Life as it is Known
What a lofty subject life is. What do we know about life? Very little, it turns out. We know we exist, sort of, but even that is debatable. You think, "I know I exist, I'm reading your article aren't I?" Well what does that prove? How do you know we aren't all living in some computer program, where the only real person is yourself, and everything and everyone around you is just bits of code meant to influence you to act in one way or another. How do we know that this isn't some form of simulation, meant to train us to be better individuals? What if when we die, we wake up in a room surrounded by aliens, only to remember that we are also an alien, and the aliens ask you, "Dude why did you spend so much time playing that game? Also why did you choose to just work at a grocery store the entire time? You could have done anything!" Here's the cold hard truth, whether your religious, atheist, or somewhere in between; you have no idea what happens when we die.
That's a tough pill to swallow. Which is why many people refuse to swallow it. They'll tell you they know what will happen to them after death:
"I'm going to go to heaven and see my loved ones, because I lived a pious life, I praised my god, and lived in accordance with his commandments."
"I will be reborn on this earth in a new form, either above or below my previous incarnation, based on my actions in this life."
"My body will return to the earth, I will cease to exist, there will be nothing after death except for my flesh to decompose and nourish new life with its nutrients."
There are a few common threads in all of these ideas. For one, none of them are based on any real evidence. Not a single one of these ideas can be proven. They are all kept alive by the concept of faith, which is another thread they share. Even the ideas of an atheist require faith, the atheist has to have total faith that he or she knows the answers. However, the most important thread that all these ideas, and all ideas regarding death, have in common, which could completely unravel everything if pulled, is this: All these ideas are born out of fear.
Every religious person, every atheist, every conspiracy theorist who thinks the world is a simulation, all fear the unknown. Every idea we come up with about what happens after death is just another attempt at plugging in a nightlight into an otherwise dark and mysterious reality. What's interesting is, the nightlight is very real, if you believe it is. Reality is completely subjective, reality is only what you believe it to be. So if you truly believe in your nightlight, then that nightlight becomes real to you. Your nightlight doesn't exist in my reality, but that doesn't matter, because I don't even have to exist in your reality. If you don't acknowledge someone exists, if you are somehow able to completely eliminate them from your perception, then that person no longer exists in your reality.
So you've created a nightlight, to illuminate the darkness. You feel safe, you can see there aren't any monsters lurking out there, waiting for you to wander blindly into their midst. Is this cowardly? Can you blame someone for trying to feel safe and unafraid? I don't think so. I think if you can create your own personal bliss, you'll probably lead a happier life, with less fear and anxiety. However, I also think you won't get to learn the truth, if there is a truth to be learned. Just like when you're in the middle of town and you try to see the stars, your view is obscured by the light. You may see a star here or there, but you're missing the full picture. The truly miraculous view of infinite worlds and infinite possibility, can only be seen, when you're sitting in total darkness.
It's the people who aren't afraid of the dark, aren't afraid of the unknown, that get to truly experience reality. The people that embrace uncertainty, that run into the black abyss with childlike wonder, despite the monsters they may crash into. These are the people we should aspire to be. Life as we know it, is very limited, we put these limits on ourselves when we believe we have life figured out. The second you start to think you know what life is, and your reality becomes illuminated by that nightlight, you lose your view of the infinite. Don't be afraid of the dark. Don't be afraid of the unknown. Be energized by it, be excited by infinite possibilities, and go explore.