Thoughts of a Professed Atheist

The Life Force has always been and always will be.

Although it exists because we exist, it does not change, only we change. We join it when we are born and leave it when we die. It is the power that connects all living creatures on this planet, and perhaps in the universe. Tikkun olam is one manifestation of this concept.

The Life Force is a blessing and a responsibility. It brings joy, and occasionally sadness. It is that which prompts us to offer assistance when needed and to grieve when dreadful things happen beyond our ability to help.

What has always bothered me is that some people find it easy to injure and to kill. Nor can I understand depression and suicide, unless one is terminally ill. Is the Life Force somehow interrupted or damaged? It's as if those people are missing a vital piece of themselves.

This morning, I went out into the backyard to give the squirrels their usual breakfast of raw nuts in the shell. I watched them pick up the nuts and examine them, turning them round and about with those incredible little hands. Then they dash up the tree and I hear them crack open the nuts with their tiny sharp teeth. If that isn't enough to make someone recognize the joy of life, I don't know what is.