by John Devera

Created on: January 17, 2009

Those who believe that there is no afterlife exist in a world that functions like an electric light. If the switch is on, there is light. If you flick the switch, life is gone. That's it. End of story. Now, don't assume that this viewpoint necessarily dictates that one is an atheist. Mainstream Judaism has no dogma about the afterlife. Some few Christians believe in "soul death." The idea that we live and then we disappear is not reserved just for the atheist. This view is based on a ration and materialist view of the universe.

In many ways this makes sense, it all exists as a way for a rational materialist to look at the observable world. Birth is a beginning. Before birth, our consciousness does not exist. That is the observable, scientific view. All the claptrap about past lives is anecdotal and irredeemably bad evidence. All the theological constructs that result in us somehow "forgetting" our previous existence or consciousness appears to be subtly prevaricating mumbo-jumbo. For the person who views life as a materialist, life begins at consciousness, and death is the end of consciousness. So, what does that mean for a person who wishes to contemplate his own mortality?

If this is the only shot we get, it's flimed in one take, then it has to count. There are no mulligans, no do overs, no mercy and no reward for a job well done. What that means is that, for the person who doesn't believe in an after life, the significance of a life depends on only two things: what you've done and what you leave behind. You see, even if a person does not believe in an after life, he understands that there is a kind of afterlife in the memory of others. We continue to exist as an extension of our deeds in our life.

In Confucianism, there is no dogmatic teaching about an afterlife. Rather, one is exhorted to live a life worthy of becoming, after one dies, a revered ancestor. For instance, if the most notable of my ancestors was a horse thief, he will be remembered for generations as the one who was hanged ignominiously. His example serves as a warning to others. He achieves a destiny after life. But it is preferable to live a live which has significance because, then, our lives will be remembered as examples of nobility, graciousness, humanity. For the person who does not accept the existence of consciousness after death, this is a kind of immortality; it offers meaning to existence that one has added to the sum of happiness in the world.

In addition, since one does not believe

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