Link to article: A Journey Through the Afterlife.
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[[>]] [[module Rate]] [[/>]] Darkness, emptiness, void, non-existent, non-mind. Just nothing. Not just mere nothingness, but the absolute. That’s what I thought one would experience after… well… death. I assumed that one would experience a timeless sleep. True Peace. Well to experience peace, I guess it couldn’t have been true nothingness beyond death. It doesn’t matter now. I awoke from that darkness a moment ago. I was wrong. “Did you have a nice rest?” A calm yet assertive echoed across the room, in my ears, my mind, my very soul, shaking the core of my existence. “Jesus, holy shit.” I gasped. “Careful with your language” the voice giggled, “People here tend to prefer all be polite” I turned to see a figure, shrouded in light. It wasn’t physically light. It was more metaphorical. It was comfort, kind, safe, but most importantly, it was good. “Who are you?” “My being here is [[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metatron#:~:text=Metatron%20(Biblical%20Hebrew%3A%20%D7%9E%D6%B6%D7%98%D6%B8%D7%98%D6%B0%D7%A8%D7%95%D6%B9%D7%9F%E2%80%8E,Kabbalistic%20texts%20within%20Rabbinic%20literature. | Metatron]]]. Highest of the Angels, the lesser Yahweh, but my true name is Enoch” “Where am I?” I asked. Looking around, I saw that I was in a room. Similar to that of a church or a temple I’d assume. A bright light shines from above. There wasn’t a roof, but there were levels… floors that spanned indefinitely into the sky. Each one possessed countless… infinite hallways, each lined with countless doors, leading to infinite rooms I’d assume. “Also… angels? Shit am I dead? Is this heaven? Was there a heaven after all?” “Do not be afraid Samuel. You stand within the edge of all creation, the outskirts of the [[[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-5800 | informational sphere]]]. You stand within the Afterlife, and I am here to guide you to your next destiny. Please follow me.” Enoch explained, turning to walk into one of the endless halls. I scurried to catch up to him, walking right by his side. Curiously, I observed each and every door that we came across. Above each entrance, was a sign nailed to it, each engraved with a name, I think? There were some words that I understood. Common names such as “Aaron Smith, Michelle Miller, Ahmad Bilal”. But occasionally, numbers would be engraved in them. Some seemed to have words of another language. Unfamiliar. Otherworldly. “Excuse me, what exactly are these doors for? What are behind them exactly?” I asked. “Each of these doors are gateways to a heaven designated to each soul that has passed on or will pass on in your physical plane. Those owners' identities are those whose names are engraved above each door. Some from your world. Most from beyond. Each one of these heavens or afterlives created is tailored to a person’s belief. One that they had on the physical, mortal plane. There are many examples that you should be familiar with. Buddhism’s [[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sa%E1%B9%83s%C4%81ra_(Buddhism) | Saṃsāra]]], an afterlife where a believer goes through the cycle of rebirth and death, moving through different stages until they reach their goal of enlightenment, Judaism’s [[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven_in_Judaism#:~:text=Shamayim%20(Hebrew%3A%20%D7%A9%D6%B8%D7%81%D7%9E%D6%B7%D7%99%D6%B4%D7%9D%E2%80%8E%20%C5%A1%C4%81may%C4%ABm,components%20of%20the%20biblical%20cosmology. | Shamayim]]], Christianity’s [[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heaven_in_Christianity | heaven]]], and Daoism’s [[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tian#Taoism | 天]]]. Even religions that you might think are extinct such as [[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norse_mythology | Norse Paganism]]] or your ancient [[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_mythology | Egyptian Mythologies]]] have heavens dedicated to them here.” Enoch explained. "All of the beliefs that I've mentioned are but a mere fraction of the diverse number of beliefs present here. I will say, however, that the afterlives here are not exactly the same as the mortals below envision. They are... more complex. Complicated. Beautiful. Your minds in the layers below are [[[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-6659 | limited]]], unable to comprehend the true beauty of the heavens here." “That’s amazing. So they were all right…” I thought. “What about…. Me? Do I have a room? Do I have a heaven?” Enoch never answered. Awkwardly I kept my head down, matching his footsteps. “Where are we going exactly?” I asked worriedly, fearing where we atheists would go. Were we really going to be punished? For