Doubt - Are You Alive?

In this investigation, my class was asked to pick a question that expresses doubt and how we shape ourselves. I chose the question, "Are you alive?" To me, coming up with philosophical is loads of fun and I enjoyed having to think really deep about stuff. All my wonder and thinking has lead me to believe that philosophy is stronger than I could ever imagine. I enjoyed creating & choosing the correct question. Although, it was hard to pick only one & I hurt my brain, questioning existence and thinking deep about, "Who Am I?"

Have you ever questioned life? Living your normal life, ever pondered the question, “Is existence real?” Are we a mere dream? Is some form of extraterrestrial life watching us through a movie screen? Are we all just starring in a dream of someone in the past? A movie named, “The Truman Show”, suggested that life could be an unrealistic dome, and we just haven't found our way out yet. The real question behind this is, “What does it mean to be alive”. Is “human” just some made up word? Are we dead? The subject of “Heaven & Hell” suggests that we go to one of those places if we die, but what if, after you die, you actually start living? Is your whole life planned out for you, and you're just playing your role in a play for the gods? What about this, do we ever die? Is existence nothing but a reincarnation cycle? Where do babies really come from, are they reincarnated in the honor of lost ones?

Two philosophers, named Aristotle and Plato, argued about the chicken, “did the chicken, or the idea of the chicken come first?” Plato believed that the idea of the chicken came first, while Aristotle believed differently, he said that in order to have an idea of a chicken you would have had to see a chicken first. Could this have something to do with the seed you’re made from? Are you alive?

Now I’ll tell you how I came about this question. Observation, I always think about different ways people look at life. I look at life a different way, I believe that there is something else to it. There must be life after death. So, in order to answer the question, “Are you alive?”, I first had to ask “Are we already dead?”. I found myself compelled to talk about this topic. Some people perceive life as being simple. A doctor would say, “You are alive if your heart is beating and you can walk & talk.” How could you know the characteristics of a living being. The question of, “Are you alive”, has stumped even the brightest of philosophers, but not Aristotle, he viewed life as animation and fundamental property of nature. Thinking about the question, I can think of how people doubt existence or question life.

I can subsist on my doubt, I don’t allow myself to think too deeply about this question, no matter how much it appeals to me. Of course if I could, to test my theory of a “unreal life”, I would create a time machine, kill myself then wonder about in the afterlife. After I have the information I want, I would travel back in time to present day. Would this risk be worth it, risking my (what others call it) “life” for an explanation of what happens after you’re deceased. It was indubitable, that I had to find an answer to my unanswered questions. The risks were endless in finding an answer for something this big! I don’t think there’s anything I wouldn't risk to get this theory out of my mind.

So, is existence real? Or is it a made up illusion for extraterrestrial amusement? Are our lives made up, invisible scripts? Is human existence an infinite play for the gods? Do our predestined lives lead us to believe existence is real? Do we ever die? Are we alive, only after we die? Is life a huge reincarnation process? Are you alive, only after we die? Is life a huge reincarnation process? Are you alive?

References: 

"Gods Words Immortal", np, Web. 8 Feb, 2014