Mystery Solved
Oh, Lil K…you would think he’d be used to this sort of thing by now. Cat God is really not a very comforting figure.
Death, the end of the road, the final hour, that bit before the credits roll, it’s the one thing we all have in common. All living things, at some point, expire. It’s quite an interesting thing if you try to be objective about it. Unfortunately, it’s not very easy to be objective about the cessation of your very existence.
We all cope with the loss of loved ones in different ways, often depending on our ideas about what lies beyond life. For believers in an afterlife, it’s not such a bad thing to die. After all, death is just the beginning of another journey. Whether that’s to heaven, hell, your next bodily incarnation, or maybe close to the bosom of the flying spaghetti monster and his noodly appendages, death is merely an exit from one type of existence to another. It’s kind of a nice thought, that we continue on somehow, that the very essence of who we are is preserved and manages to exist in an altered state. For believers in an afterlife, death is still a mournful affair, but there is hope there, a silver lining that offers a little light. Death isn’t the very end.
For atheists, it’s a bit of a different story. The loss of life is the end. There is no continue, you do not get an extra life to carry on playing the game in any form. When you say goodbye to someone you love, you really say goodbye forever. It’s a difficult thing to deal with for everyone, but for atheists, it has a great deal more weight. When you lose someone, you will never see them again. All you have left are memories.
There’s something sad in that, but also something appreciative.
There are people who kind of sit on the fence as well, who refuse to believe that they know exactly everything there is to know about life and death, people like myself. I sort of wish I had the convictions I see in others, the absolute certainty of belief in the supernatural or the ironclad faith that there is nothing to be faithful about. Personally, I’m not sure, I never have been and I probably never will be. I may not be the smartest or the stupidest person on the planet, but I can tell you this: none of us really know much of anything at all. The only certainty is that there is very little certainty in the universe. Is it possible that there’s some kind of afterlife? Sure. Is it likely? Probably not. Should we all get hot and bothered about it? Definitely not. Should we let our beliefs on the subject negatively impact the one certain we have in this world: the fact that we all live and have some time to experience what life is like? Definitely not. Why waste precious time fighting one another?
There are some atheists out there that like to get angry at religious folk for caring about their beliefs in the afterlife, but if you look at it from a missionary sort of worldview, it makes a kind of sense. There’s caring there, genuine compassion. Many believers want everyone to believe as they do because they have complete faith that without the same spiritual worldview, others will either suffer or, at the very least, not get into heaven or some kind of better existence. And then there are religious folk that get mad at atheists for caring about THEIR beliefs about the afterlife, but those atheists are simply concerned about your current existence. They don’t want to see you waste the life you’ve been given.
While actively proselytizing either position is a little misguided and silly, it rarely seems to be hurtful or genuinely mean.
It’s funny how that turns into anger and resentment, when it’s really a silly kind of compassion for one another.
Life is difficult, death is difficult, but we all go through both. It would be nice if instead of drawing lines between each other, people could instead grasp this one truth and use it as a place for finding common ground. We may have different beliefs about what happens on the other side, but we will all experience it at some time and find out for ourselves.
If it turns out that there is, indeed, some kind of afterlife, I guess we could all fight about it then.
After all, we’ll have all the time in the world.
*On a personal (side) note, my kitty Rosie died recently. I just wanted to say that she was an awesome cat and an awesome friend, however silly that may sound. It’s amazing how a little creature can make you smile and feel good, even if it’s not intentional.
Regardless of your beliefs, please treasure your loved ones here and now, be they animal or human. You won’t regret it.*
My condolences sir
At least Cat God is straight with you. The Buddha refused to answer the question.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourteen_unanswerable_questions
Also, I’m sorry about your cat, man. That’s rough.
There isn’t anything wrong with admitting you don’t know what happens to you when you die, as a matter of fact, I think it takes a special kind of intelligence to admit to the fact you don’t know the meaning of life or where you go when you die, because no one does until we do die and then it’s too late.
There is a lot of unexplained stuff out there in the world and I am a firm believer in the idea that science cannot currently explain everything.
There is one thing I do know though, even if you just “die” and that’s the end of the road, you still move on, you are adsorbed by the animals and plants and become part of the universe again anyways, so even if you don’t realize your own existence, you’ll still exist. I still don’t know if that is comforting to me or not yet.
This is what I DO believe though, we have been able to prove people contain ‘energy’, we have aura fields that can be recorded, every living thing does. Energy doesn’t get destroyed, it just gets moved or altered. When we die that energy has to go somewhere. Where it goes is still a mystery isn’t it?
I know what it’s like to loose a furry loved one and I’m so sorry hear about your dear kitty.
Not all atheists think that death is the end. ^^ Like me~
I mean, if time is forever, at some point it is inevitable that all these atoms that make up myself will come together and form this exact same person, y’know? Not to mention, they will contribute to the form of every imaginable and unimaginable kind of living creature it is possible for them to compose… so while this consciousness in this time slot may not live on, these parts will in time form the bodies and consciousnesses in bajillions of new individuals. Isn’t it cool? :3
And, I have to wonder, what/who all has been composed of these atoms so far, in previous universes and the like… :0 Whoaaa…
Alas, and it saddens me, your words are empty as they are written right now, even if your intent is nice.
