What Is Meant by Human Immortality? Is the Human Being Mortal or Immortal?
Imagine that you have only one hour left of your life. The angel of death is waiting for you to do your unfinished tasks and take your life at the appointed time and turn you into nothingness. After that, you will no longer exist in this world; not only in this world, but nowhere. With death, you are completely destroyed and no trace of you remains!
How do you feel about the idea of your absolute destruction? Think a little more carefully. Can you even imagine being completely destroyed and turned into nothingness one day?
There is nothing more terrifying to the human than the idea of nothingness after death. That is why those who have looked at death in this way throughout history have always tried to postpone it in any way possible and even, if they can, prevent it from happening. The desire for human immortality and preventing death is a subject that has occupied the human mind since ancient times and has led them to dream and fantasize about the fountain of life that would keep them alive forever and the elixir of youth that would keep them safe from aging and death. This dream has entered a new phase in the modern age, leading scientists to start the project of human immortality using artificial intelligence. In one of these projects, called Project 2045, it is planned to establish a connection between the human brain and a computer avatar; a connection that will ultimately lead to the creation of a computer model of the brain and load the human mind into the body of a robot.
The success of such efforts is not so important. The main question is, “Is human life dependent on the brain, and can it be kept alive by uploading brain data to a computer?” More importantly, “Is the human being mortal to be in need of such complex technologies to become immortal and reach eternal life?!”
The Human Being Has Been Created Immortal from the Beginning
It is not easy for many people to understand the concept of eternity, that is, to understand and know the human as a being that has no death. This is because most people prioritize sense perception over intellective thinking due to excessive attachment to the material world, while eternity is an intellective concept, not a sensory one. Sensory phenomena are often transient and lack immortality; therefore, those who deal too much with these phenomena cannot understand human immortality. Trying to keep people alive by simulating brain data is the result of false humanology. Firstly, our life as humans is not dependent on our brain data to stay alive, and secondly, we are inherently immortal and have no need for these futile efforts to obtain eternal life!
Some people around the world believe that when a person dies, he completely disappears and becomes nothing. However, as we have mentioned before, there is no such thing as non-existence because if it “exists,” it can no longer be called “non-existence.” Therefore, we do not cease to exist with death, but rather we continue our existence in a different form from the physical body and in another world. We humans are two-dimensional beings composed of body and soul, but the truth of our existence is the soul. The soul is inherently immaterial and does not have any material qualities such as volume, weight, quantity, space, etc. It cannot be pointed to, it is not decomposable or divisible, so it cannot cease to exist. Our soul operates in the world through our body parts such as eyes, ears, hands, feet, brain, etc., and after the death of the body, it continues its existence in a fine body (facsimile body)[1] in the Realm of Malakut.
Another important point is that, contrary to what some biological scientists and some Western materialist philosophers believe, the soul is not a feature of the brain. That is why in brain-dead patients, brain activity completely ceases, but the body is still alive and the patient is breathing. This shows that the reason for bodily life is something other than the brain. Furthermore, if the soul is a feature of the brain and a result of chemical reactions within the brain, then all individuals should exhibit similar behaviors when experiencing anger, joy, fear, etc. That is because the same chemical reactions are occurring in their brains, which must definitely yield the same results, yet we know this is not the case. These differences are another reason that proves the origin of human actions is the soul, not the brain. The brain, like other body parts, is a tool in the hands of the soul, and the soul carries out its intended mental and intellective activities using it.
What Impact Does the Belief in Human Immortality Have on Lifestyle?
The most important impact of believing in human immortality is freedom from worldly turmoil and anxieties, and hope for eternal happiness and bliss. If we believe in our own eternity and know that we have not been created for the material world, we will not be distressed by any defect or deficiency, and none of the beauties of the world can make us neglectful or sinful because the root of sin is the fear of losing pleasure and blessings. If we know that by abstaining from unhealthy and fleeting pleasures, we will receive enduring and indescribable blessings, we will no longer be content with less and will not sell ourselves short.
The world is not bad, it is limited because it is made of matter, and matter is limited. A limited phenomenon can never satisfy an unlimited soul named the human being. From the beginning of creation, we have been infinity-seeking, unlimited and eternal beings, and the only place that can satisfy a soul with these characteristics is a place that has the potential to be renewed every moment, and the only place that can do so is the heaven.
Another impact of believing in human immortality is freedom from laziness and boredom, and the alignment of all decisions, relationships, behaviors, and thoughts with the eternal system of the hereafter. As Allameh Hassanzadeh Amoli[2] said, “We have eternity ahead of us, we exist forever, and the human is not mortal.” When eternity is ahead of us, we cannot waste our time, we cannot make weak choices and behave as we please, or engage in temptations. Sometimes a wrong choice or an inappropriate behavior can set us back millions of years in the eternal system of the hereafter, severely slowing down our growth and development.
We will further explore the topic of human immortality in the hereafter and discuss how our deeds influence our eternal life in future discussions.
[1]. For more information, see “Difference between Fitrah and Material Nature: Which One Governs Us?”
[2]. Ḥasan Ḥasan-zādih Ãmulī (Persian:10 February, 1929– 25 September, 2021) was an Iranian Shi’ite theologian known for his mystical tendencies and Islamic philosophy. He wrote many books in philosophy, mysticism, mathematics, astronomy, Persian and Arabic literature.