Recently as I am getting closer to my 65^th birthday, I wonder what will happen when I die. Will my mind cease to function? If I don’t have a brain, I presume that I may not be able to think.  Another question that bothers me is where was I before I was born.  Was I nothing and nonexistent?  I see a newborn baby, and I wonder where was he or she before. You may wonder what made me think about writing a blog on this subject of nothingness or immortality?

Recently I have been watching the political division in our country, with both sides accusing each other of racism, homophobia, and sexism.  In this country, most of us believe in an afterlife; and are led to believe that our bodies are permanently associated with our souls or spirits.  Some even believe that our physical bodies will be resurrected after our death, and live for eternity in heaven.  It is easy to see why many of us believe that our bodies make us who we are.

By this presumption, we are led to believe that our ancestors were black, because our skin color is black now, or because we are white now, our ancestors were white.  If one race was impugned of horrific crimes against humanity, are their offspring also responsible for their actions?  It is like the family feud of the Hatfield and McCoy, which last forever because of one family blaming the other for past sins.  It is because of this false presumption of who we are based on skin color and gender that there are racial and gender divisions that sometimes turn into anger and violence.

But suppose our bodies are only temporary dwellings borrowed from God?  It is our souls that make us who we are. Our souls are like little suitcases that take our pattern of thoughts from one lifetime to another.  Unlike the body, the soul has no color or gender; therefore we can be born of any color or gender.  If we are white now, we may have been another race in our last lifetime. Our unique bodies that have been selected for us, gives each of us the opportunity to purify our minds if we understand that every event in our lives directed at our bodies comes from our own souls. Like our height, the color of our skin should not make any difference on how we interact with others, except for those who have souls that have mistaken thoughts of greed, arrogance, and self-love.  They will use the color of our skins to divide us, and continue to cause suffering to others; and unknown to them, their own sufferings delivered by their soul.  Yes, it is the soul that delivers justice. We reap what we have sowed.  We must understand the soul!