6/2/08 Diary of a Dying Man

The Existential Alternative?

Existentialism, as defined by Bertrand Russell, philosopher and mathematician, postulates “That Man is the product of causes which had no provision of the end they were achieving … the whole temple of Man’s achievement must inevitably be buried beneath debris of a universe in ruins … only on the firm foundation of unyielding despair, can the soul’s habitation henceforth be safely built.”

Can I find reasons in my own life to create an opposing philosophy to this very popular existential stance – a philosophy not of despair, but of hope; not a dead end of resignation, but an avenue for a new adventure in life and death? The God-based myths of Christianity and other major world religions, and the pantheons of ancient Greece and even present day India, hold little value in our modern scientifically intelligent world.

So, what else can there be in our history of myths and revelations that can try to explain who we are and why we’re here?

In my explorations, I have recently discovered the beginning of a new myth system, a myth created not by story-teller historians and desert-crazed prophets, but by modern-day scientists. A book, “The View from the Center of the Universe,” by Joel R. Primack and Nancy Ellen Abrams, propose a new way to find our own heaven, right here, right now.

Their definition of the concept of “God” is represented by our physical universe, which is ever-expanding; we, and everything else, are in the inside, in the middle of it all, expanding with it. “God” represents the dynamic directions of our earthly wonder, not the ancient destination of a fragile hope and fear-based heaven.

As our universal “God” expands, our understanding also deepens at all levels, just as we understand gravity though Einstein’s discoveries. Therefore, “God” is nothing less than the process of opening up our personal lives into developing lines of contact with the unknown potential of the universe. We, as humans, now have evolved into the understanding that we can, and must, find harmony with the real universe of which we are an integral part.

We must create a philosophy opposing the philosophy of existentialism; not registering futility, but knowing hope; not accepting pre-ordained suffering, but expecting excitement and promise.

By beginning to celebrate the reality of ourselves and our expanding universe, and by resetting our mental focus into harmony with it, we may realize the greatest opportunity of our time and all time. The choice between existential woe and a meaningful world view is open to us. We owe it to those who come after us to protect our own fragile environment, our little part of the universe, where everything is interconnected, where it is a fact of life and death that we are all dependent upon each other. We are made of the same stardust as is every star and planet in this amazing expanding universe. We either expand our thinking, our sense of morality and responsibility to everyone and everything, or by the laws of chaos and evolution, we die and the universe continues without us.

In the ever-lessening moments I have left on this wonderful earth, I vow to work at creating within myself and, acting in accordance with, this new myth of “God” as universe. This is an authentic spiritual imperative –- a new, renewing myth created by the proven facts of science which I intend to nurture and support – a universal heritage which is within myself and every person, creature, plant and planet that surrounds me.