What happens when we die?

Question

I know this question has probably been asked 1000 times before, but its something I cant get my head around. I have recently lost someone close to me and since then think about it a lot

I know there are no real answers to the question and when I think about I think it must just be the end, nothing happens? God is a fantasy and cant be real it doesn’t make sense that we all die and live again somewhere else.

But what about ghosts and mediums that apparently contact the dead? surely there must be proof of this? I have never seen a medium so don’t know how real it is, but if they REALLY can contact the dead surely that means something happens after we die or at least they could get some answers?

I wish I had an answer to this, its sad to think the person I lost has gone, existence is nothing to them they don’t even know they where alive, they or we all will just be forgotten about,

Answer 1

You were right with the first one. When we die, we die. The thing is, that's really OK. You were nothing before you were born and you'll be nothing after you die. Before you were born there was no wory or anxiety, when you die there will be no bills or car trouble or problems of anykind. So live life ot the fullest, help other people live their lives to the fullest and don't let anybody tell you that being an atheist is amoral, or imoral.



Mediums that apear to contact the dead are just playing on people who are too weak minded to accept the truth. If they really intened to help people they wouldn't be doing it for money. Don't let yourself fall down to their level. Think about it, you can't believe in a next life without invalidating this one. What would be the point of that?

Answer 2

You are right in your basic premise ... God exists in one's head. There are so many 'gods' that this is surely the only logical answer. Re 'ghosts 'n ghoolies' - well some people believe and some do not, some have had 'experiences', but most of us have not. If you were alone in a dark, medieval church on a stormy winter's night and you heard 'noises', even though they were just the wind causing tree branches to scrape against a window, I'm sure you would convince yourself it was something supernatural! And no medium has yet proven to be a 'contactor of the departed' when subjected to objective, scientific scrutiny.

So just look upon death as a dreamless sleep from which there is no awakening. No pain, no discomfort, no anything. I think that will give you greater comfort than all the religious assertions about an afterlife.

If you want to feel close to your deceased friend/relative, remember that they live on in your memory and that gives them a sort of 'temporary immortality'.

One reason why people have put forward the idea of an afterlife is that they can not believe that this life is all there is to man's existence. It's a sort of arrogance.

Answer 3

Dear Mistyeyes,

I'm really sorry for your loss. Questioning the realities of life and death are a normal part of the process of grieving which we go through when we lose a loved one, so what you're feeling and thinking is quite normal.

If you take each moment as it comes; cry when you want, laugh when you want, be angry when anger comes, then it really will pass. We really do come through our grief if we just let our feelings be there and not pretend we feel OK when we really don't.

As to contacting the dead through a medium. I suspect that if that can happen it probably holds them back from the progress they may need to make. We don't know.

In fact, no living being can know the truth of what happens when we die. I'm a buddhist, I believe we melt into death and, after a while, melt back into another life. It's a belief that satisfies me but - like all others - it's just a belief, it's not knowledge.

I hope you come through this knowing that you can still love a person's memory without feeling all the pain. It just takes time.

Jon C

Answer 4

Most people just take the piss about ghosts... but those of us that have experienced them know the difference...



I was at work yesterday, in our boardroom... it is a new building with a low ceiling, and I was in there alone at 7am in the morning... [no-one else was in the building]



To say I was shocked is an understatement... because whilst I was doing some work a "rock" hit me on the shoulder... it was wet and had obviously come from outside... the doors were closed and my back was to a wall that was less than 3 foot behind me!



This is only one of numerous experiences that I have had over the past 20 years...



Yes... you can conact spirits... but a lot of mediums are charletans... so take care...



They can easily pick up from you what you want to hear and spit it all back to you.



We are never forgotten about... My grandmother died 20 years ago and still visits me and looks after me regularly... We cannot communicate as we did when she was alive, but to know that she is watching over me and waiting for me is a great comfort...



When my mother died a couple of years back I had a great sense of peace that came with my grief... She doesn't visit like my grandmother, but I know that they are together now in peace and that is a great feeling.



God to some is a fantasy, but god is different to the image that we are all given... trust in the message of god... it is where all of our spirits go when we die...



We have no knowledge of how the pile of mush called our brains work... but we always talk of our spirit/souls... and these things continue after our death.

