We've
recently had some work done on our house. During the work, one of the workmen
and I were talking and we drifted onto the topic of religion. He made a
statement which I've heard a number of times before -- "Well, I know where I'm going when I die!"
I
thought to myself, how nice! I did not delve into a religious discussion with
him, but how wonderful that he has the answer to probably the greatest mystery
of life itself.
There
is no measurable objective evidence to support what he said. It was a Reality
created by the Memes (Beliefs) he holds in his Mind -- he was just repeating his MEMES. And, it is important to remember
that Memes can seem just as real as Facts to people. While I am a fan of shows
like Ghost Adventures, Ghost Hunters and stacks and stacks of books on the
subject and also reincarnation, there really are no indisputable facts so far.
For me, I just know (in my mind) that this is not all there is, plus the personal
experiences I have had with those who were dying that seems to back this
up. This reminds me of a question a woman asked me.
There
is a quote making the rounds on FB from the late Harper Lee. She wrote, "Sometimes
the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whisky bottle in the hand of
another. There are just some kind of men who're so busy worrying about the next
world they've never learned to live in this one, and you can look down the
street and see the results." (You
might want to remember this when you listen to some of the current political debates).
I
talked about this with one of my chaplain buddies who was intrigued by the
thought that Judaism doesn't focus on "getting into heaven" and that
that we don't practice Hesed (lovingkindness) or perform acts of TOV to get
into Heaven! I told him one reason we do these things is to try to bring some
of heaven down here on earth! Another reason we do these things is because acts
of lovingkindness take on a life of their own and keep creating TOV long after
we are gone. In essence, they contribute to Eternal Life.
In
the last Indiana Jones movie, Kingdom of
the Crystal Skull, at the end, the Russian scientist says to the aliens,
"I want to know it all!"
Her head literally explodes. Maybe humans are not meant to "know
everything." It's very possible that some things are supposed to remain a
"mystery." Mysteries actually motivate us to look further, which is
what humans do.
Is
there life after death? There is probably not some pat Religious MEME answer.
It is a mystery. Rather than worry or fear the great unknown, concentrate on
living in this world using the TOV Standard to guide your actions and help
repair the any damage you may do. Focus on protecting and preserving Life, making
Lives more function and increasing the quality of Life. These are the things
that create a state of Eternal Life that lasts long after we are gone. What
comes next after we die? It's a mystery,
but I expect it to be TOV!
Shalom,
Rabbi
Jeffrey Leynor
Become a Team Member of
the TOV Center and join the journey
with us – click here.
Thank
You!
