THOUGHTS ABOUT LIFE ON EARTH
May 12, 2009 by yipbop · Leave a Comment
I would like the readers not to confuse me with someone who is anti-everything. However, there are events and policies in this world that are completely absurd. I consider myself as a pragmatic person who sees the world and people as an uncommon curiosity worth analyzing. We were given freedom of choice, thus we can choose right from wrong. We were also given a soul and a mind which displays emotions such as love, hate, jealousy, arrogance, humbleness, etc. As children, and brand new human beings, we are supposed to be taught and educated by our family and educators about the world, to differentiate between right and wrong and to show compassion to those who are less fortunate. Moreover, over three thousand years ago, we were given a manual called the Torah with the famous Ten Commandments teaching us what not to do if we are to inherit a future spiritual life filled with bliss.
Somehow, this world, if seen by other galaxies, is not worth emulating. We have lived through constant wars, genocides, murder, theft, jealousy and complete disregard to our planet and to its inhabitants. Something is definitely wrong with our humanity. In the Torah, it states that God is compassionate and gracious and slow to anger (Exodus 34:4), and I can understand very well this line; indeed God is showing how truly compassionate he is with this humanity on earth. I also understand that many countries have throughout the years developed their own culture, beliefs, and traditions; however, what I fail to understand is why countries continue to be at war with each other. Why some religions are trying to convert others to their faith? Why not live and let live? Why is there a need to create instruments of death such as nuclear and biological weapons to decimate others from the face of the earth? Isn’t the world large enough to accommodate everyone, to rather exchange culture and traditions with others while living in peace rather than decimate each other?
Life is but a passing dream, we are born, and we grow up, create a family, grow old and then die. Yes, die, because no one is spared from this destiny. While we are alive, we take our lives for granted without thinking about tomorrow. What will happen to our souls after death? Have we behaved wisely and correctly on earth? Have we wronged anyone, caused death or tragedy to someone? Have we respected our air, water and environment? Have we shown compassion for the disadvantaged? Indeed, God is very patient and expects that sooner or later we may wise up. But if not, where will we be heading after our transition in life is over? Think about it because in this life, nothing should be taken for granted and our behavior on earth is probably going to be scrutinized in a future world.
People wonder why there is so much pain, disease and suffering aside from man-made wars, genocides and natural catastrophes. Maybe we should stop and think that this world is utterly imperfect and that we should all reminisce about our behavior and inequities that we have committed while living in this planet, probably unaware at that time that we have done so. So it could be that the pain we are being inflicted will make us pause and think about any wrongdoing we have committed in the past (Deuteronomy, 30:19). Who knows? If we mend our ways, somehow, things may change as if by magic and then we could live on this earth with pride, respect and love for one another until the final redemption.
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE SOUL?
You may wonder what this esoteric title is all about. The ’soul’ is a term that has been mentioned throughout generations and its meaning represents the most important question facing humanity from time immemorial. If you look for an explanation in the dictionary, there are many theories for this word. One of these is that the soul is the spiritual nature of humans, regarded as immortal, separable from the body at death, and susceptible to happiness or misery in a future state. The soul can also be synonymous with the spirit, mind or self. In Genesis 2:7 it is plainly written that “God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul,” with Adam serving as the mystical template of the human soul.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, the soul is described as the self, thus a body without a soul, such as when death occurs, there is no life, sight, hearing, thought or speech, intelligence and emotions, will and desire, personality and identity. In Kabalistic terms, the soul has five different names: Nefesh (soul), Ruach (spirit), Neshamah (breath), Chayah (life) and Yechidah (singularity), meaning five levels of dimension, the higher the level of dimension, the closer to God.
Because we are all mortals, and we know that sooner or later we will all die, the soul assumes a particular significance in our lives and draws important questions such as why we are here on Earth, what is the purpose of our creation, and what is to become of us after death? Answers abound in the literature throughout the ages, especially in religious and spiritual terms, of our destiny as humans. Even in the scientific world, the famous Canadian cardiologist, Wilfred Bigelow, urged profound and systematic research to unearth where the soul resides and where it comes from. We all have our theories and mine is the following:
You have read in my previous essay how vast is the universe. Man can reach the moon, but even closer planets like Mars is an insurmountable odyssey which would require an average of 21 months, 9 months to reach it, 3 months there waiting for proper alignment, and 9 months to get back. Even for this rather short amount of time relative to other planets, the human body could not endure it since there are physiological consequences of being weightless for a long period of time. So here goes my theory: since the physical body cannot withstand such long journeys to the vast Universe, the soul has to separate from the body. After it separates from the physical body, it travels to God’s assigned planets in the galaxy where this spiritual spark will receive God’s final judgment until it reunites with the body in the World to Come. Some souls will reach this World sooner than others, depending on their level of spirituality, and behavior on Earth. This theory makes the premise of resurrection a reality as prophesied in Ezekiel 37:1-14.
This may be a farfetched theory, but considering the vastness of the universe and the billions of planets around us, the only way to reach what is beyond humanistic reach is through the spiritual realm which is our precious soul, the highest, immortal component of our being.