By: John Silva – April, 2015
Hey Death, nice of you to stop by and say hello. How are you doing?
Oh… another day… another dollar… at least that’s what they tell me.
How are you doing, Bill?
Well, as they say in Sun City… I’m still vertical. But, as I get older, I’ve noticed that more and more things don’t seem to work as well as they used to. But, what can you do? However, I do have a question for you.
What’s that?
Did you know that most people are afraid of you?
Yes, I know… and it makes me sad, and do you know what’s ironic? I’m a really nice guy. It’s the job. It’s not me. I’m just doing my job. It’s nothing personal. I’m just a small cog in the great scheme of things… you know… the big picture.
Death, what is the big picture? Why are we here?
Those are big questions for a small cog to think about let alone answer. Bill… why do you think you are here? Do you ever ask yourself if you are here to serve a purpose?
Death… mankind has been kicking that question around for a long, long time, and I’ve given it more than just my casual attention.
Well, Bill… what have you come up with?
Absolute facts and truths are hard to come by. Most of what I have is a mixture of what I’ve heard and read and what I feel. You know what I’m saying?
Not really, Bill. I don’t do much reading, and most of the folks I see aren’t that interested in talking to me. Besides that, taking people from this life to the next keeps me pretty busy. But, do go on.
Hey…wait just a minute. How does that happen? Going from one life to another?
Well… there really isn’t much to it. You might think of it like a traveler going from one country to another.
How so?
Well, suppose you spend a lifetime living near the arctic circle where life is cold and hard, and then you get a free plane ride to a beautiful tropical island where it’s always warm and sunny. And, you never have to work and your only job is to appreciate and enjoy the presence that brought you to this paradise.
I see. So, where do you fit in?
Duh… Bill… guess who flies the airplane?
Aha… well, I’ve never been a big fan of metaphors, but I think I get it. So, from the time we are born to the time we die is the lifetime we spend living near the arctic circle where life can be a struggle… and then we die… and when we wake up we are in paradise? Is that it?
Yep, that’s pretty much it. You might think about the arctic part of life like an annual flower, that lives for a season struggling to grow and bloom and produce the next generation, but the tropical island part of life is more like a perennial flower that just keeps coming back season after season. They never die.
There you go again with the metaphors. But… wow… That’s kinda cool. I’m diggin it. So, let me think about what you’ve said. The first part of the metaphor is where life is cold and hard. But, why does life have to be so cold and hard… and uncertain?
Well, it depends on which book you’re reading.
What do you mean?
The good guy that gave you life and created everything also sent you directions.
He did?
Yep.
Well… where are they?
Bill, they’re all over the place. Pay attention. You can go online, WalMart has them, you can even find them in the desk drawer of your hotel room… they’re everywhere. Just look around, Bill. You’ll find them. I’d give you mine, but I forgot to bring it with me.
But, wait a minute. You said there were books meaning that there are more than one.
Oh… yeah. I forgot to mention the other guy… the bad guy.
Oh, oh. I don’t like the sound of that.
Look… do you want to hear about this or not?
Sorry… I didn’t mean to interrupt. Please, go on.
The bad guy is ticked off at the good guy, and the good guy isn’t especially fond of the bad guy either. So the bad guy got his people to send out lots of bad directions to confuse everybody.
So… what are you saying? Is there a war going on?
Hmm… You could say that.
Well… where are these guys?
They are in the place where the airplane drops you off.
You mean they both live in paradise?
Noooo… not quite. The good guy lives in paradise and the Bad guy has his own place.
What’s his place like?
Not good… I don’t really like to talk about it because it creeps me out. However, I hear it’s very hot there… but, then again… they say it’s a dry heat. Oh… and there’s an awful lot of screaming.
Death, where did these guys come from and how old are they?
Bill, things are really quite different on the other side of the airplane ride. There is no time… there is just now.
What do you mean?
Simple, there is no past and no there is no future… there is just now.
Wow, that’s weird. So, the good guy and the bad guy have no past and no future… they just are. I get it… but, why are they fighting?
It’s like this… the good guy created everything, and he did a perfect job which made the bad guy jealous. So, he tried to destroy everything the good guy created. The good guy thought that the bad guy was being very ungrateful… so he kicked him out of his place. So, the bad guy has been trying to get even ever since. But, the good guy is stronger than the bad guy… so the bad guy can never beat him. Which makes the bad guy even madder. So, the bad guy attacks everything the good guy created.
Waaaaaaaaaait a minute! Are you talking about earth and everything on it including mankind and me?
Yep! Bill, you’re not a dumb as you look. The good guy created a perfect paradise where there was no pain, sickness or death, and he created two almost perfect people. What do you mean… almost perfect? Well the good guy created these two people and named them Adam and Eve. And, because he didn’t want them to be robots… he gave them free will. In other words, he gave them the choice to obey or disobey him. You might think of these two almost perfect people as the good guy’s children. Well, when the bad guy found out about the good guy’s children having free will… he was off in a flash… I mean really? Since the bad guy couldn’t beat the good guy, he went after the good guy’s kids. And, the kids being kids, of course listened to the bad guy and not their father. So as a result of disobeying their father, they got separated from Him.
So Death, where does that leave us?
Bill, you sure do ask a lot of questions… Here’s how it is. The bad guy continues to attack and destroy the good guy’s children with lies and deception, and the good guy continues to offer all of his children love and a beautiful life with him forever.
Hmm… Death, this certainly has been a very interesting discussion. I’ve got a lot to think about. Well, it’s been nice chatting with you, but I gotta go. Say, you don’t happen to know when my ride is scheduled, do you?
Ha. Ha. Bill, the only one that knows that is the good guy. But, I can tell you this… whatever time you have left, spend it wisely… and, don’t waste it being a critical, whining, crabass. Get tight with the good guy, get your ducks lined up, and if you mess up apologize and do whatever you can to make it better. When I come for you, I don’t want to catch you with your pants down and a life full of regrets.
Death… I got it. You’ve been very helpful… and, it’s been a slice. But, before you go, I want to tell you something. I don’t think you are as scary as people say you are. So, I’m happy for you to stop by anytime for a visit… I like talking to you, and I think you’re very interesting. And Death… when you come to pick me up for that once in a lifetime fabulous ride… I will be ready, and I hope to have a few friends joining me. See you around.