Allow me to share a parable my late friend Craig told me:
Before we are born, we are hanging out on the astral planes, having fun with our friends. Then our number is called: it’s our turn to don a body and come to Earth. We come here, live our lives, spending as much as 80, 90, even a hundred years. Then, bam!—we drop our bodies and go back to the astral planes. Our friends greet us, calling out, “Hey! How was your weekend?”
People generally laugh when I tell this story. The meaning is pretty clear: life is short, and the older I get the more true that seems. It all happens very fast.
But lately I’ve been thinking that Craig had a larger point as well. This trip down here to Earth?—this is our vacation! We all came here to experience stuff you can’t find anywhere else. After all, there are wonderful sensations that are available only to those who have bodies—the view from a mountain top, the roar of the ocean, a Beethoven symphony, songs sung by whales, the rolling whistle of sandhill cranes in flight, pizza, ice cream, sex, brandy, a long leisurely discussion about favorite books and movies, the smell of roses in bloom.
And what of emotions? Even the heavy stuff we’d prefer to avoid, maybe we come here to feel it all. What if grief and sorrow is a highly sought-after ticket? Not because of the platitudes we’ve all been told–ah, yes, it happens to everyone–it makes you a stronger, more empathetic person—no, I’m asking you take a leap and think about certain emotions the way a space alien from another planet might consider them—as something novel to try. What if we come here because grief is a peak experience—I don’t know, maybe something even thrilling, like bungee jumping. I know it’s crazy—but what if all of this is special? Something we want to try out, to see what it feels like? What if Earth is the only place in the Universe where people get to laugh? Oh, I would wait for days in a Disneyland-type line to go on that E-ticket ride*. Wouldn’t you? Maybe souls come from all over the Universe to be reincarnated on Planet Earth because we are just so much fun.
I’m not sure, but I’m guessing some of my Atheist friends think this essay is silly, and some of my friends who have seen more than their share of abuse, violence, and pain, may be angry that I’m making light of all this. I promise you that is not my intent. But I do believe that we all agreed to come here, that at some point we chose this. Maybe not this–the pain, the unfairness, the corruption, and abuse we see around us. Of course none of us want to experience that. But there is something very precious about this, our lives here on this stunningly beautiful planet. Something worth holding close in our hearts and minds, something worth fighting for, worth praying for in this time of war and suppression, through all the feelings of futility and despair.
I have no answers, but I will share a prayer that came to me a few weeks ago. Allow me to be of service, I pray. Allow me to be of service to the Universe. Through the grace of Divine Energy, may I be aware that I am of service.
Amen.
Have a good week. Then, if it feels right, come out and join us at a No Kings rally. Thank you and be safe.
*When I was a child, all the rides in Disneyland were labeled A through E, A being the simplest rides (maybe the Carousel), and E being the most exciting, most desirable rides like the Matterhorn and the Pirates of the Caribbean. You had to purchase a packet of tickets that included every letter, even if you knew your kids had outgrown all the A’s and really just wanted the E’s. I guess this system has been abandoned in favor of something else. I don’t if the newer system is fairer, but it’s certainly more expensive. At any rate, for my generation, an E-ticket Ride will always be a sought-after, peak experience, something worth waiting in a long line for.
Photo by Brandi Alexandra on Unsplash
