When I was in college, I used to escape reality by reading the Travis McGee books by John McDonald. Travis could do anything, understood everything, and always destroyed the bad guys who were cheating the good guys. He also had a gloomy opinion of the future of humankind, deploring the human population explosion, strip malls, the god of materialism and the blindness to reality of the world in general. He figured that one day, in one of the big cities, a critical mass of people will be pushed one step too far, and will turn on each other like animals, red of tooth and claw. Kind of like going postal, but on a bigger scale. End of civilization.
One of the concepts I remember best was when he was mourning the loss of a friend. He mentally pictured all of us standing on an island that was gradually washing away on one end, and getter longer on the other. New lives were on the growing end and ending lives were on the part that was continually washing away. If you happened to be on the part that washed away, all the rest of us could do was watch the current carry you away under the water. Travis could be very gloomy. He was right about the people we lose, though. Even if we see the sand washing away beneath their feet, we can't reach out and save them from the inevitability of death. We can't keep the sand from washing away ourselves or anyone else.
I desperately want to believe in a spiritual life after death, when we are rejoined with the Creator of the universe, and find out what we were supposed to learn by going though all the ups and downs of a human life. I believe, Lord. Lord, help my unbelief.
Goodbye Deb. I still can't believe you are gone.
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