What comes after life is an interesting topic to me. I know that there are already threads about it but this is a little different. It seems like a lot of people like the idea of some afterlife and I can understand that. The idea of dying by still being around and existing sounds awesome. But then I think about how everything that makes me ME is in my brain. My personality wouldn't transcend into any afterlife, just my energy /soul/whateveryoucallit. that's the general consensus among those thy believe in an afterlife, yea? But why should I care about that? I'm more concerned about my personality being preserved rather than some random energy. So that leads me to lose interest in any potential state of existence after death. Then that leads me to wonder why anybody else cares about an afterlife... I mean if you buy the personality is in the brain and that the soul/energy is separate, then even if there's more after death it doesn't matter, because without the personality you're still gone. Whether some energy remains or not, you as you know it still no longer exists. So I guess, in this wonderful drunken state, I am asking why people care. If the personality dies, which again I assume is general consensus, then what does it matter? Why do people still care? I'll admit it seems like people take death less "seriously" than it sounds like they did in ye ol' days. Perhaps in a few hundred years we'll just lose the interest of afterlife? Religion might carry on in slightly ways... but as science progresses and people understand the brain to personality deal and when the brain dies the personality dies, I just don't see the notion of an afterlife worth caring about as staying worthwhile to care about. I know some say the caring is natural but I don't believe that. It seems so far that humans are the only thing that actually stresses it and considers existence after death in nature.
If the question is why do people care about the afterlife, my guess is because our culture has raised them to. Shit's crammed in to your head before logic even had a chance. However, if the question is why do they believe in the afterlife, then I would say they have gone without even a basic lesson in the laws of nature. Thermodynamics and entropy don't allow much room for an afterlife. We are all castles made of sand. Evolution worked very hard to construct us, but some day the wind and tides will carry us away. It is overwhelmingly unlikely that they will reconstruct us, or leave a few ramparts intact even. Though as always, the definition of an afterlife itself is up for grabs. In a much more real sense than the stereotypical vision of an afterlife, we are all the afterlife of long dead stars, and the miniscule organisms that began life from their remnants. Part of you was once part of the very first single celled organisms... another part was once Mozart, another Ghandi, another Hitler. The very air you breathe carries their essence. All life lives on in other life, in however small of a sense. Take what comfort in that you can.
I think people just want to believe they have an eternal impact on the universe whether it be conscious or otherwise. The idea of nonexistence is a frightening and confusing concept to many people. The only 'afterlife' I believe in is the universal cycle of energy which doesn't really pertain to the preservation of my consciousness. I've spent a lot of time worrying about what happens after death, but the only conclusion I've made is that I should spend my time enjoying my stay rather than stressing the inevitable.
And what makes you, YOU? As oppose to what makes others, OTHERS? You will realize that there aint much difference. Just like how all dogs are dogs and all cats are cats. Why do people care about an "afterlife"? Well, its just their brain making them, THEM. We can go blue in the face talking about why Oscar Myer wont show his face in public or why there is no ham found Antarctica but it wont change the facts. I say-- let others worry about the end of THEIR EXISTENCE because in the end I will face it on my OWN.