Do you believe in an afterlife?

In every life, there are moments of inward reflection. Perhaps for some, fewer than others, but it's this writer's opinion that it's always at least once. In every case, the cause of death is always a lack of blood in the brain. That means there is always a split second before it actually happens when you know unless you get a cannonball from behind above the shoulders or are instantly vaporised in an accident at the LHC in CERN.

Heck if you're caught in a black hole it could last years.

Going back to the original point, it happens. If anybody ever came back from death, through powerful healing, it's likely they would remember some of that flash of glory.
There isn't much evidence to support any of this, but let's just leave that point in the philosophical, shall we?

So what's left to analyze? Well we could examine the patterns in the worlds six major religions. Nah. How about trending atheism since the years of Christ? Too wikipedia for you? Alright. Lets go with... why does suffering exist?

Actually, the answer is both simple and incredibly complex, and as it turns out, it's not really an answer either.

"Without darkness,
how else would we recognize the light?"

When studying the mind, one learns quickly that the slightest difference between love and hate, good or evil, and a chasm between doth appear. To see suffering as merely an opposite of pleasure is to miss the point entirely. Suffering is a result of attachment.

The greatest achievement is selflessness.
The greatest worth is self-mastery.
The greatest quality is seeking to serve others.
The greatest precept is continual awareness.
The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything.
The greatest action is not conforming with the worlds ways.
The greatest magic is transmuting the passions.
The greatest generosity is non-attachment.
The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind.
The greatest patience is humility.
The greatest effort is not concerned with results.
The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go.
The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.

Atisha (11th century Tibetan Buddhist master)

My personal favorite is the one about the passions. It's quite apt.