You died as you were on your way home.
A mind-bending story about life, and how we feel and experience our every action at some point and time.
A friend sent me this story a while back. I'm not sure where it originated, but it’s a wonderful metaphor relating to the Golden Rule, non-dualism, and karma — all tied to the “We are ONE” concept.
'Every time you victimized someone,' I said, 'you were victimizing yourself. Every act of kindness you've done, you've done to yourself. Every happy and sad moment ever experienced by any human was, or will be, experienced by you.'
Enjoy.
It was a car accident.
Nothing particularly remarkable. But fatal nonetheless. You left behind a wife and two children. It was a painless death. The EMTs tried their best to save you. but to no avail. Your body was so utterly shattered you were better off. Trust me.
And that's when you met me.
'What... what happened?' You asked. 'Where am I?'
'You died.' I said, matter-of-factly. No point in mincing words.
'There was a... a truck and it was skidding...'
'Yup.' I said.
'I... I died?'
'Yup. But don't feel bad about it. Everyone dies.' I said.
You looked around. There was nothingness. Just you and me. 'What is this place?' You asked. 'Is this the afterlife?'
'More or less.' I said.
'Are you god?' You asked.
'Yup.'I replied. 'I'm God.'
'My kids... my wife.' you said.
'What about them?'
'Will they be all right?'
'That's what I like to see.' I said. 'You just died and your main concern is for your family. That's good stuff right there.'
You looked at me with fascination. To you, I didn't look like God. I just looked like some man. Or possibly a woman. Some vague authority figure, maybe. More of a grammar school teacher than the almighty.
'Don't worry,' I said. 'They'll be fine. Your kids will remember you as perfect in every way. They didn't have time to grow contempt for you. Your wife will cry on the outside but will be secretly relieved. To be fair, your marriage was falling apart. If it's any consolation, she'll feel very guilty for feeling relieved.'
'Oh,' you said. 'So what happens now? Do I go to heaven or hell or something?'
'Neither,' I said. 'You'll be reincarnated.'
'Ah.' you said. '...so the Hindus were right,'
'All religions are right in their own way,' I said. 'Walk with me.'
You followed along as we strode through the void. 'Where are we going?'
'Nowhere in particular,' I said. 'It's just nice to walk while we talk.'
'So what's the point, then?' You asked.
'When I get reborn. I'll just be a blank slate, right? A baby. So all my experiences and everything I did in this life won't matter.'
'Not so!' I said. 'You have within you all the knowledge and experiences of all your past lives. You just don't remember them right now.'
I stopped walking and took you by the shoulders. 'Your soul is more magnificent, beautiful, and gigantic than you can possibly imagine. A human mind can only contain a tiny fraction of what you are. It's like sticking your finger in a glass of water to see if it's hot or cold. You put a tiny part of yourself into the vessel, and when you bring it back out, you've gained all the experiences it had.
Time, as you know it, only exists in your universe.
'You've been in a human for the last 48 years, so you haven't stretched out yet and felt the rest of your immense consciousness. If we hung out here for long enough, you'd start remembering everything. But there's no point to doing that between each life.'
'How many times have I been reincarnated, then?'
'Oh lots. Lots and lots. An into lots of different lives.' I said. 'This time around, you'll be a Chinese peasant girl in 540 AD.'
'Wait, what?' You stammered. 'You're sending me back in time?'
Well, I guess technically. Time, as you know it, only exists in your universe. Things are different where I come from.'
'Where you come from?' You said.
'Oh sure,' I explained 'I come from somewhere. Somewhere else. And there are others like me. I know you'll want to know what it's like there, but honestly, you wouldn't understand.'
'Oh,' you said, a little letdown. 'But wait. If I get reincarnated to other places in time, I could have interacted with myself at some point.'
'Sure. Happens all the time. And with both lives only aware of their own lifespan you don't even know it's happening.'
'So what's the point of it all?'
