Recently, I have been pondering over some of the certainties that this existence can bring. One thing that is guaranteed in this life is conflict. As humans, we are constantly pitted against each other. It could be over religion, politics, relationships, or even where to go to eat. Humankind, in its current state, will never be without conflict which plagues daily life.
Another certainty that we face is finite human existence. Death will come to everyone no matter how careful or healthy we live our lives. As we get older, we have more and more people pass on from this life and no matter how many times it happens, it never gets easier. This can be one of the harshest realities that a person can be faced with. As George Harrison wrote on his first solo album:
“All things must pass away.”
This includes the good and the bad. If everything passes away and nothing is infinite, is there hope? Why do we push to live and overcome if things appear hopeless?
People have a drive within their core that strives to achieve more no matter how much they attain. And I am not talking about materials, wealth or success. What I am referring to is our deep-rooted desire to be a “better” person, that is, to achieve a better character than we are at this moment; the deep seeded desire to become more.
There is this little spark within us that constantly searches for truth. At times one may think they find truth but can turn out to be a falsehood. The soul will constantly question everything, even when there is no other explanation. It is human nature. This is what sets humans apart from all other living things. We don’t just work to survive. We want to know why we work to survive.
Humans value their lives and, therefore, should put a higher moral standard on preserving lives- both their own and others. It is “good” to do all we can to preserve life as much as possible. We can be faced with dilemmas such as self-defense or capital punishment, but it is important to remember that death is final. It cannot be taken back.
This is what can make funerals and celebrations of life so difficult. A person can’t be repaired or replaced. It is total finality. It becomes a reminder to us of our limited, fragile existence, and one day we too will be gone. It is easy to lose hope in this darkness.
Now the darkness only stays the nighttime
In the morning it will fade away
Daylight is good at arriving at the right time
It’s not always gonna be this grey
Everyone desires to believe that there is something beyond this life. Many believe it to be a cycle, and we will continue living many lives while others believe we have only one life and rewards or punishment await us depending on how we live our lives. Who is right? Who is wrong?
One thing most beliefs share is that there is more beyond this life. There is more to this life than living and dying; that there is some continuation after death. All humans are striving for the same goal since we know that this life on earth is finite, we just can’t agree on what is beyond. I argue that this rooted belief and desire in most individuals to know what is beyond proves that there is something beyond. For me it is an eternal existence with God in a place called Heaven. You may not agree, but that is ok. All I ask is that you open your mind and explore the possibilities, and don’t shut it out because being “Christian” is a hypocritical way of life. People are flawed. We have free will and can choose to do whatever actions we desire to do, whether morally good or bad.
The atheist can be just as hypocritical as the God-fearing man.
I challenge you to think of death as a new beginning, not an end. The people we lose can continue to live on in our memories as we let their actions from their finite existence impact how we live. Good and bad. Moral and evil. We must learn lessons from the failures and successes of those who have walked before us.
When you are remembered, what impact did you have on the people you loved? How will they remember you?
All things must pass
None of life’s strings can last
So, I must be on my way
And face another day
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