Invisible Man | Authspot

Invisible Man Authspot A poem about loneliness in a crowd.

Invisible Man | Authspot

Invisible Man Authspot A poem about loneliness in a crowd.

Who or What is God?

Most of us have heard of God. Some claim to believe in Him or Her, some not to. A few will sacrifice their lives for God. Me, to be honest I’m something of an Agnostic: show me God please.

Yet that is a discussion for later. Others are Atheists who argue that there cannot be any God.

Christians, Moslems and similar faiths believe in God. The Romans, Ancient Greeks and others prayed to a whole host of gods. The ancient Egyptians once believed in Ra, the sun god. They also revered Isis the moon goddess. At least you can see the sun and the moon. You can feel the warmth of the sun. In a way the sun is a good choice for a god because we know that without it there would be no life on Earth. Sticking with the Egyptians (fairly randomly), they also had an Earth god called Geb and a sky goddess named Nut. All quite logical.

Of course the great limitation of sun gods and the like is that they do not seem to have any sentience, intelligence or special powers. On the other hand the Christian God is variously described as being superhuman, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, eternal, ultimate Goodness, Love and the Creator of all Existence (of which The Universe is a significant part). Plus other qualities and powers which are described elsewhere. Without trying to sound cynical or anything, He or She must therefore (logically) be my first “View” here. Must have the best marketing department too.

It is written that Man was made in God’s image. That implies that Man is an imperfect version of God. It is also said that he sacrificed his son Jesus for us. Being a selfish so and so, what I like most is that He offers us Eternal Life. I gather that is a deferred gratification however. I am open to correction here, but I understand that the payoff comes on Judgement Day.

So who or what is God? Well, most of what I have described and more, I reckon. Some talk of a universal force. The “Star Wars” films had something, with, “May The Force be with you.” Or rather, a Multi-Universal Force! Think Infinite Eternity and then some more. Imagine being outside the Space-Time-Continuum, then keep going. For me, The Big Bang and Evolution fit in nicely as part of The Formula, The Plan. God is Great. All that matters to me, though, all due respect, is that I want Eternal Life.

How to Regain Paradise.

When I was eighteen I decided that The Priority in Life is simply to Survive. I cherish life. The blunt fact that we all Die eventually fills me with sorrow and resentment. If ever I talk of suicide, send me to a shrink. I Love Life. Yet surely there has to be more to life than survival and existence.

That is where our great religions come in. They try to teach us what is Good, what is valuable and worthwhile. Religions also warn us of the other side of the coin: Evil. Yet when you consider everything, Goodness is born from logical common sense. “Thou shalt not kill”: well, of course not! Stealing is not too clever either. And so on. What is needed to preserve and cultivate life is often quite obvious. Love is the key. Yet sometimes “doing the right thing” is very difficult: e.g. the police sniper shooting someone who is about to murder some people. It is comforting to have God’s backing, but the bottom line is whether an action enhances someone’s life in some way. We talk of humanitarianism here, but I would call this “Lifism”: cherishing and maintaining all life-forms.

So, picture your Paradise (“Regained”). I visualise a universe teeming with life: rampant vegetation, plenty of water, animals roaming the plains and swinging through the trees. Innumerable trees. Towering mountains, sweeping savannas, golden beaches and swelling oceans. I see finely designed citadels dotted upon the landscape. People of all colours and creeds going about their business, happy in the knowledge that they are safe, housed and well fed. No wars, strife; no haves and have nots. Here in Britain we seldom have the weather, but surely we can manage the rest. Sure, I am an Idealist, but at least I have something to aim for. Yet we can all aim together. Conservation, yes, but really we need more. We need to actively cultivate people and life in general.

Just look at the world and try to acknowledge all that is good. There are some very bright intelligences around, especially amongst the young. Enjoy your arts, sports, technological wizardry, and so forth. That glass there is not half empty, but half-full. Feel your Inner Strength, be Positive. (Eastern Wisdom is great for this). Love Life indeed. You only live once (in this form). “Carpe diem: seize the day.” Then keep seizing.

As someone told me, touch everything that you can. Do not stay aloof. Get in there and participate. Do not mull over the meaning of life too much. Just Do.