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Edited by Masque of Night:
9/28/2015 4:29:13 AM
14
The Concept of Eternal Consciousness
There's been a lot of religious topics being thrown around here lately (as if that ever isn't the case), so I figure it's about time I make one. Although, i'll be doing so in a manner a bit different from how this subject is normally approached. In fact, this is more of a thread about a specific concept that finds itself to be a part of most religious systems. As the title may tell, i'm referring specifically to the concept of an afterlife, and more specifically an eternal afterlife.
Now, i'm aware that not all religious systems incorporate this, but a large portion do, especially among those widely practiced in the modern day. Now, the specifics of what the consciousness or "soul" goes through differs highly between faiths, and within said faiths as well, but the same basic concept throughout is that in one state or another, your consciousness will go on without your physical body, for a very long time, if not eternally.
So this brings me to my question, what is your opinion on the idea of a state of eternal consciousness? Would you [i]want[/i] to live forever and be consciously aware of it? Does this idea sound horrid or pleasing to you? What factors would your sentiment on this matter be dependent on?
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Consciousness, in my opinion, is the most incredible thing in the universe. The entire history of the universe, countless laws and mechanics of nature, and perhaps luck have led to the capability of a very small part of the universe to be aware of itself and it's surroundings, and to learn about both. (And even learn of and interact with other conscious beings.) Perhaps it is merely hubris, or fear of mortality that leads to our ideas of that construct existing eternally. Or, perhaps there is a bit more to it. One time in a discussion with my friends about teleportation (I know, complete nerds), we wondered whether upon destroying one's self by transferring the information somewhere else as an exact copy, one's sense of continuous consciousness would end, and another would begin where it left off. That brings up a better question. Doesn't brain constantly change and replace it's smallest parts? Who's to say we're not in an endless cycle of dying to allow the next new thought to cross our minds. TL;DR 2 deep 4 me
