One of the more interesting questions of life is whether it continues after the dramatic change we call death. Is death a transition, or is this all we get? A lot of time has been spent thinking about and discussing this subject, energy that could have better been used in a more constructive way. To give knowledge on this issue I have written this article.
Most of the discussions about life after death are more about what happens in that life (the contents) than if it exists.
Buddhists and Hindus suppose that after death you get reincarnated; you come back on this same earth as, for instance, Ghandi, or an extremely rare species of beetle, depending on how well you lead your present life. After travelling through many lives and achieving a perfect state of being, you go to Nirvana. Here you are granted eternal rest from telemarketers (although I do remember a loud rock band was involved somehow, but I forgot the details).
Catholics suppose you either go to a boring place and sing songs accompanied by a harp, or you go to an exciting and hot place, this inversely dependant on how you lead your present life.
Scientologists suggest that your soul goes to Mars (the area for souls between lives) to be subjected to unspeakable tortures during which you are made to "forget" your previous life. Afterwards you go back to Earth and decide which body to inhabit next. This decision is affected a bit by the fact that everyone seems to be stark raving mad. After some centuries / millennia of these ill-inspired decisions, Earth will resemble a particularly badly run mental institution. The effects are already widely noticeable.
The Ancient Norse folk thought Odin collected mortals who had died during battle, to add to his famous collection in Valhalla. All the remaining dead, went to Helheim (or Nifflheim). Odin's collection of warriors were supposed to fight the ultimate battle at the end of time, Ragnarok. It is unclear what they thought to win at the end of time. It supposedly has something to do with the circularity of time, like the hand of a watch going round and round. It goes round and round and round, and always returns to the same numbers, like clockwork. Peacefully the hand goes round and round; look at it going... You feel relaxed now, and as the hand goes round, with each passing you will relax some more. Take it easy, relax, relaaax. Now, after some three minutes you will awaken and never remember that you have read this paragraph. You will think favorably of the author of this article, specifically in a monetary sense. Now relax, and keep watching the hands of the clock...
The Torajans of Indonesia, after dying, have their soul, the "Bombo", resembling the deceased in every detail, transported (only if the funeral rites are properly orchestrated, otherwise the Bombo will haunt the living) to Puya, the land of soles (where also the Holy Shoes reside), together with all the wealth and livestock sacrificed at the funeral. In Puya, the Bombos live in a similar environment as the living for an eternity, unless they are promoted to the rank of deified ancestor, Deata, which are small and golden. The Deatas live in the heavens and provide protection and prosperity in exchange for ritual offerings.
Muslims suppose people die and rest in their grave until judgment day. The non-believers and believers both have to cross a bridge over an abyss, in which Hell lies, to the other side, Heaven. The believer’s bridge is normal, the non-believers' bridge is as thin as a hair (so start practicing tight-rope walking, guys!) Once plunged into the eternal fires, you have to drink boiling water (tea) and eat fruit from the Zakkoen tree. This looks like the head of Satan and, once in the stomach, feels like molten metal (peppers?).
Heaven, on the other hand, is a beautiful garden. The women who arrive in heaven are rejuvenated and become ecstatic at the thought that they are allowed to keep their husband company for all eternity. The men, on the other hand, become as potent as 80 men and are met by one hundred heavy breasted women a day, who regain their virginity every time they've had sex. Let's say, a somewhat different kind of ecstasy.
Atheists…Oh those Atheists. They say there is nothing after death.
Who knows who is right. Maybe we are currently living a life after a past death. It’s possible if reincarnation is true. We would never have thought about life after death if it wasn't for the fact that a tiny bit of information of the previous existence manages to seep through: the awareness that there is something after death. Pretty ironic, if you consider that the present is your last journey. This little "cosmic" error is therefore the cause of all the discussions and this general fussing about.