Death and the Afterlife

Death, and the possibility of the afterlife are topics that have fascinated mankind for as long as our historical records go back, and probably much further back than that. So then, what happens when we die? Is there something else after all of this? I will answer this in a manner fitting of The Sith. When you die, there is no evidence that shows that there is any form of afterlife. There is no evidence of the soul. There is no evidence that we will ever have anything beyond this singular mortal existence.

When we die, the energy that makes up what we would call “us” slowly breaks down over time, and is distributed back out into the world from which it came. In short, we return to The Force, our consciousness is lost as we reunite with the universal energy field from which we were made, as every bit of the matter and energy that makes up "us" is redistributed. But is this all that we can look forward to? Must we give up everything we are to death? Must we give up our consciousness, our thoughts, our feelings, our memories? I would say, not without a fight we don’t.

Can we retain our consciousness even beyond death? Is it possible, through sheer force of will to hold onto the core of what we are? There is surely no evidence that we can… but I don’t think that it should stop us from trying. To be able to hold on to the memories of those I love, I would gladly try, and I would say that any real Sith, with a real passion for life might likewise try. My own personal attempts are made through meditation; through the strict control of my mental state. It is the best training I can conceive of to try to prepare for the moment when I will have to hold on to that consciousness.

However, I don’t let such attempts consume my life, and it is not the only purpose for which I practice meditation. I have always found that meditation allows me to think much more clearly than I normally do, to more effectively solve problems, and to be more objective. It also helps to relieve stress, and has a wonderful calming effect. I certainly cannot say that it will allow me to hold onto my consciousness beyond death, but I don’t think that it is a foolish thing to wish for. After all, if it doesn’t work, I can’t be disappointed.