What happens when we die? - NOT amateur radio

It has been estimated that there are 10 billion stars in our galaxy alone. In the observable universe there are trillions of galaxies. The "average" star has at least one planet, meaning that there are a huge number of planets!

Somehow I cannot believe this life alone is "it".  Some estimate there are 10 to the power of 25 planets. This is a truly staggeringly large number.

Most religions are very "Earth centric". What is certain is we only can know very little with our small brains.

Old age changes? - NOT amateur radio

At the moment my wife and I are lucky. As far as we know (!) , we have nothing much wrong with us. I still have a few things that are longer term after effects from my 2013 stroke, but compared with many I have been lucky I know. Most of me still works!

As we age, several of our friends have died or now have serious illnesses. My interest in sex has dropped off and the death of others no longer seems so odd. I recall a doctor once asking me (probably 10 years ago) "if it was all too much" and I retorted "no". If he asked me now I am less sure.

Although I find so much to be interested in, I get exhausted more easily and I am tired of being giddy most of the time. Life is harder than it was.

Wisdom? - NOT amateur radio

At the age of 75, probably I have mellowed. 

Looking back on my life it is possible to reflect on it. Many mistakes may have been made and paths not taken. In the end it has been far from perfect, but I have had a good innings. It would be good to know what would have happened if other paths had been followed. 

One theory is that every path is indeed taken, but we are only aware of one.

Ultimate questions - NOT amateur radio

From time to time I ask myself ultimate questions. As a teenager, I had quite a strong (if unconventional) Christian faith. These days I am far less sure. To me, I cannot square up the Christian faith with a vast universe. Life on Earth seems so tiny. Christianity seems so narrow.

I also cannot square that here on Earth what we believe seems to be an accident of where I live. If I was born in Saudi Arabia I might well have ended up a devout Muslim. If I was born in Israel, I would probably be Jewish. If born in Siberia, I would probably have no faith at all!

There are some mysteries than our human brains just cannot ever understand. My philosophy is try to leave this life making it a little better than we found it and do to others as you would have them do to you.  Be kind to everyone.

Everyone is different and they must be free to believe as they want.

Multiple lives - NOT amateur radio

We are used to thinking of time flowing from the past into the future and experiencing just one life from cradle to grave. 

However, we are only aware of one life, which is the one experienced now. It is equally possible that we could have been born on a different planet at a different time. We could have multiple lives, not one.

All we know is things are far beyond our imaginations. We are just humans with limited brain power.

"It is all too much?" - NOT amateur radio

Many years ago (5?) a doctor said these words to me.  I replied "of course not". 

Now I am less sure. As I get older, I feel my strength waning, people around me are dying (friends and family) and I live in an almost constant state of near exhaustion and giddiness. Life is no longer such fun. As a younger person, all my life was ahead of me. My sex life was healthy and meant a lot. These days, my drive is no longer there.  Ahead of me is (probably) ill health and death.

We once went to a party, mainly of older people. The host said, "you are not allowed to discuss your illness or medication". She was very wise!

Most of the time, I remain positive doing what still gives me fun, and there  are plenty of things.  On the whole, I am a "glass half full" sort of person i.e. positive.

..... but I now know what that doctor meant.

Intelligent life in the universe - NOT amateur radio

This is a subject I have discussed before. Some estimates put the number of planets in the visible universe as capable of having intelligent life as as high as 1400000000000000. Others say intelligent life is incredibly rare.

As far as I know, we have been looking with SETI since the mid 1960s and have, so far, found zero evidence.  Maybe we are looking in the wrong way? As time goes by, we have more sophisticated ways of looking with ever greater sensitivity. Mind you we only discovered electro-magnetic radiation a few hundred years ago. Maybe many societies have discovered something better?

One thing is certain: should we find any signs of intelligent life "out there", it could have profound effects on human life.

Life - NOT amateur radio

Some days ago I mentioned the estimates for the number of planets in the visible universe. The numbers are staggering. Assuming just a very small number of these have intelligent life, that still leaves a huge number. 

