Quote:
Originally Posted by Walid Birou
Belief in an afterlife is in contrast to the belief in oblivion after death.
|
Human beings generally have a narrow definition about life. Scientists say that there may be life on Mars because they have found water on Mars, but what they are referring to is microbial life. Life exists in many forms although when people talk about life after human death they most often are talking about and existence similar to what human beings have here on Earth.
Our energy, or consciousness, will continue to exist whether we recognize ourselves or not. Oblivion just may be us not recognizing ourselves. We may not be self aware or have the ability to reflect on ourselves. We can learn a lot about the after human death experience by examining what happens when we lay our physical body down to sleep. Something which the majority of people do at least one third of their human existence.
Science says that most people only dream about 20% to 30% of the period which they sleep. That person is still there sleeping but they are not dreaming; dreaming is usually called “REM sleep.” Most people do this twenty to thirty percent of the time period that they are asleep. In REM sleep we do not rest, rather we are very actively involved in dreaming.
I accept that some dreams are but thought forms in our head while others may truly be and out of body, or travel into another dimension, type experience. But most of the time that our body sleeps, 70% to 80% of the time we sleep, we exist in silence, without dreaming. Of course there are people who toss and turn all night bouncing from one dream to another, or having a nightmare.
When a person dies human beings often tell them to “rest in peace,” what does that saying actually mean? If we get a good nights sleep our body and mind rests in peace; true peace is associated with utter silence. Like we experience in quiet meditation. Silence heals us, whether that silence be in meditation or in getting a good nights rest.
Have you ever stayed awake in your dreams while your body was sleeping? Have you ever remained conscious while your body was sleeping and you were not dreaming? When we talk about “life after human death” we are often talking about remaining self aware, or conscious, after human death. Oblivion just may be a state of dreamless sleep with no self awareness.
I believe that a person's experience after human death will be as unique as they are, as unique as that person has conditioned their consciousness while they were here on Earth. We all do not have the same dreams nor does everyone see life here on Earth in the same way. We have all conditioned ourselves with various perspectives, religious or otherwise, and do those perspectives change after we drop our human body?
For me, as long as there is a story involved it is a dream state, even if we think we are wide awake in that story. But this is just my perspective.