So, what happens when you die?
Life is a mess of infinite possibilities. There is only one thing that is certain for each and every one: death. While there are many theories on what happens after people die, nobody really knows.
There are accounts of people seeing their deceased loved ones when they die. There are stories of people seeing a bright light. While these ideas are fascinating, there is no sure way to know if any of it is true. All anyone can do is wait to find out.
Theories on death can vary widely. Rocky senior Milo Woodward believes that death truly is just the end. “I’m not religious, but I think a lot of spiritual practices can be really beneficial and healing for people,” Woodward said, “I think when we die nothing else happens. I think everything just stop. You don’t see blackness because there’s nothing to perceive. We’re just not experiencing anything anymore.”
Another Rocky senior, Wyatt Rokke, has a theory regarding death. “I wouldn’t call myself religious, but I definitely think there is more than what we see,” Rokke said, “When you smoke DMT, it releases the same chemical into your brain that is released when you die. I think when you die your brain overloads your head with DMT and since time is in an altered state during a DMT trip, I think your consciousness tricks itself to live for eternity when it’s actually just a fraction of a second before you die. I believe consciousness extends beyond our notion of time because of the fact time can be warped. Some people believe your brain and consciousness go together like a steam engine. If you turn the steam engine off (your brain), then the consciousness stops too. I believe our brains are more like a TV antenna and our consciousness is like a frequency. We use the antenna to pick up on the frequency, but without the TV the frequency is still there.” We use the antenna to pick up on the frequency, but without the TV the frequency is still there.” — Wyatt Rokke
Many people don’t have the slightest idea what could be in store for past this life. “I don’t know what happens. I guess I’ll figure it out when I get there. Reincarnation would be cool,” Rocky senior Sinclair Hall said. “I think Buddhism is pretty hype, but I’m not really religious.”
“This summer I had an idea that maybe when we die our soul continues living every life there is,” Mia Stolpe said. “Time is circular and we just continue to live throughout time.”
“I definitely wouldn’t consider myself religious. I think there’s something bigger than all of us, I’m just not really sure what,” junior Gracie Harper said. “Maybe when we die and our life flashes before our eyes, we relive our lives, and this keeps going and going for all of eternity.”
“I would think being dead is a lot similar to what life was before I was born,” Tula Garcia said. “But I’m not exactly sure what that was like because I can’t remember.”
Eventually, everyone will die and find out for themselves. In the meantime, just wait.
Jenna is a senior at Rocky Mountain High School. Outside of school, she works weekends at Cafe Bluebird as a busser. In her free time she enjoys playing...
