Sunday, July 9, 2023

Roads Ahead

image of a child making a silly face

The rubber meets the road with a harsh thud, a squeal of anticipation for the unknown thunders’ past. Thrilling to most except that one among us who is cautiously dipping their toes onto the road that leads forward. Caution tells them this will change everything. Everything they thought they knew about themselves, their family, and the world around them.

It is the beginning of a lifelong quest for more. More enlightenment, more understanding, more questions that have no true answer.

It is an uncharted moment in time when a human starts to question their mortality, and what lies ahead beyond the death of the body. Some get to travel decades before this question smacks them in the heart. Others are confronted with this reality at a young age. What happens to us when we die?

It is with experiential knowledge that it can be stated, when a person dies, there is a ton of paperwork, and irrevocable choices for those that are left behind breathing through a straw. Life after death is in itself a miracle.

We are haunted by realistic dreams of our loved ones telling us “They wish they didn't have to go, but it's time". Years pass, and again they roller-skate into our dreams. Sporting the coolest of shirt and shorts from the 1980's, hair held back with a rainbow sweat band, and when we ask them, "what are you doing here?"

Eyes glimmering with freedom they reply, "I don't know, but I'm living my best life I guess!"

This is a relatable story for many of us. Is this proof that there is life after death? Only to the dreams dreamer. Is there concrete proof anywhere in the world throughout humanity's history that there is life after death? Not that I know of. Should this keep me from believing that there is something or nothing beyond our mortal body? No. It's the hearts faith that I am made of Stardust that keeps me moving forward. Aristotle's vision of our universe as a gigantic organism, growing and restless, seeking knowledge of itself, anchors me with the endurance to keep going forward where the rubber meets the road, and where the stars meet the heavens.

Is it rational to believe in something we can't prove, like life after our mortal body's death? No, not really. But when was the heart of man rational when death is calling? Oh, to miss the age of the busy signal. Death can keep calling, I'm busy.

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