By Gurnam Singh | Opinion |
INTRODUCTION
In today’s fast-paced world, where social media has distinctly compressed our sense of time and space, many of us prioritize the present moment and focus on short-term goals rather than considering the future. In terms of work or study, simply engaging in one task per day has become a relic of some romantic past. Despite the glossy ads extolling the liberatory potential of modern information-based technologies, it seems like our lives have become more controlled and cluttered than ever before.
There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that in our social media-driven world, human happiness is on the decline. Today, armed with smartphones, we have become addicted to the psychology of hyper-connectivity and hostages to the cult of ‘living in the present’. From dawn till dusk, and sometimes even throughout the night, we are engaged in multi-tasking! A seamless connectivity between devices means we almost live our lives in virtual space. It’s not that we don’t care about tomorrow; the problem is we seem to have no time to think beyond the next task.
If as suggested here some people have become entrapped in the here and now, in the other extreme, some are entirely motivated by the prospect of an afterlife. Often driven by strong religious beliefs, the people view life as a test or game, the consequences of which will be determined after physical death.
Ultimately, how we view death and the afterlife, can have a profound impact on our perspectives on existence. It can shape our beliefs about what is important in life, how we choose to live our lives, and how we approach the inevitable reality of our mortality. Whether we choose to live a carefree life or become preoccupied with death, it is ultimately up to us to determine what kind of life we want.
CULTURE OF SHORT-TERMISM
Living in the present can have both positive and negative connotations. Some argue that focusing on the here and now and enjoying life is the highest good and proper aim of human life. Sometimes referred to as Hedonism, this view argues the purpose of life is to be happy. This kind of carefree has great appeal, especially to youth who, because of their relatively young age may see no purpose in thinking about later life. This kind of pleasure-seeking behaviour seems quite innocent, and almost playful, but the consequences of such short-termism can be devastating.
Indeed, the lack of concern for others or the future or the planet is arguably the primary reason why humanity appears to be conspiring to destroy the very ecosystems that all life, human and non-human, depend upon. Indeed, one of the many criticisms of our political systems and policymakers is their tendency towards short-term planning that fits the 4/5 years electoral cycle. As Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations once said, “We have to choose between a global market driven only by calculations of short-term profit, and one which has a human face.”
If the culture of short-termism and instant gratification poses a threat to world peace and development, it also has serious consequences for human physical and mental health. The obsession with living for the ‘here and now’ is leading to all kinds of social, psychological and health problems. For example, in an age of hyper-connectivity, through social media, humanity appears to have succumbed to the addiction to immediate gratification.
Though, like other addictions, most live in a state of denial, in truth many have become hostages to what is known as the ‘like culture.’ This is a perpetual state of anticipation of affirmation where Descartes’s, famous dictum, “cogito, ergo sum”, or “I think, therefore I am” has been supplanted by “I get social media likes, therefore I am”! It is as if in the ‘like’ culture, our sense of being and purpose has been reduced to a constant desire for external validation. While research on the specific phenomenon of ‘like culture’ is limited, there is a growing body of evidence showing a correlation between excessive social media use and mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem.
The obvious solution to short-term thinking is for us to look longer and deeper, both into our pasts and most critically into our future. Looking forward and planning for the future is not an easy task. On a personal and family level, we all know death is the most certain thing in life. Nobody can escape death and sooner or later, it will determine our future existence, but perhaps it is the fear of death results in a culture of denial. Kabir in one of his discourses on death talks about the ‘whole world one day being dead’, so death isn’t the issue. What matters is how one should die, so that ‘one may never need to die again’. Using a form of reverse psychology, what Kabir is not talking about death but life and how one should live.
LIFE AFTER DEATH
The question of life after death is central to all the major world faith systems, with each offering its unique perspective. Historically, there has been a dividing line between faith-based beliefs in an afterlife and scientific accounts suggesting such beliefs were irrational and without any conclusive evidence. Studies have been conducted on near-death experiences, typically described as a feeling of detachment from the body, the sensation of travelling through a tunnel and encountering a bright light or a being of light. Whilst religious people see such accounts as proof of the transmigration of the soul, of an afterlife, of God and Heaven, most researchers suggest they can be explained by physiological and psychological factors such as lack of oxygen, the release of endorphins, and the brain’s response to stress.
Another method for ‘proving’ life after death is through claims of communication with the spirits of the deceased. Such claims tend to be made through intermediaries or mediums, who claim to have special powers to connect with the ‘other side’. However, such claims, whether they originate from everyday accounts or experimental set-ups, tend not to stand up to scientific scrutiny and/or simply expose charlatans and fraudsters that prey on the hopes and desires of the living.
DIFFERENT CONCEPTIONS OF DEATH?
