It's A Tough Call - What do you think happens when you die?

We had just finished dinner and were lingering over dessert and coffee, hot tea in my case. The discussion had rambled on through several subjects throughout dinner as good company tends in that direction. The subject of age and the fear of death came up which was accompanied by the fact that with so many religions offering the reward of everlasting peace, heaven, x many virgins in a garden, rebirth onto another plane, etc. why did people fight death so hard? My friend and I both stated that we had an opinion on that and we would share it but if they were different then we would agree to disagree and end the discussion. This is a touchy subject for a lot of people.

Here is the consensus of that discussion;

According to my friend; People don't really believe in an afterlife. They may go to church and profess to believe and consciously convince themselves that they do believe in the religious tenets that are taught to them but when push comes to shove, they're just not really sure that's the case. They are more convinced that like a candle flame when their life is over, that's it, game over. No afterlife, no reward for a life well lived, no reincarnation to another level, no nothing. With a belief system like this, no wonder people fight so hard to stay alive, even with debilitating illness and crippling conditions. If this is the only life you've got then squeeze every minute out of it 'cause you're not going to get anymore. Whether they attend church 'because it's expected of them' or were trained to at an early age, they have not really explored the subject of spirituality and only go through the motions. Religion is not just showing up for services and paying lip service. You also have to think about it and incorporate it into your life as part of your philosophy and world view. Without that work and thinking process, people only have a thin veneer of religion draped over them. When the hard questions come up, questions of ethics and life and death, you can tell from the decisions and reactions whether that person is spiritual or playing make believe. And that attitude can explain a lot of what is happening in the world today, if this is the only life you've got then grab what you can and control as much as you can to enjoy right now 'cause there's nothing afterwards. Therefore, when the question of death comes up they are unprepared for the transition and will fight to stay in the world they know no matter what the circumstances because they don't really believe there's anything else.

My take on it; People do believe in an afterlife, but because of the expectations that are set on them by church, society and culture in general are so high, they can't live up to the expectations and they know they are going to hell. Everyone has a dark corner in their mind where they store the white lies, the fudging of the truth and/or ethics, the decisions that were made because they were expedient at the time but were morally or ethically wrong or the outright cruelty that they've gotten up to at some point in their lives. Some people can face it and deal with it, most people shove it into that dark corner and repress it out of conscious memory. Even so, they know that it's there and that when their judgement day comes, whether by an outside force or by their own system of values, they will not live up to the expectations because of that dark corner. So, when you know you're going to hell, you will fight tooth and nail to stay on this plane of existence. Better the devil you know than the one you don't. All the religions have taken great delight in describing the torments that await sinners in hell through the ages so people have a pretty good idea of what kind of eternal torment is awaiting them. Or that they will be reborn as a lower life form to atone for the actions taken in this life. They could not resist temptation or be a good enough person and so fear the consequences that must follow.

After we had both outlined our belief on why people fought death so hard, both of us kept our own opinion and the other one also. Both had merit depending upon the person that was approaching death and fighting against it.

Now....what do you think?