-- Belief --
by John Herlihy
Belief is not an action in the hands to hold,
Belief but willingness the unseen to behold.
Hard to ignore we all believe in something,
Oblivion, eternity, death will certainty bring.
Certainty about the reality we can’t ignore,
Reality of the soul in the afterlife and more.
Based on a belief, some bound to be wrong,
Some sing of joy, others a melancholy song.
Even positive beliefs are hard to remember,
Being a friend of God evokes feelings tender.
The alternative oblivion that stakes no claim,
As a melted candle no longer bears a flame.
While for some, oblivion will stretch its wing,
For others, the uplifted soul will sweetly sing.
- - - - - -
Copyright ©John Herlihy
Friday 23 February 2024
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For instance, there is absolutely no evidence that any part of us except our elements and compounds, exists after our death, in spite of a great longing for it to be so. One example is Houdini's concern about those who claimed magic when he could easily prove that all magic was merely tricks to fool the mind into thinking something was real when it wasn't. He was especially concerned about séances contacting the dead for money. So what happened after he died? His widow fell for the same ruses that there was some life after death that she could contact, trying to bring back her husband by paying someone money in her grief.
There are many other dubious beliefs, like the value of human life, that I won't go into. But blind belief, while it may make you feel good from the placebo effect, is not healthy. It is not realistic. And it certainly doesn't help us move ahead in life even though we may think we are just holding off suffering or something like that spending a lot of time on regrets and mourning rather than just tightening our bootstraps and moving on dealing with challenges in a positive way rather than passively believing in something that just isn't there.
Ron
Rebecca