Paul Jenkins was a teacher who taught history at high school. He was having a bad day at work, and he also fought with his wife at home. While returning from school in his car, he ran into a tree and died from severe head injury. What happens after we’re dead? Is it the end or is there an afterlife waiting for us all? Let’s learn more about the afterlife.
Although the story is made up, the followed findings are not. Jesse Bering, a psychologist, told this story to a group of people and handed them a survey questionnaire. It had questions like, ‘does Paul know that he is dead?’, ‘Does Paul wish that he could tell his wife that he loved her?’; ‘Do you believe that Paul is able to see his wife from the afterlife?’ etc.
Almost all of the volunteers claimed that they believe that Paul is in the afterlife claiming that there is actually an afterlife.
For years, people have been trying to find out whether there is an afterlife at all or the life we’re in right now is the only one we’ve got. If we follow the religious scriptures, almost every religion states the fact there indeed is an afterlife.
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What Happens When We Are Dead?
Photo by: K. Mitch Hodge
What do people feel when they die? Do they feel pain? Or is it just a celestial journey towards nothingness?
Sometimes people go through experiences which nearly cause them death. A number of people have been announced dead clinically and came back to life. There indeed is a medical explanation for that, it’s nothing paranormal. But, how did it feel when they were almost dead?
Dr. Sam Parnia, professor at NYU Langone School of Medicine said that the feeling of death is quite comfortable. After conducting numerous research with people who have had near-death experiences, Dr. Parnia came up with some deductions.
During the time of death, oxygen level in our brain is reduced and we don’t have a connection with the physical world anymore. But, we do understand that we’re dying, and the brain stays conscious for some moments even after the body stops working.
People who have had near-death experiences said that the process of death was very soothing, and there was no pain. Some of them said that they saw a light welcoming them towards it. Some people also said that they saw their deceased closed ones into the tunnel of light. It is so comfortable that the people who came back from the other side said that they didn’t want to come back.
Also, people who were admitted to hospitals during their near-death experiences said that they could sense nurses and doctors treating them. They were simultaneously experiencing the tunnel of light and also aware of the physical world where they were being treated in the hospital.
Is there Really An Afterlife?
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“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – (John 3:16) (Bible)
“Say: Who is Lord of the seven heavens, and Lord of the Tremendous Throne? They will say: Unto Allah (all that belongeth) - (23:86-87) (Quran)
“Even as water becomes one with water, fire with fire, and air with air, so the atman becomes one with the Infinite Atman (Brahman) and thus attains final freedom.” - (Maitri Upanishad 6.24)
Most of the religions have the notion of heaven and hell in the afterlife. If you’re a good person in this life, you’ll go to heaven and find eternal peace. But, if you’ve committed sins, you’ll end up being in hell where you’ll be punished. The idea of heaven and hell clearly reflects the notion of afterlife in people’s minds.
Some scholars who do not believe in afterlife have stated that the ultimate notion of afterlife has only been created by people because we can’t stand the thought of perishing into ‘nothingness’ after we die. And that’s why, we want to believe that there is something even after we’re dead.
Dr. Parnia wrote a book named Erasing Death, where he mentioned a near-death experience case of a Dutch patient who had dentures. The patient had a cardiac arrest and was admitted into hospital. Experiencing a near-death experience, the patient came back to life. Afterwards, the nurse couldn’t find the patient’s dentures, but, the patient reminded the nurse where she kept the dentures. Surprisingly, the patient wasn’t conscious when the dentures were removed which proves the aforementioned experiences of people who said they simultaneously experienced the physical world and also the afterlife.
Another great example mentioned in the same book proves that it’s not the end when we die. A patient named Maria was admitted to hospital after going through a cardiac arrest. After going through a near-death experience, Maria elaborately stated what she faced.
She stated that during her near-death experience, she was able to look down at the operation theatre from the ceiling. After a while, she could go out of the hospital and roam around as she stated. She even said that she saw a tennis shoe lying on the third floor of the building’s north side. The doctor however, was a bit skeptical. So, he went to check whether Maria was really saying the truth or not. Guess what? There really was a shoe on the north side of third floor!
This incident initiated a lot of arguments about the existence of soul, and about the existence of an afterlife.
Wrapping Up
No one has been able to prove or completely deny the existence of afterlife. May be we are not yet advanced enough to find out what happens after we die, or maybe we never will. But, based on what people have faced in their near-death experiences, the existence of an afterlife is quite possible.