Consciousness Beyond Death

 If the question of whether there is consciousness beyond death isn’t the number one unanswered question of non atheist people, then I don’t know what is.  Whether or not one asks this question is probably the answer to whether or not a person is truly an atheist.  If it was possible to have a definitive answer to this question and if the answer is in fact no, then I would not want to have this information.  I definitely do, though, lean toward believing that there is something more.  My personal experiences have in fact convinced me that there is more to reality than that which is normally perceived and understood by our human consciousness and senses.  I could therefore never accept that there is a valid reason for denying the potential existence of unseen realities and influences that we cannot prove given our current state of scientific knowledge and human comprehension.  At the same time, I fully respect intelligent thought and the intelligence of questioning all things of which we do not feel we have valid proof.  The following statement comes to my mind.  

“It makes the most sense to not fail to doubt that of which there is no evidence.”

Whether or not human beings feel they have enough valid evidence to decide or to have a leaning toward one belief or the other in regard to the question about life after death, is a matter of personal experience and conviction.  I do personally feel secure in the belief that it could very well be a possibility.  While I completely respect science and its ability to unravel the mysteries of physical reality, I also respect the existence of other means of obtaining knowledge and knowing, as much as scientists might scream to the core of their beings that such things could never be valid. To a large degree I do in fact disagree with magical thinking and non scientific belief.  I also however believe that it is arrogant or maybe just naive of science and the scientifically minded to be closed off to the possibility of there being other avenues for discovery and knowing.  At the same time, if people believe wholly in science, I do actually respect and understand the validity of this belief.  I truly believe in the validity of science.  It’s just the exclusivity part of scientific belief that I can’t accept.  I do understand though that scientific advancements can’t be made without maintaining a true respect for and belief in the process of science.  You can’t be a scientist and be unscientific.  I am not a scientist though and I just personally can’t close my mind to the idea and reality that people’s personal experiences can hold important and valid clues that can provide answers to some unanswered questions. 

Yes, I got off of the topic of consciousness beyond death, but only because it is a question for which contemplation requires open mindedness and a willingness to give consideration to the value of anecdotal experience and evidence when it satisfies one’s belief that this evidence is too meaningful to be dismissed.  Or in other words, when there is evidence that should erase any doubt that things that are currently unexplainable through scientific explanation, do exist and have validity.  This kind of personal evidence does then actually become an asset for intelligent thought.