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Today, in religion class we ended up talking about what happens after we die, and how we view the death's of others. As a Catholic, I've been taught to believe in Heaven and Hell, and purgatory too. If you live a good life, you go to Heaven, if not you'll go to Hell. Sure, that's the simplified version, but it what it boils down to.
What's interseting is that as we become more mature and start thinking for ourselves, we begin to form our own ideas, theories and possibilities. I remember thinking that if God really forgives everyone for their sins, why are some people sent to Hell, it never quite 'fit' for me. I've begun to not even believe in Hell as a place one would go to after dieing. It's still believeable as an idea, something you should stive to stay away from.
Something else that's fun is how other's beliefs can influence our own, more than you would ever think. As many of you know, three of my favorite books belong to the His Dark Materials trilogy, especially the third one, The Amber Spyglass. In it, Lyra, the main character, goes into the World of the Dead to apolgize to Roger, an old friend.
*Spoiler alert*
And in doing so, she eventually frees the dead from the World of the Dead. A hole is cut out of it into another world. The Harpies, who once tortured the dead were given a new role: to lead the newly dead to the hole, so their spirit may enter the world. "In exchange, they will tell you their stories as a fair and just payment for this guidence. Does that seem right to you?" "And we have the right to refuse to guide them if they lie, or if they hold anything back, or if they have nothing to tell us. If they live in the world, they should see and touch and hear and learn things." Their spirits then break apart, free to find the particles of those they loved, essentially to join all of creation.
"the first ghost to leave the world of the dead was Roger. He took a step forward, and turned to look back at Lyra, and laughed in surprise as he found himself turning into the night, the starlight, the air... and then he was gone, leaving behind such a vivid little burst of happiness that Will was reminded of the bubbles in a glass of champagne."
This is what fits. Where we go after we die is sort of like Hell, it's nothingness. But when you arrive something or someone who chose to stay behind guides you to the end. That something listens to your story, for some people that may be the first time anyone has cared enough to listen. They tell their story, and by the time you're finished you're able to leave and join all of creation.