fair and balanced

Ah, the afterlife, a subject of much debate.

For those of you who don't know me, I am agnostic. I believe that there may be some kind of higher power out there, but think organized religions are bupkis. That may sound too strong, it’s more like I believe that our attempts to define a god or gods are kind of like the efforts a baby calf being raised in a box for veal in describing the world. Limited, constrained, restricted.

My family, on the other hand, leans toward the VERY CATHOLIC side. Once I asked my mother what the meaning of life is - what the purpose is to her being alive. She answered me, completely deadpan and serious and without missing a beat, "To know God, to love God, and to serve God."

Now that is faith.

My mom prays for me, my brother and his clan pray for me (constantly growing clan as Catholics spur conventional birth control), and my grandparents always prayed for me. They pray that my poor soul will be saved so one day I may rise to heaven. I know because they have told me so over and over and over. I always politely say "thank you" and change the subject. It is a nice sentiment, but as I don't believe in any heaven I'm not going to change my views simply because they have informed me of their prayer patterns.

I was thinking the other day about this post I had done, and if it was fair of me to really skip over the religion question.

Then it hit me.

If my religious family is right and there is an afterlife, I will hear an ETERNITY of "I told you so". Do you understand? An eternity! We are talking eroding down Mt Everest by one feather falling every millennium eternity here. And you know they will never get tired of saying it, no matter how cool heaven could be.

If I'm right? No afterlife and therefore no "I told you so."

SO not fair! Where is the justice? The balance??

Oh, right, those are concepts that come from those gosh darn religions.

God damn it!! (hahahahhahaahhahhahahahahaha)