# 65: A Radical Redefinition of Life

Monkey see, monkey do. We all live as we were taught/trained by nature and by those who lived before us, and we accept it as the status quo. This essay will challenge that format. Just because we are temporal beings, captive in a dog-eat-dog world, it doesn’t mean we have to continue on that course. First of all, as previously mentioned, without our permission, we were forced into a dangerous world of chance and uncertainty without an easy way out. At a very young age, by looking at others, we start to figure out what is expected of us and how we can get the most of anything with as little effort as possible.

Then one starts to seriously examine why people are not asking, “Why must we live as is expected? Why are we physical beings? Why must we die?” and dozens of more usually unmentioned “whys.” But with a little insight, some will be able come up with a totally radical (and still logical) view of why life doesn’t have to be as it has always been.

Physical life, even in all of its splendor, is not the best form of life. You might quickly say, “But that is the only life we know.” That may be true, but that doesn’t necessarily make it any better. The vast majority of the human population is living in undesirable conditions. My heart breaks to see all the suffering caused by Katrina in the Gulf Coast. As I watch the news, the only time my tears stop is for the commercials. Do they deserve this immeasurable suffering? Absolutely not. Let me get back to the subject at hand. Those who seem to have it made aren’t much better off. They are still prone to sickness, sorrow, pain, stress; the decline, stigma and degenerative diseases of old age; and finally, a senseless fact of life: death. To me, that kind of life sucks. While on the subject of death, this is what death of intelligent life is like, presented in a hypothetical manner: Let's say we have computers that never need replacing; they have all their knowledge and experience stored ready for use whenever needed. But for no reason whatsoever, after many years of good service, they are senselessly and systematically destroyed without transferring all their valuable information to other new computers. Think about it: Death is even more senseless than that, though we all accept it as inevitable.

Possibly just as bad as death at times, human life can be totally unfair. Does anyone deserve to be who they are? Some have been “blessed” with good looks, talent, and money. But do they deserve it? Some have been cursed with ugliness, deficient brains, and poverty. Do they deserve it? Certainly not. This life is full of chance and uncertainty. But in reality, no one deserves chance or uncertainty; no one deserves anything bad. If you think about it with an open mind, everyone deserves what is good. That is why life doesn’t seem to make sense. When it is said, “We all are created equal,” I ask, “Equal in what way, that we are human?” I think it is more factual to say, “We all are equally cursed.” Our curse, rich or poor, is the fear and dread of death. If it were possible to convert our dreaded death into thoughts of joy and anticipation, then our cursed existence can rightfully be labeled a blessing. I truly believe we can, through the belief process, look at death and the other disagreeable circumstances in life and convert them into an all-consuming, passionate intensity to aim toward a better (if not the best) way.

The monotony of life is just as bad as chance. We readily accept monotony as a part of life. We sleep, get up, wash, eat breakfast, brush our teeth, drive to work, eat lunch, go to work again, come home, read the paper, eat supper, watch T.V., and go to bed again. Then we attempt to use the weekends to break the monotony. That schedule may differ according to the individual, but we all go through a monotonous routine. I ask why. Is there a way out? Yes! Let me continue.

As I mentioned previously, though intelligent physical life may be necessary, it is senseless in most ways. The only way to make sense of the monotony is to have a reason for living that is beyond the physical. The physical is only a vehicle by which intelligent life can express itself. But there exists another life form that does not need the physical to express itself. Though not apparent to any great degree in this world, that life is endless, visible, but not physical. Now, that type of life is worthy of investigation. How can one be absolutely certain that it exists? This is where belief and logic join hands. Was there any human logic in the life of Jesus Christ?