There are two main, contrasting views on the nature of man. The illusion of consciousness is no more than the product of millions of years evolution. There is no God, neither life nor death and nothing we see, feel or do is of any significance whatsoever. Dualism suggests that man has a dual nature - a physical body combined with some spirit or will, capable of transcending physical laws of cause and effect. We are more than just a set of fundamental particles and cannot be described by Newtonian or quantum mechanics or any other scientific flavour of the month.
Most people adopt the dualistic position without even considering any alternative.
We go through life seeking that elusive state called happiness in a variety of ways but invariably in the belief that we are at least partially in control of our destiny. For all the great advances of science in adding to man's collective knowledge of the universe we have made little progress in understanding that within us which is able to understand. I believe that all existence occurs within a multi-dimensional universe, of which the four dimensions of space and time are but a fragment. This bond is formed at that point after conception when it is determined that a new life will arise. The strength of this bond also varies over time, and is indicated by state of mind.