Why is the world like this? Why are we here?

 Why is the world like this? Why are we here? Why do we have to die? What happens to us when we die? Where were we before we were born? 

Well, honestly, I cannot say with any certainty. I don’t think that most people alive really can. I can only guess at these things, just like the rest of you. As for my studies of religion, esperto di tutto, maestro in niente. Jack of all trades, master of none.

Empirically, I know that we *have* to die because if no one died the world would have been overcrowded a long, long time ago. I also know that the very thing we have to breathe in order to live is killing us… slowly. Oxidants, which are a byproduct of oxiygen metabolism in the body, damage our cells, and over time may even alter the DNA (which in turn, may cause cancer). This is something I know, scientifically, to be true. But WHY do we require oxygen? I don’t know. G-d could have hooked us up with a less reactive element to depend on for our survival. I guess that’s just the way the cookie crumbles (Bruce Almighty). 

Why are we here? Well, I wrote a blog a long time ago explaining this in no uncertain terms. I don’t pretend to have a monopoly on the truth, though. I believe we are here to experience things. I think G-d gives us (our souls) a chance to experience things. We should be thankful for that opportunity. Perhaps our experience is essential for the maturation of our souls. If we become more "enlightened" as time goes on, one day we’ll be able to hang out with the Spirit in the sky. 

Where were we before we were born? Depends on who you ask. I’m still trying to figure this out myself. And strangely enough I had a dream about this VERY thing last night. In my dream I was stuck in a church waiting to be born.  My brother and I wanted to escape (be born) but the priest made us wait until it was time. We tricked him and we escaped to the world. (Our escape to this world was down a long set of straight stairs down into darkness… go figure).  I don’t know exactly what Christians believe about where our souls are before we are born. If our souls are eternally in heaven after we die (or eternally in hell if you’re a bad, bad person), does that mean that our souls are eternal? And are our souls are eternal? Or did G-d himself create us… so we *do* have a beginning but we do not have an end. Like a ray in mathematics. Haha, see? I am asking more questions… one question leads to ten more! 
 If you’re a hindu, you believe that our souls are recycled. We are occupying other bodies before we are born. I am still unsure as to if there is a "resting period" before a soul is transferred to another body, or if we just go straight into the body once our soul leaves our last body. And yes, I do believe that animals have souls. My dogs Sophie and Recon are too adorable not to have souls. They are really smart animals. Amazing. And they are capable of feeling love just like we are. Oh, man, I’d better stop this line of thought now before I really get myself off track.

What happens to us when we die? We go to heaven, maybe? We are absorbed into the collective unconscious? By the way, I really love Joseph Campbell for his views on life and death. He’s such an amazing man (and THANKS Joseph Campbell for inspiring George Lucas to write Star Wars. You’re amazing!) Oh, right… uhm, we are reincarnated? Who knows. I am hoping we are reincarnated. I think it would be pretty cool. The Buddhists believe that reincarnation is a form of punishment, though. They think that to escape the cycle of Samara (the cycle of birth and death) is to achieve Nirvana and end ones suffering forever. I don’t know what Nirvana is like, but I think I would like to experience that. To experience Nirvana, do you have to believe in reincarnation? I’d *like* to believe in it… and in a way, I think I do. I’ve met people before that I’ve felt like I’ve known my entire life. I’m sure you have, too; felt like this person you met you knew previously. And I guess that could be explained by the premise that two psyches instinctively know they are a match, hence the "soul mate" effect. When I say soul mate I mean soul friend. You know, because mate means friend. Anyway, just because it can be explained by that pseudoscience we call Psychology doesn’t mean it’s not supernatural. Do I really think Psychology is a pseudoscience? lol. no.

Oh, and by the way, I have experienced FAR too many weird-ish things NOT to believe in the supernatural. Carl Jung spoke about the collective unconscious. The basic premise behind this is that all beings share an unconscious awareness. In this way, we can explain psychic experiences and ESP, premonitions, etc. So… for the sake of argument, if the collective unconscious was *real*, is it really supernatural? Or is it just imperceivable? 

Oh dear…. I’ll end there. lol 

I think way too much about this when I get going. 

Enjoy!

BTW, I would love for someone to appreciate this song and the ideas therein as much as I do.