I'm really back and forth on the afterlife issue. I hope that there is one, because there are so many people (AND PETS!!!) that I'd love to see again. But, I find it hard to wrap my head around, since I don't remember anything before this life. Maybe someone here does? That would be an interesting story. Something similar to...was it Ramantha?...that the lady channeled in 'What the Bleep Do We Know?". I often wonder about spiritual mediums and that sort of thing. I Have had some unexplained experiences, that others explain away as psychosis or something similar. (No aliens or anything like that as far as I know). But, there is some kind of awe inspiring energy out there in this existence and who am I to say what it can do. I'll still most likely be a bit skeptical until I die and find out, hopefully not too soon.
I know what you mean, and hope is a big part of it for me too. But I too have had weird experiences that aren't quite explained away so easily. As for remembering things from the past, I dunno, but wouldn't presume to say for sure. What I do find interesting is how often small children seem to maintain some weird connection to another part of the universe. My daughter has on a couple of occasions had conversations with "mee maw" (what my wife called her grandmother, who died years before my daughter was born), despite never being told that name. It was kind of eerie. I wonder when we lose that?