Revelations 21:4

“…and there shall be no more death…”

There are some religious texts that promise an end to sorrow and death. For all of those who have suffered in the interim between the time that promise was made and the end of time who held faith in such promises were fools. They, perhaps, have been the ones who suffered the most and caused the most suffering. Why? While living with the delusion that there shall be no more death in this supposed paradise they have failed to realize that they are the source that has brought even more death. Gods? Demons? Heavens and hells? Holy wars and divine wrath? Rapture? Are these the gods of death?

Thus, in bringing an end to all suffering (except for those in the Hell described in said text) they ignore the fact that they are the very authors of this story of death. Ah yes, waiting for death to achieve a sense fulfillment never found in life and finding a joy as only a spiritually induced psychosis can bring. Truly a magical experience. Why were such things never found in life? Why wait to be apologetic about your actions in death or upon the death of another when we know we have all of our lives to make right choices? 

There are things that people should say before they die yet never say. Also, there are things that people could do before they die but never do. There are even things that people would like to have before they die but will never have. All I can ask is “Why?”. You must ask yourself and find the answers to these questions as well. Why don’t you say what needs to be said? Why don’t you do what you know needs to be done? Why don’t you have what you want? 

So many of our lives are dedicated to religions or to ideals that promise rewards after death while others sacrifice everything they live for for others and then copiously play the victim. You are the one who is giving all for nothing. No one else can do that for you. No matter what God or devil you worship or -ism you follow, in ignoring the world around you you can become the thing you claim to despise the very most.

There is no end to a thing that you consistently breath life into so how can you hope for an end to death and bring war if you do not mean to destroy everything around you? What are you willing to do to catch a murderer? Kill them? We, as a species, can deify and demonize anything and that thing can consume us all while we ignore ourselves. That thing that consumes you could be your parents, your career, or your faith. It can be the enemy you claim to hate, the injustice you rally against or the corruption you seek to destroy. And in so doing you will never learn to live for yourself and you may never truly live at all because everything that you will have will be based on an idea that to suffer or to cause suffering in this life so that you may reap the rewards in the next (as taught in these religious texts) is the greatest good. Look around you at the things that people do so that they may have their end to sorrow and eternal reward in the next life. 

We must be able to differentiate the moral guidelines of faith and deities from the basic moral compass of humanity, otherwise we have children who create laws from fairy tales. If that is to be the case then from this world to the next the righteous and the evil will be condemned all the same. Are we so driven by the preconceived intricacies of our mundane world and enforced doctrines of spirituality that we forsake the things that define who we could be? Don’t give in to the promises of fools. When the weak willed have shallow desires, all actions ultimately lead nowhere. 

But, when you find yourself slipping from this life or faced with imminent death, as one of the living dead will you be satisfied with the demons you have fought and the wars you have waged? Because there will be no time for should’ve, could’ve, would’ve and maybe, just maybe enough time to reflect on what you have done to empower yourself in life to make those around you better before death takes you as it will takes us all.