Answer 5

Well according to the bible and it is true. But as they say ashes to ashes and dust to dust. We turn back into dust. BUT I also believe that there is an afterlife so to speak. I believe that your soul/spirit lingers or remains around to see that unfinished busniess is taken care of. Like his/her wife/husband is OK things like this. As an example, The home which I own I purchased from family. When my aunt was living here my uncle had just died. Anyway I have a kitchen light that would flicker on and off. OLD house but I also had the wiring checked as I didn't want a fire. There was and is no problem with the wiring. My aunt moved out to go to another state within a year after I bought the house from her. The light has NOT flickered one time since she moved. I believe that this was my uncle or at least he was the cause. Sounds crazy but I believe this. Hope I helped you out even a little.

Answer 6

I lost someone a year ago now so i no what you mean.I recently got in touch with a friend who i have;nt seen for 10years,anyway she is a medium and she said a lot of things that even the person who i lost would;nt have knowen, when i asked her were he was and if he was ok she just said that he is at home with outher loved ones who have passed away and that one day we will all go home ,they do no they were alive and it sometimes takes them time to understand why they have been taken away esspecially if they were taken suddenly,i would find a good medium and go and see one if i were you,i hope this sort of answered your question ,and im sorry to hear of your loss only time can make us feel better .

Answer 7

If the person leaves me a good inheritance, and I have recieved three, my feelings of loss is blended with deep, heartfelt appreciation on top of all the wonderful memories far removed from monetary gain. These people believed in me, as I did in them.

What happens to the person who died, is anyone's guess, but to be remembered, to be cherished by others long after our passing, then that is the best measure of immortality we can have on this earth.

I have been a very fortunate person. I can say it is the spirit, best wishes, and memories of the many who have departed that keeps me going when thing are not going so easily. I think to myself, we are all going to end up dead, so I might as well live as fully as I can, and while not living in the past, never, never forget!

Answer 8

Just the first thing I thought of when I read your question. Whatever your belief or lack of, I think you might find this website interesting: http://www.aglimpseofeternity.org/



This is the story of a young NZ guy who didn't care about God or anything much apart from enjoying himself, who was then stung by a deadly jellyfish and was clinically dead for about 15 minutes. He remembers well what he experienced during that time. I hope you will have a look - you have nothing to lose!

Answer 9

I'm not religious but I do believe there's something after death. My thinking is this, after living say 80/90 years or even less. After that time of growing and learning and then to die and there be nothing seems a waste to me. That's why I think there must be something else out there.



My family are spiritualists but I wasn't brought up in that belief so I know little about it but they believe in the spirit lving on etc etc.



Einstein himself was said to say that since electricity cannot be destroyed then what happens to all the electrical impulses that the brain generates. Where does it go?



I'm in the middle of researching my family tree and I think to myself all these people who came before me are now just dates on paper and pictures from films. One day I'll be the same, it just amazes me to think that at one time they were here and now they are all gone.

Answer 10

I think we may slip into another dimension. It would be nice if we that did happen because we would start all over again as a different person a little baby learning all over again. That would account for ghosts because where they are seen maybe a thinner area. Like when you watch TV sometimes and the signals overlap each other and you get a ghosting effect.

Answer 11

God does not want us to know the secret of death and what lies ahead of it. Its surely a very depe and overwhelming area and I do not think we can decipher the secret of life and death. The feeling that you will never see someone ever ever in your life after (s)he dies is too hard to digest. Better try to forget. It won't take you anywhere. Easier said than done.... but still try.

I personally believe in medium, ghosts and there are proofs of this. Search the Net, you will get loads of information on this.

Answer 12

forget about heaven and hell, and god and blah.



we are made of energy.



we borrow it from the earth, it sustains us,



so surely when we die, we are putting out energy back into the earth.



physically - as our rotting bodies feed the soil, and worms, who feed the birds, who feed the cats etc.



metaphysically - if we are putting all out energy back into the earth, the energy that makes us who we are will still exist, but is spread and fragmented all over, wherever you look for it.



the person that you think you have lost might not be here physically, but is definately around you.



these mediums cash in on something that everyone has the ability to do.

feel connected and you don't have to lose any one.

Answer 13

Read Holy Bible... all answers there to life both past, present and future Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega. The Beginning and the End. This life journey is for real, just make sure you are on the right side before Jesus comes back... and he will... Revelation 22

Answer 14

Very sorry for your loss. Death is a part of living. Find strenghth in your creator. Whenever I've lost a loved one, I've always asked the same thing, where did he go? Its very difficult to comprehend.



But seriously, why do you think no one knows what happens after we die? to me, it's a no brainer....



