What happens to you when you die? What part of you continues to exist beyond the grave? There's a lot we know about that and a lot we don't know. As to what we don't know - it is the role of the Church of Reality to encourage the exploring of that question. As to what we do know - that can be divided up into three categories.
The corpse, if left out in the open is eaten as food by animals and bugs and eventually fertilizes plants and dissipates into the other discarded organic matter of the planet.
If you have children then your genetic makeup is passed on in a form that is 50% diluted with each passing generation. Even genetically your DNA becomes diluted to the point of being barely identifiable as it is mixed generation after generation with the DNA of other people.
Finally - who you were as a person lives on in the Tree of Knowledge; what you accomplished and contributed that is worth remembering. If you do nothing significant and contribute nothing then you will be forgotten. Due to new technology however - using computers - the record that you existed at all might be preserved. But as we go back in time there are people who lived their lives and contributed nothing of any significance that were remembered and are now totally forgotten. There are many societies that lived for a time and totally died out without anything left save for some bones that we are just discovering. Who they were - how they lived their life - what they accomplished - their thoughts - their feelings - who they loved - are all gone.
There are however those who lived long ago who are remembered. They are remembered as being someone who contributed to the Tree of Knowledge. Einstein is remembered for discovering relativity. His contribution was so great that we preserve a lot of information about who he is and what he did. We remember his name and his accomplishments are with us today. This is a form of immortality because he is with us in our minds and in our experience of life. And because of our technology, more of him is stored than of great people of long ago.
For example - we don't know who the person was who first invented the wheel. Or if the wheel was something that was invented in multiple societies and passed on. The wheel is still with us and lives in the Tree of Knowledge. Whoever gave the wheel to the Tree lives on even though we don't know who this person was or what kind of a life he/she had.
In the Church of Reality - to be remembered in the Tree of Knowledge is the best hope for immortality that we know of that really exists. So if you want a shot at living forever in some form - then contributing to the Tree of Knowledge is your best shot. Maybe I will be remembered for starting the Church of Reality. And maybe I won't. If the Extinctionists win - we might all be forgotten.
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