Worried about your afterlife? Here's the perfect solution...

Are you concerned about what happens after you die? For those steadfast in your religious beliefs, I envy you if the picture painted for you is a rosy one. Otherwise, you might want to start doing whatever you can to ameliorate your situation - if it is at all possible. A large number of people in this world belongs to one religion or another. Yet in my opinion, it is not sufficient to merely claim. Someone may claim to be e.g. Christian but in fact has no more love for Christ than the average man. If your faith is not strong enough, I have my reservations that whatever fanciful dreams of afterlife you have concocted will come true. But of course, I am just speculating ignorantly on things far beyond my limited understanding and knowledge. Last night though, I came upon a perfect solution. One reason many people fear dying is that they fret over what will happen to them after. Are there polarized extremes like heaven and hell? Is there reincarnation - what manner of man, woman or beast will they be reborn into? Are they doomed to wander forever as spirits either here or... somewhere? Or is there really no afterlife at all - that they simply reach the end of their mortal journeys and just slip into sweet velvet sleep? I am sure there are more uncertainties about the afterlife that I have not managed to list above. No one is going to point a pistol at you and force you to admit if you fear dying. Only you yourself truly know, and why. So instead of leaving what happens after to circumstances you have no control over, why not take control of your after by not meeting it? I am not suggesting that you run away from the issue somehow. Rather, the solution is to simply make sure that you will never encounter it. Let's assume that technology and resources allow and you voluntarily choose to suspend your life. Before you breathe your last, you arrange to begin a permanent sleep. Medical equipment will be hooked to your body to sustain it forever - much like how the life of a brain-dead person is sustained. Granted that the human body is still subject to normal wear and tear, but I am positive technology will soon evolve such that even if immortality of the soul is not possible, that of the flesh will be. So when this happens, you are effectively in a situation where you are just sleeping forever, and alive. It is true that you will never wake up again but we are not trying to fight death here. We are dealing with the possibility of afterlife and sleeping forever means that you will never reach this crossroad of life and death. So it does not matter at all what the afterlife holds - or if there is one at all - because it will never happen to you! Hence this is the beauty of this solution - no more uncertainty about what happens after and you may perhaps even find the motivation to make this one and only life a meaningful and well-lived one. Have fun dreaming, my friends. Meanwhile, try to fill up your pockets so that you can take advantage of this solution when the situation arises. =)

Leaving words after you pass on

Imagine this - you are now lying on your deathbed and you have a thousand and one things you want to say. No, this is not about you wanting to give the pink flowerpot to Auntie Rosia or save the purple shawl for niece Maria. All these would have been covered in your will. I am talking about those heartfelt words that have nothing to do with items of tangible value. You know, phrases like "I love you" or those long passages that convey your secret admiration for that xxx someone. It is easy for me to suggest that if you have such intense emotions bottled up, you should let them out at the earliest appropriate opportunity. Life is short. Sooner than you know it, you will be aging and calling your clutch your best friend. Yet as straightforward and rational as it sounds, there are words that are just so very hard to say face-to-face to someone. Perhaps you might have the courage to fire off an email when you are drunk. Just perhaps. I know it is hard because there are words I want to say to people around me but I have not done so. An popular alternative would be to leave these words with your will. Your will will deal with the mundane assets of your mortal life. The accompanying letters will take care of the rest. This is not ideal of course since if you can find the courage, the words might be better said when you are alive (maybe, and for most circumstances). But if you can't, then these letters written with your quill with tears brimming in your eyes would have to suffice. I came upon an electronic alternative just now - MailFreezr at www.mailfreezr.com . It provides the facility for you to send emails years into the future. You can "freeze" your emails and then have them sent out at your chosen dates. Since the minimum period you can freeze is 1 year, I can't really test it out (lol). Neither do I have the patience to wait 1 year and see if it really works without a glitch. The maximum period is 100 years but this is not really an issue since it is rare for someone you know to live that much longer than you. There are limitations to MailFreezr though since e.g. you do not know how secure it is and if the site will still be around when your email is due to be sent. This site is a slight twist of a concept already around for some time so I am not exactly recommending it - it's more like just another passing remark. :P If you have words you want to leave, there are 2 main approaches. The first is to just say them when all parties concerned are still alive. The second is to leave letters accompanying your will. But I can think of a third actually. Life is short... so why even bother and fuss about all this in the first place? =)

Why bother what happens after you die?

This is not a religious discussion and I do not intend to discuss afterlife, rebirth, heaven, hell or purgatory. Just simple bread and butter, apple and orange. :P So, do you care what happens after you die? I mean, why even bother? I am talking about your name, assets, and perhaps, family and friends. Name - this would be your reputation and how you are remembered after your death. Let's bring up some notorious examples - Hilter? Pol Pot? Saddam Hussein? Their deeds may not be regarded favorably after their deaths, yet where are they now? Well, they are dead! For all the good lives they enjoyed, all they got was a mere bad name. What if there is no spiritual retribution? Why struggle so hard to keep a good name and conscience when being wicked, unethical and unscrupulous might instead grant you a life of luxury in this life that might very well be your one and only? Assets - this would be the vainglory that bloats up your head. I don't deny to be different - who don't want more money than you will ever need? Who don't want to buy everything and anything you fancy? Who don't want to shape the world to your liking by sheer weight of your resources? Yet what good is all this after you are dead? Your consciousness is erased completely when you breathe your last. Is there a way to still enjoy this material wealth? I seriously doubt. Family, friends - so now you are all happily living together, just like in a fairy tale. But what happens after you wave them bye bye as you choke on your spittle? Well, it is goodbye. They cry, they powder their faces, they turn up for your funeral. I won't say they will forget you right away. But give it time. Life is for the living, not the dead. Memory stays but it fades - sooner than you realize, you are forgotten. Why would you want them to remember you anyway - more self-important ego on your part? So, do you still care what happens after you are dead? Why bother to leave a good name or reputation? Why fuss over writing your will deciding whether your pink toothbrush go to your second daughter or third? Why worry if you are remembered at all after your passing? Here's some food for thought for you to work those lazing brain cells of yours! :P Related link: http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/1075662.aspx