Life After. This article dives into reflections on death a subject you’re likely familiar with, and one steeped in mysticism. Memento mori- remember death!
That’s the ancient greeting used by Trappist monks since the order’s founding in 1664. A reminder of death’s inevitability, yes but also of life’s fleeting nature.
Life After Death and the Final To-Do List.
Anyone familiar with the daily “to-do list” knows it takes minimal effort to create, yet offers maximum clarity and motivation. Similarly, there exists the more philosophical “bucket list” a compilation of dreams and goals to pursue before facing the inevitable end.
Though it demands greater emotional and practical effort, it can offer direction and meaning to one’s life.
What Is a Bucket List?
The term “bucket list” gained popularity following the release of The Bucket List, a film starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. It tells the story of two terminally ill men who escape the hospital to live out their final adventures around the world. The title is based on the idiom “kick the bucket” a euphemism for dying.
So, a “bucket list” is essentially a collection of bold and personal wishes you aim to fulfill before your final days. Today, thousands have created such lists, printed them out, and pinned them on their fridge doors constant reminders of the life they still want to live.
Life After Death- If You Forget “Memento Mori”.
Many bucket lists include travel, adrenaline-filled adventures like diving with sharks or summiting Everest, learning new languages, meeting celebrities, or undergoing cosmetic surgeries.
And of course — tattoos. I must smile here and add a very Latvian reality-check item:
“Have enough money to pay for heating and electricity.” 🙂
How to Build a Thoughtful Bucket List.
Psychologist Christopher Peterson from the University of Michigan believed these lists were attempts to make life unforgettable, aligning with the peak-end rule the theory that we remember emotionally intense moments more vividly than the mundane middle.
A bucket list can give structure to your memories and help you find purpose. However, one major pitfall is borrowing goals from others. Many people download premade lists online and chase after dreams that aren’t truly theirs.
So ask yourself:
• What would you remove from your list if no one ever knew about it?
• If no one hears about your Amazon trek — would you still go?
• If no one sees your tattoo — would you still get it?
This line of thinking helps determine whether your list exists for external validation or personal fulfillment. Peterson warned that modern bucket lists often drift far from their original intent — reflecting on what truly matters in life.
Ask yourself:
• Who are the important people you still want to talk to?
• What are your top three dream destinations?
• What achievements would fill you with confidence?
• Which goals did you abandon for fear of judgment?
• What do you love so much that you’d want to create it yourself?
Use paired ideas like “read a book write a book,” “watch a film make a film,” or “buy clothes design clothes.” Imagine your happiest moment. What are you doing in it? What did you love as a child but gave up as an adult?
Your bucket list can be as long or short as you wish. What’s important is to review it weekly and take steps however small toward those cherished goals. Because, just like everything else in life, even dreams come with an expiration date.
So, what comes after the inevitable?
Life After Death and Religion.
Beliefs about the afterlife vary widely across time and cultures, even within shared faiths. But one thing remains constant: death is irreversible.
The question persists does life after death truly exist?
Ancient civilizations embraced the idea of metempsychosis the soul’s journey through different forms, including animals and plants. Seen as spiritual progression, it reflected a belief in the soul’s evolution through nature’s hierarchy, from flora to humankind.
In Ancient Egypt, the afterlife was a dominant religious theme.
The faith was dual in nature: one part for the masses, focused on rituals and the transition into the afterlife; the other, for priests, held deeper esoteric knowledge.
Life on Earth was viewed as preparation for eternity, with great care taken in burial rites often more elaborate than earthly homes. These ideas heavily influenced Christian thought.
The Egyptians believed that each soul faced a final judgment after death, resulting in eternal descent to the underworld or ascension to the heavens.
Babylon held a similar belief in a final judgment, while Catholicism later introduced the concept of purgatory — a third realm for purification before heaven.
Afterlife in Indian Philosophy.
In India, the soul’s fate after death depended on its moral and spiritual quality. Pure souls ascended to unity with the world spirit, while others reincarnated on Earth.
Very sinful souls went to hell. Thus, reincarnation emerged as a cornerstone of Indian belief a path for soul refinement across lifetimes.
The same ideas can be found in Neoplatonism, the teachings of Jesus and Pythagoras, and in the karmic principle the weight of past actions shaping future existence.
Whether judgment comes on Earth or in the afterlife, the concept of cosmic justice is universal.
Buddhism and Reincarnation.
By the third century BCE, Brahmanism had evolved into three main branches:
• Buddhism
• Lamaism
• Hinduism
The split stemmed partly from differing views on the soul’s fate after death. In Buddhism, the soul doesn’t remain in an astral plane if perfected, it enters Nirvana; otherwise, it is reborn immediately. There is no post-death limbo.
In Lamaism, the soul does experience consequences for its earthly deeds. Hinduism introduces an inter-reincarnation phase where the soul resides in a subtle realm, corresponding to its consciousness level during physical life.
These beliefs, deeply detailed in Indian theology, reflect broad similarities found in other world religions.
Afterlife in Jewish and Christian Traditions.
Judaism teaches that souls may lie peacefully if buried in the Holy Land, but restlessly otherwise. The soul remains bound to the body, and sinners enter unconsciousness upon death. Christian belief holds that only chosen souls ascend to heaven to enjoy divine communion.
Sinners are sent to purgatory or hell.
Islam shares similar views. For those in purgatory or hell, their fate lasts until Christ’s second coming, when the dead shall rise and face final judgment — the righteous to heaven, the sinners to eternal damnation.
Unlike Indian traditions, Christianity does not include reincarnation. The soul’s perfection is believed to occur in purgatory, awaiting Judgment Day.
Is Life After Death Possible?
Life after death remains a matter of faith, philosophy, and metaphysics. Science, grounded in empirical evidence, offers no confirmation or refutation. Thus, the afterlife remains a spiritual and philosophical question deeply shaped by cultural beliefs and personal convictions.
There is no single answer.
Each person must seek their own truth through faith, reflection, and perhaps, by writing their own bucket list with purpose.
Hi, why is there a Halloween video at the end?