The Point of Life

We are all dying.

Words from philosophy, from novels and television, from a variety of sources. I have used the words myself. When I was first diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer, ad friend came to see me. We talked. I was still very upset with my diagnosis and the fact I was considered "terminal". Somewhere in  the conversation as we talked, with tears, like it was a confession, I said, " I'm dying:. Quietly she replied, "we all are."

From that single moment, my perspective on my condition, and on life itself changed. Of course I am dying, we all are. It is inevitable. There is nothing that can prevent it. From the moment of conception, we are on a path that will someday end in death. I do not write this to be gloomy, but to work my way to what I consider "the point of life".

I am considered well educated, intelligent, and rational. I believe in science, evolution, and genetics. I know form the moment of conception, maybe even before that moment, there is life. On the simplest level, when that sperm comes in contact with that egg - in my philosophy, at that moment life has begun. As I said, maybe even before, as those two living cells are already alive, but identified to the two human beings in which they inhabit. Once they connect, a new life is created. A new Life has begun.

I do not know where society and the law place the dividing line as to what is life and what is not. For me, it is at that moment that life begins. From that moment we are set down the path of life, which of course can eventually end only one way.

That's the point. We are all "conceived", and we all live. A billion things determine how long we live, what illnesses we may have, how tall we get. Even so, we as individuals control our "life". We make countless decisions along the way, consciously and unconsciously, that alter the course of our life, but we live. Yes, we are all dying, but that is not the point of life. The point of life is to live in whatever time we do have. There are no guarantees. We never know when our time will come to its conclusion, but we are alive, now.

We are all living.

As I have stated, I believe in science. As I have written, I also firmly believe in the higher power, the creator of all, the Lord God. From my perspective, he is the creator of all. He is part of all of us and we are a part of him. At that moment of creation, when scientifically life is created, that life is infused with a soul. From the wholeness of God, he sends a small, almost insignificant piece of himself to occupy that new life that has just been created. He gives us the opportunity to experience life here. We are a humble part of a wholeness we will never fully understand in this "life", and possibly, we never will truly understand what God has allowed to happen.

I see it like the God is the sun. Burning so ferociously bright and strong, a power that cannot be harnessed. A power that is always there, whether we choose to acknowledge it or not. From that sun a small piece of energy, so small we cannot even see it, is released. That small, microscopic piece of the sun drifts away, and take hold in another form floating in the cosmos, and creates a very small burst of energy. That is how I see creation. That is how I see life. We are that burst of energy.

God sends a small piece of himself into the world, and "we are". We would talk atoms, or quantum physics, it is such a small part of him. That burst of energy is what we are. That essence is what attaches to the creation of life, what creates us. That insignificant little burst of energy becomes the essence of our very soul, all that we are. We are not born, we are created, scientifically and spiritually. While the sun continues to burn ever so bright, our little microcosm of energy begins to burn, and we live. From that moment the flame of life bursts into existence, we live. We live until one day, our burst of energy fading and no longer to sustain itself, returns to the sun. We live until life has been lived, and then we return once again to God.

We live our lives, that is the point. Through the miracle of birth, and the grace of God, we are created, and we live, and one day we return to the creator, having experienced something remarkable, life. Whether that burst of energy flashes in an instant and is gone, or burns for decades, it lives. That's the point of life. We have been granted "time on Earth" by God. We get to experience life. Yes, we are going to die, but that should not be the focus. The focus is to experience and live a life that God has allowed and given to us.

Sometimes our burst of energy finds its way home. Sometimes it does not, and burns itself out, lost in the cosmos, and never returns to the sun. Our life is the same. We must live, and we must find our way to God. He is there at birth, but we do not see him. He is something we find along the journey. I hope we all find him, so that we can all one day return to him. It is the circle of life, from God, through life, and back to God.

The point of life is to live. It must be important, as God sent his only son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. A true part of God, a special burst of energy so bright we cannot come close to matching it. He sent him to live, a shining burst of light for us all to come to.

He came. Jesus did not focus on the dying, though that was why he was sent, to die for us so that we may be granted everlasting salvation. Jesus focused on living, and being the best we can be in service to God. We must find our way to Him as well.

He lived. That is the point of life.

5 March 2005