There was a community that was very religious. Someone, a long, long time ago wrote about God. They all believed this writing was holy and to be believed to the word as long as they ignored certain words of warning. It was a very comforting faith because no matter how difficult things were today, this book of writings about God promised that there was life after death and all you had to do to have that extended life was to utter certain words, with sincerity and passion. And when you had done that, you could go your way, do your thing, ignore those who had not uttered the words, make serious purposeful mistakes, be forgiven, over and over, rape the land, pollute the sky, poison the oceans, and be forgiven, assured that there was an infinite future, a wonderful reward that would last forever.
Now if you did not utter the words with sincerity and passion, fully meaning what you said, it did not count. You would be destined to live forever in a kind of hell along with all those who did not utter the magic words. But, if you meant it, truly, you were safe and secure knowing that all the others who had done so would be with you in this great place of reward after you died.
One day, somebody who did not believe in magic said there was a problem in the world. They had observed that by raping the earth, polluting the sky, poisoning the oceans, and oh yes, burning up some goo that the earth had been incubating for thousands, and thousands of years in a little more than a hundred years, the natural world was protesting. But the faithful did not worry because their future was safe and secure, even after they died, forever. They even believed that the earth would end but they would get their reward. Their writings told them to multiply and subdue the earth, so they did. They were inventive and used the goo to grow more food, build great engines, and populate the earth. No problem if this was not sustainable. They had a promise. They would be going to the great reward and those who did not believe in magic would be left behind in their hell on earth.
Over the years, many of the believers died. Nobody ever heard from them again. Even so, those still alive believed they would see their deceased friends in the future in a great place of reward. Meanwhile, the rape, pollution, and poisoning continued. Then, one day, it did get warmer, the polar caps did melt, the oceans did rise, storms became severe and frequent, fires were common, water, oddly enough, became scarce. The great experiment called homo sapiens was called to account. God, as it turned out, was part of nature itself. Judgement was administered. The experiment ended. This time, there was no boat to board to save a few for the future reclamation of the earth. Believer and non-believer alike were gone. Their friends, if they were enjoying their great reward, did not care. They got theirs. They just assumed the rest went to hell.
Belief like this is not enough, maybe not even the correct way to live!
AGING THOUGHTS 