Guessing Past The Fence

"Learning that we're only immortal for a limited time."
- Rush

I thought I'd take a moment or two to muse upon our own expiration date. This year has been a particularly tough one in the entertainment industry due to a slew of celebrity deaths. That, coupled with few end-of-the-world disaster flicks ("Knowing" and "2012"), it comes as no surprise that we all have mortality on our minds, and where we might venture when our physical life ends in this life.

I never bought into the whole, "Heaven" and "Hell" afterlife as a kid raised in the Catholic church. It just seemed too neat an ending, and the thought of an "All Powerful God" reigning judgment down upon my soul over how I lived my mortal life never sat well with me. I never regard authority figures too highly, for they almost never seem to come from a place of honor. I also maintain a 'see it to believe it' mentality, as I feel that faith only carries you so far, if at all. People are far too quick to chalk up the unhappy events in their lives to "God's will" rather than sitting in their cockpits and flying their own ships.

As I grew older and drifted away from the Catholic faith, I began the search for something a little more 'open ended' when it came to the Great Beyond. The concept of life being a 'one shot' deal didn't seem like nearly enough time for us to nurture our souls through the human condition, especially when some lives are cut short long before they reach their senior years of adult diapers and rocking chairs.

In those early years of my youth, my spiritual quest would lead me to the philosophies of the eastern religions. Zen, Buddhism, Karma, and the like. Within the spiritual constructs lie the belief that essentially we are 'God', masters of our own destinies, and the soul is not just here for a weekend getaway, but returns time and again, one life to the next, on the path to ultimate enlightenment.

I liked the concept of a 'do over'. Being in this life in order to pay off a karmic debt from the last one, then we continue on the path of spiritual growth until we hit the Nirvana jackpot and it is no longer necessary for our souls to return to the Material Plane. Unfortunately, I liked this idea so much that I became lazy in this life and stopped actively living it, believing that if I'm going to come back again, why put forth any effort at all? I would eventually learn (through much pain and stumbling along the path) that I had actually no proof of the reincarnated soul, and if this is indeed a 'one shot' deal, I'd better make the most out of it, as time is never on one's side.

"I don't care what you believe in, just believe in it."
- Shepherd Book

I have no idea what's on the other side of the fence. I have a set of beliefs ('isms that serve as coordinates for my ship), but they could be completely wrong. This is okay, however, because I really like surprises. I can only imagine the look on my face if I found out that 'God' and 'Satan' actually existed, and were milling about the afterlife chucking lightning bolts and pitchforks at each other.

The only thing I know for certain is to live my life with honor, passion, laughter, and love. To live in the positive, regardless of the afterlife outcome. If you're sitting around waiting for Judgment Day, you're probably going to be disappointed. It's like watching a great movie preview, then have the film itself suck.

Monty Python alum Eric Idle sums it up best:

"Life's a piece of shit
When you look at it
Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true.
You'll see it's all a show
Keep 'em laughing as you go
Just remember that the last laugh is on you."

Keep 'em laughing. Now there's a spiritual concept I can really get behind. Why? Because I've seen the outcome with my own two eyes. I've seen the joy in a person's soul, and that to me is a far more spiritual experience that worshiping inside a pew filled building every Sunday, or seeing the image of the Blessed Mary on a Triscuit cracker.

Very Zen to know that the wind moves the trees, rather than to just have faith that one day it might.