Death and Reincarnation

So I've been thinking about a lot of things lately, and one of them was death. Not in the bad way or anything. I was just wondering what actually happens to a being's spirit once their body has finally given up.

First though, I want to think about that last dying moment. Right before you take your last breath, when your family is around you with tears in their eyes. I mean, what would you say to them? If you're in any situation, really, about to die; what do you say before you "leave this world"? I've honestly contemplated what I would say over a thousand times, but I've never fully set my mind on one thing. However, I have decided that no matter what happens, one of the last things I will say before I die will be "I love you, Doran."

What would you say, reader? Though it's not a very happy prospect you should think about it sometime. You don't want to waste your last moment saying something strange like, "cabbages!" or something. Then your family would be left trying to solve the mystery of that word.

Actually, that sounds kind of fun. Say something completely unrelated to anything just for the hell of it, and leave your family wondering. However, they might think you went insane just before you died. But I guess that's all part of the mystery!

Anyway, back to what I really wanted to talk about.

So I was thinking about what happens after death the other day, just kind of randomly since what I was doing wasn't related. (I was finding some food to eat in my house.) Now, some people believe that our spirits go to heaven where they find our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Others believe we meet up with God. Some spirits get lost in our world, unable to cross to the other side because of unfinished business.

Personally, I'd rather believe in reincarnation. Reincarnation basically means that after you die, you get born into something else. That's the gist of it at least. Honestly, though, it sounds a hell of a lot better than some of the other beliefs. I mean, I don't want just one life to live! Why should our spirits be bound to one lifetime and experience only a certain set of experiences? Why should we be confined to one perspective of life? I mean, think about it. If we were truly only allowed one life to live by God, the majority of us wouldn't be happy. What if our experience wasn't good? What if we didn't know we were supposed to make the most of what we had?

Reincarnation allows our spirits to experience so many things. When I was thinking about it, I imagined myself coming back to earth as an African child in poverty. How different my life would be from what I have now! I wondered if my spirit would remember this life; if, when I was a small child, I would recall memories of my previous parents. Would my parents then think me possessed? I don't know. Right now I only know the life I'm living.

I've believed in reincarnation almost all of my life. When I was younger, I would imagine thousands of spirits lined up at the pearly gates, waiting not for a meeting with God, but for their next life. I pictured an old soul standing near a podium type thing, assigning spirits to the next baby that would be born. Then those spirits would walk into the clouds and into their next life.

I guess that's a pretty silly way to think about it, but how else would it happen?

Besides, the other beliefs sound too depressing. So we die, go to heaven, and meet God. I know that's supposed to be the most divine thing we ever do, but once you meet God, then what? Do we just wander around heaven with nothing to do? How boring. I'd rather meet God a thousand times over than meet him once and never do anything again.

Or what about the people who believe that souls still wander the Earth? That sounds just as bad as the other one. We wander around, lost, lonely, still with unfinished business to take care of, unable to cross over. That's like living a life with no friends: you're invisible to the world but you still have to wait your turn to finish what you've started.

I think my least favorite is simply believing that there is no afterlife. We simply stop existing. Now that's just plain terrifying! There has to be SOMETHING that happens after we die. I can't imagine lying on my death bed, family around me or whatever, knowing that after this last breath I'm going nowhere. What about the saying, "Death is just the next big adventure"? If I believed there was nothing after death, I'd have nothing to look forward to!

This is why I think reincarnation is the perfect solution. Then death really would be the next big adventure. I wouldn't be confined to the earth, nor stuck wandering heaven. I'd stand in that huge line waiting for my next life and be indecently happy about it.

Just a random thought, but, what if heaven was one giant amusement park? That would be sick.

Oh oh, what if heaven was like that one book, The Five People You Meet in Heaven? Where, after we died, five people from our life would explain to us why we did the things we did and what the repercussions were. That would be very interesting and actually relieving, to tell the truth. If reincarnation didn't happen, I'd be fine with that as an alternative.

So reader, just a few questions to ask yourself (and tell me your opinions if you'd like): What will your last words be? Why would you say that instead of something else? What do you believe will happen to you after you die? Why do you believe that will happen?

I'm curious to hear your responses.