Ambition is the last refuge of failure.

Imagine one day you were to come across a young man digging a hole in the earth with a shovel.  An inquiry into his actions leads to the conclusion that he is digging his grave.  Likely you would find this intriguing, and would attempt to draw more information from the man.  Suppose the man explained that he wanted the best grave he could create throughout the years of his existence.  The man is literally spending his life preparing the resting place for his dead body.

Would you find this ridiculous?

Yet, throughout human existance, like the man digging his own grave, we have spent our lives preparing for our death.  Many find it necessary to believe in an afterlife, and are willing to sacrifice parts of their earthly lives in order to gain admittance.  Others spend their lives researching various religions, sciences, and beliefs, in order to find something regarding death that they can come to terms with.

At the very root of it, everything in our existence has grown out of our obsession of death.  Humans fear death so much that we have created religion, (a way to either accept death with the hope of some sort of better life,) and science, (a way of postponing death through medicine, or other forms of preservation.)

Why?

Why can't human's just accept that this may be the one and only life we have, and live it accordingly?  Yes, we are afraid of what happens after we die, afraid that there may be no purpose for our existence.  But why allow that fear to dictate the way we live the life that we know for certain we have at this moment?

Why can't we spend our lives simply enjoying being alive?

 

 


Comments (Page 1)
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on Jun 03, 2009

Hmm, intriguing and thought provoking. 

Why can't human's just accept that this may be the one and only life we have, and live it accordingly?  Yes, we are afraid of what happens after we die, afraid that there may be no purpose for our existence.  But why allow that fear to dictate the way we live the life that we know for certain we have at this moment?

Why can't we spend our lives simply enjoying being alive?

I think the song No Day But Today from the movie RENT, is apt:

 

The heart may freeze or it can burn
The pain will ease if I can learn

There is no future
There is no past
Thank God this moment's not the last

There's only us
There's only this
Forget regret-- or life is yours to miss.
No other road
No other way
No day but today

There's only yes
Only tonight
We must let go
To know what is alright
No other course
No other way
No day but today

I can't control
My destiny
I trust my soul
My only hope
is just to be

There's only now
There's only here
Give in to love
Or live in fear
No other path
No other way
No day but today

on Jun 03, 2009

Excellent song.  Too bad it is so rare that we actually "just be."

on Jun 03, 2009

what if you're wrong and you weren't prepared for the trip into eternity?  Isn't it better to be prepared.  Always be prepared.  Isn't that a Boy Scout motto? 

Our life here is but a vapor.  It's over before you realize it.  But eternity, that's a long, long time.  It's a good thing to ponder this. 

I actually see the opposite.  I see people putting off preparing for the end and instead living their lives trying not to think about their impending death.  They give no thought to eternity or its implications.  They believe as you do.  It's not until they face a life threatening illness to force them into thinking differently do they ponder life and the afterlife. 

Even some you might consider religious.  They may go to church and all but really don't take very good care of their spiritual self outside of that one hour a week. 

I can't help but think of what Christ said when he was here..."what good is it to gain the whole world but lose your soul?" 

 

on Jun 03, 2009

what if you're wrong and you weren't prepared for the trip into eternity? Isn't it better to be prepared. Always be prepared. Isn't that a Boy Scout motto?

What if you're wrong? Besides, I never was a boyscout and I doubt S&JT was ever one.

 

Our life here is but a vapor. It's over before you realize it.

 

If I may S&JT? I believe that was the point she was making: life is short and too much of a blur to realy worry about what happens after. Don't worry, don't fret. Just live life.

 

 

on Jun 03, 2009

They believe as you do.

I obsess over what may happen when I die as much as the next person KFC.  Please don't assume that I believe one thing or another.

I simply happened to take a step back, and wondered WHY.

That was exactly my point Alderic, thank you.

on Jun 03, 2009

what if you're wrong and you weren't prepared for the trip into eternity?

There are always What if's.  Always.  In everything.

What if I die on my way home from work.  What if I choose to believe something and it's wrong?  What if this is all an illusion, a matrix?

There are no end to the what if's.

So why not let go of the "what if's," and simply enjoy the moments that we know we have?

(I'm not expecting you to agree with me KFC, I understand what you are saying.)

on Jun 03, 2009

Why?

Why not? You believe people should just live, maybe preparing for the afterlife is a form of living for some people. Some people live to sing, some people live to race (any kind of race) some people live to love and some live to prepare for the afterlife. What is so wrong with that?

I too find your article "intriguing and thought provoking", and because of that I wonder, why do you find it important to care about how anyone other than you is living? Why do you believe that your idea of living is somehow the standard? I say that because you are wondering why some people "waste" their time preparing for the afterlife instead of just living based on what you think living life should be.

I do agree most people fear death. As much as anyone feels they've prepared themselves for an afterlife, I would bet most of them would chose to live one more day if given the option. But fear is not always a bad thing, fear helps us avoid danger, helps us avoid mistakes and fear also helps us be better people, after all, we are only human and morals will not always stop people from doing the wrong thing.

on Jun 03, 2009

What if you're wrong? Besides, I never was a boyscout and I doubt S&JT was ever one.

Right or wrong, would it not be better to be prepared? Would you carry a spare tire, tire repair kit and an air pump in your car if you were to travel across a long empty road with brand new tires and the next stop is 50 miles away?

