It's interesting how things come together. Yesterday I started writing my new novel and just a few days earlier I thought of that special ingredient it was missing- ghosts. I won't go into the meat of the story, but my protagonist gets a visit from a ghost in 2014 who died in the thirteenth century and that got me thinking: is there an afterlife? The short answer is no, I don't think there is. However, the other day when I was walking home from work, I saw two blokes in suits walking towards me. At first I thought they worked at Westlands across the road (helicopter company), but one of them held a book close to his chest and then I knew who they were. They stopped me and explained they were Christian missionaries and then proceeded to ask me what I thought the meaning of life was. What I wanted to say was: 'Dude, I'm walking home with earphones on, does it look like I'm thinking about my purpose in life?' What I told them was that 'I hadn't thought about it.' A lie, obviously, I just didn't want to get caught in whatever faith they were selling.
Those same chaps asked me whether or not I was brought up in a religious family and all sorts of questions that told me that I should have told them right away that I was in a hurry. No, I wasn't brought up in a religious family, I've never found faith in supernatural beings or fairy tales and the short answer is: no, I don't believe in god because I have a brain. Their faces after I was done were less than impressed. But, that question, is there an afterlife? It's troubled me for a while as I'm sure it has all of us, but I'd be terrified if there turns out to be an afterlife. We all know heaven and hell, right? Do good things and St. Peter lets you in, but if you do bad things, the devil drags you into hell. But, remember, God loves you! Poppycock! This is was one of the topics in 'The God Delusion' when Richard Dawkins talks about finding morality in religion. Call me a cynic, but I don't believe there is a single completely selfless, self-sacrificing saint out there. We're all selfish people roaming the earth, and I think we'll always think about number one before somebody else more often than not. There are giving people out there full of love, but even they have holes in their character. None of us are clean under our skin.
So, ahem! why don't I believe in life after death? To quote Dr Gregory House, it's simple:
I find it more comforting to believe that this isn't simply a test.
Life shouldn't be a trial for something bigger, better or worse, it should be just what it is. If I do good things then I should be rewarded in my own life, I shouldn't have to wait until I'm dead to find out I can live among fairies in a city of clouds or whatever else it is. If life after death is like one long dream you might imagine coma patients might have then that's fair enough. Then again, maybe they're one and the same thing. Either way, our choices and our outcomes shouldn't have any impact on a fictional world beyond the grave, if there is one. With so many faiths out there, if there is only one outcome at death then they must all be wrong. When you die, I believe that's it. No ghosts, no reincarnation and no second chances. Just an eternal sleep. People give atheists a bad rap for being gloomy. It's not gloomy at all, it's realistic. I find that more comforting than powers beyond our control. Science never lies.
If I had the power to erase all religion from the world, I still wouldn't do it. No matter how gullible some people can be, I like to think I understand why they find comfort in belief. The world, the universe and life itself is scary, enormous and for almost all of us it brings misery and pain. If it helps people sleep at night then go ahead, I won't object. But when they let such beliefs manipulate what they do, for example, morality and ethics then I suggest they look at themselves and question everything. Going to church doesn't make you a better person in the same way killing a bug makes you a bad person. Those missionaries who stopped me the other day had a goal, they even tried to get me to pray. To say I felt uncomfortable is an understatement. If I couldn't find faith in the obvious ways, how the hell would I find it by praying by the roadside at rush hour? Wouldn't the traffic spoil the serenity of the event? I don't know, all I know is that there is more conclusive science about the universe than there is about religious belief. Yeah, there are books but somebody wrote them with a hell of an imagination.
No wonder the Bible's sold so well. That shit's inventive!
No wonder the Bible's sold so well. That shit's inventive!
Songs of the Week:
- 'Blackwater Park' by Opeth
- 'Intro' by The XX
- 'Hurricane' by 30 Seconds to Mars
- 'Landfill' by Daughter
- 'Human' by Daughter
- 'Times Like These' by Foo Fighters
- 'Learn to Fly' by Foo Fighters
- 'Monkey Wrench' by Foo Fighters
- 'Halo' by Foo Fighters
- 'Make Way for Mongol Horde' by Mongol Horde