Here We Are

We have no choice about whether we make a choice. We must commit our lives to some ultimate belief system that speaks to our purpose. Once we’re born, well, here we are. Most people commit themselves to fence-sitting. They profess a belief in God while also clinging to the idea that “good” people can expect a reward in the afterlife. The problem is that there is no God who makes such a promise. And since most people author rather flexible definitions of “good”, their lives are fundamentally about doing whatever they want. Self-deception is an opiate—it makes a person feel invincible while it has the opposite effect. The truth is that our lives must be ordered consistently with reality. If life continues forever, the sane person does whatever is necessary to attain (or receive) that immortality. If life does not continue, then life itself is no more than a walk through the valley of the shadow of death. – E.O.