Where Do We Go After We Die?

Humans have wanted to know what happens after death for as long as we were able to formulate a thought. We found answers for ourselves which we compiled into the various religious text that are still being taught today. I've never really liked the answers the various religions gives to that question because a lot of it isn't based on anything tangible or that can be measured.

Where do we go after we die?

When we're alive, we're able to hear, feel, see, smell... but, after we die, we change into the state we were in before we were born which doesn't have any of these bodily characteristics. We are part of this Universe regardless of the state that we're in but our interaction with the Universe, when we no longer exist as a person, will not only be different but incomprehensible to the living.

The Christians Heavens is said to be a place where we'll meet everyone that was meaningful to us but everyone that was meaningful to our bodily self remains in the memory/brain of the decaying body. The state we were in before we were born can't be referred to as a person and neither is the state we will be after we die because what is referred to as a "person" remains here.

Sometimes, when we sleep, we don't have any dreams. Everything is black and we feel, see, are nothing. This, at least in my mind, is how death will be.

Am I scared to die?

We're naturally afraid of the unknown and death is unknown to us but when we die we won't have the ability to feel afraid, or anything else, anymore.

A.I. will complicate things...

I think that once Artificial Intelligence becomes common place the question of where we go after we die will have a different meaning. Where would an A.I. mind go when it's shut off? Religious folks will be quick to point out that A.I. doesn't have a soul they, therefore, don't have an afterlife but once A.I. becomes so good that we can differentiate them from human minds are we, finally, going to conclude that the difference between mechanical and biological death isn't that different.

In the end...

In the end, nobody knows for sure what will happen after we die but I think that if we focus on what we know of our physical body we can find some plausible answers that make more sense than reincarnation or heaven/hell theories. Some people have had near death experiences where they "saw" angels or a glimpse of a heaven/hell but then the question becomes "which version of heaven/hell did you see?" as many religions not only have different heavens/hells (some have none) but also have different requirements on how to get there. Did they see the Christian heaven or one of the 7 heavens mentioned in Islam? Considering that they're still alive can we truly say they were dead or did they simply have a near death experience? Were the images they saw something that they wanted to see?

One thing is for sure is that we're alive now and we should live our life the best that we can.

It's Unlikely that the Seniors of Tomorrow Will Have a Pension

"You can be young without money but you can't be old without it." 

-Tennesse Williams

There's this misconception that the Government will take care of us when we retire and maybe at one time this was true but this definitely isn't the case anymore. Many can't afford to live off of the pension the Government has setup for them, once their own savings have run out today. How likely will things be better for seniors in 10,20,30... years from now?

What's the solution? 

The solution is: Don't rely on a Government pension. Don't setup your life thinking that at the end of it all someone will take care of you. Insure that you are financially stable now and working towards major savings.

If you can't save money now then work towards another degree, another course, another career but put yourself in a position where your earning power will insure future security. Earn like a millionaire and spend like you're broke. No, you don't need 50 streaming subscription, a new car every year or the latest and greatest gadget. Put the money you would normally spend on these things into savings accounts. Invest in yourself by learning a new skill. Start a side business or take a calculated risk towards something that has a chance of a return.

Do what is necessary, while being morally acceptable, to prepare for the inevitable end of life. Don't underestimate how long you will live once you retire. Better have money to spare at the end, that you can give away, than to run out before you move on.

Feeling Nostalgic

When I was younger, my dad would tell me that I should go out with friends as much as possible and that I was living the best years of my life. At the time, I was a overweight kid with low self-esteem and talking like a chipmunk which made me doubt in my dad's words of wisdom.

After college I moved out of the city I was born in and tried making a life for myself in a few different places in Canada only to come back to my hometown roughly 12 years later. Since coming back I haven't really been able to connect with my friends in large part due to COVID but also because we've grown with responsibilities of our own. My friends are married, have kids and I generally busy with the responsibility these things brings.

Thinking about this makes me feel nostalgic about the good old days. As a kid I wasn't the party type but my friends and I would hang out all the time to play outside or to play some video games. Sure, we can still hangout and do some of these things but it won't be the same as we have other things that we also have to do. The focus is not as much in the moment as it used to be.

It's not clear to me when was the last time we all hung out but one thing is certain is that, at the time, nobody thought this would of been our last time together.

All this to say that, if you're younger, you should listen to my Dad and hangout with your friends as much as possible and enjoy it while it last because next thing you know, one of them will move to a new city, the other will get married and perhaps one may even die unexpectedly (R.I.P. Rene). Oh, sure, you'll make new friends but it won't be the same.

Life is short.

We Don't Understand How We Feel

Scenario: You just had a bad day at work. You come home and you seem to be frustrated with everything your spouse is doing.

Is your spouse really the cause of your frustration or is it the bad day you've had at work?

It can be difficult to know where our feelings originated from because what we feel in the present moment may of originated sometime in the past. Our inability to properly identify the root cause of these feelings can create unnecessary conflict in our lives.

The body is like a computer without a cooling system. We get overheated with all these daily frustrations and we have no build in process to release that heat. Therefor it's our responsibility to find ways to release that heat, or frustration, in such a way as to not negatively impact the lives of those close to us.

How can we do this?

• Talk it out: Sharing your frustration can free you of it.
• Exercise: Lifting weights can help it getting that frustration out of your system.
• Read: Reading is a form of meditation and focusing on what you read does alleviate life problems.
• Sleep: Often, a lack of sleep is the cause of our frustration.
• Eat a Healthy Meal: A unbalanced diet can cause havoc to your mental health. Eat right and feel right.

Get the daily frustration out in a way that doesn't negatively impact those that are near you.

Should There Be Another Lockdown?

In Canada, many provinces are tackling their 4th wave and one has to wonder: Should there be another lock-down? 

The answer to this question becomes increasingly difficult as more and more people are getting their vaccines. The vaccine, let us recall, doesn't prevent us from getting the virus - it just greatly diminishes our chances of needing to go to the hospital or actually dying from the disease while also being less contagious. Most people that are in the hospital, right now, are those that don't have both shots.

In an ideal world, the only people that we should see in hospital right now are those with both vaccines that still have complications from the virus.

I don't really have any pity left for those that could, but didn't, take the vaccines. I believe there will be a time when medical professional will have to make the difficult decision not to treat those that don't have both vaccines. I hope we never get to this point, because who would want to make such a decision, but what do you do when the only other alternative is total collapse of the medical system? What do you do when you can only save 1 of 2 COVID patients and one of them has the vaccines and the other doesn't? Ideally, you would want to put your effort towards the person that, statistically, has a better chance at survival.

This would be way more easier, on everybody, if everyone would just get vaccinated. We're fortunate to live in a world where we have vaccine to fight off deadly diseases and I fail to understand why some people are more afraid of the vaccine than the virus itself.

Some people say that they want to "do their own research" before taking the vaccine well how about you look at the statistics? How many people died of the virus? How many people died of the vaccine? How many people died of Covid with the vaccine vs how many died without it? 

The data is already available for people looking to do their own research. What they heck are they waiting for? Do the research, come to the same conclusion as the majority, and get vaccinated.