Something or Nothing

Something or Nothing

For years and years, man has been occupied with thoughts of death, and what happens after. For the moment, putting aside arguments over what kind of reward /penalty awaits, the issue of the most elemental part of this discussion, fretting over our end, deserves analysis. The big question is: Something or Nothing? There is little evidence that Something awaits us. There are, of course, reports of post death experiences that have been written about on a regular basis in recent years. However, the more we learn about the chemistry of the brain, the more we have come to expect that these stories, while encouraging, are most likely brought about by the chemicals that our brain releases as we are dying in order to ease the process - a natural anesthetic if you please.

Religion was created in various parts of our world at least partially to ease the angst of death anticipation-the hope of continuing to be who we are in another place after leaving this consciousness. One of the first questions we ask our parents after arriving at some sort of self discovery is "Will I die momma? When?" Such a difficult answer to give a child. Then we spend the rest of our lives fretting over our demise. What a way to live. Bummer. The only saving grace, our hope for an after-life. Deprive us of this wish and we are bound to be despondent. So, belief based on hope, not science, becomes our wispy alternative.

What then if there is Nothing? At his trial, while contemplating his immediate self execution, the famous Greek philosopher, Socrates, speculated on what he referred to as the "Eternal Oblivion." Pretty descriptive, wouldn't you say? Remember that was almost twenty-five centuries ago. So where does that leave us today with all our scientific knowledge that was not available to the great Socrates back then? Fairly much in the same situation as we were twenty-five hundred years ago. Other than the stories of Lazarus being risen from the dead and the resurrection of Jesus himself, we have very few, if any, widely accepted cases of someone coming back from the dead to visit with us. Again, discounting the afore-mentioned accounts of after death stories, which would be the result of those brain chemicals previously discussed, we have no first-hand cases to help ward off the fears of "Eternal Oblivion."

Be clear, we are not talking about other belief systems such as Buddhism where the atman, or the soul, is said to be repositioned in another, new, body. That is qualitatively different from the reappearance of an individual in the same form as they were when alive. The re-emerged soul is not the same person as the previously departed individual. Again, if belief systems are developed to soften the blow of death, then only concrete scientific examples of a resurrected body are enough to satisfy the Socratic researcher. It appears that Judeo/Christian/Islamic assurances of "Heaven" and "Paradise" are what we are left with-and then only to a qualified believer. Not enough for our species as a complete entity.

Accordingly, we must now ask how bad is Nothingness? After all, this is where we emerged from, so why not return? It seems that the biggest issue we have with that concept is the discomfort we experience when we are in fact living. No pain later-only worries now. Perhaps there is another, even larger fear: that of the unknown. Alas, no final words of comfort HERE on that issue. Oh well it's Easter, or Passover or Ramadan or Kwanzaa or Christmas.

Let's celebrate birth and hope, not death and whatever.