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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Geneseo chapter.

 

I’m sure we’ve all thought about the inevitability of death at some point. If not, you’re thinking about it now. At any rate, I have certainly speculated about the outcomes of death. Some people who have had close brushes with death have said you see a bright light, or that you meet people who have passed in your life. Naturally, our ideas of what happens after death are as diverse as these thoughts themselves.

 

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Megan Kelly

 

For me personally, I believe what happens after death is almost like a dream state. I don’t really believe in heaven or hell. I think that when we die we enter a totally peaceful dream state, where we may relieve memories with those who have passed or create new situations where we can spend time with family and friends. Maybe these dreams actually do have the spirits of the actual people, or maybe not. Of course the main reason I have this idea is because I’m scared of the idea of there being nothing when we pass.

 

Hannah Fahy

 

I guess I’ll find out one day, but for now I like the idea of the unknown. Instead, I’d like to take my paragraph to tell you one thing that is certain. You don’t need your organs once you’ve passed, so please consider becoming an organ donor! Let someone who isn’t dead use your organs, and your good deeds will live on even after you’re gone.

 

Kayla Glennon

 

Honestly, I think nothing happens. I think the idea of going to a “better place” is really nice and I’m glad it comforts some people, but I can’t find myself fully believing in it. I’m open to the idea of coming back or reincarnation, but when you die, the specific person and experiences that made you that way are gone. That’s a bit dramatic—you may not be fully gone. You can live on in people’s memories and stories. 

 

Sydney Julien 

 

I’m pretty sure it’s just nothingness—a dreamless sleep forever. At the same time, I kind of believe in ghosts so I don’t really know how that all ties in. I really like hearing other people’s ideas and theories of life after death though, which is probably why I’m such a big fan of The Good Place and season three of American Horror Story. The Etruscans thought that you went to an endless feast forever. That seems like an ideal situation in my opinion. 

 

Nicole Callahan

 

Our energy disperses. Those we love can find the lovely human parts of us reflected in someone else. Whether it’s a smile here or a particularly unique inflection there, all sorts of people mirror our traits. Our impression lasts forever, even after we are long forgotten. I recently saw a picture of my great grandmother, one that I had seen many times before. This time I looked, however, I noticed several particular similarities between us. Our face shape, our dark hair, the shape of our noses. I do not think it is narcissism to say that in a way it made me feel more connected to her. I had a moment of pure self-recognition. From what I know of her, she was a very strong woman. She raised my grandfather without much help, and she instilled in him the values that made him a hard-working family man in him. She’s gone now, but I have pieces of her in me. I do not know what we experience after our own deaths, as it’s impossible to say for certain. I can only speculate about the spirit, but I know that here on Earth there are still places where we can be found after we leave. 

 

Margaux Carmel

I believe in reincarnation because my peanut brain cannot comprehend the end of my own existence as being the end of anything. I actually used to have really weird existential crises where I thought of that and not knowing exactly what would happen. I came to accept that reincarnation makes me feel personally more comfortable in terms of thinking about death, even if I don’t remember anything from this life. However, I also believe in ghosts, so I’m not sure how that fits in. Maybe a soul that is in unrest cannot reincarnate? Who knows. Death is weird.

 

What do you think comes after death?

Megan Kelly is a psychology major at SUNY Geneseo. She enjoys writing articles about whatever interests her at the moment, so don't expect any consistency.
Hannah Fahy

Geneseo '20

Hannah Fahy is a junior English secondary education major at SUNY Geneseo. She is very involved on campus as the secretary of Circus Club and a general member of Musical Theater Club. She is also the social media coordinator of the Geneseo Her Campus chapter! She is an aspiring unicyclist who enjoys reading, donating blood, and knitting. She is always learning a new skill because she believes that you should never stop learning.
Kayla Glennon

Geneseo '21

Kayla is a junior English major who is optimistic but enjoys exploring lots of emotions, not just ignoring the "bad" ones. They love writing silly things but also being serious, because there are a lot of things that matter and need to be talked about, but giving yourself a break is important too. They love writing about literature but also coming up with ideas for stories of their own. Kayla is constantly just trying to be themself and trying to be around people that make them happy.
Sydney is a member of the class of 2020 majoring in International Relations and Political Science with a minor in French. She is also Vice President of Geneseo's club figure skating team and coaches local kids in the sport on the weekends. While she's not really sure where life is going to take her yet, she's optimistic about the future.
Nicole Callahan

Geneseo '21

Nicole Callahan is working towards a degree at a college. She has done some things, does other things currently, and would like to do still other things in the future. When she isn’t in one place, she can often be found at another. She loves certain books, foods, and activities.
Margaux Carmel

Geneseo '21

Margaux (they/them) is a senior Women and Gender Studies major at SUNY Geneseo. Outside of Her Campus, they work at Geneseo's Office of Diversity and Equity, is on the executive board of Pride Alliance, and is an active Safe Zone trainer. They love to write about diversity, mental health, and environmentalism, with the occasional goofy topic or two (or five). Margaux hopes to someday be the coolest gender studies professor you will ever have.
Jessica Bansbach

Geneseo '20

Jessica Bansbach is a junior psychology major who has more campus club memberships than fingers and toes. In her spare time, if she's forgotten that she's a college student that has more pressing matters to attend to (like, say, studying), she enjoys video games, thrift shopping, and ruminating. She was elected "funniest in group" by her summer camp counselor when she was nine and has since spent the next eleven years trying to live up to the impossible weight of that title.