Reflection Paper On The Afterlife

Plato says “Sleep comes after being awake and being awake comes after sleep. Likewise just as death comes from life so must death return to life again.”(Tolstoy) Plato is explaining that life is like a rotating wheel with only two parts. You will live and then you will die but then there has to be something after that which is life again and the circle restarts, and this process never stops. Plato says “They have stayed for certain appointed periods, some longer, some shorter, they are sent forth again into the generation of living things.” “The inhabitants of the upper realms live there longer than those of the lower realms and without the pains, but they are only more like the Immortals, not actually immortal themselves. When they have to fall down, they are forced to fall back again and are assigned to an appropriate status, depending on their nature and according to their deeds” (hellenismo). It may take years for a person to be reincarnated. And who or what you are reincarnated into depends on the nature of the spirit and what you need to do in your next life. Plato says it’s not by chance you get a certain body or born into a certain family it’s for a reason... “ Famous philosophers socrates and pythagoras also believe what plato believed. They believe reincarnation is real. In Hinduism, it is believed that an enduring soul survives after death, spends a variable amount of time in another realm, and then becomes associated with a new body.”. “Hinduism includes the concept of karma, the idea that the conditions into which one is born are determined by one's conduct in various previous lives”. Buddhists believe also that once some has dies they reincarnate but they believe that who you reincarnate to is based on your karma except for the Dalai Lama. They believe that the Dalai Lama doesn’t get karma because of their “devotion to complete compassion for all sentient beings”

First a foremost, my belief of death and the afterlife is not strictly from the Catholic Church (where I was baptized), but rather a straight forward ideology that encompasses a few perspectives that I have picked up while living on this planet for 28 years. I believe that we’re all born with a purpose. I was brought into this life for a reason and that reason is to learn, garner information, and make the best possible choices for myself, my family, and friends. I believe that life is about learning from other people’s mistakes, analyzing, and teaching others to not to take the same course. I have experienced death within my family, and upon that person’s passing, a question remains in my mind: how did this person make a difference on this planet?

The book displays multiple perspectives about death through multiple different stories. These stories help the book build the concept of multiple different interpretations of how the afterlife could be (Eagleman, 2009.)

The chapter begins with a conversation between Eric and his friend Craigabout dockominium, a combination between dock and condominium. Eric imagined the happy life that the people who live on dockominium have and wished that his life could be like theirs. Craig told him that the best place to find dockominium is in Miami. That is why 10 years later after his journey around the world to find happiness he decides to settles in Miami with his wife. The day after his wife and him landed in Miami for a reconnaissance visit they receive a call to advise them that Craig die from a heart infarction.

A strong fundamental belief of traditional Judaism is in Olan Ha Ba, which is translated ‘the world to come’. The Hebrew word, Olan Ha Ba, refers to another higher state of being after you die. Jews view the earth as a lobby or a holding container to get into heaven. Most Jews barely spend any time discussing the afterlife. In fact some Jews such as Dr. Binder say that death is the end of your life. (Dr. Binder). The viewpoints in the Jewish faith about the afterlife can vary depending on the person you talk to. Besides the person who does not accept the generic Judaism beliefs, most Jewish people believe that all good people go to heaven and that the bad are not resurrected at all. Jewish people don’t typically believe in placement in heaven but they do believe in Hell. But they believe that Hell is a place for cleansing of your sins. People can only stay there for a maximum of 12 months and some leave before and others leave before that time. If you are left there after the 12 months then you become nothing and don’t have an afterlife (Moss). Jews believe that everyone in the world can go to heaven as long as they lead a moral and good life all while remaining a non-Jew. The Jewish population is more concerned about the things that they go for others on this earth rather than the afterlife because they care more about the reputation you leave behind after you die.

In Buddhism there is a belief in a form of reincarnation or rebirth. The aim of this is to reach nirvana which is a state of perfect peace. Be aware that there are different kinds of Buddhism that deal with death in their own ways.

