Seeking the truth

1. I certainly want to believe in God, eternal life and ultimate meaning – so, I can’t really trust my own opinions regarding such things…
2. But then, I happen to be a compulsive thinker — and so far, suspect that our easy dismissal of such things is short-sighted…
   
   
3. For instance, have we really examined the evidence and logic of our obvious, conclusion that we each have but one finite life to live?
4. One life is certainly all that most of us remember – and, it’s easy to suspect that those who claim otherwise are just kooks
5. ‘diving just beneath the surface of everyday thought exposes a lot of mitigating considerations.
6. First, keep in mind that the “life” to which we’re alluding is not your physical life
7. We’re not alluding to your body — or even, your brain
8. We’re alluding to what might best be called your “personal consciousness” – Which seems to be produced by your brain, but is itself not something we’d normally call “physical”
9. Scientifically speaking, we might call “consciousness” a non-physical “emergent property”.
10. Anyway, your personal consciousness is what those who .believe in reincarnation, think keeps coming back
11. That’s the “you” I’ll be talking about
    
12. Consciousness is our primary example of “non-physical”
13. Consciousness may be the “emergent property” of something physical, but it may also be something that exists on its own
14. Either way, it is something special
15. That it has an “identity” (personal consciousness) makes it even more special
16. Where in the Hell did you come from?
17. Is there an infinity of potential selves?
18. Consciousness is actually the only type of thing that I actually know exists
19. But I do Know that it, and I, exist
20. In other words, I actually know that something does exist, when, superficially at least, nothing should exist
21. Either something came from nothing — which doesn’t seem to make sense
22. Or, there has always been something — which doesn’t seem to make sense either…
23. Stephen Hawking says that before there was something (fourteen billion years ago), there was a “singularity” — which wouldn’t seem to make sense either…

Reasons to Believe

1. Let’s open our minds…
2. It
   
   
3. Are we humans as smart as we think we are?
4. Have we ever been as smart as we thought we were?
5. Have we ever been nearly as smart as we thought we were?
6. Probably not…
   
   
7. Each of us seems to have only one – finite — life to live
8. Only one finite personal consciousness to experience — forever
9. That’s certainly all we remember – or at least, that’s certainly all that most of us remember
10. But then — how many of us are yet to come — or yet to never come?
11. How many potential “selves” (personal consciousnesses) are there?
12. Is there an infinity of potential selves?
    
    
13. Where in the Hell did you come from anyway?
14. How likely is it that you would ever exist?
15. How likely is it that you would exist right now?
16. What was it that made this you