Editor,
From my early childhood on, my mother took me with her to many funerals of relatives, friends, neighbors and acquaintances. From an early age, I learned life is not certain. Tomorrow is not guaranteed to any of us.
My mother often made me aware that we can never say for sure that we will do something or go somewhere next week or five years from now.
I aim to be humble in all of life. I often say I aim to do or to go, if I am alive and able. For one moment when we least expect it, our lives can end and all of our future plans evaporate.
Forty years ago, as a young Mennonite pastor, I sincerely preached about life beyond the grave. I had not yet learned and dared to question deeply. Now as an agnostic, I belong to no religion. From the beginning of the human family, people have swallowed and believed all kinds of weird stupidity, attractive lies and myths.
No one on Earth wants to be reunited forever with his or her loved ones and all people in a much better world beyond death more than I do. But wanting something fervently does not make it so. I do not know. One thing worse than not knowing if life continues beyond the grave would be to pretend to myself or to others that I do know.
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I focus my attention on the here and now - nonviolence, forgiveness, living simply, war-tax refusal, natural health, gardening, close friendships, nature, passionate sex and romance, sunshine, constantly gleaning wisdom in order to live it, deep conversation, vigorous exercise, heart-touching music, naked body freedom and compassion and forgiveness for all people on Earth. These I know.
Don Schrader
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