Lost Souls
If no culture’s morals can be comparatively good or bad then how can we determine one religion to be “right” or “wrong.” Afterlife beliefs stem from these moral codes, but none can ever be scientifically proven beyond doubt. I do not believe they can be, or should be proven, but by recognizing cultural patterns in belief systems we can further examine and reflect on our own morals. My hope is to stir self reflection and open up the possibility that we are not only killing the world and each other, but also our afterlife. The research I’ve done reading about other cultures has influenced my own afterlife beliefs. My concept is that the apocalypse will be caused by self-destruction in the form of pollution and climate change. Our souls are within our physical bodies. After we die, the organic matter is distributed among other living beings also inhabited by souls. Reincarnated, our souls live on, but the more species that become extinct create less habitable vessels. Billions of years ago the universe began, and every moment created the exact conditions necessary for human existence on a planet full of innumerable natural anomalies. By denying evolution, creation, and survival, humans have created a trivial life of denial and selfishness. By killing ourselves and our planet we murder life after life on earth. Was it worth it? By making it personal I hope to force people to care about others who share this planet with us, about the space we use, and the things we leave behind.
1-17-2019
Conservative assurances and alterity
To instill morality and meaning in our lives humans have long created a multitude of afterlife beliefs, and expectations for a “good death”. Beliefs in a postmortem experience exist in variations around the world, but conservative thought and afterlife destinations with strict entry requirements do not allow for acceptance of multiple beliefs. I believe those who live without confronting mortality, and expressing single-minded views, are stunting our ability as humans to empathize with each other. My aim is to interpret cosmological alterities by interviewing people, reading about different beliefs and asking individual people to send me their after-life beliefs. My hope is that these interpretations will lead to more openness and discussion about death which in turn could lead to greater empathy and understanding. Death is seen as the end of everything we have worked for, but we hope that everything we have done has meant something. I do not believe that embracing and understanding multiple post-death experiences invalidates one's own beliefs. James W. Green quotes Michael de Certeau in Beyond the Good Death, as saying “what we do when we believe is more important than what we think we believe” (95). By displaying “other” beliefs I hope to show the underlying psychological similarities, because if we are able to understand why someone can believe in one afterlife scenario it should not be so difficult to indulge in another.
If no culture’s morals can be comparatively good or bad then how can we determine one religion to be “right” or “wrong.” Afterlife beliefs stem from these moral codes, but none can ever be scientifically proven beyond doubt. I do not believe they can be, or should be proven, but by recognizing cultural patterns in belief systems we can further examine and reflect on our own morals. My hope is to stir self reflection and open up the possibility that we are not only killing the world and each other, but also our afterlife. The research I’ve done reading about other cultures has influenced my own afterlife beliefs. My concept is that the apocalypse will be caused by self-destruction in the form of pollution and climate change. Our souls are within our physical bodies. After we die, the organic matter is distributed among other living beings also inhabited by souls. Reincarnated, our souls live on, but the more species that become extinct create less habitable vessels. Billions of years ago the universe began, and every moment created the exact conditions necessary for human existence on a planet full of innumerable natural anomalies. By denying evolution, creation, and survival, humans have created a trivial life of denial and selfishness. By killing ourselves and our planet we murder life after life on earth. Was it worth it? By making it personal I hope to force people to care about others who share this planet with us, about the space we use, and the things we leave behind.
1-17-2019
Conservative assurances and alterity
To instill morality and meaning in our lives humans have long created a multitude of afterlife beliefs, and expectations for a “good death”. Beliefs in a postmortem experience exist in variations around the world, but conservative thought and afterlife destinations with strict entry requirements do not allow for acceptance of multiple beliefs. I believe those who live without confronting mortality, and expressing single-minded views, are stunting our ability as humans to empathize with each other. My aim is to interpret cosmological alterities by interviewing people, reading about different beliefs and asking individual people to send me their after-life beliefs. My hope is that these interpretations will lead to more openness and discussion about death which in turn could lead to greater empathy and understanding. Death is seen as the end of everything we have worked for, but we hope that everything we have done has meant something. I do not believe that embracing and understanding multiple post-death experiences invalidates one's own beliefs. James W. Green quotes Michael de Certeau in Beyond the Good Death, as saying “what we do when we believe is more important than what we think we believe” (95). By displaying “other” beliefs I hope to show the underlying psychological similarities, because if we are able to understand why someone can believe in one afterlife scenario it should not be so difficult to indulge in another.
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