The Summer 2016 issue of the George Washington University magazine includes an article titled “About Death.”  It shares retiring psychology professor Pamela Woodruff’s perspective on the end of life.  When asked about an afterlife, Woodruff responded “I don’t believe in it absolutely.  I simply hope that it’s there.”

The article reminded me of my own views on dying and an afterlife which I shared with students, faculty and friends as part of my final lecture at Miami University.  I fall into Dr. Woodruff’s camp in that I, too, do not believe in an afterlife.  I differ from her perspective in that I do not care if eternal life is a myth.  Coming from that perspective, I keep asking myself, “Why do so many people need to believe there is something else after we have completed our time on this earth?”

But, as Arlo Guthrie rifts in his classic Alice’s Restaurant, “That’s not what I came here to talk to you about.”  The previous two paragraphs are merely a preamble to a topic I have struggled with for a couple of weeks.  Why do people with successful careers feel the need to exaggerate and embellish their life stories?  And questioning the need for an afterlife was the segue I was missing.

In that last lecture on December 5, 2011, I said, “I hope it doesn’t happen, but if I were to die tomorrow I would have no regrets.  I’ve lived a full life and had more than my share of great experiences.  I wish the same for each of you.”  Were there more opportunities of which I could have taken advantage?  Of course.  Were there times I could have been a better person? Quite likely.  Regardless of these and other shortcomings, I can honestly say my life has been “good enough.”

Here lies a potential link between the need for an afterlife and the topic du jour, embellishing one’s accomplishments.  False additions to one’s life narrative suggest some underlying fear or dissatisfaction that your life has not been good enough.  Let’s look at some recent examples when individuals have felt the need to inflate their achievements.

NBC Night News anchor Brian Williams lost his job for claiming, among other things, he had been riding in a helicopter under attack in Iraq.  For him, the challenge and potential danger of reporting from a war zone was NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

Bill O’Reilly claimed he was “on the scene” when Lee Harvey Oswald’s friend George de Mohrenschildt committed suicide in Florida in 1977, eliminating a potential source of information about Oswald’s motives and associations.  The claim is debunked by O’Reilly’s own phone calls back to Fox News at the time of the incident.  Being the lead investigative reporter into JFK’s assassination for a major news organization was NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

Donald Trump claims to be worth 10 billion dollars.  Most independent sources suggest the true figure is more likely somewhere between 500 million and 2.5 billion dollars.  I know I would be more than happy at the 500 million figure.  But for Trump, it is NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

Hillary Clinton claims to have been subject to sniper fire after landing in Bosnia in 1996 when she was First Lady.  One would think being First Lady, a U.S. Senator and Secretary of State alone qualifies as an impressive resume.  But for her, it was NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

A candidate for local office includes membership in the local Rotary Club on her bio.  She pays her dues with campaign funds, but never attends a meeting or participates in Rotary sponsored events.  “Resume padding” is something we warn students against as future employers are often more interested in the quality of community service than the quantity of activities.  The candidate must think that her other community engagements are NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

It makes me wonder if the hope of an afterlife is somehow related to a feeling that one’s life has not been good enough.

I understand belief in an afterlife is of comfort to many people.  And I empathize that, for people who have lost a family member or friend way before their time, the idea of seeing them again in heaven is a source of inner peace.  But if one’s belief in heaven or eternal life is viewed as a reward or a second chance, I am reminded of what Pixar founder John Lasseter said about the process by which he and his team developed the animated movie Cars.  “The reward in life in not the destination, it is the journey.”

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP