Life, Afterlife & Beyond…

Yes, that precious commodity that is one of the binding correlations between all human beings. Not just life in general though, personal life. Of course, all well-adjusted persons should have respect for all life; but one of our defining characteristics is the value we place on individual life.

The concept of individual life is realized when a body realizes the cause & effect situations in their life, and actively guides their life accordingly. When an animal causes something to happen, it is for survival. When a human causes something to happen, it's an active choice.

Though we do practice many survivalistic actions, it is our choice to. There always the choice to simply not survive. The decision is usually made based upon the subjective view of whatever outcome is most desired. Simply put— if survival is desired, we do those things required. If not, we either neglect the actions required for survival, or take a more active role to end it, i.e. suicide.

All wrapped up, individual life is the recognition of consequences, responsibilities, & desires. This is pretty much understood (at least on a basic level) starting from infancy. As our experience grows, so does our view and understanding.

We learn that crying in a certain manner will make our parents pick us up and comfort us. We learn to manipulate those around us with our body language, and a subconcious understanding that the adults of the world feel a desire to provide for us. We also learn that to displease a parent will bring unpleasant consequences, the witholding of a privilege or an expected treat.

These are all fundamental concepts that all healthy children have learned most probably by the age of two. Really, rather childish rules and guidelines, but the basis for much of the interaction that goes on every day, even in the adult world.

And so, when we must come up with a solution to a question, we usually stick with what we know. How can we conceive of a concept if it has never been introduced to us in this homogenized world? Thusly, we inflict our system of consequences, responsibilities and desires on everything require a standard rule or guideline.

So, it follows, we've set ourselves a pretty problem. If in the rigors and living of our lives we decide to end the term early, what can we reasonably expect?

Back to the ancients, men have tried to ponder the inponderable. What has arisen is a rather comical, fantasized version of the existant guidelines. Rewards for the worthy, and curses upon the bad egg. The various heavens, hells, nirvanas, recyclings etc. are all just an extension of the system we understand.

Consider the stories of christian/hebraic mythology. Most especially the concept of “original sin.” Here we have an all-perfect omnipotent deity, taking away the gifts he bestowed upon the first man and woman as a result of of their deceitful actions. Not only the offenders though, all their progeny as well! Every son of Adam, every daughter of Eve is marked by sin. It is our heavenly birthright.

First off, analyze the first point. An omnipotent deity, awesome in power, incomprehensible by our tiny little brains. This entity is the original parent as Adam and Eve are the original progenitors. This is how we paint this being, in colors we can see. And so, this now-understandable (within modern view) thing proceeds to punish transgressions in a singularly human manner. It proceeds to take away our toys and let us know we're naughty with all sorts of unpleasantness.

Now, with a simple analysis, the thorn catches us immediately. How can anyone possibly believe that this great being would react in such a petty, sub-standard, human way?

Of course the answer is that this could never have been so, and therefore we must subscribe to the belief that many in the modern world hold; the Genesis story is a metaphor.

And yet, even knowing this, people still believe that they might be punished for taking control of their own lives. The ancient boogey-man has done his job well. For whoever this serves, whether it be society (as tends to be the case now) or and authoritarian religious sect that stays in power by the subjugation of it's thralls, the deed is done.

It is indelibly imprinted on our western-world minds that if we go too far, step over that manufatured line, some higher power will punish us. The sad thing is that since such petty actions are only the mark of the cruelest animal on the planet, the only part of us damned will be the ghost we've left behind in the minds of others. Those pleasant memories will now be tarnished with abhorration at the ‘gross misconduct’ that has occurred.

In the end, this can only serve to enslave our society as we begin to connect life with the idea of something sacrosanct. Not to condone the willfull destruction of a life, let alone one's own, for a needless purpose, but we've all forgotten just who's life we're living.

In a world where it is a crime to end your life, and nearly anti-social to merely look down upon the act of living, we've been forced to pull overtime to ensure we live up to our potential. What a perverse way to live, if one does not. We hear it all the time in the passing remarks of “Oh! What a shame, she had everything going for her” when in fact that person may certainly have had ‘everything’ going for them, but merely didn't wish to take the ride. Remember, just because something can be done, doesn't mean it must. And certainly not to fulfill some image that's been rendered fatalistically for them.

If we weren't so afraid to die, we'd probably be living.

And so I urge all of you to analyze what you're living for. Yourself, or the sake of living?

This may bring to the question, self-sacrifice. I believe it is a moot question. Would a psychopath give his life for his loving mother? Would a child? I don't believe so. They are entirely too selfish. This may sound bad, however you must strip away the designs of society on language. Selfish is often thought to have a negative connotation. It shouldn't. The self is all-important. Why do you live life if not for self?

Hopefully this has been an easy-to-follow discourse. The ideas are simple, but sometimes provocative or ‘outlandish’ by society's rule. Try to view them objectively, as an alien to civilization might. Once you can break free of societal thoughts, you are truly being self.