As an Orthodox Jew, the concept of the Immortal Soul helps to cope with the deaths of my uncle and grandfather. The concept of our souls going to the afterlife after death is a belief of the Jewish people. This idea helps Jews cope with the loss of their loved ones. As a Jewish woman, I believe when the time comes for the soul to return to Heaven, it leaves the body and continues its eternal life in the spiritual World of Truth. During the soul’s lifetime on earth, it is in a partnership with the body; the soul is somewhat “handicapped”, by the requirements of the body, such as eating and drinking. Therefore, when the time comes for the soul to return “home,” it is in essence a release for it as it makes its ascent to the Next World, no longer

The afterlife is as important as life. There are so many things that I use but to choose only three things to bring to the afterlife is not only hard but near impossible. So to go about choosing my items I thought about what I need. I assume the afterlife will be peaceful but may not be the most exciting so my first object would be my Rubik's cube. The Rubik's cube is a puzzle that can be done over and over again since there are so many solutions. I would bring my Rubik's cube because I love puzzles and it would provide years of entertainment without getting tedious or boring. The afterlife would probably be in dire need of some good music so I would bring my guitar. My guitar would allow me to be creative and play music two of my favorite

Though many have the some of the same teachings, Hinduism, Judaism, and Christianity all have different afterlife's. I will start of first with the afterlife of Hinduism, in the Hindu religion there is a “heavenly paradise enjoyed by the souls of those who died with a ponderance of good karma but who must still undergo at least one more stay on earth” (ABH 456).They are allowed to stay in this heavenly paradise for only a certain amount of time before they have to go back to earth to perform the rest of their duties. After the person has finally achieved perfection back on earth, instead of going back to paradise they become reunited with the the Brahman, also called the soul of the universe.

The Hindus believe in reincarnation because the “souls should travel after death even the highest ones are part of Samsara. They are just as important as the earthly realsm” (Deziel). Hindus “are subjected to the impurities of the attachment, delusion and laws of karma” (Jayaram). Hindus dying is a natural practice “in the existence of the jiva, and is a resting period during the resemblance of its resources that adjusts its course” (Jayaram) the Hindus adjust their course by “returning to the earth to continue their journey again” (Jayaram). The Bhagavad Gita compares reincarnation to the body which means when a human is changing their clothes, they are taking their physical bodies out of their clothes and placing new ones on their bodies and “giving up the old and useless ones” (Bhagavad Gita 2.22). The Hindus believe in reincarnation because “a being has to live many lives and undergo many experiences before it attains perfection and becomes one with the Divine”

washed in scented water. This has to be done by a member of the same

I am very good at working under pressure and meeting deadlines. This is because my very favorite thing to do is to procrastinate which obviously is not the best thing. Despite this, the ability to thrive under pressure is a very sought-after skill. This gives me the ability to stay calm and handle things one step at a time in situations in which many others would be very overwhelmed. One example of this would be this past week. I had a TRP (four paged theological reflection paper) due in Old Testament, my first Old Testament exam and my first Chemistry exam. The day before my TRP was due my computer crashed on me and I lost my completed paper. Instead of panicking about the paper I had just lost, that had taken me two days to complete, and

The afterlife is usually thought of as something even better than life as we know it. Having certain beliefs about one’s destiny after passing can help with coping and believing that one is where they belong. Thoughts about the afterlife have always varied greatly. Even so, all cultures and religions are alike in one way; they stick with their own specific beliefs because their way is the only “right” way. Although all believed in deities, the views on the afterlife of Egypt and Early Greece believed in something greater after passing while Mesopotamia was more of being fearful and not knowing, but living.

Reincarnation usually catches criticism of what it entails from the western hemisphere as we didn’t to put our beliefs into physical things or something we can prove exists. However, when asking religious groups about reincarnation

For the past six weeks, I learned how philosophy has influenced the world globally. Learning that when human beings voice their thoughts with others, they receive a chance to change the world, especially if one person speaks one on one, one personage can change the world of one body. My belief in the power of language is strengthened by philosophy. This philosophy course has encouraged me to share my opinions that are not influenced by other peers or older adults, but to deeply reflect and research my beliefs and opinions. Looking at how philosophy has shaped the United States, I grant my thankfulness towards the Constitution, and the democracy and freedom we now have, compared to other countries.