God saves the BEST for last, if we as humans knew what happens after death, we would find a way to mess it up.



Find strenghth in the Lord and when your day comes, you will greet him with a smile.



God Bless.

Answer 15

Hey,



You said God cant be real and must be a fantasy, why 'cant' it be real? Because you havent seen it for yourself? We dont know what happens after we die which is great! One of lifes mysteires that I think will never been uncovered, yea speculations will/have arised but no one REALLY knows.



Im sorry you've lost someone close, its always very painful but you should concentrate on happy memories of your lost one not what he/she is doing now...

Answer 16

I am catholic so i may be a bit biased but my thoughts on what happens when we die are not strictly what i've been taught at church or school it's just my own thoughts.



I think that a humans lifespan on earth is a bit short compared to the life of the earth and the universe, it just makes sense that we should carrying on living after leaving this earth.



When our physical bodies die, i believe that our souls live on, i believe in heaven and i think that everones heaven is different, we may all end up in the same place after we die but i think we will perceive it as our idea of heaven, the way we thought of it when we were on earth.



Even though i believe in our souls living on, i don't actually believe in ghosts because i've never seen one, i know this doesn't mean there not there but i just don't believe in them.



I think my way of thinking, makes it easier to think of our loved ones when they pass on, thinking of them liveing in their idea of paradise!! And it also makes it easier for me to explain to my 5 and 9 year old brothers!

Answer 17

I am sorry for being a cynic.



I have lost people close to me and have often wondered about this question, but I am afraid that I have come to the conclusion that once you are dead, you are dead forever, meaning that there is nothing beyond and you eventually are forgotten about.

You eventually become just the dust of history.

Answer 18

I'm sorry to hear about your loss - i hope you find the strength to overcome it.

Obviously we don't know what will happen, so it's down to the individual - what do you believe will happen? Some people believe in ghosts, some believe in heaven. Personally, i think that nothing happens - we just die and that's it. The mind can't continue without the body, and i find the supernatural to be a bit far-fetched.

Answer 19

the reason why you cant get your head around dieing is because when we die you do not no what will happen everybody thinks and says we go to heaven or hell but until that happens and we can scientifically prove it don believe in what you hear OK this is something you need to realize in life Welles we still have it.

Answer 20

It is all in the mind and thoughts , while you are alive you can recall them as they where and the laughter and sad times you had, the Remembrance day is soon upon us , the words there are. They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old, so you can see, memories alone can sustain them in your life ,you will grow old and wrinkled they are as they where when they died in your thoughts, when you pass on your self you to will be thought of the same, If we are all supposed to be resurrected on the day of judgement this planet is going to be abit crowded,

Answer 21

I like to think we go to heaven. No-one will ever truly know for sure while they're alive but it's a comforting thought isn't it.



Why don't you go and see a medium then you can decide for yourself if you believe in it or not :)

Answer 22

well if you read in the Bible Genesis ch 1 veer-26 God say let us make man in our Image so God created man in his own Image for dust thou was take and dust thou shalt return and that are no ghosts and maidens that apparently contact the dead no we all not just forgotten about

Answer 23

unfortunately we will never know.



different people have different beliefs but its nice to think of something rather than just a nothingness.



i like to think of a nice peaceful place where you feel no pain and are happy and have contact with others that have passed. i;m looking forward to seeing my grandads again.



i do believe in ghosts and spirits but that is just me, everyone is entitled to their own opinion without anyone else ridiculing them.

Answer 24

Simply put, we never really "die" we just change form.



Your friend lives forever in the memories of those whose lives they touched.



Take comfort, they are at peace.



With sympathy,



amp

Answer 25

We enjoy, and seek solice in the memories of a loved one.

Remembering the good times and laughs they gave us. That way the live on in our hearts.

Answer 26

you lose points 4 asking the question twice but i gain 4 answering them lol

Answer 27

We become what we wanted to be in another universe

Answer 28

If we are truley good, we go to heaven, if not we are re-en-carnated, to try it again, if we are truley bad, we go to the devils house.

Answer 29

The person will always live on in your heart!

Answer 30

No one can answer your question.We would have had to die & come back.

Answer 31

yup, it's as simple as that, live, die, soon forgotten

Answer 32

"What is important is not what happens to us, but how we respond to what happens to us."

— Jean-Paul Sartre

Answer 33

hopefully the deceased leave a suicide note, because eulogies are hardly entertaining.

Answer 34

As luck would happen, I'm just about to - what happens is..........

Answer 35

who knows....