Religious implications

If you are a human with "perfect faith" in your religion - a belief in the afterlife that is so strong that your entire life is based on the drive to get to that Nirvana - does it make sense to continue to live here on earth?

And if so, what sort of implications does that have for our way of life (the rest of us)? What is the impact of those beliefs on our political system and the way the world works?

We've seen some examples...