In his book, “Sum”, David Eagleman uses his creative imagination to design forty unique ideas on the subject of the afterlife. Eagleman has stated in the past that none of the short stories in the book are to be considered theological proposals. The main point of the book is to emphasize the importance of asking questions and coming up with new theories beyond the ones that have always been passed down. Eagleman accomplishes getting the point across by creating completely different stories based on only a few themes. These themes include: consciousness, God, computers, and more. By doing this, he is forming new ideas and possibilities from very general topics which is what we, as humans, should be doing. Most people would agree that the mysteries of the afterlife cannot be solved …show more content…
With that being said, “Sum” is most definitely a thought provoking book yet it avoids all the complicated historical and literary concepts on the subject of death and the afterlife that only a philosopher would be interested in reading. Although “Sum” is a book about what happens after we die, I feel that it is really a theory of what it means to live. His short stories, although extremely unrealistic, have a hidden message about how we should live our lives. For example, in the third short story, “Circle of Friends”, the world in the afterlife is only made up of people you’ve met before. “It turns out that only the people you remember are here. So the woman with whom you shared a glance in the elevator may or may not be included.” (Eagleman, 2008, p. 8) At first the character feels that is a great opportunity to catch up with friends and renew
The author talking about a funeral had a very long lasting affect on me. The author purpose was to make me understand that I should always do the right thing. Using his example of her old teacher, and how she did not want to go, but in the end he realized doing the right thing makes others happy. There were also instances of her saying that she did not want to make her condolences or go to the funeral in general, and I feel anybody can relate to that instance. If I ever have a love one pass away, I hope that all my friends and everybody who knew they would come to the funeral because it truly does mean the world to the family that is going through this.
There are many short stories in literature that share a common theme presented in different ways. A theme that always keeps readers’ attention is that of death because it is something that no one wants to face in real life, but something that can be easily faced when reading. “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson both exemplify how two authors use a common theme of death to stand as a metaphor for dystopian societies.
Death has feelings as much as any human, imagining, getting bored, distracted, and especially wondering (350, 243, 1, 375 respectively). Odd, one could say for an eternal metaphysical being. But then again, not that queer once having considered how Death spends his time. He is there at the dying of every light, that moment that the soul departs its physical shell, and sees the beauty or horror of that moment. Where to a human witnessing a death first hand (even on a much more detached level than our narrator) can easily be a life changing event, Death is forced to witness these passings for nearly every moment of his eternal life. Emotional overload or philosophical catalyst? Death gains his unique perspective on life through his many experiences with the slowly closing eyelids and muttered last words. Yet in this...
In the book Surprised by Hope the author, Nicholas Thomas Wright, writes an interesting book that makes Christians think differently and deeper about ideas that usually seam the simple to understand. Wright makes you think outside the box. The most interesting parts of the book relate to the resurrection and life after death, most Christians would think they understand what is in store after this life time, but I would challenge them to read Wrights book and try to understand where he is coming from, he makes a lot of valid points. I am going to bring up the points of what happens after death, what our “heaven” is going to be and what it is not going to be, and about the assumptions that a lot of Christians, including myself, slip into when
Gray tells us that when we die we no longer get to experience any of the things we enjoyed while being alive, for instance we don’t get to touch our loved one or feel the welcoming warmth of a fire. He basically tells us that when we die everything is over, we stop existing physically. Now, we don’t know that this is true for certain because he clearly hadn’t died before writing about this, but we do know that once your body is placed in the ground you no longer move around. The second thing that Gray tries to teach us is the idea that we shouldn’t judge people based on their wealth. He tells rich people not to feel better about themselves because they are rich, but rather to respect the less fortunate for what they have to do. He slightly also makes the argument that the people who have to work for a living are happier, but doesn’t go into much detail to support this claim. The final and most important theme to me is the idea that no matter who you are you end up in the same place. He makes this argument following the idea that rich people shouldn’t gloat, by suggesting that a worm is going to eat a rich corpse the same as a poor corpse. Just because you had
Smith, Andrew. "Chapter Nine: Life After Death." 2014. A Secular View of God. 12 May 2014 .
Afterlife myths explain what becomes of the soul after the body dies, as humans have a problem accepting the possibility that the soul becomes nothing.
One of H.P. Lovecraft’s many short stories, “The Outsider” has been praised since its publication as his most profound and meaningful. This story has been interpreted many different ways, varying from an autobiography of Lovecraft himself to several different philosophical analyses. One such interpretation, by Dirk Mosig compares the plot and settings of “The Outsider” to Lovecraft’s own doubtful views of religion and an afterlife. Mosig supports his interpretation with many facts from the story, I believe he pinpoints one very possible meaning of the story. His argument successfully uses the plot and details to convince the reader that his hypothesis is correct.
Death is a reality that can be interpreted in many ways. Some people fear the possibility of no longer living and others welcome the opportunity for a new life in the afterlife. Many poets have been inspired by death, be it by the approaching death of loved ones or a battle for immortality. Just as each poet is inspired differently, each poem casts a different hue of light on the topic of death giving readers a unique way to look at death.
...se around them, even in death. This gives the impression that the author feels that death is what you make of it, so though many view it as depressing and empty, you can be fulfilled in death if you wish.
It is made apparent early on what the book revolves around and it is the idea of valuing life with the knowledge that it is a gift given to be used in a wholesome manner. We must remember that after everything, we are to return from dust, stripped from mortality-our human bodies, and called forth towards our home in Heaven. Death, peculiarly, provides us with an enlightenment. The state of being temporary with life remind us all that very little of all of us are as significant and as indispensable as we, ourselves or our loved ones may think we are. If our importance is promulgated by the impact we created or have had on the bigger picture of our close circle of family and friends, our city, our nation, the world…it would not matter because time and more significantly, life wait for no one.
Immortality, redemption, emancipation and deliverance have always been the highest spiritual aims of mankind as well as his innermost aspirations. Throughout the ages his spirit has relentlessly soared towards these eternal peaks that lie beyond the comprehension of ordinary human understanding. He has always tried to decipher the larger meaning and purpose of human existence and of its link with the entire creation. Man’s quest has been to identify the powers governing life and how his life fits into the greater scheme of things whereby this universe exists. Where science and rationality failed to find any Cosmic significance in human existence, the spiritual approach not only found a meaning but also connected it
According to Ernest Becker, “The main thesis of this book is that it explains: the idea of death, the fear of death that haunts humans like nothing else; the mainspring of human activity designed to avoid the fatality of death, to overcome it by denying in some way that it is the final destiny for man” (“Becker” ix). The author of this book describes and quotes many other psychological thinkers views on the different kinds of fear and what contributes to the fear of death in man. The author explores several topics like self-worth, heroism, fear, anxiety, depression and many other issues throughout this book.
Death is depicted as an individual’s affair, in which, neither one’s closest friends or closest blood relatives can give a hand in. Upon receiving the tragic news Everyman first approaches his friend Fellowship. At first he is hesitant to reveal his sorrow to Fellowship for he considers it too tragic a plight. After cajoling and assurances by Fellowship to stand by him in whatever situation, Everyman finally pours out his sorrow to Fellowship. Upon realizing that Everyman has been summoned by death, fellowship turns his back on Everyman ...
... profoundly important questions about death, the afterlife, God, worlds and space, yet they exist in an almost Pop Art atmosphere(268).