Anisha Fernandes
Register Number 1424119
DEATH AND POSSIBLE AFTERLIFE: WHAT IT SIGNIFIES AND WHY IT AFFECTS THE WAY WE LIVE
There is a pattern to the way most humans live, that of how their actions will affect their future, and in most cases, how their actions will affect their journey after death. Different cultures and religions may have formulated different benchmarks or guidelines to this effect, but one thing remains clear, the purpose of these rules and guidelines for the way we live are done keeping in mind what we want to happen to us after death. We know for a fact that Human beings, like all other organic creatures, die and the physical body perishes. But, there is a widespread and popular belief that in some way this death is survivable, that there is a possibility of life after death. This concept of some kind of journey after death has become possibly the most debated topic, and has created countless theories over time. On different levels, human actions are guided by the enigma of what will be in store for them after death. This paper looks in to the various teachings and beliefs of different cultures and religions and how they have shaped the understanding of death and how this thought process was furthered through literature and has been used to manipulate the emotions of audiences through history and changed the way people perceive death and the consequences on the way they live their lives.
Key words: Death, Afterlife, Odyssey, Religions, Cultures
Most scholars who have written on the topic agree that religion is an essential element of all human societies. No societies have lasted long without it. The whole concept of death and the possibilities of what comes after have always intrigued us. This paper looks into both cultural and literary aspects of the possibilities of death and afterlife by taking into account various beliefs of some major religions, to then apply them to classic literature and modern social norms to find out how...