Hey dedicated readers (and by dedicated, I mean those of who remembered that I have a blog), it's been a while. I'm sure your hearts have been starving for my words.
I would like to speak about what gives life its value. Since I like to explore societal and ideological phenomena in our world, at least at a cursory level, I often encounter things that trouble me. So many massive, over-arching issues weigh on my mind, as they may upon yours, including, but not limited to, our country's most popular crime (abortion), the individual freedom of Americans whether they be economic or civil, the vices of an increasingly imperialistic government, the destruction of the dollar, the widespread monopolistic and philosophically misguided tenets of evolution, the overall stupidity of people in general, and, most egregiously, people who don't like Radiohead. The desire for truth has me addicted to its pursuit, but it's a tiring chase. Every time I catch a piece of truth, it rewards me by kicking me. Every new truth out there, the ones which are not euphoniously delivered to us by the establishment, is something else to despair about. And beyond even this, the pressing fear of the unknown, most significantly the fear of the supernatural unknown, and the idea that at some point I must have faith, devotion, and servitude to a being that I cannot see, hear, or perceive in any tangible way or otherwise risk eternal punishment with no hope of relief... this pressing fear is enough to drive one batty. Even with the surest of chances, even with 99.9 (continuing) percent chance of passing on to the more favorable afterlife, it is a risk I would rather not entertain. But who can choose whether or not to live in a world with awful truths or in a realm of absolute dependence on God without equally absolute surety of salvation? None. All these thoughts press down on me at times.
I begin to think I would rather have it the humanist way. I think, "My, wouldn't it be grand if this world was all there was? What if my only purpose in life was to party and get laid? What if the love for humanity I feel so keenly is misplaced and my resulting concern for cultural issues is unnecessary? What if there were no God? Just me being born, living, and then the lights going out forever." This idea often appeals to me.
The other thing I sometimes think, though less frequently, follows an ancient claim: "It would have been better if I'd never been born." For, if I didn't exist, what would I have to worry about? Would the collapse of the dollar mean anything to me? If you never take the blue pill, you don't care that the machines own the world. Why would you? This approach is also appealing.
But the one thing that always quells my anxious spirit is this: the glory of God. All the above dilemmas spring from a singular perspective. They spring from my self-centered viewpoint. They also spring from ignorance of the absolute magnitude of God's glory. When one considers what lies beyond those gates of splendor, even the most certain chances of eternal damnation are worth risking for a chance to see God's face! This tiny little man on this tiny blue dot has no quarrel with God! All this terrestrial tumult will one day fade away as we celebrate the extreme joy of living in God's presence! "Fear not, for I am with thee!"
