The Expat Life

“ We’re living in a world in which 9 million children, every year, die before they reach the age of 5. Year after year after year. And that is a tsunami of the sort you remember from 2004, every 10 days — killing only children before the age of 5. Think about these children, think about their parents. Know that virtually all these parents are people who believe in God, and were praying all the while that their children would be saved — and their prayers were not answered. Now, the afterlife comes into the midst of this reality, and as a promise that all of this is gonna make sense in the end — that somehow at that the end of existence, we’re going to be let in on the punch line and have a mighty laugh with almighty God for eternity. Now, there is no evidence of that and I therefore I think that this concept of the afterlife really functions as a substitute for wisdom. It functions as a substitute for really absorbing our predicament, which is that everyone is gonna die. There are circumstances that are just catastrophically unfair. Evil sometimes wins and injustice sometimes wins. And the only justice we’re going to find in the world is the justice we make, and I think we have an ethical responsibility to absorb this, really, down to the soles of our feet. And this notion of the afterlife, the happy talk about how it’s all going to work out and that it’s all a part of God’s plan, is a way of shirking that responsibility.

— Sam Harris

Day 2 - Do you believe in an afterlife? What do you believe happens when you die?

As stated in my previous post (which can be found here) I am an atheist. I firmly believe and adhere to the philosophy of “I don’t know”. Until there can be firm evidence presented as to the presence of such an afterlife, I am perfectly fine and able to live on my life as I see fit. The problem with the afterlife belief is that it is quite similar to the “reward and punishment” system.

The problem with this system when it is applied in religion is that first of all, you have to take a blind leap in order to possess ”faith”. That being said, you simply cannot expect to receive any rewards or benefits from your faith in this life. As we may have or have not have learned during our preschool and kindergarten years, positive reinforcement is a must in order for such a system to be positive.

In my experience, this sort of system almost always backfires due to repressed desires. Urges are a system the human body has adapted to ensure it’s survival, and to be frank, it is quite simple to understand. You get thirsty when your body lacks the water to perform the necessary chemical reactions (which require water). You are inflicted with hunger pangs when your blood glucose level is too low. The urge for intercourse is simply the drive for procreation. The urge to kill is simply the drive for survival. Religion does not teach how to get around these urges, rather it teaches how to suppress.

Simply, I do not believe in an afterlife. When you die, you simply - are you ready for this? You rot.

(23 day plan can be found here)