What happens when we die?

I like the idea of a sideways step! I believe that when we die, part of us lives on. I believe that the same thing occurs to all humans, regardless of their culture, because it is a physical act. Obviously we don’t know how this happens, but that doesn’t make it untrue (a fairy-tale, as many people say). I don’t believe that only good people go to heaven, or only Christians. I don’t think that is possible. Rupert Sheldrake has a theory that what we see on the other side is what we imagine that we will see. He uses the analogy of dreaming, except that we never wake up!

Rehearsing for Death

On New year’s day of 2013, the year when I passed 70 (in August), a friend irritated me very slightly by wishing me a Happy New Year for this “special year”. She was also 70 that year. But I didn’t ascribe much significance to turning 70; I didn’t feel particularly old. But, when I passed 80 last year, for some reason, I attributed a greater significance to it, although I feel and look younger. But I really felt that I was passing a milestone. And I’ve started thinking about dying, in a positive way, trying to understand a little about what happens (not that we know very much!) so that I am prepared.

And, in any case, during the past 20 years, I’ve become more inquisitive about the world around me, the universe and its maker (after having spent many years being urged to “have faith”. An inquisitive mind is better, I think.) I know it sounds morbid to talk about death but it holds no fear for me. It will be a new adventure. I am sure this is apocryphal, but the last words of Steve Job were reported as, “Wow!”.

Sometimes I feel as though I am dying slowly. I have lost my desire to paint (but I still try to bring it back to life rather like using a defibrillator on a comatose body). My libido is waning, but there’s no one to test it on apart from myself! But I’m writing a lot, as you can see! I love writing. And I’m reading a lot too. So there’s hope for me yet! But I hope my friends will not be too sad when I go on the new adventure. And they won’t have too much work clearing out my flat, because I’ve already started down-sizing.