This I Believe: There is no heaven.
I believe life was meant to be simple. I believe money corrupted us all. I believe crying does solve a lot. I believe fear and love are the same emotion. I believe happiness is something I choose. I believe all people are the same. I believe in God, but I also believe, there is no heaven.
In order to appreciate life, one must grasp and acknowledge the reality of death. At some point in every life, there comes an understanding that all people die. Our bodies don’t disappear without cremation or decay, but our spirits vanish. When we die, we have to go somewhere…right? I believe people use the comfort of heaven to relieve the fear of the unknown. It allows the dying to die knowing where they are going, and the loved ones left behind to know where they went. It’s an ease that relaxes the mind and leaves the heart at peace.
Growing up in Newtown, is like growing up in a town where religion is a fad. Everybody goes to church, and everybody goes to youth group. That’s an awesome environment, and I am quite active in the church myself. However, the church is a place of belief. My belief that heaven doesn’t exist is a reflection of the scientific side of my mind. It has not been easy keeping quiet about my belief and being an outsider in a town where the majority of people belief in an afterlife. I first exposed myself during my confirmation, and in the church community was shockingly accepting. I highly respect these people for their faith and strong emotions of belief.
I just recently became confirmed an Episcopalian. Reflecting on my religious beliefs terrified me almost as much as the concept of death. The thoughts that I struggled with to make the decision made it one of the most difficult processes I have ever been through. I realized that I wanted to be confirmed. I desired to live the life of a morally good person, with the fictional Bible as my guidelines. By leading the life of a positive and happy individual, I should be all set with my ticket into heaven. Too bad I don’t believe in heaven.
I believe that all I am made up of is energy, and that energy will be released at my death. I believe this energy surrounds us in a different dimension, which is so complex that not even the human eye can see. Sure I have a mind and feelings, or soul in religious terminology, but I am essentially just water and energy. I believe when I die, my energy will escape my body that was only a temporary accommodation. But isn’t it a little far-fetched that I will float to a glamorous entrance of golden gates where I enter into an eternal afterlife called heaven? Humans have reached an emotional comfort level through belief to avoid the insanity of questioning. By experiencing the fear of death it seems only natural to embrace the belief of heaven. I believe when we die, we die. It’s the end.