I was never a boyscout either, but even I know I'm better off wearing a seatbelt, carrying a spare tire in my car, having my American Express in my wallet and going to the bathroom before a long trip. I may as well pray to God and ask for forgiveness while I'm at it, never know when I may come face to face with the options of the gates of Heaven or Hell.

BTW, if S&JT is a girl, I too seriously doubt she was a boyscout.

on Jun 03, 2009

So why not let go of the "what if's," and simply enjoy the moments that we know we have?

So why do anything? What's the point of living if we don't care about living? How can you enjoy the moment if you don't care about the "what if's" of the moment?

Animals live a "what if free" life. They don't go to doctors to give birth, they don't check the water for gators before drinking, they don't look behind bushes before jumping over them, they don't wonder if a human will kill them for hurting another human. Should we live like this as well, not worrying what can happen for any action we take?

on Jun 04, 2009

Why can't we spend our lives simply enjoying being alive?

Because religion has succeeded in selling you guilt.

Pick and choose what you wish to believe, and ignore the rest.

on Jun 04, 2009

Why can't we spend our lives simply enjoying being alive?

I most certainly enjoy being alive....life is a free gift from Almighty God, I treasure every moment, every breath. Life is a journey, a fascinating one.

kfc posts:

what if you're wrong and you weren't prepared for the trip into eternity? Isn't it better to be prepared. Always be prepared. Isn't that a Boy Scout motto?

Our life here is but a vapor. It's over before you realize it. But eternity, that's a long, long time. It's a good thing to ponder this.

I actually see the opposite. I see people putting off preparing for the end and instead living their lives trying not to think about their impending death. They give no thought to eternity or its implications. They believe as you do. It's not until they face a life threatening illness to force them into thinking differently do they ponder life and the afterlife.

Even some you might consider religious. They may go to church and all but really don't take very good care of their spiritual self outside of that one hour a week.

I can't help but think of what Christ said when he was here..."what good is it to gain the whole world but lose your soul?"

These are my sentiments as well. And there is not a better question ever asked than that of Christ's, "For what doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world and suffer the loss of his own soul?".

on Jun 04, 2009

Why not? You believe people should just live, maybe preparing for the afterlife is a form of living for some people. Some people live to sing, some people live to race (any kind of race) some people live to love and some live to prepare for the afterlife. What is so wrong with that?

If it were simply "some" people, then I would undertsand it.  However, it is not some, it is nearly all people.  Most people are taught that they must either fear death, or live a life that is considered worthy enough to be continued in some sort of afterlife, whether through Heaven, or reincarnation.  From the egyptians and their lives spent building pyramids, to modern religion, spending life preparing for whatever may happen after death is ingrained into us.

What's the point of living if we don't care about living?

Living for the joy of living, for the inescapable ups and downs, the acknowledement that life is for... well... living, that isn't caring about living?  It's actually quite the opposite.  In living as I described it in my original post, yes, you would have think about the moments to come.  It's inevitable.  However, people are thinking beyond their current life, into an afterlife.  If we can't enjoy and take advantage of living this life, (the one we know for certain we have), then why do we deserve any kind of afterlife?

Animals really have nothing to do with my point, as they don't spend life obsessing over their death, and what may happen afterward. 

on Jun 04, 2009

If it were simply "some" people, then I would undertsand it. However, it is not some, it is nearly all people. Most people are taught that they must either fear death, or live a life that is considered worthy enough to be continued in some sort of afterlife, whether through Heaven, or reincarnation. From the egyptians and their lives spent building pyramids, to modern religion, spending life preparing for whatever may happen after death is ingrained into us.

I say some because I do not have enough information to state a majority or not. I'm curious, should we ignore the needs of a child who can not survive on it's own? I ask because often I hear people use words like "taught", "ingrained" and other similar words and I can't help but question why we are so concerned with responsibility of educating children and then question those resposnible. Why do you, me or anyone else believe that our idea of education should be the standard while at the same time believing everyone has the right to be who they want to be? This is a contradiction to me. We can not believe that people have the right to be and at the same time believe they should be as we believe they should be.

 

 

on Jun 04, 2009

I say some because I do not have enough information to state a majority or not. I'm curious, should we ignore the needs of a child who can not survive on it's own? I ask because often I hear people use words like "taught", "ingrained" and other similar words and I can't help but question why we are so concerned with responsibility of educating children and then question those resposnible. Why do you, me or anyone else believe that our idea of education should be the standard while at the same time believing everyone has the right to be who they want to be? This is a contradiction to me. We can not believe that people have the right to be and at the same time believe they should be as we believe they should be.

Again... this has absolutely nothing to do with anything I originally wrote about.

 

on Jun 04, 2009

In trying to make sense of your post Charles, I assume that you are taking my question (why do we spend life preparing for death) and using it to debate arguments I didn't present:

Should we not live with any thought of tomorrow?

There will be consequences for our actions in this life, so yes, we should think of how we choose to live.  Didn't say we shouldn't consider what may happen if we, say, kill someone, or rob a bank.  That would be a waste of life as well, either on the run, or in prison.

Should we live like the animals?

Has nothing to do with this.

Should we not educate our children?

Are you trying to paint me as some sort of moral nihilist?  I didn't say we shouldn't teach our children.  In fact, teaching is necessary if they are to interact in acceptable ways with society. (Don't hit the old man that can barely walk.)  Teaching in the terms of education is necessary for understanding things that will come later, such as jobs, etc.  Teaching morals and knowledge sets up a frame work, in a way, for a child.  A jumping-off point for them to choose and research how they want to spend their life. 

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