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Originally Posted by Altair
An obsession with the afterlife and unhappiness doesn't sound healthy. It seems to prevent people from finding their place here. We are in this world now which means we ought to find our place and purpose, otherwise it will be a wasted opportunity. If that happens we find ourselves in the afterlife, incapable of things we might do in the physical world, feeling all sorry for ourselves for not having done much when we were physical beings. Is that what anyone would want? A sense of unhappiness with this world isn't going to leave us when we leave this world, that unhappiness is beneath the surface..
There is absolutely zero guarantee that the afterlife is any better. There are entire religions based on such false promises, like Christianity (almost any sect, including Gnosticism), Islam, Hindu sects etc. that seek an escape from the oh so dreadful world, not pausing and realizing what has been given and what is here to appreciate and enjoy. The obsession with the afterlife and with false hopes and promises is IMO rather deceptive and it's a mind trap. The word ''paradise'' alone is like that, it makes us delusional..
With respect, but I think all the 'research' on the afterlife will be for naught. You can gather the things you think are necessary and perform a check list, but your rational mind will be left behind. Whatever that will happen there is probably what we deserve, not always what we want.
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Investigating the possibilities of the afterlife is not the same as being obsessed by it. Nor does such investigation prevent us from living physical life to the full.
I do not study the afterlife because I am unhappy with this world. On the contrary, I am deeply grateful for my current life and the many opportunities I have. I consider myself to be a very fortunate fellow. I study the afterlife out of a genuine interest in what it means to be a human being, while still appreciating and enjoying all that the physical world has to offer.
You presume that the rational mind will be left behind at physical death. What if this presumption is wrong?
Peace.