‘Why Are We Here?’

Oh, great idea, Greg.  Try to tackle this one in a few sentences…

I had this question posed recently, and it got me thinking.  It’s the ‘great question’, and it’s been pondered by philosophers and theologians, musicians and poets, optimists and pessimists, believers and non-believers.  Each with their own ‘take’ on the issue.  So I asked myself – what’s my take on it?

If you had asked me a year ago, I would have looked at my life and asked back, ‘Well, why not be here?’  After all, I’ve certainly had my share of serious struggles, but I’ve lived quite the charmed life.  I’ve been astonishingly lucky at love, somehow managing to talk an absolute angel into marrying me, someone who continues to take my breath away after over 30 years.  I’ve invented clever things, I’ve helped deserving people, I’ve been recognized for my accomplishments, I’ve seen beautiful parts of this world – and I have a gorgeous dog.

But then everything changed about nine months ago.  At 30,000 feet over the Atlantic, and after 48 years of searching, I finally came to believe in God.

I had always assumed that if this crucial search ever bore fruit, that I would be ‘relieved’ – that I could finally ‘rest’.  Far from it. Continue reading