MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2024 - MANKIND

Okay - philosophical today.

I am alive, I am 77 years old, I live on Earth, there are an estimated eight trillion galaxies, and … someday I will die.

I surmise three options for my senior years. 
1 - Ignore them, just live until I die

2 - Look forward to getting off this planet.  As Solomon wrote “All is Meaningless” (see more below)

3 - Live the LOVE WINS philosophy - love everybody

Okay, off to Solomon, book of Ecclesiastes - chapter 1:

Meaningless! Meaningless!”  says the Teacher.  Utterly meaningless!   Everything is meaningless.”

What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun?

Generations come and generations go,  but the earth remains forever.

All things are wearisome,  more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing,  nor the ear its fill of hearing.

No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.

*****

I just can’t let Solomon’s words be my philosophy.  “Meaningless?”  I cannot believe that everything is meaningless.  That would go into despair and depression, and thoughts of suicide.  

I have a purpose - I HAVE TO have a purpose.

I have to live life fully, every day.  (Days with televised football games are excused).  I HAVE TO LOVE.  

*****

I have a different approach. I am training for the next life. Yes, I believe that there is something after death. I am auditioning. Can I get there? From my Christian viewpoint, it is heaven. Others might look for nirvana, paradise, or utopia.  

I do take a little different tack on who goes to heaven?  I don’t know.  God (he/she/it/the force) makes that decision - and He/She/It is all-knowing.  Maybe every human will be in whatever heaven is, and maybe nobody (or very few will be there).  Not my call.  [Okay, I can’t believe that a loving, merciful God will only accept Christians - but again, not my call].

So, how do I prepare for my audition?  One word - humility!!

So (as the conventional thoughts go), I’m standing before God, and He/She/It asks, “What makes you think I want you in heaven?”

I have no answer.  There is nothing that I have done that justifies heaven for me.  Not a feigned humility, but real humbleness.  I have to live on LOVE.  Not HATE.

Will I be able to make it?  (Not my call).  So, how shall I live?  I shall try (and fail, but keep trying) to live that life of LOVE.  The only logic in my brain says - there is ONLY ONE truly infinite, perfect, all knowing, all loving entity (and it sure isn’t me). 

Do I live to make money?  No.  Do I live for sexual pleasures? No.  Do I live for success in my work?  No.  

I guess I live like an ant crawling on the ground, going about my business - to gather food and things for the other ants in my nest.  

So - I press on; towards that goal of finding and advancing LOVE WINS and LOVE TRANSFORMS.

Karen Anne White, September 9, 2024