"What is beyond?"

She asked me late in the night “what is there beyond, you know in the next life, is there something after this?” I flinched I was tired from a long day and from the funeral that had prompted the question. I muttered wearily “read my book.” I knew as soon as I said it I was evading the question, being disrespectful of her feelings and presence, even though the question was unanswerable I was still evading it. She deserved a better answer, a decent reply. A compassionate rejoinder to show that I cared and that I was engaging with her. For really she did not want an answer she wanted a discussion a chance to vent her feelings and find comfort in someone who loves her. I failed falling back on the male status mode and detachment communication model. I realized she was seeking the female engagement closeness and support communication structure. The moment was lost and I regretted it immediately.

But the question remains…

What is their beyond the grave is there anything? We have hundreds of religions, sects and theories all proclaiming their own truths. How do you find the truth amongst this tangle of beliefs? Is it

important to find the truth? Is it worth the search? Who holds the truth?   All religions hold some truth, but I doubt that they hold the whole truth. The thing that matters to you is to be comfortable with God. How you express and worship a God if you want to. I would prefer just to spend time with him, which is a very easy thing to do. Just turn off the world, and God is there. Isn’t that what praying is, spending time with God? It’s like talking to a mate or a girlfriend, that’s all, and you do not need a church for that. The truth in the context of religion is that, it is a matter of faith. If you believe it, then it is the truth for you. If you get closer to God because of it, then it cannot be a bad thing. If you need to go to a church, mosque, temple or a quiet field to get closer to God, then go for it.

We have made God in our own image! The early developing human, with his huge brain and his unique ability to think and reason, had an incredible edge over most of the animal world.   But this came with the terrifying realization that he was mortal. This knowledge is a heavy emotional burden to carry. In a world of incredible insecurity where people are subject to all kinds of hazards, dangers and death, a religious system and belief is a powerful security blanket. Belief in a supernatural being is a comfort and a blessing for those who have this faith. Along with this of course came all the rules, dogma, and laws imposed by these belief systems

.

How do you explain this God? You cannot! It is unexplainable. It would be like trying to tip the ocean into a cup, you cannot do it. You can only contemplate it and dwell on it. In the stillness, the answers will come, a little bit of the truth will awaken in you the possibility of the divine. When you are still that is when you are most in tune with your inner self. This is where God is. He has been there all along, part of you, and you are part of him. Jesus had it right when he said: “if you see me you see my father and the Kingdom of God is within you”. He knew the basic truth that we are all sons and /daughters of God. We are all one, one with God, one with each other, one with the world, and one with the universe.

Taoism calls this God energy ‘ch’i and’, and Taoism’s fundamental concern is how to connect with and to maximize this energy or life force. As Peter Blake, the famous artist, said:

“Energy is delight”. For “Energy is life, and the Taoist loved life.”

So I believe that we are all part of the God every one of us, every being, plant, animal, all matter is one and when we die we will return to that oneness.

We had “that conversation” the next morning sure there was no answer but than that was not the thrust of the question.

John Condliffe is researching for his next book “Sons”