Dear World - The Afterlife

Dear World

I find myself revisiting a subject matter that creeps into my mind nearly everyday. Death.

Yes, I've discussed this with you before. Though, that was only about death itself, I believe. Not about what comes after it.

It's rather interesting, I find, what many people think of what comes next. Some say that we will be greeted by a higher power to welcome us into the afterlife, while others say that we will only enter a state of darkness unknown to man, woman and Katie Price.

To be fair, I'm not entirely sure what to think or believe. Saying that, I have thought of what lies in front of us after we close our eyes for the last time. Then again, everyone has an opinion, and this is (one of) mine.

I don't really think that religion is right, neither do I think that we just die when we die. I do think that there is some sort of level system when it comes to life. You know, you start off on a neutral world, then if you were good in that life, then you go up a level, and the reverse would be true if your life was filled with evil.

After you've leveled up enough times, the next life would be the afterlife - Heaven. Meaning, those who have done good in all (or most of) their lives, they will be welcome to a place of eternal loveliness and all that.

If you've been demoted too many times, or have been consistently evil in all your lives, then you will be sent to Hell, a place where you will be tormented for your wrongdoing until the end of time.

I know, this is crazy talk. It's just one idea of mine of what the afterlife holds. Imagine if this is true. If so, then it would be interesting to see what level this life would be - close to Heaven, Hell, or maybe we're at the beginning…

I know, I make no sense. That's just what I hope the afterlife consists of, and not the inevitability of blankness.

I return to the past, world, to a time where I wrote to you about my opinions on God. To be more precise, a comment from a fellow Clic user, Pasternak, where he introduced Pascal's wager. This wager, which he claims is the first thing they teach you in Philosophy of Religion classes, is a summing up of belief in God as if it was a gamble.

If God existed and you believed in him, well done.
If you believed in God and he turns out God's not real, then you've at least done well in this this life.
If God existed and you did not believe in him, then you'll burn for eternity.
If you didn't believe in the almighty and you were right about it, well at least you can be smug those few seconds after you've died.

Now, after reading more about it, I came across something that made more sense to me than Pascal's wager. It's basically the same thing, but about being a good person, and it's called the Atheist's wager.

Simply put…

If you do good in this life, and there is a God, then your gain is infinite (meaning a long stay at the Heaven Inn).
If you lead a good life and there is no God, then your gain is only within this life.
If you do wrong in this life, and there is a God, then your loss is infinite (meaning you'll be in Hell).
If your life is one of evil and there is no God, then your loss is only within this life.

That sounds like a more sane train of thought than Pascal's wager. I don't like the fact that you should be forced to believe in a God just because that has been the believed for generations before my grandparents. And even though God seems to be more likely to allow in his believers than good people, I'd rather known that I've lived my life in a good manner and believed what I believe other than live a life where I feared a being that does not walk among us.

A lovely thought for this week.

I thank ye, world.