Flaxen Babbling About Life and Death, Once Again

Looks a Bit Like My Mate Barry After a Night on the Ale

I've touched on this topic previously in my blog. The meaning of life, and of course, death, should intrigue everyone, and to a certain extent, it does. Regarding death, most folk barely scratch the surface of the problem without digging deep. It comes as a dark thought (or dream) when we wake at 4 am slathered in cold sweat. Philosophers have pondered this intertwined duality of life/death for the past 2,500 years without any clear answer. If you want certainty, then you must turn to religion. Depending on the religion concerned and the denomination, the answer is different. Consider Judaism. Interestingly, unlike most religions, Judaism focuses heavily on this life, and their conception of the afterlife is often vague or none existent. Their Tanakh, the Christian Old Testament, is virtually bereft of commentary about what happens when we die. Apparently, due to Jewish tradition, we all have souls that leave the body at death. What happens after that is somewhat murky. Ask the Rabbi, but don't expect a clear answer. Christian tradition is murky as hell. This is where Judaism meets Platonic philosophy. But it is not apparent to the simple believer. The Priest and Vicar know this but are reluctant to share. Christianity has inherited the nebulous soul from Judaism but can be vague on its post-mortem destination. That's not strictly the case. Some Christian denominations are reassuringly certain about what happens. Consider Jehovah's Witnesses, for instance; righteous JWs receive heaven on Earth except for the 144,000 elect who go to heaven. The rest of humanity is annihilated- seems fair. According to the folk who collect this information, 61%  of Americans believe in an actual Heaven and Hell; no comment. Considering how many Christians believe in Heaven and Hell, they can be surprisingly inarticulate about what happens in the actual and final destination. This is interesting as, according to tradition, they are expected to reside there forever. Tis strange that some Christians believe their god to be just and benevolent but are happy to accept that sinners deserve to be punished for eternity. Likewise, Heaven is seen as a place of perpetual bliss. Surely, eternal bliss must become staid and banal after a couple millennia. 

Hinduism is highly explicit when it comes to what happens when we die. According to the Garuda Purana, the soul leaves the body at death. What happens to the soul depends on the accumulated karma achieved when alive. Most fall short, and the soul enters another body for reincarnation. Those souls that have accrued sufficient karma merge with the Divine (? enter Heaven), and the life/death cycle ends. There is also a concept of Hell for the very naughty. Hell has gradations of nasty experiences. But unlike the concept of Christian Hell, the punishment is not eternal and is a means of purification. Once purified, the cycle of rebirth/death continues. That is enough comparative religion and the notion of an 'active' or 'redemptive' afterlife. 

My Own Observations and Tentative Musings

The only certainty in life is death. As I grow old, I contemplate that I won't be here one day. As for the 'Meaning of Life', I've concluded that it is what you want it to be. For me, our existence has no meaning or sense of purpose. My existence is just a colossal cosmic accident. When pondering the statistics involved in the chance of any particular individual's existence, we must simply gape and stand in awe. And yet I am here. Like Descartes, I know I exist. Of that, I'm sure. As for others, there is always an element of doubt. To stave off the horrors of solipsism, I am happy to accept the existence of others unless future data suggests otherwise.

I'm not afraid of Death. I'm afraid of dying. I don't want to die as my father did. I want my demise to be swift and pain-free. As for what happens when I die, I have to say, if I'm going to be intellectually honest, "I don't know". The empirical evidence is lacking for a definitive conclusion. But that said, I can take a judicious guess.  According to all the empirical evidence, the seat of consciousness is tied inexplicably to the organic brain. I'm aware of the philosophical stance concerning mind/body duality that separates consciousness from the physical realm. I am not convinced this is a true reflection of reality and remain unrepentant in my conclusion. Without this 3 lb of organic matter between my ears, I would be one with none existence. 

Near Death Experiences (NDEs) are oft-touted as evidence of an afterlife. We are familiar with the dark tunnel and the bright light scenario. Perhaps a dead loved one comes to mind, or maybe a religious figure dependent upon the person's religious affiliation. I'll not dig down on the neurobiology and psychology of NDEs here. It is enough to state that we can disregard NDEs as data for a continued existence after death. Although the heart may have stopped, and while that may have been sufficient to confer the state of death in earlier, less technological and scientific times, it is not considered a definitive metric these days. To state the bleeding obvious: NDE patients do not die. No matter how heartfelt the testimony, their anecdotal outpourings should be dismissed.

Before we were born, we were nonexistent. To ask what it was like before we were born is both obtuse and ridiculous. Whether extraterrestrial life exists elsewhere is uncertain, as we have zero evidence for life outside our small terrestrial bubble. I suspect that life elsewhere is scarce but likely. However, I suspect that complex life with the gift of 'consciousness' is a rare situation indeed. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that we are the only technologically able organism in the universe. I'm starting to stray from the remit. How uncharacteristic. 

I suspect that imagining Death as a perception of eternal darkness is inaccurate. We cannot conceive of what it is because death is the privation of all sentience. It is not eternal darkness, as both the concept of the 'eternal' and 'darkness' presuppose that we experience darkness and the passage of time. However, how can we experience darkness without consciousness? The passage of time likewise becomes meaningless without awareness. Consciousness is all we have; as far as I'm concerned, the self and the universe cease to be at death. It is comforting to contemplate that you are all coming with me when I die. I'll not delve further into this concept of death for fear of becoming mired in a field of inconsistencies and contradictions. I'll leave the arena to Epicurus (b. 341 BC) and his pithy reflection upon death: I am, then death is not. And if death is, I am not.   

O sweet Angel of Death,

You come uninvited, but your visit cannot be denied.

I beseech for another breath, another crave fulfilled,

But no brook to fate ordained.

Your visit tarries not, not a second to waste,

 Other souls wait in ignorant bliss for your sojourn.

Beggar and king alike cannot escape your final caress,

All must face the faceless and cower.

No wit or beauty can turn aside the scythe's blade,

The fate of all is preordained in a sweep of the arc.