Apr 19 2008
There is no point
Why do we, as a species, think that there is a purpose to our lives beyond the immediate? Even more bizarrely do we think that there is another life beyond this one? Even more bizarrely still why do we think that if we do our best to stop enjoying life to the full this makes us a better person? How can we seriously believe that if we lead a ‘good’ life we’ll go to a different place for our next life than if we don’t?
Life is important, it’s amazing, miraculous even but it’ll end on this planet when the sun cools or some other astrological disaster happens. There may be life on other planets or in other universes but that doesn’t affect the argument.
What would an ‘afterlife’ be like? Somewhere where the good things we enjoy in this life are not offset against the downs we experience in this? One of the fundamental aspects of life is that it is a struggle and from that we get a good feeling when we triumph over adversity. Some individuals try to preserve themselves so they can be revived in the future when we have discovered how to extend our lives forever. Have they thought about the implications of that? Population growth is bad enough now with much of the population living in extreme poverty and thus subject to starvation and disease and with the most lethal disease ever to affect the human race, AIDS, causing millions of deaths annually. Without death there could be no new life, no babies, no children. Ideas would stagnate, everything would stagnate. Yet this is what Christian’s and Muslim’s alike strive for – everlasting life. This is what they will go to extreme lengths to try to achieve. Becoming monks and hermits or even suicide bombers.
Where has the idea come from that somehow most forms of enjoyment are bad? Why do Christians make sin and transgression so important? The 10 commandments were supposed to have been drawn up by Moses as a sort of constitution to keep law and order amongst his flock. Nowadays we have a much more sophisticated legal system which is there for a similar purpose. I’m just a man with quite high principles like many others, most, I like to believe. I don’t keep committing sin – so why should I be told I have to continually to ask forgiveness? Why should I have this burden of guilt thrust upon me? I suspect it’s more because at some time in the history of the church it was a philosophy brought in to subdue a gullible and ghost believer population.
We are just animals, at the moment a very successful species with the most intelligence. But we mustn’t get carried away. So do other species have an afterlife? And if so do they have a strict code that controls whether they go to heaven or hell? Non-human animals can be just as cruel as humans. Cat with mouse. Does their lack of self awareness excuse this treatment? Is this any different to an abused child themself abusing? Or a gang member attacking a member of another gang before he is attacked himself? Of course they should know better - but they don’t which is why they did it.
Not that I don’t believe in spirituality. We have taken life to another level. A level of art, music and scientific advancement.