believing that God didn't exist. Was it really our fault that it was so difficult to believe in some… something impossible… unprovable like that? “To your destined destination,” Enoch replied. “How far are we from it? We’ve been walking for some time now…” I started, and Enoch suddenly stopped. He turned to face me. Despite being a blinding light, I could feel that he was… Smiling. “You see, where we are currently where and when no longer matter. We stand beyond the past, present, and future. Archetypal Space and time are meaningless to the dead. To the soul. We’ve left those concepts far far below us. What seems to be distance, and time are now metaphorical—filled with meaning, filled with purpose. These two now symbolize journey and lesson. Your journey. Your lesson.” “I… I don't understand.” I stammered. “Oh, you will. Tell me, why are you here? Why are you dead Samuel?” “I…” Memories came rushing back to me. Pieces of my life flashed before me. I recall not having a happy childhood. It was a terrible one, to be honest. Growing up in a broken home. Rotting walls, and roofs lined with mold. The smell of alcohol and cigarettes left behind by a bastard of a father every day, morning till night. A man who’s always coming home in the middle of the night, always carrying a bottle of any vile drink that he could get his hands on. A man, broken by a wife who wasn’t any better than him. A woman, unhappy with her marriage. Someone who needed to find love somewhere else… from anyone else. Cheating on him constantly, until the faithful night that she had gotten caught. Turning him into a shell of his former self. Both people an embarrassment to parents everywhere. I remember hiding under my sheets every night, praying and hoping for a happier life as I heard them screaming at each other every night. Sometimes they screamed with pleasure. Most times with hate. Every morning, I would notice a new bruise somewhere on both of their bodies. This continued until one night, he hit her too hard. I lost a mother. A father. My faith. I continued living life without them. Never really got a good job, but at least I was able to find a stable one. I never lived any better than my parents. With a shitty job, all I was able to achieve was a shitty house. No… I’d say I was a bigger failure than those two. As fucked up as it sounds, at least those two… had each other. I never had anybody. No one to spend time with. No one to love. I was truly alone. No one would miss me if I was gone. “I…had a hard life,” I said looking down. “Needed a way to escape. I figured that a couple of pills would’ve solved the problem. I guess I was right.” We continued to walk. I waited for Enoch to say something. I waited for him to start berating me. Telling me of how big of a sin I had done. Condemning me to spend the rest of eternity in hell. But he said nothing. He did nothing, except to walk. “Aren’t you going to say something? I’ve read the bible before. I understand the sin I have committed. Are you going to punish me?” I asked. “Are you going to punish me for what… not being able to endure such a shitty life that you Gods gave me? Well… I’m sorry, that I am not perfect. I’m sorry that I couldn't reach the expectations of you Gods when all you gave me was a terrible life.” All I could feel was anger. This was bullshit. I was given a terrible life the moment I was first born. Why couldn’t I have been given a better life? One with loving parents. One where I had a chance to be happy in life. “No. You’re not going to be punished for something outside of your control Samuel.” Enoch finally replied.“You were not perfect in the layers below. You were tainted. Unclean. Your soul entrapped within flesh and bones, surrounded by the dirt of the universe, Sin. It is “sin” that is the cause of your suffering. You must understand, God does not make mistakes. Your soul that he has created is already perfect. Everything here in the afterlife is “perfection”. “Then… if I am already perfect, why send me to Earth? Why make me suffer?” I asked. “Because he wants you to be strong. He wants you to learn how to live. To survive in a world of sin. A world of disease, of chaos, of suffering. A hopeless world. He wants you to be a light in a world of darkness. He wants you to prove that you are worthy of an afterlife. To be worthy to stand next to him above.” Enoch replied. “That is the purpose of sending new souls into the layers below”. I stopped walking, looked up at the ceiling, and contemplated what he had said. “Earlier, I saw that there are floors above ours.” I started. “What are they for?” “Ah. The layers above. Those are afterlives as well.” Enoch replied. “Afterlives? Why are they on a floor above this one?” I asked. “You know, I remember talking to a fellow human soul. I would