Life is somewhere between conception, deliverance into infancy, and then growth into an adult until death opens its door. Some of course do not make it into adulthood but a few do, and some few age for a very long time before they can get entry into the next stage of this ongoing drama.
Mankind has speculated about the meaning of life for years, centuries, and has never really solved the riddle of why he is born on the face of the earth to live a number of days doing whatever is in his capacity to achieve or accomplish. He is threatened with eternal punishment if he does not subscribe to some rule, regulation, or belief and thus is blackmailed into a behavior which some religious or government belief has hoisted upon him. Some accept religious beliefs wholeheartedly, simply, and devotedly, while others reject, complain, and explain why such nonsense as heaven and hell is surely somebody's fantasy with no sense of reality. Nobody really knows of course. But many wars, many governments, many civilizations have thrived simply due to a common belief in some deity and its expectations for mankind to follow some creed or belief system.
But one thing is certain, and that is that death will come whether young or old, and one is never fully prepared for it. One wonders how one should prepare for death. Life in itself is an ongoing experience in which one sets goals for one's self, or simply follows a pattern of life that is acceptable to the community, and settles into becoming a part of a social unit, doing whatever it is that one can do to survive his or her environment. Getting a job, holding it, and building a family appears to be the norm for most people to survive in the community. Again, it depends upon where one is born, what religious body rules, and whether government is free or bound to that religious belief.
I am writing this out because I am having to gain control over the final years of my life so that I do myself right and am able to take care of myself as I age. I just signed a year's lease on this apartment where I live, and I am in the process of determining how to manage my finances so that I can survive the remaining years of my life in a way that will be the most comfortable for me.
Years ago, I subscribed to a family financial planning program, and it was in the 80's that I realized how one can become filthy rich if that is one's desire and goal. It is simply a matter of mathematics, and a matter of quantity mathematics. It is a number's game. I did also realize that probably being excessively rich might be the worst thing that could happen to someone. I studied many different businesses to learn which business is the most likely to be successful for a young entrepreneur, and decided that infomation is the best business that one can undertake if serious. There are many ways that one can make money but one must consider loss before gains to really become successful. Business and capitalism is the hardest game in town and is one reason that socialism or communism appeals to so many. Businesses survival is a war zone. One must be realistic to understand that one is competing, and one cannot compete unless one outsells and outperforms its competitor. A lot like the survival game which is played on national television. Someone has to be defeated while someone else wins out.
If one does adhere to a religious concept, and truly believes in it, that religious belief may be more important and powerful to an individual than success in the business world. Many religious beliefs vary from one another in the set of rules to achieve so called eternal life or a spiritual Heaven but each has guidelines by which a single person can achieve his or her own path to that place or abode known as Heaven.
Life is material but many religious beliefs teach that one should not succumb to material goods but instead place their faith in spiritual treasures. If one's true purpose in being born is to succeed in passing through all the trials and temptations of earthly wonders so that one sets one's goal to achieve Heaven, one will study the various religious programs, rites, and rituals, guides, and rules to achieve Heaven instead of worldly gains. Monasteries, convents, and sects attract many to their lifestyles which appear to give the promise of hope for eternal life in a Heavenly Paradise.
These groups follow their master teacher who they believe has shown them the way to overcome the temptations of the world to find glory and salvation through following their leader. It is a matter of free will and free choice if one wants to believe in that kind of path to Heaven.
However, most of mankind does not become that devoted or dedicated to the cause of Heaven, and only hopes that God in a merciful way will allow the ordinary life to be a way to Heaven also.
Which means of course then that if judged at the end of life for what one has done or not done to his fellow man when given the chance, that his life will be based not necessarily on his work record, or his success rate, but rather on his achievement of being and doing good to mankind around him.
In our daily lives, we have examples of Heaven and Hell in terms of simply living well or living badly all around us. We have governments establish laws to protect us, and then find that governments are too incompetent at times to enforce the rules of those very laws that we have made to protect ourselves. Why have a law if it cannot be enforced?
Good government depends upon good people. Religious bodies to accomplish their goals depend upon good people. Life to be good depends upon people being good and doing good to one another. Goodness is the key ingredient to a happy life on the face of the earth. No matter what happens at death, the time spent in living can be either good or bad, and it all depends upon how man defines and explains goodness in our lives.
So for goodness sake, I will conclude this now, publish it, and think about it. I have only a few years left in my life. I want to make them as happy for me as I can. So I will continue with this thought after I sleep on it. Good night.
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