no effect on their passage onto the "other side." Perhaps that's just to comfort the people who want to be comforted, but I honestly think that to them- as people who believe they can talk to the deceased- religion never really seems to come up as a legitimate subject. And to most other people's common sense, the same is true. I think that most people see the logic and sense in religious-neutrality in death, and ONLY when they're reminded to THINK about the "teachings" of their own religion do they sink into a pathetic religious one-upsmanship. There are roughly the same number of Muslims as Christians, and there are also boatloads of Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, etc., and the belief that ONE of them is right and will be rewarded EXCLUSIVELY is retarded. The fact that any one religion can feel so smug in their after-life monopoly is not only strange, but, frankly, sad.

But, of course, everyone will always desperately try to find their own way to feel- at least subconsciously- superior to other people, and that will never change. Whether it be religion, class, ethnic group, etc., it's nice to believe that you INHERENTLY are favored. Of course, greedy people use this knowledge to exploit others, and generous people use this knowledge to help others, but, essentially the motivating factors are the same.

Or maybe after we die there's just... nothing. This is far and away the MOST LIKELY of all the scenarios. But it's the one that's least helpful to believe. If there are two options: nothing, and after-life, either way, it's better to believe in after-life. It's simply more comforting- especially when a loved one passes away, you want to believe they're going some place good- and it makes the prospect of death a little less scary. Right now... I'm undecided which I believe. I'm sure once more people I know begin to die, I'll slowly convince myself to believe in afterlife out of almost a need for stability, but I'll probably never be CERTAIN. And I think I'm okay with that. But, I should really try to believe. Death is one of those things where you can never be too optimistic. After all, if you're wrong, you won't know it anyway :).

Okay, this was my "I need to get this off my chest"-entry. Hopefully I feel more light-hearted in future entries.