The Afterlife has to Suck

[Danoloto]

I like to think that this is the only chance of living I get. An afterlife would still be a form of life, only without the dying. I live believing this is the only chance I have been granted, and I want to be remembered as a good person now, not just be a good person to get a reward for it when I'm 6 feet under.
Also, I don't like to think of eternity and infinity. These are vast amounts of time my little brain can't cope with.

Spoiler: Bonus video for a giggle: heaven for atheists

 

[Illithidae]

Well, boss, without any Ad Infinitum Siphons the SOULs would get bored, wouldn't they?

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Philosophically, I feel that in a "divine realm" (Heaven or Hell, for example) "Boredom" would simply be abolished. You would never become tired of anything in and of itself - in Heaven, you would eternally enjoy your pleasant activities, while in Hell they would always be horrifyingly slow.

Without this you would, eventually, go bored and mad. It's hard to think about an abstract concept such as Heaven or Hell when such a thing is unimaginable to the human mind, going on for eternity that is. Perhaps it is like a dream, and you never truly realise that time is passing or that what you're doing doesn't make any logical, mortal sense?

 

[eggy32]

In that infinite time someone would create some sort of memory erasing thing that everyone would use to erase their memories of fun things and make everything new and fun again.

That sounds an awfully lot like a dystopian hell-future to me.

But we'll all be happy.

 

[ace_of_something]

The bible doesn't actually describe fluffy clouds and meeting grandpa. It says that you forget ALL worldly attachments and become one with god in a sense of bliss forever. SO basically you turn into a ball of non-aware happiness.

 

[Wintermoot]

maybe you get re-programmed or something (which would be a scary future)
personally I don't believe in a after life which makes death scary but a complete end.

 

[StormShaun]

People are saying this:

Boredom won't exist in the afterlife.

When they should be saying this:

The afterlife doesn't exist.

*Claps* Thank you for your opinion but please don't got throwing around insults of other peoples religion before. One, you start a flamewar or , two, someone will pull the ban hammer out of their pockets and nail your sack.

Okay to get on topic and to get this out of the way.
I am Christian and I don't give a carp what you say about it...Deal with it. -.-
(Even if you think this is idiotic just look at yourself insulting someone else...pretty pathetic)

I believe in the afterlife and Heaven, God, Jesus and etc.
But I think that they would remove the concept of boredom in Heaven because it would change people for the worse. The point of Heaven is for a happy eternity and I doubt you can have that if you got bored. But if you can do anything that means there is a numberless things to do. but it would be nice if you wouldn't get bored of the same thing.

Remember people. Don't push your religion. Don't insult each others religion...and don't troll/Lead the life you want to lead. ^_^

 

[Callate]

Boredom may well be a function of a finite and linear conception of time, a conception that might itself not "survive" passage into an eternal afterlife.

There are also any number of possibilities that don't quite mesh with "eternal, unchanging, and eventually, inevitably, bored." Reincarnation, for one. Another possibility- one considered even with some plausibility by quantum physicists- is that the reality we experience is some kind of projection. Perhaps in death we'll awaken to a more real, and very different, reality.

Eventually, barring technological advances as yet unseen, we'll all find out, won't we?

 

[JoesshittyOs]

Well, if there supposedly was a "paradise" that you have to be good to get into, I'd imagine you're no longer mortal, so you'd probably not experience mortal concepts like boredom.

 

[Faladorian]

*Claps* Thank you for your opinion but please don't got throwing around insults of other peoples religion before. One, you start a flamewar or , two, someone will pull the ban hammer out of their pockets and nail your sack.

Avoiding all conflict is a great way to avoid all progress.

Okay to get on topic and to get this out of the way.
I am Christian and I don't give a carp what you say about it...Deal with it. -.-
(Even if you think this is idiotic just look at yourself insulting someone else...pretty pathetic)

How is insulting somebody else pathetic? It's common human behavior. And (as with any opposing viewpoint) I would argue the same for you. Your brain never grew out of religion. The reason it takes a while to realize Santa Clause doesn't exist or that the crust of bread is not actually "good for you" is because people believe everything they're told as a child. And here I live in a country where 80-somthing percent of people are defending things their parents told them when they were little, or possibly what somebody told them while they were vulnerable for no reason other than the fact that viewpoints that reflect the truth are "depressing" or "icky."

Remember people. Don't push your religion. Don't insult each others religion...and don't troll/Lead the life you want to lead. ^_^

And if the life I want to lead is one in which people with asinine belief systems don't get away with saying whatever they want, what then?

I'm aware it started as a hypothetical (hopefully) and my comment started as an ironic joke. But clearly we've moved on from there, because now we're arguing. Nothing spoils a good mood like talking about differing beliefs. As the umteenth time arguing with a religious person, I'm well aware that absolutely nothing in the entire universe could possibly convince you otherwise. So you and I will go our separate ways, being either Christian or atheist. Not a damned thing will ever change.

