Let us assume for a moment that the sweet hereafter is an urban legend. Then let us assume that human suffering serves no other purpose than its definition: to feel pain or distress; sustain loss, injury, harm, or punishment. Let us assume suffering does not yield credits which one can redeem for halos and satin robes (I don’t even like satin) at the Pearly Gates. How does that make me feel about the constant suffering of others with which I am continually confronted? I’ll tell you, it makes me want to help everyone because they is NO REWARD FOR SUFFERING! If there is no afterlife, then why should anyone suffer? It’s not a pleasant thing to think about. It’s downright scary to assume, as we have, that life after death is fictitious. But I think, perhaps, it may make me a better person.