There can be no common ground until people stop sacrificing other people (and often themselves) on the pyre of their belief, specifically to achive a goal that has no benefit on the current existence.
@Tenpou: No benefit on the current existence? You mean benefits like compassion, charity, dignity, hope, inner peace, meaning, purpose, morality and joy?
None of those benefits are actually dependent on a religious belief.
Larry, I have to conclude you missed my allusion altogether. Do you know what “pyre”, “sacrifice” and “specifically” means? Think again.
I mean like (the obvious image) burning a living wife with her dead husband because it is a right thing to do to get a proper afterlife. Like refusing medical attention to your son, because medicine is a sin, and even when he dies from easily curable illness, he dies “pure”. It’s depriving your children of food and shelter because they are abominations by your books and threaten your hard-earned place on the dexter side of $deity at the end of days.
And don’t tell us it doesn’t happen. You can’t, not with a straight face. And if you have a temptation to Godwin the thread, note how I never mentioned that people have to call themselves religious. It just.. everything becomes religious with strong belief and no credible proof, but people trying to build heaven right on Earth by those blueprints are off-topic to the post.
And, btw, passing laws that make no rational/humanitarian sense aside from “it will ingratiate us to $higher_power in this world (but more likely the next)” also counts.
Great comic! The light just goes out, end of the line.
Nice boxer hockey frog by the way 😀
I love how casual cat god’s reply is, in pannel two. Nonsalant is the best way to describe it.
Not all atheists like to get angry at religious folk, just like not all religious folk enjoy getting angry at other religions. I think, in general, people don’t like it when they’re asked for forced to change their culture, which you made a point by saying. It is really the “Atheists like to get angry” part that bothers me. I am an atheist and I don’t get mad at people for having their beliefs, nor would I enjoy doing so, and my friends are the same. I can’t say much on terms of religious folk, since most of the ones I know are like me and don’t get angry at others’ beliefs (or lack of beliefs). (We’re a pretty accepting bunch, I guess.)
I would suggest a qualifier next time, though you are usually do anyway.
I am sorry about your cat, my cat recently passed away a few months ago. Here’s to the lives we have, and the love we gave. ~cheers
You’re right! I’ve fixed it so it reads the way I meant it. I think everyone knows by now that I try not to make sweeping generalizations that demonize whole swaths of the population haha It was more just an error due to writing at 4am this morning 🙂
I honestly believe that the majority of people, whatever their beliefs, are fairly reasonable individuals. That was really the point of the whole post.
There ARE rabid believers as well as non-believers out there in the world, but I don’t really have much to say about them. I don’t think they can be helped. haha
With very few exceptions, the only times when I see Atheists getting angry with believers is when those believers are attempting to force their religious laws, such as blue laws; statements of faith such as “In God We Trust” on coins and “Under God” in the pledge; and anti-scientific beliefs like Young Earth Creationism and evolution denial on the rest of us.
Oh yes, and some Atheists also get a bit irked when believers imply that we lack “compassion, charity, dignity, hope, inner peace, meaning, purpose, morality and joy” by not being believers, as Larry S. did above.
*On your side note:
Little creatures can most definitely have a profound impact on our lives. It could even be said in some cases that they are therapeutic. It really is amazing how much they can help even if we can’t have conversations with them.
Two of my dogs have died in the last two years and if I stop to think about them for too long, I still get teary-eyed.
Death is a funny thing.
I dont fear death. When I die, I die. I can’t be arsed to be afraid of it. It’s inevitable and when it’s time to go, it’s time to go.
But what I am afraid of, is the deaths of others. Those close to me. Those deaths I have to carry with me for the rest of my life. and that just plain sucks.
A very thought provoking post, that one. I’m with you on the fence as far as the afterlife. And I love the facial expressions you’ve been drawing lately.
My kitty Tassadar died very recently as well. Only a year and a bit, and he had congestive heart failure.
He was one of my closest friends and was a damn boss cat. I’m sorry for your loss.
Also, great comic.
Is that toad/frog a reference to Dead Like Me? Or is it mythological
More a nod to Tyson Hesse’s comic Boxer Hockey. I love the way he draws frogs haha
Also I thought the idea of a frog on a leash was funny. 😀
Pets are awesome, they make life way better. They definitely can be good friends, even if they are pretty lousy conversationalists.
Question! If you were to make a Happle Tea book, would you include your blog entries?
That’s a good question, I would like to, but books are expensive and more pages = more money. I’d probably include some of the better blog posts from the first year and a half and maybe write a couple of extra essays specifically for the book that wouldn’t be up on the site.
I just realized K’s jacket has a humongous zipper. Awesome.
