Life and Death

There are few things that we know for certain. Yet the things that we do know, and that are at the basic core of the meaning to all that we do, often get very little attention from us. We tend to spend our focus and energy on things that have little value in the face of what we really do know. The longer we put off concentrating on the truth as we know it, the more opportunities for using our time on what really counts will be wasted on trivia.

The first thing that we know for sure is that we exist. We may not know how or why, but we do know that we exist. It is something we do not need anyone to prove to us, because it is at the core of our being. Right now, you are. How often do we meditate on this and what it means? If, while you are strolling through a familar neighbourhood, you suddenly find a full size replica of the Titanic parked in the middle of the street, you would naturally want to find out how it got there and why. Having found ourselves existing on this planet, we should long to find out how and why.

There are many answers given to the question of how we have come to exist. The most common answer people give for how they got to where they are is their parents. With the help of scientific research most of us understand that a sperm from a male and an egg from a female joined together at some time in the past to conceive our physical bodies. That is something that we have come to learn and that we accept as true. The fact that our bodies are alive right now is proof that a sperm and egg joined together at some time in the past. This helps us to understand how our physical bodies were created. However, it does not give us an answer to how it is that we personally exist. Babies are born every minute on the planet. How is it that we are in the body that we are in right now and not in another? Instinctively we know that we are more than just our bodies. There is something much deeper that we understand to be ourselves. So, how did we come to exist?

Philosphies and relgions around the world attempt to give us answers for these questions. Nevertheless, if we don't search for the answers ourselves, we may end up falling for a cheap alternative to the truth and not discover the real reason we are here. Deep down we know there is a plan for our existence, a reason for living, a meaning to life. Part of that plan is for us to actively search for the plan, to find it, and to conform to it so that we can experience life in all its fulness. The truth is there for us to discover it, and it is available to each and everyone of us.

It is not very difficult to find out what the plan is for our life right now. We may not be able to understand the full picture or some of the details, but finding out what we need to do right now to be part of the plan is not as hard as some people think. We have often heard the plan and the direction we need to move in to be part of it. The truth is often whispered into our inner being (ie. our true self) and implores us to be part of it. The only thing that stops us from finding out the plan is a lack of desire in really wanting to know. The truth is that most of us don't want to hear the truth.

This brings us to something else that we know for sure, atruth that most of us really do not want to be reminded of, and that is that our life here on this planet will one day come to an end. This uncomfortable truth is one of the most basic truths any one of us could recognise, and yet it is one that most of us strive to hide from in our everyday lives. Death is kept hidden and locked away from our minds and conversations and even from our sight. When we do hear of the death of someone (especially the death of someone we knew) we are often shocked and grieved. We may, during those times, consider that the same thing will one day happen to us, but we soon look for things to distract us from that reality and to numb us to the implications of knowing that truth.

The truth is that death is not the Boogey Man most of us have thought it to be. Death is reality. We are blessed to know of that reality, because it means we can take stock of our lives right now and reflect on how much of our current way of life will matter to us when we experience that undisputed reality. Being told that a final examination awaits you at the end of your studies is not scare mongering; it is useful information which helps you to prepare so that you can pass the exam and get your degree or diploma. Having that final examination in mind, and wanting to obtain the diploma, will encourage you to take stock of how you use your time. Instead of spending each day idle, a wise student would invest time to study the required material, so that they would not be caught unprepared at the time of the exam. And once the exam is over and done with, there is much celebration and thankfulness for having invested that time to study, now that it has become time to enjoy the fruits of hard work. Similarly, thinking about death is a positive experience, because it means that we can choose to not waste our time on things that are not important. Death helps keep things in the right perspective.

Knowing that we will die is part and parcel of knowing that we exist. In between living and dying we must find out what we are meant to do. If we don't, both our life and our death will not have meaning. Everything about our lives will end with the Grim Reaper if we do not reach out to the Source of all life and find out what is needed to live a life that is not destroyed by death.

The truth about life and death guides us to renounce the temporary things of this life that we may gain that which is eternal. We can be fooled into spending our precious time chasing things that we can never hold on to. What is the point of spending your whole life working for something that you have to throw away in the end? We need to spend time thinking about death and all the implications such a reality has on us today.

Do you take time to reflect on your life and the end of it? What things do you think will matter to you the most when you look back and reflect on how you spent your time? Will you cherish how much wealth you accumulated? Will you value how many degrees you completed and how many initials follow or precede your name? Will you count how many people thought well of you?

All we know for sure about the future is that we will die. Right now, we know we are alive and we sense that there is meaning and purpose to be found for our lives if only we will seek it honestly and humbly. Why waste another second ignoring the most basic truths that we know? Why wait till the end of our lives before we discover what we were alive for?

What's Going On?

When we take an honest look at the world today and assess our moral and spiritual growth, we can often be overwhelmed at what we see. On one hand, our technology has advanced significantly over the last few decades and continues to evolve exponentially as we speak. We can now communicate instantly and comfortably with people all over the world through phones and computers. We can travel from continent to continent in a matter of hours. Information on practically anything is now available at our fingertips, and formal education is no longer out of the reach of many of us.

