"You did? When?"
Ok...Let me begin a-new...
OK. Part I
It is not so much that anyone can prove eternity and its conditions since we are bound by experiencing things via time space and matter restrictions that are temporal (temporary). However it is possible to come to an understanding of eternity and what it means to you.
There is something associated, or enmeshed, with my biology; consensus among us has come to refer to IT as a soul. So, let me begin with the soul. While granting due recognition to Mo-Town music and not wanting to take anything away from that, everyone has a soul. Was IT always associated with my body. Well, regarding my Earthly existence, it seems to have been at least as far back as the womb I emerged from. And from what I can tell it will be until this body is dead. Before? After? Yes. I am convinced that my soul continues to exist before and after I occupy this body. I will get to the before and after part later but for now lets look at this thing called Soul…
Can we see it? No. Can we touch it? No. Is it something physical science can deal with directly? No. Yet, there is something beyond the biology of our physical bodies that is experienced personally (self evidence) and that others who know us have a sense of. Self-evidence is essential to knowing anything. You know even that physical tricks (illusions) or flaws in the process must be considered when regarding proofs of anything regarding physical science and that you must personally make those determinations. Without ever seeing me, you have a sense of who I am, what kind of character I have, etc. Via, my own experience, I can testify that no new or changed person has inhabited the essence of me ever. Is IT (soul) a constant in this ever-changing experience? It certainly seems to be.
Does my experience revolve only around the physical impacts and perceptions of the physical experience or is there an awareness that goes beyond physical growth and survival? Of course there is. There is an awareness that life is purposeful, that a principled life is worth living and that it has meaning in and of itself beyond surviving to the next meal. The only thing blocking that awareness is fear. Some people live their whole lives in fear of not having enough to survive well. Then guess what, they don’t survive and often die suffering from diseases caused by their accumulation of stuff meant to keep them from what they feared. That is one of the saddest ironies I can think of. But, that alone should be an incentive to think about what is going on in this existence. We all make the choice to hold material wealth as the highest value or to focus more on what some people call righteousness. It is not a choice of one or the other mind you. We all need to gather wealth and we can’t get by very long by treating our fellow creatures badly. |
