My 8-year-old kid started his most recent lengthy questioning session with, “How do you know heaven is real?”
“Well, let’s start there. We don’t know that it isn’t real,” I stumbled and mumbled. With the exception of the testimonies of people who have experienced near death and claimed to have seen heaven, no one has ever conclusively demonstrated that heaven does not exist. And that’s the whole basis of the idea of faith, my love. A belief in faith is based on feelings and acceptance rather than facts and evidence. Note: I’m not interested in discussing “proof” and I don’t have a degree in theology. Not even a cool mom like me. Just a typical mother attempting to raise her children to be decent people. And good bye.
His questions often push me on subjects that would otherwise remain unexplored, thus I am grateful for them. The older I get, the less basic survival rules and curiosity dictate my thoughts. For instance, “How many steps would I need to suffer to eat this chicken sandwich?” is this 47-year-old’s top question. Horrible, yet accurate.
His question regarding paradise was followed by a somber contemplation of the possibility of gravity just going away. Imagine the existential crisis a youngster would have when they imagined our bodies rising beyond the surface of the planet and floatingβer, catapultingβinto the atmosphere. Whoa. Major Anybody has ground control.
Observing his youthful forehead and eyebrows furl and flex through the rearview mirror, I felt ironically nervous due to his anxious thoughts. His imagination naturally wanders to the big picture because he has experienced a lot in his eight years. A “premature reality portal” can be opened by social media, television, current events, illness, accidents, family trauma, and busy adults. This can lead to enormous ideas and even bigger problems.Usually, our worries are about problems that we will never be able to solve or overcome. Despite the fact that I have previously been prone to worry, optimism and faith have helped me to overcome my worry. My faith and optimism just raise me over the rapids of life below and provide a safe way forward, without actually evaporating them. I would just fall in and get swept away if there wasn’t this sturdy bridge.
What enabled me to build a bridge between hope and faith? relationships between individuals.
In actuality, the generation our kids belong to is the most nervous in history. Given all the horrors that have occurred in previous generations, it’s difficult to imagine that these kids wouldn’t be more nervous than them. What then is the reason? I’m not a sociologist, just as I’m not a theologian, yet connectedness is the term that keeps coming to mind. genuine, deep, face-to-face communication.
In addition to the terrible tragedy that occurred close to my hometown last week when a gunman opened fire on a small-town grocery store, killing four people and injured about a dozen more, I was thinking about my own son’s concern. This is oversimplifying a great deal, but what let this lunatic to loose was his disconnection from God, humanity, and mental health treatment. And the community’s bonds with one another will be what allow them to recover and advance just a little bit.
Connection is the epitome of what it means to be Southern. We Southerners adore getting together, shooting the bull, and visiting. However, it isn’t exclusive to the South. I once saw some elderly people getting together to play games and socialize in a park in Chinatown while I was visiting San Francisco. They informed me they did it daily at the same hour, a custom from their native culture. Before DoorDash and online shopping, people used to gather in town squares and cafes for daily news gathering and amusement. With the advancement of technology, we have become more socially inactive and alone. Our houses are nice, spacious, and connected to the Internet, but perhaps not to each other, by global standards. We no longer have these fleeting, seemingly inconsequential relationships with strangers and our neighbors as a result. Have we undervalued the ability of brief, everyday encounters to maintain our connections and improve our mood? Are these the secret to developing empathy and fostering international relationships?
I’m grateful that technology has progressed to the point where we can now provide excellent care for the homebound, better manage logistical issues, and much more. However, we have to take care to determine the pricing fairly. Technology cannot moderate human connection on our behalf; we must take responsibility for this on our own. It will need us intentionality and restraintβtwo things we don’t typically employ.
Thus, I’m encouraging you to do things like visit your local farmer’s market, meet up with pals at a coffee shop, invite neighbors over for a potluck, and sit on your porch rather than (gasp!) spending all day emailing memes. Bring the kids along for the ride. Show children the pleasure of traveling, providing their own entertainment, and engaging with people of all ages. After all, modeling makes the best parent. Toss the Pinterest board, bring a non-fancy bowl for the potluck, or just show up at a casual restaurant on a whim, thinking about your relationship rather than your attire. Make new connections with people you don’t know and invest in the relationships you do.
Besides, we’ll be more equipped to do it collectively when we transcend beyond the limits of gravity and ascend to paradise.
Matt Pinner is a dedicated journalist for WVPrepBB.com, specializing in USA and crime news. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for uncovering the truth, Matt brings timely and insightful reporting to his readers. His work on WVPrepBB.com keeps the community informed and engaged with the latest developments in national news and criminal justice.