Yet for all the advances in science and technology, children still starve to death; with all the knowledge we have accumulated, people still die of preventable diseases; and with all the philosophies and religions that have developed on the Earth, we still have war and its lesser expressions of madness and violence. For those of us who have grown up in the West (those "First World" countries as they used to be called), we have access to wealth that kings and queens of old could only dream of. We have so much wealth at our fingertips we don't know what to do with it. We live in a society that pushes us to earn more and spend more, to the point that most of our time is dedicated to the buying and selling phenomenon we have come to know as the 'Rat Race'. We buy food to taste, not to eat; clothes to display, not to keep us warm; vehicles to impress, not to transport us and others; and houses big enough to store all the other things we don't really need in our lives. In our over-indulged society the need for stimulation increases each day. We become accustomed to a level of violence, greed and sexual immorality in magazines, music and movies that would shock and shame our ancestors.

All of this has left a vacuum in our souls. We feel empty, confused and dissatisfied and we are not sure where to turn to for the answers. Some of us try different religions and philosophies without much success, hopping from one social club to the other, and from one 'latest idea' to the next. Others stay fixed on one set of ideals, trying to take refuge in tradition and conformity to the norm around them. Yet for all our searching most of us sense that we have not yet found our place. Something is still missing.

However, in the midst of this confusion and insanity, we often hear whispers pointing us towards a way forward. These whispers can be heard in the deepest part of the hearts of each and every person. The whispers tell us the wrongs that we are contributing to, and encourage us when we align ourselves with the solution. Most of us are often annoyed by these whispers, telling them to shut up when they ask us to do something that would compromise our reputation, wealth or physical health. So instead of yielding to the truth of the still small voice within us, we look for ways to hide it, covering it in the darkness of dishonesty where it can be out of sight from ourselves and from others. We then look outwardly for things to fill the void, which is an impossible task and the reason we are never satisfied regardless of how much popularity, fortune or knowledge we may acquire in the process.

If only we were to listen honestly and humble to the whispers of Truth, we would find the real meaning of life and discover the path that leads to joy everlasting. We can live a full, honest and happy life right now, and we can share that life with others and heal the broken world around us. Nobody is excluded from being invited to this party! All we need to do is to accept the invitation and follow the instructions we receive on how to get to the party.

There is much that the softly spoken voice of Truth wants to reveal to us if only we would seek it and submit to its leadings. However, as someone once said, "the truth that sets us free is for the most part the truth that we would rather not hear". What unpalatable truths are we avoiding? How much do we really want the Truth, the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth?

Whispers

Most of us live in a society that is constantly calling for our attention. We are daily bombarded with audio and visuals, demanding our focus and energy. When we are outside, the noise of the traffic, the fumes, the chatter of the crowds and the thousands of other sounds that invade our inner sanctum, continually distract us. We have little time that we can truly say is ours. As soon as we come back to our living quarters, most of us instinctively turn on the dazzling box of light and sounds to further occupy our minds with the cares of this life. It is as if we fear the silence; as if we are continually running away from solitude.

Yet in the midst of this clamour we often hear whispers of another life. Within our deepest core, a voice calls us to investigate who we really are, what we really want, and pleads with us to consider an alternative way of being. How often do we listen to these whispers? Most of the time we try to ignore that still, small voice within us. When that fails, we seek to produce arguments against what it is saying, and we immediately seek for the next package of noise and other stimulants for our senses in the hope that we may drown the whisper and maintain our pretence to sanity.

Do you know who you are? Are you going about life, watching the crowds and trying to live up to the expectations of others? Do you take time to find out what the whispers are saying? Are you running from the Truth?

Is There Anybody Out There?

When we start on a spiritual journey we may soon discover, much to our amazement and sorrow, that it appears we are all alone. We may come to realise that our core values are radically different from that of our closest friends and family. This presents us with a great challenge. We may be tempted to compromise and tone down our commitment to what we believe is true in an effort to maintain those relationships that we are so familiar with. And it is also easy to try to force others into accepting the truth that we have discovered to a point where it creates unnecessary conflict.

Some of us go out looking for 'fellow pilgrims'. Most of the time we start by looking at organizations that we believe stand for principles similar to the ones that we have discovered to be true and worthy of living by. However, we soon realise that organizations are not perfect either and in most cases, have much that is wrong with them. This can leave us disillusioned and may tempt us into giving up hope.

It is therefore necessary for us to realise one of the most important principles of the spiritual world of love and truth, and that is that it is 'invisible'. There is no organization that we can point to that has it all worked out, because there is no individual who has it all worked out, and organizations are only collective entities of the people in them. This means we must look beyond the institutions and consider the bigger, invisible 'picture'.

As we each continue striving to sincerely live for truth and love, we will see glimpses of efforts made by other people who are moving in the same direction. This will naturally draw us together into friendships which are not only helpful, but in many ways needful for all of us spiritually. When we see how difficult it is to live a truthful and loving life in this world, we should be eager to find our fellow sojourners on this planet and to do all that we can to encourage one another in our most important mission. This first post is a step in that direction.

There MUST be people 'out there' who are committed to truth and love and who are sincerely trying to take heed to the still small voice inside them that continually speaks to them, encouraging them when they do good, and reproving them when they do not. If you are one of them, I sincerely long to have friendship with you and to inspire one another to continually do good, knowing that if we do not give up, we shall eventually gain more than we could have ever hoped for!