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What happens to your soul when you die?

/DG/

silentigata ano (profile)
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What are you personal views on what happens when you die? There's more than just electricity that flows through your body that makes it move. Each of us has his or her own individual and unique mind and personality. Each of us has a soul, which is different from one another. If you factor science in this, energy can neither be created nor destroyed. So what happens to the energy that makes up you, your soul, your spirit? Can it all just vanish? I know this isn't a new topic, but sometimes I think about it a lot and I'm very curious as to everyone's opinions.
 

Jeremy

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Well, the chemical processes that made up my body and my thoughts will most likely disappear. But thanks to my unique (just like everyone else) religious views, I also think that the "soul", the core being of who I am, goes back to one giant "oversoul", the soul of the universe.. so when we die, we add our experiences to the core of the soul of everything that exists. I feel like that process alone is enough reason for living - by adding our own experiences into the mixture of experiences that all life previously existing in the universe has had, we are furthering the advancement of all life that exists within it.

Or maybe we just die and go to heaven. Who knows? I do think that, even when merged with that life force, some aspects of individuality can come out if you have a strong attachment to something.. which is how I explain ghosts and other phenomena.
 

juggernaut

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If such a thing were to exist, it would go with the package and be worm food like the rest of me.
 

BerberElla

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If such a thing were to exist, it would go with the package and be worm food like the rest of me.

Inspite of finding this view deppressing, I agree. I don't believe in souls (although I do refer to a persons individuality as their soul) or that we are anything more than just dead once we are gone.

Could be wrong, but that's how I see it.

If I was to believe anything happened, I would like to believe that my initial childish ideas when I was a kid are what happens, and that we all get wings and live in the clouds with the ability to travel through space flapping our beautiful wings. :smile: that would be cool lol.
 

Sentura

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after the body dies, the mind is still alive, if only for couple of minutes. the lack of oxygen to the brain causes the mind to go into an unstable state of hallucinations and relief of thoughts that could be associated with seeing your personal heaven or hell. after this, it goes black.

the cycle of death is the cycle of life. while my body is decomposing, it will give new life to other beings. with this, even though i die, life will continue. and because this is possible, i may be granted another consciousness and another life in another being. it's a rational reincarnation.
 

sade

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I would love to believe that there was a soul or such to live on once I've died.
But no. As the system shuts down, all that is left is worm food. I hope I get well recycled.
 

sculpting

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I am still waiting on a GUT before I write off all the mysteries in the universe. I would like to cling a wee bit to some vague notion of something greater than what we are, even if we dissolve into that when we die.

My favorite religious ideas tend towards a monistic view of the world. I like the idea expressed in some hindu texts (kashmiri shaivism) that the entire world-everything-is an expansion of a godlike wholeness. So we are all parts of that and if we could look back far enough could become one with that and thus be redefined as god.

Not that I really belive it, but of the choices out there it seems most plauasible.

(cut me some slack, its 5 am and Im a feeeeeler :wubbie: )
 

Fluffywolf

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Since I think that soul doesn't exist I think that my opinion should be obvious to everyone.

In agreement to this. There's not much to be said about it. :)

(On the bright side, at least I won't be dissappointed. :D )
 

Totenkindly

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There's more than just electricity that flows through your body that makes it move.

How do you know?

Each of us has his or her own individual and unique mind and personality.

This is observable.

Each of us has a soul, which is different from one another.

How do you know we have souls that exist past the death of our bodies, and how do you know what the consistency of the soul actually is?

If you factor science in this, energy can neither be created nor destroyed.

As I just noted, scientifically the soul is not observable. So how can you possibly use science to state things emphatically about the soul? Scientifically, the only statement here you have made that is observable is that we all have distinct personalities.

So what happens to the energy that makes up you, your soul, your spirit?

We have no idea if the soul or spirit exists, let alone that it is powered by energy that is scientifically describable.

Can it all just vanish? I know this isn't a new topic, but sometimes I think about it a lot and I'm very curious as to everyone's opinions.

I say all that I have said here only to create a more nuanced framework -- there is no discernible reality here, there is just opinion.

My opinion also is that if there is a soul, I cannot say anything about it that has meaning or certainty. But what would I like? I would like (I think, sometimes I'm not sure) to continue after death and continue to learn and explore and grow and commune with other spirits I care about, all with the same bent as me. So that life continues, and growth continues, and connection continues, and understanding grows.

But there's no way to know what really happens.
 

Moiety

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I don't know about your soul, but my soul is gonna live forever wrecking havoc upon the world. Kinda like Peter Pan only it's an old man refusing to die.



In agreement to this. There's not much to be said about it. :)

(On the bright side, at least I won't be dissappointed. :D )

Only the bitter INTs can hope to go to heaven. Non-bitter INTs all go to hell by default.
 

