What IS, just IS...........

My, my, such a need these people have to force us all to our knees to worship some deity! Their insistent belief borne of indoctrination is overwhelming, yet not one of them can get their God to perform some miracle in front of us doubters as to put these constant arguments to rest. Where does this need to believe in something supernatural and superior come from, a faith so strong it pits adherents of brand A against those committed to brand B against those determined to preach the truth of plan C? Mortality, my friends, the simple fear of oblivion.
Any one who has paid any attention to the daily concerns of our animal friends can't help to notice how much happier they are with their lives, provided their immediate concerns are met, such as food, shelter, and affection. If they are capable of comprehending an end to their existence, they do not show it. It seems that along with self awareness and the ability to ponder, we are burdened with the knowledge of our own deaths, which in turn frightens us into grasping some hope, ANY hope, of continuing on beyond this plane we can touch and feel, and in doing so, we need a parent figure, a stern yet loving omnipotent creature complete with human emotions and moral quandaries. Just about any condition you can apply to the species human you will hear attributed to that white bearded invisible man in the sky. Yes, my friends, all this folly that has plagued us for centuries can be boiled down to one simple concept.......the desire to live forever, in one form or another.
Now, I don't want all you hard-core atheists to assume that I am supporting your side of the argument either. Based on a strictly logical and scientific approach, you have much more ammunition to support your assertions, I have to agree, however, I also would like to advance the theory that aside from fanciful ideas of invisible men in the sky and burning bushes, that there could very well be a realm of consciousness beyond that which we are able perceive with the senses we are equipped with. If some age old claims are to be believed, there ARE people equipped to sense this other dimension, a dimension that might include a place for our individual egos. I fully realize that this might very well be wishful thinking, but I am willing to to keep an open mind to such possibilities, especially since they make alot more sense then what the religious would have us accept on blind faith.
Intelligent design? No, I do not accept that some intelligence promulgated this universe, but I do accept that an intelligence arose from the consequence of life that evolved into sentience. As hard as it is to grasp the concept of eternity, I think perhaps we should attempt to wrap our minds around the idea that this universe has always been here, perhaps cycling thru a big bang and a collapse, but always having existed, with no beginning, perhaps no end.
So how many "Earths" are there? How many "Earths" have there been, and will be? How many species have attained the ability to gaze into the heavens and ask these questions, perhaps never to be answered? And how many Gods might these people have created to quiet their fears of death and oblivion? It is quite possible that some species have arisen on distant worlds who rather than dealing with their mortality with hysteria, embraced it as a natural consequence of the circle of life, never having to dream up some mystical religion to reassure themselves with.
I have watched countless people take their last breaths, watched as their hearts gave up the fight and beat that last 87 millionth beat. Never once did their face reveal some joy at finally gaining an answer to questions long asked. Never once did I feel the brush of air as angels gathered them up to take to heaven. Whatever took place with their essences remained beyond my comprehension. And in the ten years that I have taken care of these sick people, not one of the countless souls that ended their lives here ever stuck around to haunt the place, either that, or I just can't see dead people. Whatever the ultimate truth of the matter, I know that one day, I shall find my answers either in the embrace of some collective consciousness, or sweet oblivion, neither of which I feel any need to fear. And to those of you thinking I need saving, your threat of hellfire and damnation will not frighten me into believing in any of your particular brands of God. And Bob will not punish you for trying.