October 2016 Meeting

In this month’s meeting we explored the spiritual and scientific aspects of death, following on from last month's meeting. We continued by discussing and debating the myriad of ideas regarding what happens after death. Much of the youth believed in the concept of reincarnation, where it is accepted that your previous life determines what you will be   reborn into. An interesting perception that was raised was the idea that the body is merely a “vessel” for the soul, and the experiences that occur in our lives are steps in shaping it. Therefore, the soul remains unchanged and enters a new body as the exterior is spiritually insignificant.

The cycle of reincarnation

We also had debates on eternal life which consisted of a mixture of views. The topic of death is very much overlooked and was therefore interesting to hear everyone’s opinions especially from a diverse cohort, with a range of different ages. 

During this meeting, we also cut a beautifully crafted cake to celebrate Swami’s birthday which was made by one of our youth wing members.

Swami's birthday cake

September 2016 Meeting

After summer we were all ready and refreshed to come back to the youth wing for our September meeting and looked forward to meeting our fellow youth members and welcoming back our youth wing coordinators Ghaya and Tom.  

Our session this month focused on a topic that is often very difficult to grapple with, life after death. There are many different perspectives of what happens after death. Although there is uncertainty as to what happens after death, we felt it was a crucial topic which should be explored and we should not be fearful of discussing it. 

We expressed our ideas on what exists after life using diagrams and drawings. Each individual’s thoughts differed with ideas ranging from traditional concepts of heaven and hell, to blank pieces of paper illustrating there is nothing after life. A number of ice breakers were involved to lighten the atmosphere and to recharge our energy as discussing life after death can be mentally challenging. 

The session ended with an eye opener; entailing the tragedy of Dr Paul Kalanithi, a neurosurgeon who was diagnosed with terminal cancer and sadly, passed away.We watched a short video discussing his book, ‘When Breath Becomes Air’, which he wrote after his diagnosis. The book reflects on his transition from a doctor to a patient and shares his ideas on life including the idea that life was not about avoiding suffering. Today, most people do all they can to avoid hardship however sometimes we need to suffer as the lessons we learn from suffering are often the best lessons in life. Dr Kalanithi’s story was tragic, but his perspective on mortality and the meaning of life is unique and thought provoking.

A quote from the book "When breath becomes air"