Fluffywolf

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I don't know about your soul, but my soul is gonna live forever wrecking havoc upon the world. Kinda like Peter Pan only it's an old man refusing to die.





Only the bitter INTs can hope to go to heaven. Non-bitter INTs all go to hell by default.


Even hell is better than nothing at all by my reckoning. :)

Existance of any kind will always be greater than no existance at all.

Yet I'm putting my money on no existance at all after death. :p
 

Moiety

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Even hell is better than nothing at all by my reckoning. :)

Existance of any kind will always be greater than no existance at all.

Yet I'm putting my money on no existance at all after death. :p

Reminds me about a discussion I had with my brother about the perception of time/pain. I almost drowned to death once, when I was a kid, and can attest...it seems like an eternity.

What if the moment we die is perceived by our brain as never ending?!

Just like time spent having fun VS being bored. That kind of thing always fascinated me. Hell/heaven on Earth indeed.
 

Totenkindly

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I don't know about your soul, but my soul is gonna live forever wrecking havoc upon the world. Kinda like Peter Pan only it's an old man refusing to die.

ha ha, you crazy NFs, you think you can change the rules of reality to suit your fancies.... but you will fail, bwa ha ha ha ha!!!!!

Only the bitter INTs can hope to go to heaven. Non-bitter INTs all go to hell by default.

At least we're happy, and we only need to sleep with one sheet on.

Reminds me about a discussion I had with my brother about the perception of time/pain. I almost drowned to death once, when I was a kid, and can attest...it seems like an eternity.

From one of my favorite movies:

"I once knew a man who drowned. He said it was like 'going home.'"

Later: "Remember what I told you about the man who drowned? I lied. He said it was agony."


What if the moment we die is perceived by our brain as never ending?!

Scary, huh? we just don't know.

Maybe death is more Harlan Ellison than Walt Disney.
Maybe it really sucks and is full of eternal torment.
 

Moiety

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ha ha, you crazy NFs, you think you can change the rules of reality to suit your fancies.... but you will fail, bwa ha ha ha ha!!!!!

The mind makes it true!!!You NTs just need(ed) to wait for science to logically explain it, to learn this. Bwahaha, who's the fool now?!



At least we're happy, and we only need to sleep with one sheet on.

Yeah, well, we ENFPs sleep naked year-round. Beat that.


Jennifer said:
From one of my favorite movies:

"I once knew a man who drowned. He said it was like 'going home.'"

Later: "Remember what I told you about the man who drowned? I lied. He said it was agony."


Man I love that movie. A stupid friend of mine kinda spoiled it for me in advance (I had been waiting for it since 2002's Insomnia). I'm still angry about it.....

Jennifer said:
Scary, huh? we just don't know.

Maybe death is more Harlan Ellison than Walt Disney.
Maybe it really sucks and is full of eternal torment.

Hence religions and hocus pocus, I guess. People need a chill pill to face the bitter truth. But, yeah, scary indeed.
 

Totenkindly

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The mind makes it true!!!You NTs just need(ed) to wait for science to logically explain it, to learn this. Bwahaha, who's the fool now?!

You.
:smile:


Yeah, well, we ENFPs sleep naked year-round. Beat that.

Okay. *gets out bat, sizes up vulnerable places on buff ENFP*


Man I love that movie. A stupid friend of mine kinda spoiled it for me in advance (I had been waiting for it since 2002's Insomnia). I'm still angry about it.....

No wonder. It's just an incredible movie, I'm a big Chris Nolan fan too. Insomnia had some flaws but I still watch it regularly. The Prestige is in my fave top ten movies I've ever seen.
 

Athenian200

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What are you personal views on what happens when you die? There's more than just electricity that flows through your body that makes it move. Each of us has his or her own individual and unique mind and personality. Each of us has a soul, which is different from one another. If you factor science in this, energy can neither be created nor destroyed. So what happens to the energy that makes up you, your soul, your spirit? Can it all just vanish? I know this isn't a new topic, but sometimes I think about it a lot and I'm very curious as to everyone's opinions.

I'm not sure if there is such a thing as a soul. It might simply be a perceptual byproduct of the way our mind processes reality. But my first idea upon imagining that a soul exists, is that we all simply become ghosts and wander the earth for eternity when we die, unable to be seen, interact with, or otherwise affect anything.
 

Thalassa

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Another INFP here who believes we have souls. I think that the laws of physics support the idea that the energy must go *somewhere*. And our bodies lose 21 grams when we die, no matter how big or small the body is. I believe that there is a force of life, creativity, and love in the universe and our souls go toward it. Or the energy remains behind in an imprint on earth (hell, if you will) that explains the aura surrounding landmarks where intensely horrible things have happened, like suicides, murders, and war battles.
 
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