So I was walking past a house near Watford where I live, and I saw this sign on a door. It was quite amusing and I had to take a picture.

The debate about whether there is life after death or not has been going on for centuries. And although many claim to have gone to the other side and returned, it’s not really a proof for those lucky (or unlucky ones) who haven’t had that experience. And there is actually only one way to find out. Or is there?

Records tell us that the Vikings had these debates too. Over 10 – 11 centuries ago in Britain, when the Vikings were in assembly (yes, with their Viking helmets with horns), they saw a bird fly into the assembly through one window close to the roof. It came in, perched for a while, flew right across the room, and then out the window at the other end. A conversation followed:

“Did the bird exist before it flew in?”

“Yes, of course”

“Did you see it existing before?”

“No”

“Do you think it still exists?”

“Yes” (unless it got shot down by some hungry Viking)

“So that bird, is the soul. The window it came in – is birth. The other window is death. In between is life. No one saw the bird before it came in. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t exist. And it continued to exist after it left.”

Pretty story. It’s not proof for anything though. It’s just a sensible explanation.

And I’ll tell you what understanding I go with. I agree with the Vikings. It’s more sensible than the creation of life theory. I’ve never seen any form of life come from a chemical combination. And no one’s ever done it and shown it to me although it’s taught in textbooks in school all over the world. It’s always been just a fairy tale to me. A creative idea that ‘one day’ life can be manufactured.

Does the existence of the soul need to be proven? My understanding is that it doesn’t. We all know life comes from life. It’s an established fact. If someone else goes against that established fact and says that life comes from chemicals, then they’re the ones who need to prove it. Otherwise, the prevalent understanding prevails.

Alright, alright. Calm down. I’m not so bothered even if you believe something else. Everyone’s got freedom of speech, expression and belief. And I’m not going to hate you for believing something else. And I hope you don’t hate me either 🙂 There will always be as many opinions as there are minds.

So here’s my real point behind this post.

Don’t take things that happen in life so seriously. Even if there’s been a major setback, life goes on. Things will pass over time, and good times will come. But remember they will pass too, so don’t get too attached to them. Live a life of purpose and meaning and carry on. Life can be as meaningful as you want to make it. It’s your choice. We’ve all got to make our own way through life – like that bird. But on the way, stop, look around, and see where you are. Can it be any better?