Thursday 4 August 2011

And After Creation, For My Next Trick.

Is it my age that occasionally causes me to lie in bed and ponder the meaning of life. (Very much a 'Life of Brian' thing.)
The universe is only part of something bigger. How big can be realised when you consider that the universe consists of possibly 100 billion galaxies. In our galaxy (The Milky Way) there are between 200-400 billion stars.) There is only one certainty in our own little life within our own little world; we all die. So what happens next?
Mankind has a precarious, insecure existence, with this knowledge in mind it is natural to hope for an afterlife of some kind. This has always been the case from time immemorial. I find it all baffling, even though I was initially brought up in a Christian religion. (Moravian Church). Too many 'for instances'. For instance, my mother died when I was thirteen years of age. If we meet again will she still be the mother of a young boy? Will she be a forty six year old daughter of her elderly mother? Will the boy who died young at my junior school still be eight years old? Will the afterlife be full of Roman soldiers and Medieval peasants? What will we do all day and what will we talk about? Will I get chance to meet Boadicea, Julius Caesar and my childhood hero Stanley Matthews? Will we be recognisable to each other? And will it go on for ever? (Please, please, the believers amongst you, don't suggest I blindly accept without question doctrines that are, to me, illogical and unproven. If it works for you, fine, but we are all different. And it has been suggested, on occasion, my doubts will gain me eternal damnation, by Christians, I might add. Sounds as though I won't be short of company.)
Maybe only those of a similar 'ilk' will be together. Different 'places and existences' according to your beliefs. No mixing of Hindus, Buddists, Christians, Muslims, then. Perhaps there are different 'heavens' perhaps even coexisting side by side. Its obvious, even to me, that it all hangs on 'beliefs and faiths'. (I have no problem accepting that people like Jesus Christ existed. But how much embellishment there is concerning the originators of religions is the bit with which I have problems. And when it is suggested you can have virgins in an afterlife in return for blowing up people, including innocent children I despair. Would I really want to 'live on' in such company.)




I would love to believe that this life is just part of something bigger. But there you go. I am at peace with my own existence. I believe something of me will continue to live on in my children, and in my children's children. People who have never had children, sad, but sorry, life, and death 'sucks'. (Maybe we continue 'on the wind', a nice idea for the childless.)

But strangely enough there are situations where I question my own agnosticism. When I walk round my 'garden' as I do every morning, I see the flowers I have grown. Grown, mark you, not 'invented'. And I marvel at the sheer brilliance in front of me. The incredible, intricate beauty of the Dahlia and my latest acquisition, the Strelitzia (Bird of Paradise). And these plants will reproduce themselves, perfect copies, year after year, ad infinitum. Designed as if something bigger were 'in charge'.

And my grandchildren visit to see the Strelitzias and the Dahlias. And the likeness to myself is obvious. In small and not so small ways myself replicated. Clever stuff indeed. (My mother used to 'hum' as she worked. Almost sixty years later people are amused when I emit the same characteristic 'dirge'.) I can't imagine the world without me. But perhaps nature or whatever is making sure they'll always be a bit of me around. And maybe, just maybe there is more to life than meets the eye.

16 comments:

Debbie said...

Yes, good company.

Peter said...

I see where you are coming from, Ken, and I have pondered the same question myself.

The sequence of events describing how the Earth and universe was formed in Genesis of The Bible is uncannily similar to that known by science today. Of course with regards to the creation, the days in Genesis needs to be transposed to billions of years for science.

Still, the question still remains, what, who, was responsible for the creation.

Even science and mathematics have axioms that cannot be proved or demonstrable but is a statement that is assumed to be true.

It appears therefore that even science accepts unproven 'laws' as true to use as a starting point to prove other theorems.

GrumpyRN said...

Hi Ken, do not mean to be picky but do you mean Monty Python's 'Meaning of Life'? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWVshkVF0SY

As an athiest I too have been threatened with hellfire and damnation. If nothing else that is where all the good music will be with all those devil's music rock stars 'down' there.

A quick anecdote; when we were first married my wife had a miscarriage, early pregnancy, no great problems, we forgot about it and moved on. However, about 20 years later my wife visited a 'psychic' with a friend and was told that he was waiting for her as he had a little girl who was waiting for her mum. Yes, I know, random statement made to see what happened but, he then described the little girl as having a dog with her and proceeded to describe, very accurately, my wifes dog which died when she was 13/14. So embryo apparantly now a little girl and an old dog returned to health in the "afterlife".

I am making no points here just telling a story but I have always thought that it would be nice if we continue on, but I'll find out soon enough.

And before anyone comments, I know that a lot of women have had a miscarriage and a "little girl" waiting to see them at a psychics is possibly(probably) just an opening gambit to get a cold reading and also dogs are pretty much the same once you have the breed right.
That's bad, I am being cynical with my own comments.

Lady Mondegreen's Secret Garden said...

If there is a heaven I like to think it would be alive with people like Nota Bene's recently passed friend.

Nota Bene said...

On a parochial note, you have greener fingers than me. I have only managed to get my bird of paradise plant grown from seed to flower once :-(

Troy said...

I think by definition that Heaven must be exactly how you want it to be.

Freda said...

I think your questions about the afterlife are very sensible. And I think the answers are along the lines of we will all be there, from all times and all places. And we will be united in love. The bad things will no longer be there.

Star said...

Another wonderful post, thank you.

the fly in the web said...

I just wonder if anyone asks the awaiting virgins what they think of the whole thing...but probably not.

Anonymous said...

I'm still staring at my pot of sunflower seeds in vain hope that they may suddenly sprout. It's been a couple of months already... *sigh*

Ruth said...

I think the contemplation part often comes with age, which is why many so-called 'primitive' cultures revere their elders as 'wise' women and men. Once we have raised our kids and are close to being or are retired, we have more time to think about things. The daily grind of putting food on the table and caring for family is mostly behind us. Another great post, Ken!

cheshire wife said...

We are all in suspense, with you, until someone comes back from the other side.

Gill - That British Woman said...

that is a very "deep" post Ken....makes you think though.

Hope you're enjoying your summer?

Gill in Canada

Shammickite said...

You said "I can't imagine the world without me." I can't imagine a world without me, either. But obviously it's going to happen, whether I can imagine it or not. And my children will be sad and my grandchildren will cry (perhaps) and I won't be there any more. And I'll miss all those marvellous things that will happen without me. And if there's an afterlife I'm going to warn all those virgins....

Galen Pearl said...

Interesting musings. I went to a woowoo energy healer once (with much skepticism--long story), who did something called a soul retrieval. When I asked him how he knew that the piece he retrieved was mine, he shrugged and said, "It looked like you." Go figure.

Grumpy Old Ken said...

Crikey, deep, deep thoughts! Great to know we all 'think' about the world. Between us all we will write a book, called ,Answers to everything.' On second thoughts, lets get on with living, we'll know what its about soon enough! Thanks everyone!