Spirituality Information - Journey In The Fields Of Forever ( Part 76 )
This is part 76 of a series of excerpts from a book called Journey In The Fields Of Forever by an unknown author writing under the pseudonym "E.D."
It can be downloaded for free either from Splinter Of The Mind's Eye or Project Gutenberg .
"The way I see it, we all have to die in order to live forever," he said philosophically. "What if this thing we call death - the end - is not just something that happens at the end of our temporal lives? What if it's happening right now?" He shook his head. "No, Eli, no matter how you look at it, death doesn't stop here. It never has." He pointed toward the dark, distant mass of the island. "For example, have you ever really considered what it is that makes this place so special? Think about it. For one thing, we're the only place on earth not subject to the laws of nature."
Ahman said nothing and just stared out over the sea with a faint smile on his face.
He sat back and put his bare feet up on the railing. "This island isn't governed by any known natural forces or phenomena," he said slowly. "It's an anomaly - a miracle - a realm where all things are possible because they can be made to be possible. But the whole thing is so surreal that we tend to ignore it. We're too busy with our emotions and our petty daily existence to really want to confront the world in which we actually live."
"But it can make this life better," added Ahman, interrupting his companion's reverie. "Better than anything we might ever achieve in the 'world' - intellectual or otherwise."
"What are you saying?" asked Abe.
"I'm saying that if you have an infinite intelligence, time becomes a non-issue. And it doesn't just stop when we die - if death is as common as you say it is," replied Ahman with a smile on his face. "It's there all the time. Everywhere."
"What?" asked Abe incredulously.
"You can't see it on your terms because you want to define its parameters in terms of your own limited understanding," replied Ahman. "You want to believe that it is constrained by 'time.' And that's not what it is."
Ahman was becoming excited now as he saw an opportunity to lead his friend out of the pessimistic rut he'd sunk into. It was a trap - an illusion - and one Abe could never hope to break out of by himself.
"It's like trying to define the existence of god in terms of time," he said excitedly. "It's impossible. The singularity that is god - the infinite intelligence that is all there ever was or will be - is everywhere."
"It cannot be defined by a single language," continued Ahman, becoming even more enthusiastic. "But it can be experienced in an infinite number of ways because it is an infinite intelligence that transcends everything."
Abe stifled a yawn and turned to stare out over the distant sea again. He'd heard all this before, but he'd never fully grasped what it really meant or how it could change his life. He'd wanted to believe in it - all of his life. But he couldn't let it diminish his spirituality or faith in the tiny bit of goodness he did have - the thing that could make him happy enough to die while making this place a better place to live.
"You're saying that death doesn't even exist," said Abe, awestruck at the concept. "That's a pretty big deal."
Ahman laughed out loud and shook his head, using a term Abe knew he hated. But he enjoyed hearing it come out of Ahman's mouth so he just sat there patiently waiting for him to finish what he was saying.
"I didn't say that," replied Ahman. "What I said is that the infinite intelligence that is at the core of our being transcends and unifies everything, including death." He paused as he gathered his thoughts before continuing. "We don't have any way of knowing whether or not we're dead right now. We don't know what death even is except as a concept."
"I only know what it's like to experience a lifetime if I'm alive," he added with a wink. "And, right now, I'm experiencing life in its infinite glory - in all its infinite possibilities." He paused again and smiled at Abe, who had started to smile himself.
"So I don't think we actually die," he continued. "Not in any way that is meaningful - to us, at least. We live forever."
- From Journey In The Fields Of Forever by E.D.
(Note: This is one of the most profound passages I've ever read from any spiritual text – fictional or otherwise.)
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For a long time, Abe just sat there saying nothing. He didn't know what he thought, what he felt, or even if he still liked his friend. He just sat there with a furrowed brow trying to figure out what Ahman had meant.
But in the end - after a long silence that was only broken by the occasional plop of a jumping fish - he smiled and said, "Okay. I'm not sure I get it. But I'm going to try."
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For a long time nothing happened. Abe did exactly as he'd promised and tried to grasp the concept of eternal life as an infinite intelligence. But he was an atheist and did not believe in any of the claims made by Eastern religions. There was no way to prove the existence of an infinite intelligence that could force itself upon the world and make it a better place - but Abe didn't know how to disprove it. He tried to imagine how he would react if he were actually alive right now, living this moment - only this moment - forever.
And then something happened that caught him completely off guard. At first, he had no idea what it was or where it came from; every part of him had been focused on carefully considering his friend's impossible assertions and trying to find some way to contradict them. But, suddenly, he found himself standing on the edge of a stunning cliff overlooking a dark and distant sea.
It was night, but there were no stars in the sky that he could see. A fog was rolling in and the moon - if there was a moon at all - was hidden by its dense gray swirls. He looked down into the abyss below and saw nothing but darkness stretching out to infinity.
But he didn't know what to make of it. He didn't know how he got there or where his friend had gone. It felt like some kind of dream - more vivid than anything he'd ever experienced before - but somehow lacking the emotions of one.
Conclusion:
I've never tried to write a story like this before. But I thought about it for a long time and came up with a few reasons why it might be interesting - to readers, to me, and as an exercise in creating new ideas that won't be forgotten. So here goes:
In my opinion, the best way to fill our heads with some way to approach immortality is by looking at death from the perspective of the other side of life. By imagining that death does not exist and that we are making it all up until there is no way for us even to imagine our own deaths - because we can always change them when they occur - then we can see that everything we do has meaning and value in the context of immortality.