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A Great Deal
There is probably nothing I, or anyone for that matter, can say that will convince everyone that life after death is a reality. Science has no evidence one way or the other. Religion also has no verifiable proof that death of the material body is not the end of personal existence.
Because there is so little evidence, science is skeptical of life after death. Through faith, religion is hopeful of it. Philosophical reasoning cannot prove or disprove it either, but it can give us an incentive for believing in it.
Some believe in life after death and try to be good in this life because they feel that that is the only chance of survival, if survival is possible. Others find this not to their liking because they think they will have to sacrifice their desires and refrain from fulfilling their material passions and cravings, and if they do this and life after death was an illusion they would have led a constrained life for nothing.
The fallacy in this is the belief that we have to sacrifice our desires and passions, that we have to lead a monastic life, forsaking the joys and bounties of life, in order to get to heaven, beliefs that are often espoused by strict religions and rigid philosophies.
The truth is that normal desires, heartfelt passions, and the lure of life's pleasures are a natural part of living life as a human being. What is dangerous and can lead to disaster are obsessions, uncontrolled cravings, fanatic tendencies, extremism, and close-minded intolerance, because they lead to identifying with transient values. But those are merely things that we need to watch out for. We do not need to give up anything. All we need to do is to follow the light. By following the light, all errors in thinking and acting fade away naturally by weight of their own negativity.
Identifying with eternal values is a win-win situation. Even if life after death is not a reality, identifying with eternal values promotes health of body, mind and soul. It produces better relationships, nurtures the best in humanity, furthers goodwill, instills happiness, and develops an environment of peace and harmony. If it also results in eternal life, what more can we ask for? What a heckuva a great deal!
It is a great deal. No matter what we experience in this life, the alternative to it is nothingness: to have never been born, to have never experienced a sunrise and a sunset, the beauty of nature, the warmth and love of our friends and family, the rapture of beautiful feelings and emotions, the sublime enjoyment of the arts, the sensual pleasures of food, sex, and physical stimuli, the heady pleasures of the intellect, and the spiritual experience of being separate and then one with God.
Life is truly a gift. By living life we are getting something for nothing. Try getting a deal like that from a car dealer.
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