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he's kinda busy. of all people.....coudn't you just give him a short summary?
CC- My mom read this book and it ministered to her deeply. She lost my father suddenly to heart failure just a month short of their 25 year anniversary. This was over a decade ago now.
I thought of the book when I read your post and hope it brings you comfort to read it, if you chose to.
http://www.amazon.com/Heaven-Your-Jo...owViewpoints=1
Heaven, Your Real Home
Joni Eareckson Tada
he's kinda busy. of all people.....coudn't you just give him a short summary?
I haven't read the book myself. I just remember my mom sharing with me how reading the book comforted her and I hope it does the same for C.C.'s family.
I had an amazing ancient philosophy professor and he'd teach us the Socratic/Platonic ideas of life & death with such great passion that I always thought of his voice when I would read the text. When we arrived at Aristotle, I was struck by the change in tone and ideas, so I asked him one day what he thought happens when we die.
He sided with Aristotle, "We just pass away and live on through our family. Our afterlife is our legacy." I was kind of shocked because I was so used to hearing those optimistic lessons, but the man himself believed otherwise. Then I just sort of decided the question of an afterlife was to be dealt with like the question of God...live as if it isn't there, and just live a life where you don't hurt anybody, try to be of service, travel, share your knowledge, and not expect people/situations to always treat you as good as you treat them. You won't carry around a lot of the guilt most "pious" or "devout" people do, and that's HALF the battle because you'd be surprised how much time people spend regretting or hiding their "sins." Then, at the end, the worst possible outcome is that you rest and everyone you leave behind is like "Wow, that vato was a straight shooter, but I'm not sad cuz he did a lot of cool and taught the people around him what to do so there's no panic when he's not helming the ship." The best possible scenario is that you get the above, PLUS spend eternal life with the celestial bodies of your loved ones where you can travel the universe to distant planets and jam out with dead musicians and eat without worrying about getting fat and stuff like that.
Sucks about your sister. Life isnt fair.
As much as I wish death on you, i dont wish it on your family.
I believe when I die my version of heaven will be having a truck that never runs out of gas and a bag of weed that refills itself. I'll go on a never ending road trip, stopping to smoke joints with all the potheads who came before me.
I believe it's Heaven or nothingness, but either way, it beats cancer.
Sorry you all are having to go through this... I'm sure you are making her experience the best it can be. You're a good brother.
I believe it'll be nothing, but hope that I will end up in a gigantic harem with endless Ale and PC games.
Oh, and I'll still be able to follow sports on my movie screen sized, HD, plasma TV, while Jimi plays my personal soundtrack on a nearby stage
how much would it suck if you ran out of matches
I loled.
Lord Tebow I apologize.
Damn I needed to laugh.
Atrain you take cybersmack WAY too seriously.
My belief at this time is that we just repeat everything when we die. It's an endless loop. That would suck if you have a bad life, but it's the only thing that makes sense to me right now.
I took her to the Nasher Sculpture Center today. That's a very nice place.
Everything in life has taught me there is an ending. We do not exist before we live and we die and return to that state. The body stops functioning and there is no longer blood pumping through your brain, firing nerves, and regulating of the organ. The brain is personality. If you get into a car-wreck and suffer a brain injury severe enough, you can act in a different manner than you did before. Memories may be lost forever. If you have a stroke a similar thing happens.
I'm sorry you are about to lose a sister. I have lost my father in the time I've been posting here. Everyone is very supportive, as a general rule. This is one of the most difficult times to stick to my beliefs and share them because everyone wants to believe in an afterlife, to balm the pain of knowing we're about to lose someone close for good.
I think about all this way too often, as my Father died a few years back when I was 19. Same situation, cancer destroyed him and he couldn't speak or do much of anything for the last two weeks of his life. I hope there's something, and I believe your soul doesn't cease to exist, but we can't be sure of what exactly happens.
Live your life well, do good for others, and be a decent person. That's the way I see it. As others have said, find the good in this. You get to spend time with her, as I did with my Father.
Keep your head up sir
I'm not sure what to believe after death. The scientist in me believes that there is decomposition and a return to the Earth as does all living organisms. As for the afterlife, there may be something out there, but without concrete proof--I don't know what to believe.
Anyhow, CC, my thoughts are with you and yours. I have dealt firsthand with cancer, and know all about the constant anguish you must feel. Watching my father pass away from it really showed me that even if we show an ounce of good spirits and overall support, it can lead to better morale in our loved ones. I know that my pops didn't want us to dwell, but as part of the human condition--we knew that keeping in perspective everything life has to offer made us cope with loss easier.
Sorry about your sister, CC, but I'm glad you're able to spend some quality time with her and have some laughs also.
Thanks, Darlin.
Today was a good day. I'm just really emotionally tired. And maybe a little bit stoned too LOL.
Dude that sounds pretty sick, not gonna lie. Don't forget though, you tolerance to weed never builds up either in this heaven.
Sorry to hear about your sister
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I really don't know what happens. I believe that there is something more than just decomposing. Our minds are one of the most incredible things in this universe. I don't know if dualism exists, but it is possible. If the mind and body are two different things, the possibilities are endless with what happens to us after death in my view. Whether it be the eternal heaven in religions we believe, the reincarnations beliefs, being a spirit floating in in the universe, etc.
If we take the materialistic approach, death will ultimately be nothingness. Some say this is a terrible thing to be nothing and timeless. I agree, but as Epicurus says, "“Death, the most frightening of bad things, is nothing to us; since when we exist death is not yet present, and when death is present, then we do not exist". Therefore since we don't experience death when it happens, it is not a terrible thing because we can't experience it. just like before we born, we had no sensory view of "life" and this wasn't terrible, it just was nothingness.
we live life fearing death because we want to experience things and have happiness because that is what LIFE is about (for many). We have the capability to be self aware, and realize the past and possible future. This is what makes the topic of death so dooming to us.
Last edited by InRareForm; 03-24-2010 at 12:13 AM.
Sorry about your Sis.
I think you just cease to exist, no heaven, no , nothing.
To answer the question, I don't believe in an afterlife.
That makes it all the more important for me to enjoy and appreciate what I have. I can honestly say I'm extremely happy just being alive. And when I'm not alive, well, I won't be worrying about it, will I?
Make the most of your time, both for yourself and her CC.
Mine is something like that except I'm flying around space with a never ending joint.
Sorry CC. I don't know what happens for her next but at least you're making the best of it now.
I hope you gain the strength to show her work I think we'd all appreciate it.
B2B- Wonderful to see you back, sir.
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