What happens when you die

I guess it depends on whether you think we are merely a fleshy machine or have some magical, undetectable essence called a soul.

The fleshy machine angle would imply that when the lights go out, that's it - nothing to follow.

This is supported by the fact that so much of our "essence" - personality, memories etc are all very tangably altereable. You take drugs and your personality changes. You have a stroke that causes a part of your brain storing memories to die and you lose those memories.

To consider there to be something "beyond the pale curtain" then you need to go beyone what science can prove and believe in something without proof - the fantasy of a soul or whatever name you chose to use.

If you go down the route of believing in made up stuff (ie cannot be proved) then you may as well make up whatever afterlife suits your preference as it all seems equally plausable at that point.

My advice is to focus on living and let death take care of itself.

I guess it depends on whether you think we are merely a fleshy machine or have some magical, undetectable essence called a soul.

The fleshy machine angle would imply that when the lights go out, that's it - nothing to follow.

This is supported by the fact that so much of our "essence" - personality, memories etc are all very tangably altereable. You take drugs and your personality changes. You have a stroke that causes a part of your brain storing memories to die and you lose those memories.

To consider there to be something "beyond the pale curtain" then you need to go beyone what science can prove and believe in something without proof - the fantasy of a soul or whatever name you chose to use.

If you go down the route of believing in made up stuff (ie cannot be proved) then you may as well make up whatever afterlife suits your preference as it all seems equally plausable at that point.

My advice is to focus on living and let death take care of itself.