I've been thinking a lot about life lately, and the strange twists and turns that it can take. For instance, here, in this moment, I'm going in a direction with my life that I never would have even considered 3 years ago. (Not that something significant happened 3 years ago to change my mind, but 5 years seemed too long. 4 is not the number to which I shalt count. 5 is right out. Okay, I'm done with the Monty Python references now.) It's strange though, how life and our experiences can completely change our viewpoints on some things. And how things can change so quickly. One second your life can be one way, and the next second everything you thought you knew has changed.
Life is so changeable. More than that, life is so fragile.
Cue the lead in for a talk about death.
(By the way, I really don't know where this is coming from. I honestly don't.)
I know that this is a sobering topic, and one that people like to avoid or skirt around or make light of or what have you, but death is a reality for all of us. One day, our life on this earth will come to an end and there's really nothing that we can do about it.
A lot of people are afraid of dying, I know. Whether it be fear of dying in a painful, undesirable way, or fear of the end of their story and life as they know it or fear of the unknown, people fear death. It's something intangible, but inevitable. It cannot be tested or tried out, because once you die, that's pretty much it. You can't come back and tell others what exactly happened. (For any of you out there who believe in ghosts: I don't. I'm sorry, I don't mean to offend anyone, but I don't believe in ghosts and therefore this aside right here is the only serious feature that ghosts will get on my blog. If you have an opposing viewpoint, that's fine. I'm not here to brow-beat anyone into believing something that they don't want to. I am completely against that tactic. But that is a post for another time.)
So, today, let's take a look at a subject that is quick to irritate/offend/scare people: the afterlife.
As one who is thoroughly addicted to mythology, and one actually enjoys researching certain topics, (topics that I find pertinent and useful, anyways,) I have come across many theories on the afterlife. There is of course, the theory that death is the end of everything and nothing comes after your life on earth. It's the end of the show, no curtain calls. (Ah, now I can tie in the analogy in the title. If your life was a one-act play, the "afterlife" would be act 2.) There's the ghost theory. (I'm sure that most of us are familiar with the concept of ghosts, so I won't trouble myself further by explaining it.) Reincarnation is another theory.
I don't agree with any of the above theories. If I haven't made it obvious by now with my previous blog posts, let me fix that grievous mistake right now: I am a Christian. I believe that Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross and rose from the dead three days later as the payment for our sins, and that salvation through Him is the only way to get to heaven and spend eternity with God. I believe in heaven, and in hell, and in a life after this one.
It's a hopeful kind of viewpoint, and I am aware that, as such, Christians get some criticism. While I don't have time to depict every nuance of Christianity, however, I find the argument that Christianity is some sort of fairytale meant to make everyone feel better about death and dying and the wrong in the world and all that, to be a little silly. Honestly, anyone who has done any research on the Christian faith can tell you that the majority of what's in the Bible is not all rainbows and butterflies. There is talk of sin, punishment, war, judgment, fighting, prostitution, murder, drunkenness, betrayal, immorality... and I'm not just talking about the Old Testament. That is not to say that there are not more pleasant topics to be found in the Bible, like love and forgiveness, but to say that Christians just believe a bunch of feel-good topics to make themselves feel better about life is an argument that is erroneous, to say the least.
This is just a little bit of an introduction to a topic I plan to spend talking about in depth. I will cover my own viewpoint, as well as take a look at some other viewpoints out there. It's inevitable, so even though some of us don't like talking about it, I think we should.
It's something to think about. Not to obsess over, but to mull over perhaps.
