Maybe life is just a giant goose chase.
Is there an after-life? There is no way of knowing, but to be honest, I don’t think it should matter. It shouldn’t impact on who we are, or the way we choose to live our lives, or the way we treat others. Maybe we aspire to be good because we want to go to heaven after we die, or maybe we seek the grace of god, or we don’t want to go to hell, or we just want to prevent bad karma, or avoid a shitty reincarnation. Or maybe, we just aspire to be good, because that’s the right thing to do, or because we should cherish and love life, or maybe we’re just grateful, or we are trying to uphold whatever philosophy that grounds us as the people we are and the people we become. Does it matter what we are living for? Is there a “best way” to live? A universal doctrine, or guideline, for the to-die?
So what if that’s it? Life is just it? And there is no afterlife, no heaven, no nothing? What’s the point, then?
What makes us so scared of death, I think, is because we see it as a process of ultimate loss and a disappearance of “self”. But this “self” is insignificant in the way that there are billions and billions lifeforms on earth, and you are just one singular microscopic part of this entirety. That does not mean life has no meaning, but rather, the meaning of life is conjoined with the numerous lives around us…and that we are all connected and part of each other, and part of the same narrative.
Because I think the point of life is to live. I refuse to believe that life has no meaning, because for one, it’s not true. And second, to simply exist is meaningful enough–don’t you think? Out of all the combinations of cells and DNA, out of every possible corner of the world, out of every circumstance, every possible combination of different outcomes, out of everything, the metaphysical math, every version of fate–you are the person you are right now. Right here, right now. Here exists you. You are here. You exist. You. You are a person with your own thoughts, own attitudes, and a world that exists only for you. Nobody else likes the exact things you love, and nobody else will know the exact same people you know.
And you’re not just you. You’re part of everyone else. How do we exist on our own? Can we exist without reference and coordinates? Can you still be “you” without a “other”? After all, what is the “self” if there’s no one else to compare it to?
Things can get complicated, philosophical, religious, spiritual. Here I am trying to make sense of religion, of life, and of death. People can say what they want to say, believe what they want to believe. Why do we even argue? What’s the point in living your entire life trying to prove someone wrong? Isn’t that exhausting? And tiring? Now that’s something utterly pointless.
Anyway, I better stop myself before I digress to talk about chauvinism of all kinds.
In short, though, I think what it comes down to is we should all make the best of today, as well as the best of who we are–through our actions, our speech, or through others. What we decide is what makes us who we are, and what defines our lives. We decide what our lives mean. We decide what our purpose is. Be it heaven, be it goodness, be it God, be it love.
So go live your life with purpose. Decide to live a life that’s worthwhile and meaningful.
If you want your life to have meaning, you’ve got to mean it, right?
