A is for Afterlife

My theme for this year's A- Z Blogfest is DEATH (who I really hope is like DEATH in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series). He is described as "An obvious sort of fellow: tall, thin (skeletal, as a matter of fact), and ALWAYS SPEAKS IN CAPITAL LETTERS. Generally shows up when you're dead, or just when he thinks you ought to be. Not a bad chap when you get to know him (and sooner or later, everyone gets to know him)." Today we begin with the letter A for Afterlife.

I think we're all hoping for some kind of Afterlife when all is said and done. I mean, it's really going to suck if there's just nothing. I for one will be hugely disappointed. As I mentioned in my theme reveal, I really hope Death is like Terry Pratchett's DEATH in the Discworld series. He is a skeleton in a robe with a scythe who speaks in CAPITAL LETTERS and comes to collect you once you're dead and take you...somewhere. That would be okay. Knowing you were going somewhere after. Of course, if you hadn't been a very nice person then knowing you were going somewhere might not look so attractive, if you know what I mean. Or maybe the afterlife resembles What Dreams May Come, which was both a book, and a movie with Robin Williams. I liked the afterlife depicted in that story. My fear of course is that we have all collectively made up this idea of an afterlife because of our fear of death, which means there is nothing. We die and that's it. No afterlife, no angels, no reincarnation, nada. That's a pretty hard thing to believe in, or maybe it's just a hard thing to accept.


Do you believe in an afterlife? Any clue at all what it looks like?


Excerpt from Mort, by Terry Pratchett, in which DEATH takes on an apprentice...

DEATH [to Lezek, Mort's father): I WAS OFFERING YOUR BOY A POSITION. I TRUST THAT MEETS WITH YOUR APPROVAL?

Lezek: What was your job again?

DEATH: I USHER SOULS INTO THE NEXT WORLD.

Lezek: Ah, of course, sorry, should have guessed from the clothes. Very necessary work, very steady. Established business?

DEATH: I HAVE BEEN GOING FOR SOME TIME.