'Seriously?' I asked. 'Seriously? You're asking me for the meaning of life? Isn't that a little stereotypical?'
'Well it's a reasonable question,' you persisted.
I looked you in the eye. 'The meaning of life, the reason I made this whole universe, is for you to mature.'
'You mean mankind? You want us to mature?'
'No. Just you. I made this whole universe for you. With each new life, you grow and mature and become a larger and greater intellect.'
'Just me? What about everyone else?'
'There is no one else,' I said. 'In this universe, there's just you and me.'
You stared blankly at me. 'But all the people on earth...'
'All you. Different incarnations of you.'
'Wait. I'm everyone?'
'Now you're getting it,' I said, with a congratulatory slap on the back.
'I'm every human being who ever lived?'
'Or who will ever live? Yes.'
'I'm Abraham Lincoln?'
'And you're John Wilkes Booth, too,' I added.
'I'm Hitler?' You said, appalled.
'And you're the millions he killed.'
'I'm Jesus?'
'And you're everyone who followed him.'
You fell silent.
'Every time you victimized someone,' I said, 'you were victimizing yourself. Every act of kindness you've done, you've done to yourself. Every happy and sad moment ever experienced by any human was, or will be, experienced by you.'
You thought for a long time.
'Why?' You asked me. 'Why do all this?'
'Because someday, you will become like me. Because that's what you are. You're one of my kind. You're my child.'
'Whoa,' you said, incredulous. 'You mean I'm a god?'
'No. Not yet. You're a fetus. You're still growing. Once you've lived every human life throughout all time, you will have grown enough to be born.'
'So the whole universe,' you said, 'it's just...'
'An egg.' I answered. 'Now it's time for you to move on to your next life.'
And I sent you on your way.
I love this story!
We’ve all heard the saying, “We’re ONE.” And that we should treat each other as we’d like to be treated. The Golden Rule, as we know it from the Christian Bible.
The concept of "we are one," highlighting the unity and interconnectedness of all beings, is found in various forms across many religious traditions. For fun, I pulled some key references from different religious texts:
Christianity
1 Corinthians 12:12-13 (NIV): "Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink."
This passage from the New Testament emphasizes the unity of believers in Christ, likening them to different parts of a single body.
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:14
Hinduism
Bhagavad Gita 6:29: "A true yogi observes Me in all beings and also sees every being in Me. Indeed, the self-realized person sees Me, the same Supreme Lord, everywhere."
This verse from the Bhagavad Gita expresses the idea of seeing the divine presence in all beings, recognizing the fundamental unity of all life.
Buddhism
Diamond Sutra, Chapter 3: "All living beings are involved in one and the same karma, and all beings are one."
This Buddhist scripture emphasizes the interconnectedness of all living beings through their shared karma and existence.
Judaism
Deuteronomy 6:4 (Shema Yisrael): "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one."
While this verse emphasizes the oneness of God, it also implies the unity of all who worship this one God, binding the community together.
Islam
Quran 49:13 (Sahih International): "O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted."
This verse from the Quran highlights the unity of humanity despite its diversity, emphasizing that all people are part of a single creation.
Taoism
Tao Te Ching, Chapter 42: "The Tao gave birth to One. One gave birth to Two. Two gave birth to Three. And Three gave birth to all things. All things carry Yin and embrace Yang. They achieve harmony by combining these forces."
This passage speaks to the unity of all things in the Tao, the fundamental principle that underlies and connects all existence.
Sikhism
Guru Granth Sahib, Page 223: "There is one awareness among all created beings. None is born, and none dies."
This line from the Sikh holy scripture emphasizes the shared consciousness among all beings, underscoring their unity.
These references from various religious traditions highlight the universal idea of the interconnectedness and unity of all beings, underscoring the spiritual principle that all life is interwoven and part of a greater whole.
The Church of Edology (Edology stems from my name, Eddie)
Just do good shit and good shit will happen to you! LOL.