This is what I titled the last post, but my "intro" got long on my views of religion, and so I changed the title and made it a separate post. I recommend reading that first.
So it should be clear now that I have a problem with organized religion. I'm coming to the conclusion that while Jesus might have existed, he was just a man. There is still a tug in the back of my mind from my upbringing. The part that wants the comfort of believing. So now I'm closer to Judaism? I can't say, I don't know shit about the Jews.
What about the afterlife? Why would god want to give us this teeny little bit of time earth as a mortal, then send us off to an afterlife for eternity? If I was in that role, Why would I care? The whole universe is at my command? These billions of teeny little organisms on one measly little planet? That exist for what would be a second to me? Yeah right. Afterlife seems a bit unlikely.
The idea of reincarnation seems more likely to me than that. The earth is just recycling souls, or the chaos from which souls are created to continue the cycle of life.
So for myself, I've pretty much ruled out the concept of Heaven and Hell. I'm enjoying the train of thought that is taking me down the reincarnation path. But if I had to place a bet? I'd bet we die and that's it.
And that is a comforting thought, isn't it? Well, it is for me. Lights out. No eternal punishment for things you did or didn't do in life. No watching those you left behind suffer and struggle. No eternal boredom. You're just gone, like the bug that hit my windshield this morning.
You still have the human instinct to stay alive. And most likely you still have some things worth living for. But there is no reason to fear death. And heck, if you believe in reincarnation, why not look forward to death as the gateway to an exciting new chapter?
As I get closer and more comfortable with this view, I also get more comfortable toying with death. Tree climbing is a good example. In fact my recent uptick in this kind of philosophical pursuits can be tied to when I really got obsessed with tree climbing. Not that I don't take precautions, but risks are part of the fun. You get past your fear of death while looking down and realizing that one misstep, broken branch, severed rope, or other screw-up will plummet you to instant death. It's a euphoric feeling.
So what's the purpose of life then? I'm still working on it, but I think it's whatever you make of it. For me it's to enjoy life. Part of that enjoyment is to leave my mark. ('Course, if I die falling out of a tree, this could be quite literal.) I know in time the mark I've made will fade. But if the mark is big enough and deep enough, it will take longer to fade. And I may never make a mark that lives longer than my children. But I want to enjoy trying.
So I don't believe in religion or an afterlife. There is no fear of death, in fact I could see how it will be welcomed at some point. So then what dominates my ethics and morals? Enjoyment of life again I guess. Where laws are concerned, I obey them to the point of enjoyment. Huh? In other words, the risks vs rewards thing. If there is a high risk of being caught and/or a severe punishment, the unenjoyable aspects would outweigh the enjoyment of the infraction. Which leaves open the door for enjoyable things that have little or no risk of being caught or severely punished....
Where laws don't dominate the decision, there are usually other people involved. In this respect I would say caring for others is a weakness. But I suppose the instinct comes back to the herd survival thing. I can't get rid of it, and therefore some of my enjoyment is tied to that of the ones I care about. Even if I can get away with it, if it hurts someone in that group, the benefit is diminished or gone. Conversely, things that benefit only someone else can yield enjoyment through empathy.
I think I hear a tree calling my name.
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