Fear of death is a common theme throughout human society. The fear is so strong that humans often turn to the irrational for comfort.
Religion has long exploited the human fear of death to amass large amounts of followers. In the Pre World War II era, religion served as a bulwark against uncertainty in the world. It condensed complex questions into simple answers, and was seen as the binder of nations and families.
The destruction wrought by World War II led many to question their purpose in the world, as to some the strife had rendered the ideals of god meaningless. Additionally, towards the end of the 20th century, great advances in the sciences were made. The role of religion continued to grow smaller as the world entered a new age of reason. Humanity became more content with finding purpose without religion and in this time made giant leaps in technology through space exploration, computing, and medicine.
Although the role of religion has faded today, the majority of the world is still religious. Furthermore, those that have left organized religion may have pursued spirituality instead. Despite the vast availability of information, irrational beliefs still persist strongly in the human psyche. The reason is that humans crave the idea of persistence beyond death, and many ideologies will readily offer it to them.
Why should we reject the afterlife?
We should reject the afterlife simply on the premise that there is no evidence whatsoever for its existence. None of its mechanisms can be explained logically. Belief in the afterlife is so prevalent because it is comforting and commonplace, not because of its validity.
The first issue with the preposition of an afterlife is that it is not often viewed from the same lens as other ideas. It is generally accepted that when things are destroyed, they don’t continue to exist in some type of ethereal plane. When electronics are decommissioned, buildings are destroyed, and food is consumed, humans do not propose that these things will suddenly emerge in their previous workable form.
Proponents of the afterlife often state that consciousness as evidence for the afterlife. While consciousness is not completely understood, neuroscientists have been able to deduce that it is an emergent process of the brain. Certain regions correlate to certain functions, and damage to these regions hinders these functions. Both chemical substances and physical trauma can produce predictable losses of function. When parts of the brain being damaged cause specific losses of function, it is illogical to assume that the loss of the entire brain will suddenly lead to a prime state of functioning.
Our lack of understanding of the entire processes of consciousness is also not valid evidence for the afterlife. We cannot simply substitute in the afterlife to explain things we don’t know yet. This is known as the “god of the gaps” fallacy where the supernatural is used to explain what we don’t know. Using the supernatural to explain what we don’t understand is dishonest because it does not offer any insight into its explanation and calls for us to accept things because they are. Things that we do not understand can only be brought to understanding through the rational exploration of cause and effects. Throughout history, all phenomenon that was claimed to have arisen due to the supernatural was dis-proven through empirical methodology.
A Shattered Worldview
Understanding that death is the end can be particularly shocking when one has lived their life believing in persistence after death. Feelings of despair often ensue, with a complete loss of meaning occurring for many individuals.
Without an afterlife or a divine protector, life can appear to be very chaotic and unfair. It is apparent that there is pointless death and destruction that rages throughout the world.
Accepting Mortality, Finding Freedom
It is often questioned what we should look to as a bulwark against death and destruction without the promise of an afterlife. Upon examination, it is clear that it is the tenets of humanism that has built the most peaceful elements in society, and not belief in the divine. The greatest feats of humanity were achieved by embracing the challenges of reality. These include things such as curing deadly diseases, erecting colossal monuments, and bridging the divide between humans through trade and connectivity.
Abandoning delusions means a temporary loss in comfort, but a long term path to purpose and fulfillment. Beliefs in the afterlife can cause current unfairness and injustices to be accepted, as if it will all be corrected by some act of divine balancing in the future. Such a belief absolves the individual of responsibility, putting their fates into the hands of false promises.
By accepting mortality, we can understand that this world is all that we have. All of our actions matter now, and the improvement of life while we live it becomes of utmost importance. When we put our primary focus on reality, we are best equipped to deal with it with responsibility. By knowing that there are no second chances in imaginary realms, we have the capability to live our best lives possible.
When we accept our mortality, we can put our lives in our own control. We understand that it is up to us to take action to improve our situation. We are responsible for our finances, our fitness, the success of our careers, and forging our own purpose.
There won’t be a day where everything is suddenly resolved for us. When we see what we don’t like, the aspects of ourselves and society that we want to change, we have to act now. When humans work in the interest of themselves and other humans instead of a false creator, that is when our biggest strides are made.
Live with purpose, for yourself and others. There are no gods and deities, only humankind. There is no heaven above us or hell below us.
The only thing that we have is our eternal reality.
