A better Belief
I want to believe that I am safe, loved, and in good hands. I want to believe
that whatever created me, nurtured me as I was being made, and will take care of
me when I pass on.
I do not want to have constant fear that if I were to offend a God, that for
the rest of eternity I would pay for that sin, error, or transgression.
Regardless of the beliefs we hold, we live a natural world. It has air, water,
plants, animals and people.
Nature is beautiful, but you have to go out in it to appreciate it. Pictures
or merely ideas or notions do not do it justice.
We live in the high arctic. Some that live south of us think of this as a
desolate, wind swept place, stark and cold.
I prefer to describe the arctic in terms of its seasons.
Spring. This is the time when nature awakes. The creeks run, the plants
bud, the animals come out of their hibernation. You can see nature getting ready
for summer. The sun shines warm, and the days are getting longer. Inside ourselves
we are brimming with anticipation.
Summer. Here the plants become a riot of greenery. The earth is rich, the
animals greaze and feed, the salmon return to the rivers, life is carefree in its
abundance. We all rejoice in Summer for it is a time of abundance and play.
Autumn. The leaves turn color, the squirrels are busy putting their store
away, all animals and people hurry to complete their tasks, for the season of abundance
is coming to an end.
Winter. With the arrival of snow, and the cold, the land does not die, it
goes to sleep. A blanket of snow covers all that will blossom again in Spring. Many
animals hibernate, others live off their stores. Few venture forth, for it is a time
of sleep, rest, introspection and planning for the next season.
This cycle repeats every year. It is beautiful, a natural rhythm that is unequaled
anywhere. Here, in the arctic, the seasons are very distinct, sharp. They satiate the
senses and show us what it can do, yet retains the mystery of its self. We who live
here are thus blessed.
The same forces that govern the seasons, and brings forth the Blossoms and the
greenery of the summer has also brought mankind.
Mankind is perhaps different from most other creatures in that we can contemplate
the expanse of nature, appreciate its beauty, and share it with others.
And at the same time, man is the most dangerous creature on the planet. It can
enjoy killing and savagery. Man can deceive and be cruel. And he can enslave and
control.
And yet, are we not all part of nature? Are we not just another cog in the wheel of
time? Would the earth perish without us? Are we that important, after all?
Genesis 1:26 says: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and
let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over
the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon
the earth."
With that one commandment, man has justified the enslavement of nature's animals, razing of
forests, and the performing of dangerous and cruel animal and DNA experiments.
We have not shown ourselves to be particularly adept at managing this planet. Whole
species are dying. Forests are being cut down to extinction. We live in the fear that
someday, wallowing as we are in toxic poisons, Frankenstenian experiments, and just the
sheer greed of those that will rape the earth, will eventually cause our death, or even
the death of all life on the planet. The earth is undergoing an extinction event right now.
I utterly reject the idea of Genesis 1:6 (??). I believe all life is precious, and
that we should not take it lightly. We have a right to feed ourselves, but we do not
have a right to use our intellect to utterly savage the planet and destroy all that
gets in the way. You might rightfully ask, "Don't other animals do the same thing?"
Perhaps they do but they are in balance. They follow the path of nature and do not
combine intellectually to destroy, for the safe of destruction. For man, the triumph
of technology presages a dark and dangerous future.
I believe in spirits. I have experienced them. They are elusive, yet I often meet
people that regularly experience them as well. There are all sorts of spirits, the
vast majority of them are not 'people spirits.' In fact, ghosts, mediums and the sort
make me a bit nervous -- it shows again man trying to control and dictate to what lies
beyond the veil.
I believe that these spirits can influence us. They live in an alternate world,
parallel to ours, that is separated by a thin veil. If we but look, we can discern
shapes and movement on the other side. The spirit that lives within us, our personal spirit, is
much more readily able to see across -- or even has a foot in it.
When we die, our spirit is set free. I do not know the nature of my spirit, and
hesitate to tell you what exactly it is. My speculation is that it is a separate
entity, and that when we die, and our body dies, our "self" passes to the other
side. Only our dead body remains.
But I like to think that when we are conceived, the union of spirit and flesh was
blessed and nurtured by Gaia, the mother earth goddess. That she and the spirit within
us do nurture are guided by the gods during our development. We have a second mother, a spiritual
one that parallels our flesh and blood mother.
All the creatures of earth, and all significant objects and plants have spirits.
They permeate the living earth.
I believe that Gaia cries when a Sparrow falls.
And I believe that Gaia cries when a bulldozer rips up the earth, and stomps to death
the little squirrels and field mice, and poison the rivers.
I believe that Gaia cries when a young girl gets drunk repeatedly, and is ravaged
by men that have nothing but carnal pleasures in mind.
But I also believe that when I die, Gaia will take the hand of my spirit and welcome
me when I cross the veil to the other side.
And I do not believe that any punishment awaits the spirit for things that I did
while alive. Nor do I believe in a future life where I am slaved to sing praises to
some superior being.
Nor do I think we should cower in fear at night, thinking of horrible things and
punishments on the beyond.
We are not truly dead as long as we are in the memory of someone. Once those also
pass on, or forget us, we are truly dead. But that is the cycle of life.
We are conceived, born, we live, we love, we procreate, we get old, we die. It has
been that way for billions of years, and will be so for many more unless in our greed
we destroy mother earth's creation.
Our reward for having lived is the sense of accomplishment. How I pity those that
die before their time? Who cannot but cry when a child is run over by a car? What could
have been? What that child missed? She never loved, never gave birth to another life,
never watched her children grow in turn? What the boy could have accomplished? He
never felt the pride of watching his sons and daughters grow?
Yes, Gaia cries too when a child dies.
But Gaia is content when an old man goes to sleep, for he has fulfilled his purpose
and derived deep satisfaction. And even more so for an old woman, who in life brought
forth children, caring and teaching them; and imparting wisdom to those around.
I also believe that there will be satisfaction when on the other side, some creature
exclaims: "When I walked the earth, I was a Dog, and was known as Skipper. I will
speak for this man."
Then my spirit will be set free upon the Summerlands. Beauty, clear streams, fields
of flowers, friends and former pets will all be there, and we shall all run and play
together and our spirit will be cleansed of the dirt and evil that rubbed on us during
our passage on earth.