Oh you will be around in some form . Maybe just dust for a while.

Nope, absolutely no memories of that, but you're still not wrong. It's exactly like that.

A friend's grandson was listening to a conversation about something that happened before he was born. He asked, "where was I?" He was told, "you weren't born yet." He said, "yeah, but where WAS I?" He was about 5 or 6 at that time. We told him, "you weren't born yet so we don't know where you were. Try to remember. Maybe you can tell US where you were.

He was in thought about that for quite a while but then he announced, "I know where I was, I was on the space channel!"

It's a cute story, and it's true. It illustrated something to me at the time: our natural difficulty in imagining the world without ourselves in it. I wonder if this might help account for the widespread belief in an afterlife. No, it's religion. (:

It's possible, but our bodies release energy from the moment of conception. That energy is out there yet I have absolutely no knowledge of it and it would be absurd to think it has any knowledge period. So if the afterlife is a release of our final energy then that's no different than saying there is no afterlife.

@paul1967, I disagree, it's not absurd to think it could have knowledge. There is so much we don't know, why should we even speculate? And if we do speculate, we need to be open about the possibilities.

@BeeHappy I wasn't saying you were being absurd. I was say the energy my body is putting off right now doesn't have my awareness and I don't have any reason to believe it has any awareness. If I'm to have an afterlife the energy my body releases would need to be self aware and not just self aware it would have to have my awareness. Since I'm unaware of my energy I would have no reason to assume that could change after my death.

@paul1967 I didn't think you were attacking me. So we are cool there. I understand what you are saying, you make a good point and you may very well be correct. Still, I just don't think we have enough information to say for certain, either way.

@BeeHappy
What we can say pretty much for certain is that there isn't at this time enough supporting evidence to give us reason to suspect any such thing occurs. The only reason we might have to still hold that door open is simply because it gives us comfort. Nothing wrong with comfort, but it's good to call it what it is: not science.

@skado @paul1967 Guys, I don't believe that there is an afterlife but also don't know that for a certainty. If, a very big if, there is, I don't have a clue how it would manifest itself. Either I'm not making myself clear or I'm misunderstanding what you both are trying to say to me, which is highly likely!

@BeeHappy
I’m not disagreeing with you, I’m just adding that, while yes, there may be anything, like there may be a giant candy cane through the middle of the Earth, we don’t feel compelled to leave a space for that possibility in our worldview because there is just no reason to. If someone asks, “Do you believe in the giant candy cane?” we just say “No”. we don’t say “There could be.” even though there is the same amount of evidence for either, and either equally “could” be.
No one cares if there’s a giant candy cane, but there is motivation to care whether some aspect of our “self” survives death.
Just a thought.

@skado But isn't that exactly what an agnostic says in response to "is there a god"?

@BeeHappy
Yes, and my response is the same. There is no reason to be any more agnostic about a literal god than there is a giant candy cane, but nobody claims agnosticism regarding the candy cane.

I accept reincarnation of a sort. After I die the life left on Earth consumes my physical body and that is absorbed into those life forms as energy. My consciences is lost forever. I will be unaware of existence as I was before my birth.

@paul1967 They just proved that plants have senses so there is still hope.

@Marine They may have an awareness but not my awareness.

yes there alway from for doubt but that doesnt make it true..
This is why scam artist work on the doubt i know it not impossible but there doubt...
The best way to free yourself is to remove doubt absolute certainly is a red herring

I was dead for billions of years before I was born, and suffered no inconvenience. - Mark Twain

great

you got it

@Marine Indeed

This is the same nonsense that believe thinks... i don't know so i assume..
This is broken logic...... there zero evidence that we live after our death

Good comparison. Well said

We will all return to the environment. and become something else.

@Marine True but the ego wants more than that. Guess the ego is SOL.

@Surfpirate ego or foolishness?

@Rdurham There's a difference between the two? One always seems to lead to the other.

@Surfpirate it can but until someone prove a god or after life is something real than it nothing more then make believe.

Your new life may be a plant ,grass or so many other things. Do not give up hope.

We will all return to the environment. It just upsets me that many of us are placed in coffins which delays the process. My ashes will be scattered to the wind along with the ashes of my favorite dogs.

Reincarnation is not different then believe there a afterlife... i want to live forever..
Sorry that not real life.. You don't believe until you have evidence that it real otherwise your not different that believe in all of the thousand of claims of afterlife.