Pretty Sure I'm Dead

Part 2 Chapter 1 Keeping an Open Mind

    I was walking with a friend who was trying to make a difficult decision. We were on the sidewalk quite close to the street. I asked him how he was going to decide. He looked up towards the heavens and said, "I'm hoping for a sign from heaven." Not looking where he was going, he walked face first into the edge of a stop sign. I had to laugh. He just glared at me.

"I'm not laughing at you," I assured him. "I'm rejoicing in having witnessed an epiphany. Heaven clearly sent you a sign telling you to stop and pay attention. The lord works in mysterious ways and the universe loves irony."

Specifically, this essay is about why I believe in a force that ultimately guides the universe. A force that is in all of us and that for simplicity I will call God. I believe everyone has a different concept of God and to some extent they are all right. I believe, God is so far beyond anything humans can comprehend that we all simplify our concepts of God in our own ways and naturally they are all as different as each of us is. This diversity of perceptions is one of the many things that make God's creation the fascinating masterpiece it is.

So, I am not presenting my beliefs as an ultimate explanation. I don't intend to be that conceited or presumptuous. Rather, I'm presenting one of many possible explanations of a universe that can accept an infinite number of explanations and possibilities. Including explanations for those who refuse to abide an infinity of contradictions and who believe in only one single absolute truth.

I strive not to be one of those dogmatic and often intolerant people. I do feel sorry for those who don't fully appreciate the complexity of what God has created and insist that the truth as they perceive it is the only truth. Still, it takes all kinds of souls, and each plays a role in making our world the outstanding experience it is. All kinds of souls and all kinds of outcomes are required: tribulations and triumphs, poverty and prosperity, heartbreak and happiness, mysterious ways indeed. Irony like uncertainty and entropy is always increasing. This is the one immutable law of the universe. Uncertainty is the only certainty. Ironic, isn't it?

People crave absolute truths and abhor uncertainty. The bad news for the control freaks among us is that life abounds with uncertainty. This necessitates always keeping an open mind. Ironically, open-mindedness is often eschewed by many in both science and religion. The beliefs of both are often expressed as dogma rather than our current best guess at understanding. Yes, even scientists can be dogmatic and intolerant, despite the many times science has shown us the importance of open-mindedness.

Many people assume that belief in science and belief in God are mutually exclusive despite the many famous scientist who have believed in both as do I. Many separate the two by assigning science to the "real" world and religion to the "spiritual" world. I put real and spiritual in quotes because I'm not sure there is a difference. I entertain the possibility that everything may just be a figment of our own, or God's imagination. So, is our experience real or spiritual?

Actually, this essay is not so much about my specific beliefs, but about several specific occurrences in my life which have led me to believe in a God, how he has spoken to me, and how he has always answered my prayers.

Of course, my scientific objectivity can explain most of these events by tricks of my mind, by coincidences, or perhaps even my naivety. I'll let you decide if any are valid reasons to believe. But remember, things are not always as they seem at first. Don't be surprised by a stop sign. Keep an open mind, feel free to comment, and I will do the same.