Of death and decay.
There have been many times where I have contemplated death. Not in the way of a suicidal, but more of its principals. It wasn't until recently that the topic came up in my mind again, one of you may know the story about my mom's horrifying discovery. I figured that now is as good a time as any to actually put out my thoughts on death down on ePaper (seeing as the event is fresh in my head and John seems also to have gone on a philosophical tangent).
My beliefs are far-ranging and scattered, but I think the core belief I hold is encapsulated in Plato's Apology of Socrates, that death is one of two things. On one hand, it could be an eternal sleep. One that you simply never wake up from. A rest as eternal as time itself where nothing can disturb.
Conversely, if there is an afterlife, I really don't fear what God would hold me to. If he is as loving as people say, and as all knowing as we believe, then I will be judged in the most absolute and correct manner possible. My one problem with organized religion is that morality seems perpetually bound to certain rules of entering heaven and hell. What I do not believe in is dangling Heaven as some sort of reward, instead it should be a continuation of the path you choose on Earth. It's fairly similar to an idea postulated by one of the most brilliant men of our times:
"If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed." ~Albert Einstein.
I choose to see morality an ethics as something right, not something written (i.e. "Such and Such is the path to salvation").
Moving on, if we choose either options and assume you've lived a generally good life, what is there to fear in death? In one you won't care, in the other, you could hardly wish to look back. I suppose this falls under a more intangible idea than spirituality. Why does society exist? Is there a point in life? For me, I choose to leave such questions lie at arms length. I know for a fact that the point of life is not to let "maybe's" and "what if's" lead you away from simply enjoying it. (And if it is, then God has a pretty twisted mind.) For me, the path of life is just this winding road towards The End with small towns called Happiness and the occasional landmark titled Morality dotting the way. Sometimes these points may intersect with the paths of others, sometimes not. It is not for me to judge, it is only for me to decide whether or not it is a path worth treading, and so far it has been.
In true Butterfield fashion, I will end with a remark stating that If you have read this far, listening to a spiritually ignorant youth blather on about his insignificant and fragile creed, then good for you. If you care to berate me for my blasphemous remarks, I welcome different viewpoints and humbly ask you from where you draw such strong conviction so that I may "see the light" as well. If you feel the need to question my sanity or why I'm so suddenly absorbed in theoretical thoughts, please leave a message after the nonexistent tone.