Human Soul and the Existence of Life

Human Soul and the Existence of Life After Death

The presence of the human soul and the existence of life after death are questions that have plagued people for centuries, perhaps since the beginning of human life. Specifically, fear and concern over death of the physical and metaphysical permeate human life and culture. While there is no concrete proof of the existence of life after death, most people do believe in it as we are spiritual beings connected to something greater than the physical body and life. By altering our perception of death -- learning not to fear it and understanding it as a beginning, not an end -- we can alter our lives.

Almost all religions of the world have concerned themselves with the questions of life after death. While religious leaders, prophets of God, emphasized the concept of life after death, followers usually came to odds with this concept that they perceived as an impossibility. Human beings use sensory perception to determine what is true or not true, real or not real, but we also use our aesthetic, moral and rational consciousness to examine and evaluate those ideas and notions that are outside of the applicable realm of sensory data. It is to these traits religious leaders have appealed to over the years to convince followers to believe in the existence of God and life after death.

In examining the question of life after death, we must wonder if it does exist, how do we know it exists and how do we verify this evidence? Can we verify this evidence through some type of proof and if yes, is this proof a traditional scientific one or some other kind? There is no scientific proof that can support the existence of life after death since scientific proofs base their assumptions and conclusions on all experience before death, but the very question of life after death requires calling on an entirely different set of resources. Yet, the greatest reason to believe in life after death is that there is no compelling reason to not believe. While there are countless objections to this statement, they are all based on evidence gathered from life before death, obviously a system outside of the realm of life after death, and observed properties of one system cannot be applied to prove or disprove something in another system.

Almost all cultures before ours have believed in some form of life after death and nearly all philosophers and great thinkers have believed in it. However, even in addition to this overwhelming history of belief in life after death, there is the supreme authority of the teachings of Jesus and that which we learn from nature, ourselves, and that beyond ourselves, God. From nature, we learn that there is a conservation of energy, suggesting that if even matter is immortal, the soul must be as well. From human life, we learn that it is not the organs of our body that give us life, but life itself moving through the organs. This life, our soul, cannot be taken from itself, functions outside of the body and is greater than the body itself. It cannot die by decomposition of its parts or its total annihilation and therefore, cannot die.

The greatest proof of life after death is that God wills it. It is an example of His justice by giving us something more than our life here on earth, to compensate for the shortcomings of the corporal life. It is an example of His love since love is the "fulfillment of the law" and if He loves us, He cannot kill us, a law by which we as humans must also live when interacting with each other. Human beings are spiritual beings that often have experiences that surpass the physical reality, connecting us to higher plane of being. Almost all who have near death experiences feel not an end, but a beginning of something outside of the body. While there is no concrete proof, nearly all human beings believe, on some level, in the existence of life after death.

Discussion

While most human beings believe in life after death on some level, true faith in the concept dramatically changes the way in which believers should approach and live their lives. Life before death becomes a two-fold endeavor: full and moral use of the body while our soul resides in it and preparation of the soul for life after death.

While the body can die and the soul cannot, before death, the body is the vessel for the soul and as a result, must be protected with commensurate care as the soul and mind are. This not only implies the necessity of caring for the body's basic functional purposes, keeping it healthy and strong, but also ensuring that the body is an appropriate vessel for the soul. Because it holds the soul during life before death, damage to the body can also damage the soul. Even when a body is paralyzed, the mind and soul live on, but they can still be affected by the pain and suffering of the body. The only life we as human beings tangibly know is life inside the physical body and when that physical container is affected, our mind and souls are affected. As a result, the body must be treated as importantly as what it holds.

However, while the body is an essential part of our composition, it ends with our physical death. Our soul, on the other hand, lives on and not only does belief in life after death necessitate development of our souls, but development of our souls into something better than they are. Just as we train our bodies to maintain and improve the quality of our physical lives, avoiding illness and deterioration, we must prepare our souls to improve the quality of our spiritual life. This preparation is even more pressing since our spiritual life does not end when the physical life ends, but continues on indefinitely through life after death.

Moreover, one of the most compelling reasons to believe in life after death is the continuation of the pattern of nature. Life after death compensates for the wrongs of life before death, but the laws of justice and fairness apply in both realms. Additionally, life after death should be considered a continuation of the physical life, not a fresh start. As a result, our actions before death have consequences in life after death. This only brings a greater emphasis on the importance of developing our souls for the better according to the rules, laws and teachings of God.