Thank you again for a wonderful comic on such an interesting and touching subject. A friend of ours died just yesterday and we are still ‘processing’ this. My wife from the definite afterlife camp and me from the fence sitting leaning atheist camp. In any case as Slaverstrike pointed out, he will live on in our memories, as our individual and collective pets continue to do.
Your post below the comic sums up, exactly, the thoughts I have been having about death over the past couple of months. Thank you for writing them down. I’ve been struggling to articulate how I feel about not having a religious faith, and how I occasionally wish I could bring myself to a state of belief of some kind of afterlife, since that would be so much easier to bear. I can’t, it would feel false, and *I* would know I was trying to fool myself.
Funny how a loved one’s death can really bring this home. I think there’s a certain point in life where Death, the big one, the real one that is personal, becomes more believable. I know as a child I couldn’t really imagine not living. I still can’t, but I know I have to come to terms with it. When my grandmother died 8 years ago I wasn’t ready to come to terms with my own mortality yet, so I didn’t think much about it. I just thought about how much I missed her and that I was sad I’d not see her again. I looked at some old pictures, and told some stories.
A couple of months ago a very dear friend of mine died quite suddenly. He was in good health, a vegan, someone who lived in the country, chopped wood, walked miles a day, that kind of life style. A brain hemorrhage occurred; one minute he was talking to his wife, the next he was on the floor, checked out, gone. His body lived for a few days afterward, but his brain was destroyed. It was shocking. That there is enough to get me ruminating.
I love your comic, and I like reading your posts after them. This one touched me deeply, since it so well articulates my own feelings. Thank you.
If it’s any consolation, cats are higher than us on the ladder of incarnations, so she’s that much closer to Nirvana now.
Unfortunately, people also usually don’t like to be told that they may be wrong… I think that contributes to both groups not realizing that there may be some genuine compassion in the perspective of the other.
Having grown up in a non-religious household, my family has never pushed either concept. I too came to my own conclusion that something continues after one dies – the concept that since energy is neither created nor destroyed, it simply shifts and builds up. Similar to static. A lot of static.
That said, I have experienced some freaky deaky things in the past couple years that makes me believe that – from seeing a full out apparition of a horse (on a farm around 3-4am), to green orbs (one sped toward me, emitted 3 flashes like fireworks and then disappeared), to wind chimes in my room 8-10 ft off the ground starting when the door and windows were shut, or feeling the general presence of a loved one who passed (the atmosphere in the room actually changed, once I could feel an impression on the bed).
I offer my condolences – my cat also died a year ago (and 2 more of our cats have died since then as well) after battling a nasal tumor for 2 years (she originally was given 3-6 months tops). My cat definitely knew I was “her person”.
Once, when I came home again after I had to have her put to sleep, I felt an icy cold depression on my bed late at night in the spot she would normally sleep at the foot of my bed. It also happened to be on “her” blanket – which I had set up on a bed when she initially started getting sick – it was also the blanket I had her wrapped in when we took her to the vet the last time. So I think she checks in on me sometimes when I go home. Either that or I lucked out with my black cat named Magic and she’s actually a familiar.
For some reason, every time I think about death I think about prebirth, and then all I can think about is how I DIDN’T meet Abraham Lincoln. I can barely sit still for five minutes, I just can’t imagine how my soul just sat around for billions and billions of years not existing. Damnit, what was my eternal soul doing when dinosaurs were lumbering all across the land. And Then human history was going on and I barely get to be in it.
Even as an Atheist, I’m half expecting something ridiculous to happen when I die. Maybe the afterlife is an eternal talk show where Abraham Lincoln interviews you 1 on 1. Or you get to roll around in fields of kittens or your favorite animal. That would explain where pets go when they die. The eternal abyss might not be so bad though, you never have to get up on weekdays.
On the bright side of death, you have a full life ahead to reach enlightenment and end your eternal karma struggle with your cat.
Ugh.
You are either an atheist or a theist. There is no inbetween.
Atheism is solely the lack of belief in deities. That’s it.
Religious belief, faith, superstition. Whether it’s god, gods, conspiracy theories, aliens. They’re all the same.
Religion is sort of a delusion based out of wishful thinking.
It’s destructive, divisive, and just a negative force in society.
Good people do good things, bad people do bad things, but they only thing that can make a good person do bad things is religion.
Religioun …right, nice typo there, gonna stick with it… that keeps you from eating your pet or bushmeat is doing a fine job. All we are is IgE in the uh…soil process chain.
Love the “firm believer that science can’t answer all” comment; truth, falsehood and sensibility can go all Calligula on each other as far as they’re concerned, and that’s…psychotic, but it might be convinced to pass away before the soul is considered torn apart by a CAT scanner or whatever and permanent fugue or senesence come to pass.
Death comes for us all. Except for lobsters. Those things don’t die unless they’re killed.
Well, it’s important to remember that atheism and agnosticism are different things.
Atheism = “i don’t believe in god(s)”
Theism = “i believe in god(s)”
Agnosticism = “i don’t know whether or not god(s) exist(s)”
Gnosticism = “i know whether or not god(s) exist(s)”
You sound like an agnostic atheist, like ma’self.