# Alternate Quantum Realities and Someone Who Lost a Loved One **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 2, 2021, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-quantum-realities-and-someone-who-lost-a-loved-one/929544 "2021-01-02T21:16:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-quantum-realities-and-someone-who-lost-a-loved-one/929544/41 "2021-01-06T07:50:08Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > The original point of contention is that I would feel grief over losing them. The idea that some version of them continues on _could_ give me some measure of comfort, not nearly enough to erase my grief, but in order for them to live on in any universe, they will be living on in universes that suck pretty badly, and those shitty universes will probably outnumber the good ones. I wasn’t talking about the multiverse though, I was specifically addressing your point that someone being dead versus living on but where you will never see them was the same thing from your point of view. You also claimed that the only reason people find the concept of heaven comforting is because they will get to meet their loved ones again. And you’ve now conceded the point on this, since you’re now agreeing with me that the knowledge of someone being in a place of suffering would be upsetting regardless of whether you got to see that suffering first hand. This strongly implies that the knowledge of someone being in a pleasurable place would be good news regardless of whether you got to see their enjoyment first hand. So, I think we’re done on that point. Now, regarding the multiverse specifically, no, I wouldn’t find the presence of a multiverse comforting per se, since, as you say, for every positive quantum reality there is a negative one (though it may depend on the specifics of which model we’re talking about). ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-quantum-realities-and-someone-who-lost-a-loved-one/929544/42 "2021-01-06T16:04:51Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > I wasn’t talking about the multiverse though, I was specifically addressing your point that someone being dead versus living on but where you will never see them was the same thing from your point of view. But we are talking about the multiverse, that’s the whole point of this thread. I did not say it was exactly the same, I said that either one leaves me with a loss. That either one leaves me no longer whole. Yes, I grieved far more over my friend that died than I did the one that moved to Colorado, but that is largely because, even though it’s pretty hard to actually see him, I still send him a text every now and then, even the occasional phone call, and more importantly, he replies. > [@Mijin](#): > > You also claimed that the only reason people find the concept of heaven comforting is because they will get to meet their loved ones again. No, I did not say that was the only reason that they find it comforting, I said that it’s a very large part of what is used to comfort them. I’ve been to funerals, more than I would have liked to have, and the officiant always says the same thing, that we _will_ be reunited. That they are watching _us_ now, and preparing us a place with them. I was even tempted to try going to my friend’s church, what with his pastor talking about how he was waiting for me, and I really, really wanted to see him again, and I thought that if I followed the same path, there was a chance that I would. That didn’t last all that long before I rejected that magical thinking, but if I actually believed, in any way, that it would “work”, then I would have. If the idea that we would not be reunited with them means so little, then they would not say these words as a means of attempting to comfort. My parents have graves next to each other(pre-bought, they aren’t in them yet), and they also bought plots nearby for the rest of us. There is a _very_ strong emotion attached to the idea of being reunited. This is personal, so you don’t have to answer, but _have_ you lost anyone close to you? Whether by moving or by death? > [@Mijin](#): > > And you’ve now conceded the point on this, I’m not sure what your game is here, in declaring that I’ve “conceded” and that you have won the thread here. I didn’t see it as a competition in the first place, and this insistence that I’ve conceded seems more than a bit premature, and more than a lot presumptuous. > [@Mijin](#): > > since you’re now agreeing with me that the knowledge of someone being in a place of suffering would be upsetting regardless of whether you got to see that suffering first hand. I did no such thing. I said that to be comforted by the knowledge that they are living on, having experiences, would also _require_ the acknowledgement that they are also in a place of suffering. > [@Mijin](#): > > This strongly implies that the knowledge of someone being in a pleasurable place would be good news regardless of whether you got to see their enjoyment first hand. You presumption was incorrect, so your conclusion is as well. By your logic, though, you have “conceded” that the knowledge that someone is suffering in agony should be terrible news regardless of whether you had to see their distress firsthand. > [@Mijin](#): > > So, I think we’re done on that point. If you say so, then sure. Unlike the friends that I have lost, I will not miss this debate all that much. > [@Mijin](#): > > Now, regarding the multiverse specifically, no, I wouldn’t find the presence of a multiverse comforting per se, since, as you say, for every positive quantum reality there is a negative one (though it may depend on the specifics of which model we’re talking about). I agree, and that was the entire point I was making from the beginning. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-quantum-realities-and-someone-who-lost-a-loved-one/929544/43 "2021-01-06T17:41:06Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > But we are talking about the multiverse, that’s the whole point of this thread. That’s the point of the OP, but not the specific thing that you said that I am responding to. And let’s also reflect on the point that my first word on this matter was _personally_ i.e. I was happy for this to be a purely subjective matter. You were the one trying to make a debate on this, and then refuted your own point by bringing up the concept of hell. > [@k9bfriender](#): > > No, I did not say that was the only reason that they find it comforting, I said that it’s a very large part of what is used to comfort them. Here’s your exact words: > [@k9bfriender](#): > > It is often unprompted that people claim that the lost one is living in a parallel universe called “Heaven.” This is not comforting due to the fact that they are still having experiences, but rather because you will be reunited one day. (emphasis added) I didn’t see “very large part”. But, I don’t want to be too combative on this. If you’re now saying that your position is that we care about meeting relatives again _and_ the fact that they’re living on (whether or not we get to see them again), then sure, we’re in agreement. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-quantum-realities-and-someone-who-lost-a-loved-one/929544.md?page=2)