My Sunday Thought for 080518: Raging Against the Dying of the Light

"Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

-- Dylan Thomas (1914-1953), poet

That I should sit still and accept what end awaits me, is to give up at the very time when one has accumulated so much which needs to be shared or, perhaps, it is simply evidence, an admission or perception, of time wasted; at the very least, misunderstood.  No, I cannot sit idle; I will not wait, like so much wheat in a field, for the coming of the reaper.  Life is still too rich, the soil too fertile, to go silently from this existence into the next.

When the end of this existence is truly at hand I will, in all probability, have failed to learn control over the final disintegration of my physical being, the shutting down of this mortal shell.  Time has no meaning, however, and I will not be deprived of savoring every moment, good or bad.  When the moment comes, only then will I willingly re-board the boat for my next port of call on my journey to infinity, having milked this current stop for all the experiences I wish of it.

I willingly move forward with unyielding faith that I will learn to control the corruption of whatever physical form I will take in future, mastering the ability to determine, for myself, when I shall leave an existence.  We leave, all too often, before we have completed labors of love to some point where others can accept the responsibility to move the project forward, or find peace in resolution.

“Whatever condition we are in, we must always do what we want to do, and if we want to go on a journey, then we must do so and not worry about our condition, even if it's the worst possible condition, because, if it is, we're finished anyway, whether we go on the journey or not, and it's better to die having made the journey we're been longing for than to be stifled by our longing.”

-- Thomas Bernhard (1931-1989), novelist, playwright, poet

It is my fondest hope, many years from now, to pull a "Mellon" on someone. Richard Mellon was the multimillionaire President of Alcoa who had a 70 year running game of "tag" with his bother Andrew.  On his deathbed he motioned for his brother to come close, at which time he touched him and whispered "Last tag!" as he passed on.  How much fun is that! Poor Andrew must've had a good laugh when he, himself, died and was able to see his brother again. Imagine the look on Richard's face, in the afterlife, when he feels someone touch him from behind and yell, "Tag, you're it!"   I can hear his startled exclamation, "Oh, crap!"  And, the game continues.

I will be no friend of death; I will not welcome it into my house.  Nor will I, when the moment has revealed itself for me to take my final bow, deny my fate.  Thus, having admitted such fate is inevitable; we must try our hardest to ensure the universe knows we have fought tooth and nail to prolong said fate to that inevitable end.  When this time arises I will relent and go willingly with the unyielding faith that it marks only the end of a physical shell enabling me to walk upon this rock and experience all of God's wonders.  Life itself will continue unto forever.

“The world is so exquisite with so much love and moral depth, that there is no reason to deceive ourselves with pretty stories for which there's little good evidence. Far better it seems to me, in our vulnerability, is to look death in the eye and to be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides.”

-- Carl Sagan (1934-1996), astrophysicist, astrobiologist, cosmologist 

Carl Sagan offered that "there is no reason to deceive ourselves with pretty stories for which there's little good evidence."  His statement denies a higher power in the universe.  It denies a faith in such a power to see him through his cancer.  Would such faith have provided him evidence, or would it simply have been man's intervention through medicine?  But, even the intelligence to cure is denied as a gift of the Almighty by those who would demand proof from the faithful.  Perhaps the gift of his proof had to be presented in person.  Happy birthday, Carl!

If we believe people of spiritual faith deceive themselves, so too are the atheists who have no spiritual faith.  For neither can provide proof one way or the other.  If one looks for a silver lining in atheism they will find nothing.  But, if you look for the silver lining in the "pretty stories" of faith, you may find another universe awaits you in this world and, perhaps, in the next.

It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.

-- Marcus Aurelius (121-180), Roman emperor

Even for those who feel life has dealt poor cards, through faith they can still find reason to rise above.  Why does the end of one's mortal shell have to be the end of consciousness?  If we sleep, do we not dream?  And, for some, we may dream of lives which make no sense to our current reality.  Past lives, perhaps?  I would certainly hope so, as this would provide a proof of possible things to come.  Why not, then, end misery early to speed up our journey forward?  Because, little would be learned from your journey except, perhaps, that your detour was a loop which simply brought you back to where you were.  If both options require death, why not stay the course and work for more favorable outcomes? 

“I have wanted to kill myself a hundred times, but somehow I am still in love with life. This ridiculous weakness is perhaps one of our more stupid melancholy propensities, for is there anything more stupid than to be eager to go on carrying a burden which one would gladly throw away, to loathe one’s very being and yet to hold it fast, to fondle the snake that devours us until it has eaten our hearts away?”

-- Voltaire (1694-1778) writer, historian, philosopher

Carl Sagan also offers that we should "look death in the eye and to be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides."  I have a better idea, how about we ignore death, until we can ignore it no longer, and pad our bet by having faith in an afterlife.  Yes, Carl, I'm saying we shouldn't listen to a physicist who offered no proof that a God doesn't exist because there is no proof that he does.  I think we should have faith in life, not death.  It detracts nothing from us to have faith.  Faith gives us hope and, at time, hope is all that sustains most of us.  If you know you're going to die a disbeliever, how much you would have missed if you are wrong.  If you going to die and you're a believer, if there is no afterlife you won't care, you'll be dead!  As for me, I would rather have a modicum of faith than to risk having none at all.

I will look death in the eye, and I will smile when it blinks.  When I am ready to leave this existence Death will be the first to know, but until that moment comes I shall continue to examine philosophies concerning life after death.  There is much to be learned from all major religious philosophies about an afterlife, and not necessarily about a heaven or hell.  I find it interesting that anyone can believe life simply ends.  We have thousands of years of anecdotal evidence concerning life after death, alternate universes, and such.  Show me the contrary anecdotal evidence that this is wrong.  An ultimate power in the universe is not a new concept, and the creation of man by an ultimate power is a story not only found in scriptural Genesis.

While I thought that I was learning how to live, I have been learning how to die.

-- Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), inventor, painter, sculptor

We spend our time on this physical plane learning lessons about life.  We learn these lessons to expand our awareness of reality, and we expand this awareness for a reason.  If we learn our lessons well, we will ultimately realize an understanding of death; that death is simply and end of our physical moment on the plane.  Hopefully, we will learn the faith required to move from this plane into the next, and the next, and so on.

There is a reason for a lack of evidence for or against the existence of a deity or the afterlife.  This is the stuff of faith, and it is this faith which is at the heart of our reality.  It is also at the heart of our graduation into the next existence.  As for my personal belief, my unyielding personal faith in something for which there is little or no proof, I will continue to keep an open and active mind to those mysteries of the universe.  I will continue to listen, read, discuss, and debate, for each and every moment I can milk from this existence.

I will rage against the dying of the light!

I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge. That myth is more potent than history. That dreams are more powerful than facts. That hope always triumphs over experience. That laughter is the only cure for grief. And I believe that love is stronger than death.

-- Robert Fulghum, author, minister

"Follow Me" at https://congregationforreligioustolerance.blogspot.com/

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world renowned, Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead Chaplain and Chaplain Program Liaison, at the regional medical center.