I have no idea how many humans have existed over time, but I am estimating 10,000,000,000.  To be a conscious being alive today on Earth is an incredible thing. Just think, if just one of our ancestors had not had children then we would not be here. Amazing.

No doubt in the years to come our understanding of the universe will change dramatically, but one could be forgiven for thinking each of us is unimportant, yet the opposite seems to be true. Each of us seems important and our love and kindness seem to matter.

No, life and consciousness are deep mysteries. Most religions try to answer these issues, but only hint. All seem too small.

The cycle of life - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday, we did a nice walk in the autumn sunshine at Anglesey Abbey. We mainly went there to see one particular tree that is changing colour. At the moment it is a lovely red.

On the way we saw a family (actually 2 families) with young children under school age. We were asked if we wanted 4 noisy kids!  We said, "done that, got the tee shirt". We also said enjoy them as they grow up quickly.

Each generation has its own issues, but life goes in a cycle.

Where did it go? - NOT amateur radio

It seems only yesterday I was a teenager. Now I am in my autumn days.

As we get older (I mean old in my case!) it is natural to look back and wonder where those care-free days went. We become more aware of our finality and how short life really is: we blink and we are old.

Advice? Make the most of every moment. We could be dead tomorrow or live to more than 100. Milk life.

Getting older - NOT amateur radio

In December I am 71 years old. In some ways the teenage, carefree, days feel like just yesterday, although they were a long time ago.

I am aware of my age and that I can no longer do some of the things I once could. They say, "live in the moment", but that is sometimes hard to do. On the whole, I have had a good life. Yes, like everyone, there have been good times and bad.

All I can advise is do what you can. Milk life like there is no tomorrow. Be kind to people and consider how they feel whether 8 or 80.

Life - NOT amateur radio

This is my "take" on things. Others may well see things differently.

At one time I had quite a strong Christian faith. These days I am far from certain about anything! Speaking purely for myself, I find all religions "too small" to encompass how I feel. All I am aware of is how little we know. Somehow, this particular human (i.e. me) finds the idea of non-existence hard to grasp. We remember nothing of before we were born, so why should we be bothered about what happens when we die? And yet.....

Perhaps we just cease to be. Perhaps somehow our consciousness lives on, however this world view seems odd when our cells cease to be.

The only thing we can say with any certainty is we just do not, and cannot, know. Any person who claims differently is telling him or her self delusions.

When we die? - NOT amateur radio

This has been mentioned here before. It is something most of us prefer not to think about. Instead we want to get on with our lives.

The year after next I reach 70.  Following my stroke in 2013 I have not enjoyed the health I once had. Compared with many I am lucky though - most of me still works!

Time and again I wonder what happens when we die. Are we just aware of nothing at all, as we were before we were born? Is time and life just an illusion? One thing is certain, we just do not know. With quantum physics, multiverses and many dimensions we cannot experience, it is a brave person who says he/she knows.

All major religions talk about an after-life of some sort. What about morality? If we just die why do we have a sense of right and wrong? Is this a human facet?

No, I am not worried, but I think about this more than I did.

Life is a mystery and I do not have the answers. All religions may hint at answers, but most are thousands of years old, the texts of which were written when we believed the earth was flat, the centre of the universe, demons were real and the world was a very different place.

Dying - NOT amateur radio

When 18, you think life goes on for ever: you have all of life ahead of you. At 67 you know you have, maybe, 20 years and possibly much less ahead. Thoughts turn to what happens when you die.

Is there life after death? Is it like before you were born? I cannot remember anything about before I came into this world so would the same after death be any worse?

As I have said before, all major religions have some sort of belief in an after-life. Wishful thinking?  I simply do not know.

It is possible that no-one else sees and experiences what we do. In an infinite universe (or multiverses?) anything is possible. We find it hard to contemplate not existing.

In the meantime, we have to make the most of life. Life is very precious.

Good advice - NOT amateur radio

I found this on Facebook earlier.  Personally, I think it is good advice. I think it originated in the USA judging by the style.

Following Graham's link below, here is an earlier version (added 1918z):