What happens when you die?

[Jon]

For me personally, I would love to believe in an afterlife. I see that belief as having many tangible benefits, including the alleviation of the fear of death. Yet at the same time, the scientist in me pulls towards my own oblivion. When I am dead, that's it!

What is your view on this? Do you continue but in a spiritual form or are you kaput?

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Non-existence. No spiritual form. BUT no consciousness, either, so you don't KNOW you are dead. (In fact, you don't know anything at that point since the medium of your memory is decaying.)

 

[Jon]

What about if you are instantly frozen and preserved, using hitherto unknown methods that work. You have zero brain activity. They frozen you before you were technically dead. Are you no longer conscious? Are you dead?

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Can't answer without testing for electrical activity. BUT very extremely seriously doubt that you are alive if at the moment you are a people-sicle.

Reminds me of the old COBOL programmer who, after years of working for various companies, accumulated enough money to retire as a wealthy man. So one day he discovers he has a terminal disease for which no cure is known. He has himself frozen (using your quick freeze preservation method). And time passes... (but he doesn't know it.)

He awakens, blinking at the lights. Several concerned people are standing over him, obvious glad that he is still alive. After reassuring him that he has now been cured of his terminal illness, they let it slip that he was frozen for nearly eight millennia. He says, "Why did you wait so long to cure me and thaw me out?" The chief scientist says, "Well, normally we wouldn't attempt it, but we were getting desperate. We read in your personal history that you were a COBOL programmer and, well, we've got these old programs we are still running and they have this Y10K problem..."

 

[FiFi]

I am not writing this for attention but yesterday morning my partners father passed away, he was surrounded by family, including myself. It was a horrible thing to witness, someone taking their last breath but as soon as he passed, the pain he was suffering,which clearly showed on his face over the last few weeks disappeared. I want to believe he was reunited with his wife and two daughters who passed away over the last few years. As unbearable as watching him die was, it's a massive comfort to know that he has "gone on" to be with his loved ones. Hope this makes sense, still feeling very emotional.
R.I.P David.

 

[FiFi]

In addition to that last comment, while working I'm a hospital 20 or so years ago, I sat with a dying man who had nobody with him in his final moments. Just before he died, he smiled and raised his arms as if to embrace someone. He then passed. I always think someone was waiting for him with their arms open to greet him.

 

[Bee]

Fi, I am sorry to hear of your sad news. Your observations are interesting too. I've witnessed two people die - one was having a heart attack and I was giving him first aid. He died in my arms nonetheless - and the pain and fear that he displayed in his last moments disappeared with his last breath. The second was a family member, who died with all of her extended family around her hospital bed. She smiled at us all and breathed out for the last time. It was incredibly peaceful.

 

[The_Doc_Man]

I never actually saw someone die, but a few times I have seen "Death" in someone's face and knew I would not see the person alive again. So far I have not been wrong. FiFi, even for someone like me, death is not cause for fear. It is dying slowly that is the painful event. In death you release all cares to the void of nothingness. My father-in-law passed in probably the most peaceful way I had ever heard. He had come in after running an errand. My mother-in-law had fixed supper. They ate, then she went to the bedroom to watch a show on her TV while he went to the den to watch "Crossfire" on his TV. After a couple of hours, he didn't show up for bed. (Country folks are early to bed and early to rise.) So she went to find him. She did. He was in his recliner, with the remote in his hand, leaned back like he was sleeping. He died watching his favorite show in his den with a full belly. There was not ONE sign of stress on his face. It appeared (and probably was true) that he fell asleep and died while sleeping.

In New Orleans, the tradition for the Creole neighborhoods is the Jazz funeral. The marching band plays a funeral dirge to the cemetery but an up-tempo quick-step march when leaving. The idea is we are sad to see the person go, but we will celebrate the joy we had from knowing that person while s/he was still among us. New Orleanians will party at the drop of a hat, but we always have a decent reason. Which is why when you attend a New Orleans funeral, the preacher will not miss the chance to suggest that we are celebrating the deceased person's life among us.

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

He awakens, blinking at the lights. Several concerned people are standing over him

I recollect a somewhat similar story. When the cryogenically frozen guy was woken, they just said a few words to him to see if he was ok and then unceremoniously told him that he would not be cured, they were going to cut him up and use him for spare parts for other people!