Afterlife

 

Where do you go when you die? The eternal question without an answer.

Religion was created to promise good living on earth will give you an on ramp to heaven. This heaven place is better than anything or anywhere you have experienced on this planet. Sounds good, but you still have to pay for it. You are not tithing the church; you are buying a spot in heaven.

Of course, if your life is questionable and you missed a few of the commandments, Saint Peter may not find your name at the entrance to the Pearly Gates and send you to the down elevator to the H-E-double toothpicks. There you get climate change throughout eternity. No so much fun but you can smoke.

Our Lord is a forgiving God and may waver on the rules so you can be seated at the holy table. You get to wear an oversized white t-shirt with wings attached. You don’t need to wear shoes even though the streets are paved in gold. You get a harp and a halo (which is kinda like a sleep lamp that never goes off). No one has done any painting to say if you pee or poop or eat or drink or sleep or have sex in heaven. It might not be as great as what was read in the book?

Others will believe that the holy spirit evaporates from the elastic shell that will be put in a box and dropped in a hole to rot. This spirit may become a cloud or a whiff of wisdom for those who listen or return as a tree or a bird or a statue or a ghost.

Some names engraved on the tombstones may be recognized as great writers or singers or politicians or movie stars that will live on with their reputations. Others may have done fantastic interesting things but only the family remember until they are all gone. Then there are photos with faces and names written on the back that no one recognizes or remembers.

I heard someone who had a different theory of what is ‘afterlife’.

When you take your last breath, that is it. Unless you are a vampire or a zombie, you are done. Nadda. Life is over. There isn’t a dark dream to wake up from. All you are is a corpse to be disposed of. Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust.

And there is NO heaven or hell. You won’t be seeing your loved ones or even your ex’s. No homemade apple pie with Aunt Elma or sweet kisses from your first crush. There will be no burning for eternity even though you may have been a scoundrel.

The only thing left for your ‘afterlife’ are the memories. The photos and videos that remind others what they thought of you. Perhaps someone will write a biography, but you are not around to proofread it and confirm or deny what is written? There will probably lots of things that were important to you that will be missed?

The ’afterlife’ memories will vary from those who knew you in elementary school to those who ventured through life after school, but didn’t know previous elements of your being. Most will have a bias view from whatever interaction you had with them and these observations can be filtered in time mixed with other’s opinions.

Me?

I’ve had a legacy. Some know parts of it. Others don’t remember. At this point, many are not around to verify the findings.

This blog (if you are still reading) is a journal or a diary of recollections, experiences, people and places that I remember. Many of the details are fuzzy, yet illustrations and recordings fill in some gaps.

Whether some future critic will view my words and pictures and come to some conclusion is not my concern. What I have done (the good and the bad) is my path in the sand that will be washed away by time.

There will be no gravestone to lay flowers on and talk to for your emotional release. When the power fades so will all the Google references.

This will be my afterlife.