Torrey Braman

Phil. 1012 Intro to Philosophy

1/19/11

Dr. Mehring

Philosophical Obsession

As I don’t believe in god or any other creator, and strongly believe that we are here
because of evolution, a lot of the exampled philosophical obsessions are think about deeply. If I
had to pick one idea that I think about most, it would whether or not we have any existence after
death, and whether or not our religious beliefs determine where we go.

I tend to label myself and my beliefs as an atheist with the exception that I am really just
unsure of what happens after death. I would like to believe that my mother, deceased from a hard
life with Huntington’s disease, is getting a second chance to enjoy some kind of physical or
spiritual existence in happiness. In addition, I too would like to think that when my life comes to
an end here on earth that I get to “re-live” some parts of life that may not have gone so well, and
even get a chance to see my mother. All of this seems fine and dandy minus the fact that I really
just cannot see life after death as something real. As much as I want to believe in its existence,
something so mystical could never be real in my eyes.

I have always stuck to believing what can be physically proven. Because of this I of
course believe that god and Jesus are fictional characters created to give people hope and a better
way of living. But if heaven is real then does that mean that I am now excluded for my scientific
ways of thought? Or, is there some place that we can’t even picture or imagine unlike anything
relative to what we call life waiting for us after our death?

I ponder this question because I cannot pick any specific side; which I guess, is why I am
questioning it in the first place. If there is such a place as heaven that supposedly has proof of
existence, should I go against what I believe so that I can enjoy an afterlife with everybody else?
Or should I stay true to myself and enjoy that life I live now, not worrying about the afterlife and
simply accept its existence or non-existence however which way it comes? As part of its own
mystique, this philosophical “obsession” seems to help keep those who are part of a religion,
remain part of that religion in hopes of a better afterlife, and those who do not belong to any
religion questioning the opposite groups ways of thinking. I believe the best thing we can do is
just be ourselves, accept our thoughts and await what is to come whether it be fact or fiction.