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What
happens after you die
1. Nothing The first possibility is zip zilch null zero nothing. Of course, that's an unacceptable alternative to a lot of people, but when a flower dies, it just gets turned back into dirt, doesn't it? And if there's any immortality involved it's in knowing that the dirt the original flower turns into will nourish some other flower at a later date. Although that's not much consolation for a human being, or it hasn't seemed to have been any consolation for the great masses that believe in the various religions of this planet.
2. Reincarnation A second possibility is reincarnation. All other reincarnation religions believe that reincarnation occurs on a one-to-one basis, ie. that one soul leaves one body and enters some other sort of singular body. In certain Hindu religions, they believe that the soul can enter the body of a different species of animal or even a plant. This type of reincarnation sounds like the ultimate touristic voyage! Of course it would be wonderful to live a lifetime as an ant, and then come back and live another lifetime as an eagle, afterwards you could eventually be lots of different things! How interesting and educational! You could experience everything! Such a deal?
3. Heaven A third alternative is that after death your soul will be transported to a mystical place called "heaven". Every religion (except the Shards) says that if you don't believe in that particular religion, you will go to hell. Shall I be damned in a thousand religions so as to be saved in one? Or simply be damned in a thousand and one? I should be relegated to a thousand hells in a thousand different religions, but still arrive at the one heaven in whichever religion my family happens to belong to or whichever religion my friends believe in, or whichever seems to have the best form of heaven to go to?
4. Hell The fourth possibility is that you go to hell. For your deeds, for your thoughts, or simply for the sin of not having belonged to the right religion. "Hell", of course, is the ultimate penalty. Most religions are very, very concerned with human behavior. How DO you get great masses of people to be good? Interesting question. Hell is a scary thought. And someone who speaks quite eloquently can make it even scarier. Is Hell is the place I'll go, knowing in good conscience, that I did my best to help my brothers and sisters fulfill our fore-siblings' dreams and goals? Not likely.
5. The fifth possibility is the SHARDS. You're not just living for yourself, you're part of a myriad of immense progressive processes which are not yet blooming but which are always blooming and have bloomed so beautifully before. These processes have to continue and what time I have on this planet I want to spend doing the best I can to make this Earth better for everybody who is here now, as well as those yet to be born.
Shards©1984
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