WARNING
there are some people who will not want you to read this
Most religions share in common a hope for a better FUTURE,
Whether in Heaven or on Earth,
By Nirvana, Reincarnation or Paradise.
They say wait for your coming Salvation, Enlightenment, or Happiness
But what is really needed by people is TRUTH,
Which is applicable in the HERE and NOW
A Death Philosophy
Recently, I have experienced the death of several persons close to me. Many friends of mine have also had relatives and
friends die - some due to illness and others in tragic accidents. World events too have in this new century brought a
focus to the fragility of our existence. The illusion of safety, of continuity, of normality has been exposed as a thin
gauzey shroud which separates the living from the dead and which at any time, in a moment, can be ripped and cast
aside.
Witnessing all of this has provided me with an insight and a motivation about how life should be lived. It has also
made me question why so many things in our society are designed to promote an expectation of future happiness and get
one to focus on the possibility of what may be ahead, thereby subtlely averting our attenton upon our present condition
and desires very much the way one may place blinders upon a working animal.
First and foremost among these is of course religion. Virtually every religion promotes in essence the same message:
Live THIS WAY today and SOME DAY You Shall Be Rewarded
Usually the "some day" comes only after the rapture, or armageddon, or enlightenment, or reincarnation, or most often
supposedly after one's death.
BUT IF, there is in fact no such reward or result or Supreme Being to dole out such,
THEN it is actually the ULTIMATE CON.
For when one dies, after spending a lifetime in compliance or living as prescribed by whatever authority or in faithful
adherence to whatever religion or philosophy, who shall they complain to if they were mislead?
In other words, if they do not find "God" waiting there when they die, what shall the faithful and believer do? Indeed
what shall they do if they do not have any life after death at all?
So I have to ask myself, what is the purpose for this grand scheme, this ultimate confidence game that says to us all:
"trust us" or "believe in me" or "simply have faith" and "live your life in expectation of your future reward for you
are surely promised it!"?
I have mulled over this question for quite some time now and the answer which seems so evident keeps returning and
returning even though it is so obvious that I keep saying, "it can't be just that." This answer that I speak of is
simply that of this philosophy that most religions espouse is about CONTROL.
The fact is that by teaching us to wait for our reward and to fullfill our desires and for happiness tomorrow, we are
controlled today. We are pacified. We do not strive to get it now. It is, as Marx said, truly an opiate of the people,
which dulls our senses. For some, religion is a comfort and cure for the ailments of today. It is a needed explanation
for the mysteries of life and a justification for injustice. It is hope for the hopeless and the downtrodden. In some
rather horrible cases religion is used to deny the reality that life is permeated with meaningless loss and accidents
and circumstances beyond control. This latter case is the result of the human mind which always seeks to order and
bring meaning out of the chaos.
But religion while being a major conspirator is not the only thing in life which promotes this "just wait" philosophy.
It can be seen throughout society in countless ways. Anytime, we are told work today, get paid tomorrow, we have found
this philosophy.
Our political systems and national governments promote these future-centric views which demand compliance and
participation today in exhange for promises for tomorrow. Most employers and companies reflect the same views. When our
parents say to us, we cannot fight, we cannot fuck, we cannot be free to make decisions for ourselves, they are merely
modeling the ancient pattern of Genesis and saying to us that it is not in our right to eat from the Tree of the
Knowledge of Good and Bad.
Well I have a new philosophy now. And it is one that has not been taught to me from ancient scrolls or passed down from
gray-headed men. It is a Death Philosophy and it recognizes that no matter what uncertainty we may face after we
die, the certainty that we all have is that we all face death and it can come at any moment.
This Death Philosophy informs me that the wise course of action is not to wait for my happiness, not to be patient for
my dreams, not to withhold my lust, but instead to live, to love, and to act in the present.
NO ONE IS PROMISED TOMORROW
THEREFORE WE MUST LIVE TODAY
Does this mean that we should give ourselves over to every impulse, to every license, to every freedom that we may
scratch out of this existence? And does it mean that each one of us should only look to our own selfish desires and
longings. NO. For we cannot ever escape the fundamental fact of existence which is the Law of Consequences and also we
must recognize that we do live in a society that includes others who have the same rights to the pursuit of happiness
as ourselves.
FOR EVERY CHOICE WE HAVE AND ACTION WE TAKE
THERE IS A CONSEQUENCE FOR GOOD OR BAD AND OFTEN BOTH
So a wise person will always consider the consequences of their choices and their actions and the loving person will
always be considerate of how their own actions and choices may affect others. However, the Death Philosophy instills
in us a sense of urgency to not wait. And that is the message and meaning of it.
DO NOT WAIT TO GET OR GO FOR WHAT YOU WANT
If you have the chance to experience then experience today. If you have the chance to love then by all means love NOW.
Stop living for tomorrow and start living in today.
As Mark Twain once said, "Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today, for you may like it, and want to do it
again tomorrow!"
All humor aside, it is vitally imperative that we reject the status quo philosophies and religions which focus on our
future happiness and start figuring out what makes us happy today, in this moment. It is this moment, this very second
that we have and that is the only guarantee that we have and the only measure of certainty.
I call upon you who are reading this then, to live in the present. Enjoy and experience life as best you can and, if it
is within your power help others to also experience and enjoy life today and in the NOW then do your best to help them.
And to anyone who wishes to press you back into the mold and force you back into the line leading to the single and
Grand Exit of this life give them the finger and tell them you are stepping out for a stroll around this Garden of Life
on your own terms.
-Phantom
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