 

[Circleseer]

Maybe the longer you're there the more intelligence/abilities you gain, and eventually you're potent enough to become a 'god' and make your own universe to have fun with and watch over.
Then when that universe ends, however many billion or trillion of years it takes, you do it over again, changing a few characteristics and watching what it does, continually gaining knowledge.

This is basically the Singularitarian viewpoint, except instead of in an afterlife we'll have to get it done in the real world, and the 'new intelligence and abilities' would be by artificial enhancement of the mind and manipulation of matter and energy. Google Ray Kurzweil if you're interested.

As for the creation of new universes, look at John Smarts Ascension Hypothesis. It basically suggests that intelligent species eventually create new universes for themselves to live in. While it's not a complete solution for the Fermi Paradox, it's interesting by it's own right.

 

[Thespian]

I've been thinking: the afterlife, no matter what it is, has to suck, right? I mean, because it goes on for eternity, you know?

In Virgil's 'Aeneid', the Afterlife is the paradise of Elysium. But after like, a couple hundred or maybe a thousand years there, you drink this water that wipes your memories and you have a new life. Then you go back to Paradise. Keeps it fresh and fun. So lets hope that a really old propaganda-filled action novel from Ancient Rome is correct about metaphysical post-death existence

*Claps* Thank you for your opinion but please don't got throwing around insults of other peoples religion before. One, you start a flamewar or , two, someone will pull the ban hammer out of their pockets and nail your sack.

I believe in the afterlife and Heaven, God, Jesus and etc.
But I think that they would remove the concept of boredom in Heaven because it would change people for the worse. The point of Heaven is for a happy eternity and I doubt you can have that if you got bored. But if you can do anything that means there is a numberless things to do. but it would be nice if you wouldn't get bored of the same thing.

1 - I don't see how that guy insulted anyone's religion. He just stated his opinion in a somewhat humourous manner.

2 - Isn't what you are suggesting basically lobotomy? The concept of boredom exists because of the principle of adaptation - We become used to things. God or evolution or Xenu or whatever you believe in put that into humans so that we wouldn't be, y'know, startled every time we heard a car backfire. We adapt to it. Similarly, reading a book ten times in a row makes it boring because the plot twists cease to entertain us.
So are you saying that in order to enjoy heaven we need to put a handicap on our minds? That's basically a mental disorder. Paradise is just sitting there like a child unable to cognate properly. I think that's a messed up view. I've always thought there was something off about the Elysium idea of paradise that Christian mythology was based on. Something really off-putting that just nagged away at me.

 

[Circleseer]

Daaammnn, so much existentialist comments.
If I did go to heaven, I'd have to "make" realms to visit like video game universes. That will allow neverending adventuring.

Holy shit, captcha:
far away

That's also basically the Singularitarian viewpoint.

But since we'll likely have full immersion virtual reality and the defeat of ageing within a few decades (thirty-ish years at most, probably less), you likely won't have to die before experiencing heaven as you describe it. Not accounting for unfortunate unforeseen circumstances.

 

[gideonkain]

Interesting idea.

It had always seemed kinda silly to me to be "judged for eternity" based on your actions in an infinitesimally small amount of time.

Ideas like reincarnation seem to make a lot more logical sense. I mean, you use a "soul" once than you "send it out to pasture" for eternity? Seems rather wasteful.

 

[Gorrila_thinktank]

Let's look at it from a theological point of view, specifically a Judeo-Christian one. Let's assume for a moment that there is a God. Now, if he's God, then logically he should be completely all-powerful and able to do absolutely anything, right? If that's true, then it should be too hard for him to keep us entertained for all eternity. Does that make sense or am I just talking out of my ass?

One of his first commandments was to have sex. His converstaions make worlds. He's only ever shown his pimp hand. He told a joke at the start of time and we are still laughing. His Designs make designs. He became one of his own creations; just to see how it feels. His main import is dirty laundry. His main export is love.

He is the most intresting entity in existence.

 

[Maphysto]

You ever see that old Twilight Zone episode where the criminal dies?

He's greeted by a fat man in a white suit who tells him he's in the afterlife, and absolutely anything he wants is his automatically. Women swoon at his feet, casinos pay out big every time, the police turn a blind eye to his crimes...but before long, he gets bored with it. Everything is handed to him on a silver platter, so there's no meaning or challenge to any of it. Frustrated, he asks the fat man, "What kind of Heaven is this, anyway?!"

The fat man replies "Who said this was Heaven?"

 

[Quazimofo]

Assuming there is a paradise in the afterlife, maybe the deity that created it removes boredom from that realm of existence? Bam, something that's cool for ten seconds is now cool for a trillion years.

yeah, thats kinda the only way i imagine it could work, because of the OP's points

 

[aba1]

This is sorta on topic but all I can say is death scares me ... a lot. When ever I try to imagine the say I die I get really nervous.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Now you understand why I don't believe in an afterlife.