Do you know what happens when you die?



All of a sudden it dawns on us that one day we will die. When this happens, it is sudden. We are young and the question just arises. We might blurt it out to one of our parents. We might think it over in our conscious minds. Yes, even as a young child, we are capable of doing this.

We might forget exactly the first time we pondered what happens when we die. It might have been when we saw a dead bird, or cat, or some other animal. It might have been when someone was speaking about a relative or friend who had died. It might have been when somebody we knew died.

As we grow older we will encounter death more often. On each occasion we encounter death, the question of what happens when we die will always arise in our minds. Somewhere along the line the issue of death has to be resolved if we are to have true contentment in our lives.

Various views on death have us being animals that are born just to die. This is part of the biological evolutionary process and we are merely part of this biologically aimless life without any purpose to existence at all.

Evolution does not necessarily have to be restricted to biological beings. There are views that have us on an evolutionary journey of becoming more knowledgeable and morally perfect through each trans-migration of our soul from lesser beings to higher beings. In certain philosophies, this soul migration is known as reincarnation and souls can be reincarnated as higher or lesser forms of mortal beings.

Hinduism has the caste system where trans-migration of the souls depends largely upon how one lives their lives on this earth. If a soul commits crimes or sins against other people, then a demotion will result in the next reincarnation. Conversely, what is considered to be a good life, where acts of kindness and generosity are frequent, a soul can expect to return in a higher form. In Hinduism, and even in its offshoot, Buddhism, this practice continues until each soul becomes one with the universe or the all-soul.

When you think about it, just being born to die is a futile existence, and even born to be reincarnated many times in various forms as our souls trans-migrate the animal and human world to eventually become non-existent or individually unknowable is also a pointless exercise for existence.

Other views on death have us either going to paradise or perishing in Hell. These are based on a sense of justice and retribution for deeds done. Unlike the reincarnation view, where people might return as insects because of unjust actions and deeds as a human until the next reincarnation, being cast into Hell is for a much longer duration than being reincarnated. More often though Hell is thought of as a place where there is endless torment forever without escape. This in itself seems to be purposeless existence also.

Death is something that everybody has to face. The truth about what happens after death is a matter that we need to find answers for in order to give our life purpose here on earth.

Merely being born to die sucks. Merely being born to go through a series of reincarnations is also a pointless excuse for existing. So while we can devise a number of theories about what happens at death, unless we can find the truth about why we are born in the first place, then whatever we might imagine happens at death is an exercise in futility.