IS
LIFE REALLY FICTION?
Guest Columnist: Michael
G'Francisco
Do people
fear that living is a monotonous dream filled with boredom,
routineness, emptiness, and loneliness? Is real life just
a dream in which we awaken being flesh starving dead creatures?
It seems
that the fascination of people today with the “Walking
Dead”,“Vampires” and “Zombies”
movies and television programs are beginning to replace the
unthinkable.
The frontal
lobe of the human brain is involved with what scientist call,
executive functioning. This function enables humans
to think carefully and solve problems in an abstract way.
So, why are people, as of late, gorging themselves on afterlife
beings chasing living beings to eat their flesh? What pleasure
is found in bloody scenes of dead creatures gnawing on human
flesh? Is there really a virus (possible from outer space)
that can transform a person into a dead fleshing eating zombie?
Or, is
it the possibility that peoples are so stressed with everyday
life that they are beginning to believe that becoming a gorgy
lifeless creature will relieve us of thoughts, money problems,
sex, and other worldly problems?
Let’s
explore some of the theories behind this worldwide craze.
Human
beings have been fascinated by death for many centuries. The
noun fascination goes hand-in-hand with two other
nouns, fiction and fear. These nouns cause intrigue
in the human mind. Intrigue creates the thought of there might
be something else, possible an afterlife.
All religions
put forth the idea of an eternal life. What is not understandable,
is why an unproven life seem more important than a real living
life? Could it be because humans are naturally afraid of dying
(death)? Many are obsessed with the desire to prolong their
existence. Of course, the exception is those who commit suicide,
which is fortunately at a low percentage of the world’s
population.
The truth
of the matter is we, as a whole, do not believe that the Walking
dead exist. But, still the thought of them existing is
undoubtedly fun, and rather a bit macabre. But, to speculate
how a virus can transform dead people into gangrenous flesh
eating gorgers is, well, also a bit weird.
The Zombie
Apocalypse is fiction created by brilliant writers to
tantalize our imaginations. It can become quite satisfying
(or wishful) to think of being a creature without thought,
worry of money problems, sex, and any other earthly ties to
humanity.
Several
books have been written on the subject of the Zombie Phenomenon.
One is Timothy Verstynen and Bradley Voytek’s book,
Do Zombies Dream of Undead Sheep? They discuss at
full length the discipline of neuroscience or more simply
put; how does a Zombie’s brain work?
Of course,
the book shouldn’t be taken seriously! But hey, if it
tickles people’s fun bone about this global zombie apocalypse
craze, what harm can it cause being trendy?
The fear
of death can cloud our reasoning and logic processes. The
ultimate fear of life ending tends to make us believe in almost
anything that will cease the end of life or death.
In ancient
times, people formed cults to create a belief in an afterlife.
Even today in Mexico they believe in a mythical being called:
La Santa Muerte (The Saint of Death). A celebration
each year is held every November 2nd.
The Egyptians
had Osiris (The King of Death), the Greeks had Thanatos
(The God of Death), and the Vikings had Vahalla (The
Hall of the Slain)
But by
far the Egyptians were the most obsessed with life after death.
The archaeological finds through- out previous times attest
that kings and pharaohs strongly believed in the afterlife.
They were mummified and buried with many treasures and personal
belongs to guide them into and sustain them in the afterlife.
But, it can be said that today’s modern Egyptian obsession
with death and the afterlife has diminished. Their belief
in living a full life has become quite passionate. Still,
they do not believe in cremation—for in doing so, it
would destroy any chance of an afterlife (if there is one)
of the deceased.
Now,
let’s delve into America’s culture on the afterlife.
Thousands
of people have proclaimed to have had paranormal experiences,
but until recently these experiences have been on the hush-hush.
The organization NDERF (Near Death Experience Research Foundation)
has come up with some interesting facts.
Many
people are surfing on a surging wave of a growing fascination
about what happens after a person takes their last breath.
Even today’s baby boomers are grappling with their own
mortality. There seems to be a debate and possibly a doubt,
in the reliability of our five (5) senses (taste, smell, vision,
hearing and touch) to hypothesize and eventually define a
truth.
The NDERF’s
theories on why it has been kept low key are based on the
declining membership in religious denominations and the preaching’s
of many religious organizations about an idyllic paradise
or eternal damnation. Hundreds of books have been written
by quantum and theoretical physicists, and near death experiencers
attempting to solve this issue.
Let’s
explore the six (6) theories of an Afterlife:
- Materialism---Nothing
survives. Death ends life. This belief is akin to Atheism
(The lack of belief in gods).
- Paganism---What
survives after death is a vague, ghostly spirit, which goes
to a dark Underworld.
- Reincarnation---The
soul survives and is reincarnated into another body, which
is enlightened into a divine status.
- Pantheism---Death
changes nothing. It is only an illusion. Therefore, in this
view, the very question of what happens after death is mistaken.
The question is not solved but dissolved.
- Immortality---The
soul survives death, but not the body. The soul reaches
a place of eternal happiness or enters into eternal damnation.
- Resurrection---At
death, the soul and body separate with the soul awaiting
for the end of the world to reunite into a new, immortal
resurrected body by a divine miracle as prophesied in the
Holy Scriptures.
Is there
sufficient proof for immortality and the existence of an afterlife?
No!
Still,
being an open-minded skeptic is ok. But then again, maybe
it’s the closed minded skeptic that is holding humanity
at a standstill. That’s a bit of rubbish to chew on.
Isn’t it?
-----
Now,
go softly into the night. mgf
Comments
always welcome
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