As I see it, when we are dead our souls take a long trip through all the places we have visited.  That trip could take days even years. Our souls “walk” tirelessly to revive the situations that we faced and God shows us how our actions and decisions affected us and those around us. In the end, we arrive at the place where we will be judged by God, and he will take us to our final destination, heaven or hell. 

That hypothesis has worked quite well to explain to myself why sometimes we see or feel the presence of ghosts, as they would be the souls taking their trips. Even though I have some explanations, still there are gaps in my reasoning. So, having an open mind to new conjectures is imperative to explain the mystery of what happens after death. 

Lately, Hollywood has developed the fascinating idea of being forgotten as the ultimate death. This idea represents the darkest and most fearful point where our souls are completely erased and lost in a place full of emptiness and desolation. The movie Coco called it “The Final Death.” The concept is quite simple but profound at the same time, when we are forgotten from other’s minds and hearts we don’t have any chance of redemption and, we simply vanish. 

Coco explores the Mexican concept of the celebration of “El Dia de Los Muertos” which is a day when the living remember the loved ones that are not breathing anymore. The same concern about being forgotten was brought forth in “Game of Thrones” 8×02 when Samwell is talking with Bran Stark to decide the strategy for attacking the Night King. Samwell has a revelation when he realises that death means being forgotten and forgetting everything we have done.

From my point of view this brings about more questions than answers, Is this the true meaning of being dead? Should it be so awful the idea of nobody remembering you?.

Some Bible passages explain and encourage the plan of having a big family of descendents to preserve the family’s name for years and to avoid being forgotten. Has this concept of being forgotten existed from ancient times?

How will this concept affect the lives of people that accept it and believe it? Are we to remain alive as long as somebody remembers us?. Well, it is a highly debatable idea that certainly could motivate us to leave a mark on people we love and people around us.