Despite the lack of scientific evidence, many people still believe in an afterlife. One possible explanation for this belief is that the mind, consciousness, or psyche, may not be produced by the brain, and there might be another layer of reality beyond what we know of the brain that determines our reality. Many serious neuroscientists and philosophers who are focussing on consciousness suggest that this may be an undiscovered entity that cannot be reduced to synaptic activity in the brain but requires a totally new way of understanding the mind.
Advances in resuscitation science and critical care medicine have also challenged assumptions about the finality of death. Indeed, death is no longer considered a singular or irreversible event, as cells inside the body, including the brain, can take hours or even days to irreversibly die after the heart stops beating. Indeed, people who have experienced (near) death report unique cognitive experiences, such as seeing their bodies and the doctors trying to revive them, feeling peaceful while observing, and realizing that they may have died.
For some individuals, this focus on what may happen in the afterlife can lead to a sense of detachment from the present moment. Whilst in a positive sense this could free them from the kinds of short-termism mentioned earlier, a negative effect could be a life that is blighted by fear and an unhealthy obsession with living a perfectly moral life. However, for others, this focus on the afterlife can be a source of comfort and inspiration, providing them with a sense of purpose and direction that can guide their actions in the present. It can also serve as a reminder of the fleeting nature of life, motivating them to make the most of the time they have.
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND THE AFTERLIFE.
Though the belief in life after death, for the reasons outlined above, is not confined to religious belief, there is no doubt that religions have and continue to play a significant role in shaping the way many see, understand and imagine the afterlife. It is important to note that religious beliefs about the afterlife are complex and vary widely within each religion depending on different interpretations.
Different religions have varying beliefs and perspectives on life after death. In Abrahamic faiths, though there are important nuanced differences about their nature, there is broad unity on the concept of the afterlife, Heaven and Hell. In Christianity, for example, the belief is that those who accept Jesus Christ as their saviour and allow him into their hearts will be rewarded with eternal life in heaven, while those who do not will experience eternal separation from God in Hell. In Islam, there is a belief in ‘Yawm ad-Din’ or the Day of Judgment where souls will be judged by Allah and rewarded or punished accordingly in either Paradise or Hell. In Judaism, the belief is that there is a resurrection of the dead in the Messianic era or ‘Olam ha-ba’, meaning ‘the world to come’. In this future world, the righteous will be resurrected to enjoy the rewards of the afterlife, while the wicked will be punished. This will be a time of peace with a total absence of war and hatred where God will be accepted by everyone, and Judaism will be known as the one true religion.
In many Indigenous religions, there is a belief in a spirit world where the soul goes after death, but continues to exist in a different form, often in nature, both in animate (living) and inanimate (static) form. But most critically, within these traditions, as is the case with many folk traditions across the ages, there is a belief that in certain conditions, circumstances and places, the living can connect with and even seek counsel from departed spirits that reside in some border state between life and death.
Amongst the Indic belief traditions, notwithstanding important nuances, there is a broad consensus on the notion of the transmigration of the soul. In Hinduism, this is captured in the concept of ‘samsara’ or reincarnation, where, based on karma and past actions, the soul is reborn into another body after death. In Buddhism, there is belief in the cycle of rebirth or reincarnation, but the ultimate goal is to achieve ‘Nirvana’, or a state of perfect peace, joy, enlightenment and liberation from the cycle of rebirth.
In Sikhi, though the scriptures refer to various Vedic concepts associated with the transmigration of the soul, such as karma, reincarnation, the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, the meaning of life after death is rather distinct. Indeed, given that the central purpose in life according to Sikhi is to realise in thought and action that divinity resides within every being and to merge with the divine. Most critically this goal of ‘Jeevan Mukti, liberation achieved whilst being alive. The challenge for achieving this liberation is to dissolve the ego and realize the true divine nature of all existence. Liberation here is also related to the ‘sat’ or ‘timeless existence’. When one achieves this realisation, then there is no preoccupation with the future. This does not mean that one stops caring about the future, but realising the unity of past and future in the present elevates human life and responsibility to the highest possible. The purpose of existence is then to create heaven or if you like nirvana on Earth. In this regard, the idea of ‘sat’ resolves the problem of cause and effect, for in a state of timeless consciousness, cause and effect or if you like Karma itself becomes part of the present.
CONCLUSION
The idea of life after death surprisingly continues to intrigue both believers of faith in seeking to make sense of the spiritual realm and rationalists whose prime focus is on the world of material existence. However, by discovering the relative nature of space/time, modern cosmology has raised the real possibility of bridging the two world views associated with faith and reason, or if you like, subjective and objective experience. That is to say, though we all perceive time, the way we perceive it is personal, namely, it does not exist independently of human consciousness.
Gurnam Singh is an academic activist dedicated to human rights, liberty, equality, social and environmental justice. He is an Associate Professor of Sociology at University of Warwick, UK. He can be contacted at Gurnam.singh.1@warwick.ac.uk
* This is the opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Asia Samachar.
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