do you believe in the afterlife?

[rh71]

I was listening to the radio morning show - they were talking about things you believe in (ghosts, UFOs, etc.). They got to the subject of the afterlife and some RN at a hospital calls in. In her words, "without fail, just as they are about to pass, they always look to the corner of the room and ask 'do you see them?', and they seem to pass in great peace." Another of the hosts agreed that's what he read about too. The RN went on to say if it were members of your loved ones, they would mention their relationship ("I see my brother", mother, etc.) rather than saying "them" as if they were strangers... a welcoming committee of sorts (not to make light of the situation).

This is the first time I've heard about the dying looking at the corner and saying something just before they die - google fails me. You guys heard of this before?

 

[coldmeat]

Their minds are just showing them what they want to see in their last moments probably. Hallucinations.

I don't believe in an afterlife.

 

[TheVrolok]

Well, I watched a woman die in the hospital 91 minutes ago and she did nothing of the sort. Personally, I don't believe in an afterlife. But who the hell am I to claim to be right? Sure it may exist.

 

[KB]

If everyone in the room saw the "ghosts" and they spoke then I might believe it. But when a dying/stressed brain sees strange stuff we say, hey thats a hallucination.

 

[sourceninja]

I have been at the deaths of 3 of my family members. Each has talked to people who were not there. Some of the people they talked to were dead, some where still alive.

I'm going with there is no afterlife.

 

[Old Hippie]

I had one of those "died and brought back" to life scenarios.

It was just like what you read. I floated above the situation, watched as people drug my body around, saw and followed the bright light, saw my Grandmother (who died 10 years previously) who was waving me in saying "Come on in Rick. Everybody's here". I could see every line in her face, the way she applied her make-up, and I smelled her lilac perfume. Looking past her, I could see other relatives who had passed.

I remember hearing the rescue guys say "Rick, we're going to try and bring you back to life now" and I remember thinking, "Man it's nice here, I don't want to go back."

I finally told this story to my Mom and Dad when my brother died @ 6 yrs. ago. It really gave them peace believing that they would see him again.

So ya, I'm thinking I believe it.


I have another story about believing you're going to die and having your life pass before your eyes, but you didn't ask about that scenario. :laugh:

 

[Leros]

Originally posted by: KB
If everyone in the room saw the "ghosts" and they spoke then I might believe it. But when a dying/stressed brain sees strange stuff we say, hey thats a hallucination.

Yep, its just chemicals being released into the brain to help it shutdown in a calm manner.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

im sure you body does wacky things as it gives up

i firmly believe there is nothing

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: TheVrolok
Well, I watched a woman die in the hospital 91 minutes ago and she did nothing of the sort. Personally, I don't believe in an afterlife. But who the hell am I to claim to be right? Sure it may exist.

maybe she didn't have any dead family members to greet her?

 

[olds]

I think your mind plays tricks on you when you die.
I think when you die, that's it. Well except for the bugs, they get fed if you are buried.

 

[JohnCU]

Originally posted by: Leros

Originally posted by: KB
If everyone in the room saw the "ghosts" and they spoke then I might believe it. But when a dying/stressed brain sees strange stuff we say, hey thats a hallucination.

Yep, its just chemicals being released into the brain to help it shutdown in a calm manner.

this. serotonin and endorphins and a bunch of other things.

 

[child of wonder]

It's hard to believe that there may be nothing after this life. Personally, I think there might be something but that's not going to stop me from taking full advantage of the life I have now like it's my last.

 

[SlitheryDee]

I don't actively disbelieve I suppose. It just seems...doubtful. I hope there is.

 

[Adam8281]

I believe!

 

[bdude]

Afterlife = Beforebirth.

 

[Shawn]

no, but I wish I did.

 

[Don66]

Originally posted by: Adam8281
I believe!

+1

 

[Old Hippie]

Originally posted by: JohnCU

Originally posted by: Leros

Originally posted by: KB
If everyone in the room saw the "ghosts" and they spoke then I might believe it. But when a dying/stressed brain sees strange stuff we say, hey thats a hallucination.

Yep, its just chemicals being released into the brain to help it shutdown in a calm manner.

this. serotonin and endorphins and a bunch of other things.

I'd better go get some. That float and seeing things from the air was awful nice! :laugh:

 

[Jeff7]

Nope, no afterlife. We're animals with freakishly large brains. Death = your brain stops processing, and then it decays, along with the rest of your body.

Fun stuff about ghosts:
1) Ghosts of dead relatives reportedly are not naked. Why? Did their clothing die too, but it had some unfinished business, so it can't cross over?
2) They also seem to have hair. Again, more non-living matter has followed these people into this state of limbo.

Originally posted by: bdude
Afterlife = Beforebirth.

Some day, I'm sure we'll find a cure for death. My money's on some sort of artificial body and brain, something like an android, with more advanced circuitry of a nature we can only imagine today. Maybe with compact quantum computing technology, room temperature superconductors, and optical circuitry. Stuff that would make a biological human brain run and hide under the bed.

 

[DanTMWTMP]

i don't really believe in an afterlife. If there is one, then I don't think we retain any of our life's memory or anything. It may be a very surreal form of consciousness; something we can't experience ourselves with our current 3D toolkit (brain, all the stuff in the brain that processes all the sensory information that helps us "perceive" our surroundings and form memories and actions, etc etc...). As our brain dies, it kicks around a slew of hallucinations and random electrical firings that we may interpret as the gateway to the next life.

If there is a "soul," then it's something that we cannot comprehend. It's a completely different form of existence where our previous life's memories will have no bearing on.
Just look at people with Alzheimer's. It's pretty damning evidence that life's memories in the afterlife does not exist; that is, if the afterlife exists at all.


As for ghosts, I just think it's just some weird space/time glitch where we're actually peering into an actual event occurring in the past; not some restless soul.

haha that is all

 

[dainthomas]

Originally posted by: child of wonder
It's hard to believe that there may be nothing after this life. Personally, I think there might be something but that's not going to stop me from taking full advantage of the life I have now like it's my last.

What would be really funny is if all the people like Jehovah's Witnesses and conservative Muslims who aren't allowed to enjoy any of life's pleasures in the hopes that they'll go to some really awesome magical place die and it ends up being nothing but eternal blackness. PWNED!

If there is a happy place with rainbows and unicorns great. If there isn't I won't know it anyway.

 

[Journer]

Originally posted by: bdude
Afterlife = Beforebirth.

you win at the internet...next thread please

 

[TheVrolok]

Originally posted by: pontifex

Originally posted by: TheVrolok
Well, I watched a woman die in the hospital 91 minutes ago and she did nothing of the sort. Personally, I don't believe in an afterlife. But who the hell am I to claim to be right? Sure it may exist.

maybe she didn't have any dead family members to greet her?

She was 87 so I'd imagine she had a whole bunch. In fact, and adding to the sorrow of the situation, one of her daughters was just laid to rest a few days ago. Her other two daughters and son showed up to be with her before I left work. Bummer.

 

[Kirby]

Originally posted by: Journer

Originally posted by: bdude
Afterlife = Beforebirth.

you win at the internet...next thread please

Infinite loop?! :Q

 

[meltdown75]

Originally posted by: SlitheryDee
I don't actively disbelieve I suppose. It just seems...doubtful. I hope there is.

this