Written Charles Oputa.
I was born in 1950’s.
Before
I was born, the universe came into existence with a big bang about some 4.6
billion years ago, our solar system formed. Life arose and lots of animals
evolved. Somewhere on the continent of Africa, modern man arose, and spread
across the other continents. Civilization blossomed, along with the
domestication of animals, tools, technology, and information; I was oblivious
to all of these events.
I
didn’t exist yet, but everything that ever happened in the universe, happened –
and it went by in an instant. That “instant” spanned about 13 billion
years. It could have been even longer, it doesn’t matter, because to you
and I, it was still an instant. We have the luxury of science and history
to tell us of our universal past, but without that, the only recollection we
could possibly have of anything is what we actually lived through.
What’s
the point?
The point is that when you die, it’s
likely the same thing. The only difference is that there is no “instant” at the
other end for you to suddenly become conscious, like birth. Instead, time
and events like the ones listed above will happen on their own, without you,
just like they did before you were born. Time will go on until the
end of the Universe, if there is, but you won’t be able to know it
.
Should
we be afraid of death?
I will freely admit that death
itself does not scare me. The physical act of dying terrifies me. I
don’t want it to be painful, and I don’t want it to be drawn out. I want
peace and tranquility, like any other normal person would want. Though I am not
afraid of death, the thought of it saddens me. I love life so much that
it crushes me to think that I wouldn’t be able to spend time with family and
friends. Of course, losing a loved one is equally painful for the same
reasons. It also saddens me that I wouldn’t witness the next great advances in
technology. Imagine the people of the 1800’s; they could never have
imagined BlackBerry, IPad, Facebook, Skype, Email etc. I’m in my 60's now; can
you imagine what kind of technology the human race will discover in the next
century?
Now
to the Koko of this matter,
this is not to rattle your belief in Heaven or Hell and life after death, but
just to make you think. After all what do I know, even as I write this I maybe
so high, but it is my opinion and not yours.
It
would be reassuring to know that there was some sort of life after death, but
simply put, there is no real evidence for this, no matter which religion is
scrutinized. In fact, it seems that people’s life after death experience
is biological in nature. After all, they can be simulated with drugs and
put in a lab. It also seems very anthropocentric to believe that we are
so special that we deserve an afterlife. There are all sorts of problems
with life after death – based on religious views and different versions of
“heaven” and “hell”; the concept of the soul; the age of the person (for
example: do one day old infants get life after death?); animals (do they get to
experience it too?)
Some
people would be asking by now, which one be all this grammar sef?
We have got one life to live on this
planet, just one. You should do everything in your power to enjoy it to
the fullest, no slacking my guy and to make sure that everyone and everything
around you has the same opportunity. So, what happens when you die? - I think
the answer is mundane and simple, Nothing!
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