Yin vs YangThe Battle for Success in Life

Have you ever thought so much about life after death that you got to the point of internally debating whether or not to kill an annoying insect?  I mean, really thought about if it is wrong, or whether Karma, or God, or whatever will haunt you because of this action?  You want to do it, but you feel guilty.

Well, right in my garage, I have a fly that is annoying the hell out of me as I write.  I desperately want to smash it against the wall, but I just feel like taking any life is not right.  I mean it is only an insect.  It does not know any better.  Why should I be the judge of whether it lives or dies?

Just as I am contemplating whether or not I am a better person for this, my cat pounces out of mid air right on the fly and eats it.  The look on his face is definitely not about whether it was right or wrong.  He just followed his instincts and now that it is over with, he is ready to move on.

At least I will have good company in Hell, I thought.

Growing up in a Roman Catholic household, I was well versed in the concept of life after death.  When I was little, I was taught my actions in life would determine if Heaven or Hell would be my final destination.  I was preached all of this in Catholic school as if it was coming straight from the Creator himself.  It was a rather simple concept:  Live a good life and you are in, live a bad life and you burn.

As I got older, my thirst for knowledge grew.  I had a voracious appetite for movies from all over the world.  These films allowed me to digest unique perspectives from foreign places with very different viewpoints than typical Hollywood movies.  I was introduced to many, many different ways of thinking and it really peeked my curiosity.  I began to surf the web as the internet popped up and read all sorts of history books & classic Renaissance novels in search of truth.

The more I learned, the more I strayed from the fear based teachings I absorbed as a youth.  I realized the entire world has various views on life after death, and proving any of them wrong or right is impossible.  There is not one accepted concept because no one really knows anything for sure.  It is simply all about what you believe.

I find it remarkable how some people live their life solely for this belief, and how some people could care less one way or the other.  This simple difference in thinking has been the cause of countless deaths and atrocities.  I wonder, is either way necessarily a better way to live than the alternative?  Is it important to worry about what happens when you die?

I believe, just like me, society has begun to reject fear based concepts as our collective intelligence has grown through increased communication.  It’s funny, because after a long journey, I have come almost full circle.  I believe all of the ideals I was taught in my upbringing are vital to living a good life NOW, not after I die.  I also am amazed as I look back, just how much of my life has been spent preparing for death.  It is quite remarkable when you think about it.

The great thing about the internet is it allows us to hear a myriad of wonderfully diverse views from around the world.  I believe there are positive aspects in all of our beliefs. I am dying (no pun intended) to hear what you think.  What are your thoughts?

Does your belief (or not) in the afterlife affect your day to day life?

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@YinVsYang we always write about the power of the spirit.  Well, tonight, I learned a little more about the spirit world than I ever have before.  As a matter of fact, I was completely and utterly moved by a story my mother told me.  It really got me thinking afterward about all sorts of stuff.

So I figured I would share.

My mother has owned a Nursery School for almost 18 years.  She has had many wonderful Teachers and Aids over the years that I have gotten to meet.  One of those was a woman named Jean, who also happened to have two daughters I went to high school with.  Well, sadly, a few months ago, Jean died of cancer in her fifties, leaving behind her two daughters, a husband, and her own mother.  Being that she was so young, it was obviously very hard on the family.

Tonight, I went to eat at my parent’s house with my wife, sister, and Uncle.  We all caught up a bit, argued about the presidential race, and talked about the upcoming football season for the NY Jets (at least the guys did).  Then, my mother turned to me and said she had an amazing story to tell me I would not believe.

Before we get to the story, let me just fill you in on a little history.  My mother is an avid believer in heaven and the afterlife.  I, for one reason or another, am not that convinced.  It’s not that I don’t believe in anything.  It’s just I don’t see a point in arguing over something none of us will ever live to prove.  Because of this, my mother loves to share enlightening stories with me.

My mom begins by telling me that Jean’s daughters and husband went to an acclaimed Psychic somewhere in Long Island.  Apparently, this Psychic, whose name I do not know, was trained under the famous psychic on TV, John Edwards.  My mother knew this is not something I really believe in, but she said to take it for what it is worth.  I’m pretty open minded, so I went with it.

Well, the two daughters and the husband walked into a room and met the Psychic.  They paid with an untraceable money order, just to be sure there was no way to do any research on them.  The Psychic greeted them and explained that a woman was following them holding the letter ‘J’.  He also explained she was dancing.  The Psychic asked the woman why she was dancing.  He said she responded ‘Because I can.’  The family could not believe it.  This was one of Jean’s favorite answers to give to her friends and family.

The family was impressed, and the Psychic was off to a good start.  However, I privately had my doubts as my mom continued.  Next, the psychic told the two daughters that their mom Jean wanted them to know that it was okay for them to wear all of her clothes and her shoes.  ‘They might be expensive, but they will go to waste otherwise,’ the Psychic told them she said.  Apparently, the girls had had many arguments over this and decided it was best to not wear the clothes.  They could not believe the Psychic knew this.

Then, the Psychic told them Jean wanted them to tell her Mom something.  The family Grandma had been devastated by her daughter’s untimely death.  Jean wanted to let her mom know that every time she cries at her kitchen table, she is right there kneeling next to her.  When the family spoke to the Grandma, she could not believe it.  The kitchen table is exactly where she always sits and cries!

Now, I was starting to believe.  How could this possibly be true?  The Psychic could not have possibly known all of this….could he?

Finally, the Psychic turned to Jean’s husband.  He told him that Jean wanted to tell him that the white feather he found the other day was from her.  She just wanted to let him know she was still there.

The husband must have been freaked at this point.  It turns out that he was watching TV a few weeks ago when something slowly fell out of nowhere from a shelf.  He did not pay much attention to it until later, when he went to pick it up, and found only a white feather.  He did not think much of it at the time, except that it was a little strange to find a feather.

After hearing a story like this, I can’t help but wonder about the spirit world.  We spend so much time working on balancing our spirit in life, I guess it is only natural it should continue on in death.  If anyone has any similar stories or incidents they would like to share, I would be much obliged.  Stories like this always lift my spirit.  I hope they lift yours as well.

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