describe him as an absolute genius while he was on Earth. His name was Plato. Are you familiar with him?” Enoch asked, seemingly ignoring my question. “Yes, I have heard of him before. But…” I started “You see, Plato created an idea that there exists a world of forms. An idealistic, abstract realm where things called “platonic concepts” existed. These platonic concepts were described by him as “perfect”, transcending your physical universe, governing over even the archetypal concepts of space and time. Their forms are always constant, forever unchanging. Now these concepts cast shadows into the physical universe below, creating flawed versions of themselves.” Enoch explained. “You see, such a realm does exist below us. However, while Plato was correct about his theory, his perspective of “perfection” was flawed. Bound and tainted by his human mind, he could not comprehend what True Perfection looked like. Where we stand here. The first level of the afterlife is the beginning of “True Perfection”. The world of forms to your world of forms.” “Well… ok. But that does not answer my question?” I said, raising an eyebrow in confusion. “Hahaha, patience my child. I am not finished with my explanation.” Enoch giggled. “You see, where we stand here is nothing but a shadow to the afterlife above. Like your universe to your world of forms, and your world of forms to here. The afterlife above is but a mere shadow to the one above it. Each layer of the afterlife is identical as the layers below. Every deceased soul is present within the same room in every layer. The only difference is that each higher layer views the lower one as a shadow. Exactly the same as Plato’s views on his concept and their shadows. The higher the layer, the closer to God that you are, the closer you are to absolute perfection. At the bottom of the layer is where you are closest to the Universe. The garden, where your soul is the most tainted. Most imperfect.” Enoch continued. “I see… So even now, I am walking with you on all of the floors, at the same time? Do we exist on every level?”. I looked at Enoch for assurance. “Yes. Exactly.” Enoch replied, giving me a… a smile of approval? I actually just noticed. Throughout our conversation, Enoch seems to be taking form. He seems to become more… human. “And do these layers go on forever?” I asked. “Yes. The floors do rise forever. However, there is a realm even beyond the afterlife. The final destination of all souls. The realm of absolute perfection. Where all the Gods live. The domain of the Gods. Most of them there are benevolent. They treat all souls as their own, loving and caring for all of them. There are, however, there are some [[[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/tuftos-proposal | cruel]]] [[[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/the-day-of-the-dragon | individuals]]]. They seem to enjoy visiting your universe below as manifestations of themselves, burning the beautiful trees of the garden. tormenting you poor mortals below. Disgusting individuals...” Enoch scowled. “We’ve arrived,” I said. I looked at the large hole in front of me. Looking down, I was able to see a forest. No… a Garden. Endlessly expanding, new trees growing continuously below. “I am not going to hell am I?” I asked Enoch, despite knowing his answer. “No,” Enoch replied. “God is kind and forgiving. No matter how many times you stumble, no matter how many times you break. He will always give you a chance to try again.” “Will I remember any of this? Will I remember you?” I asked looking at Enoch. His form, finally that of a man. Just like me. “Unfortunately, you will not remember any of this. The sin of your universe will prevent you from remembering heaven.” Enoch explained. A solemn look on his face. “Please…” “Don’t worry, I understand what I must do. And I promise, I won’t make the same mistake.” I assured him. I finally understood what to do. What I truly needed to survive in the terrible environment below. “I’ll be right back. And I’ll make sure that I get a room here” I said smiling, looking at Enoch for the last time. “I’ll see you soon, friend.” I jumped into the world below. “You already have”. Darkness, emptiness, void, non-existent, non-mind. Just nothing. Not just mere nothingness, but the absolute. That’s what I thought one would experience after… well… death. But I was wrong. What comes after death is beautiful. A world full of life. Of happiness. Of heaven. But to achieve that, I must survive. I will survive. Even though I will have forgotten what I have seen. I will have forgotten a friend. I have another chance. Another chance to live. Another chance to believe. Another chance to hope. [[include :scp-wiki:component:license-box |author=Goldenviper1st]] [[include :scp-wiki:component:license-box-end]]