If life were a multiple choice test, which answer would you chose? Please explain your choice.?

Question

A. You live. You die. End of story
B. You live . You die. Beginning of another story
C. You live. You die. Maybe something else happens. Who knows?
D. You never really lived anyway, so live or die, who cares?
(Creativity and originality are very much appreciated.)

Answer 1

I go for C, the agnostic position.
"nessie" you were spot on, Karma does ask very searching, although seemingly simple, questions.
I wish there were a way in which more people could see this, and all the thoughtful responses to it. Every response so far has been worthy of respect.
What a humble B response from "hobbitgon" !
Les Anders, a decent statement of traditional Christian beliefs; but what do we have more than unsupported affirmations?

But now, Asker will gently prod me into justifying my own Agnostic stand.

The position of the Agnostic allows one to adopt any of the other three, and personally I wouldn't want to dogmatically outlaw any of the multitude of beliefs they incorporate. For example, B includes all the major systematised religions in the world. For their adherents it is most important to be wary of comforting beliefs - we can never wish something into being. And yet, how often do the adherents of religions persecute persons who do not subscribe to their faith?
If only their strong faith could be tinged with a touch of agnostic dubiety, then we would have a happier, more peaceful world. Mind, if there could be absolute certainty, a guarantee, that Les Anders is right, I wouldn't ask that he should water down his faith in the interest of syncretism.

The Western world view is composed of philosophical elements owed to Greece and Middle Eastern religious lore which placed man apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. Darwin's explanations in terms of evolution cannot be proved in QED fashion, but it has to be accepted by any rational human being. In philosophical discourse the soul is never talked about, even by theologians; one only postulates the mind. A religion inspired belief in an after-life must be respected; great art produced by it can be admired, can inspire us, but all that must be seen as mere subjective well-being.

I have fearfully ventured into quasi-philosophical discourse; in this uncertain domain I will make my observations for all they're worth. Never mind that Asker and P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves have just one thing in common. Their favourite light reading: the philosophical works of Spinoza.

So, I feel all three major Middle Eastern religions (all belligerent, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) have had the ground cut away beneath them by Charles Darwin. What is valuable in these religions is those manifestations stemming from the quiet, humble non-conformists.

Re-incarnation is a belief that originated in India. It is central to Hinduism but not to Buddhism or Jainism. The people I live amongst are mainly, perhaps nominally, Buddhists. There are occasional reports that an unlettered child has recalled a past life. Proof of re-birth. Not to me. Always simpler explanations. To me, this is almost DISproof. If it is a universal law that one's "spirit" is in re-incarnated there can't be such ridiculous accidents. I feel that the essence of re-incarnation ought to be that only a quite impersonal something goes into the new being. But then, how can it be said there is continuity from one existence to the next?
The mainstreams of the various Indian religions are not given to the same fanaticism as those originating in the Middle East. The reason is that they are tinged with C type agnosticism, although they affirm after-lives of the B type.

I wonder if we have correctly understood the D type. Did Asker mean irresopnsible "carpe diem" attitudes, or did she have Hume's type of solipsism. I think I'd better stop before I expose my "little philosophy".

Only a few years left of this life. Let me be patient. I shall "know" in the grave. Meanwhile, tease us with more questions, Karma. They sober us.

Answer 2

B > I believe Reincarnation is such a good explanation for life (each one could be likened to a year at school and the higher we progress, the sometimes harder life lessons we have to learn). I also believe that our idea of a heaven is the sub-concious memory of the plane of existence between the death - re-birth cycle.
I wish I knew what happens at Graduation and how near I may be to it but that will be the beginning of a new story. For me life is a simple matter of getting through the school year and hope I've learnt whatever I've needed too. There could be an exam at the end of it. Explain the belief in a judgement day many people have!

Answer 3

A. or B. not sure. its nice to think that this is not the end of everything when you die. But, sometimes if things get too much its nice to know that there will be an end sometime. The human mind cant accept infinity!

Answer 4

B. I would like to know that when my dusk approches everything I did in life will continue on in the dawn of another day. Not paradise or heaven, what I mean is that my children will carry on the story and will prosper and make changes in the world. Or that what I did allowed for someone else to pick themselves up and continue on down the great journey of life.

Answer 5

B.

I think we are here for a purpose and when it is served, we take off to a new mission. Death is never an end but a new beginning. Our soul is eternal and takes a form that is most suited for our next role which is determined based on our performance in this life.

Answer 6

E. All of the above or 'We live, die, and then we find out. Debating on it is fun but takes away from living our lives for better things or not..instead procrastinating or taking a nap'

life is full of mulitple choices but not always right or wrong answers. anyway, always pick E ;)

Answer 7

good question. yahoo should give you should get points for that one.
c. would surely be the most realistic choice, 'cos after all: who does know?

there's always been a lot of talk about where we go after death; but the way i see it is that either the doors are very tightly closed, or it must be a pretty cool place because no one ever comes back to tell us about it. so, until they do i'll stick with c.

'til the time comes for me to find out for myself that is!
please remind me of this question again, should we ever meet...on the other side...!ha ha ha (oh. that was my evil Boris Karloff laugh by the way) scary huh?

Answer 8

B
I believe in reincarnation until we have learned all the lessons our soul needs to learn, and then life really begins somewhere else.

Life on earth is a bit like school, learning skills you need, and after that we go somewhere else which is better

Answer 9

Not much of a choice. None of these . Option E is my choice. You live .You do not die. No story.

Answer 10

B. The reason being is that we are just energy. Energy never dies, but is in constant flux. We cease to be in this body upon death but our energy takes on another form (no one has THAT answer!). I can't say if we join other energies or what, but there in lies the real mystery!