� 2001-2006 by Shiloh
�
* The Chinese believe in reincarnation and that when you die you'll have to cross a bridge, and on that bridge there are many people who represent the levels you have to pass through.
There is one person who is an old lady. She is in charge of making a soup [more like a potion...] to give to the souls to drink, so that they can forget everything. Sad memories, happy memories, embarrassing memories, sweet memories...all your memories.
Would you drink that soup? If yes, what are the things that you want to forget? Explain why. If not, explain why.
I don't believe in reincarnation, she writes. 'Course, that's my religion talking, coloring my views. But...even then...if I weren't religious, I don't think I would believe in reincarnation. The closest I would come, I guess, would be the Celtic version. The ancient Celts believed that when the body dies the soul lives on, immediately finding a new body, a new life, a fresh start.
She pauses, lifting the pen again to her mouth to chew thoughtfully on its lid. Finding the right words she once again bends over the pages and begins to write.
But that's not the issue here.
Would I greet the old woman amid the swirling Mists of Time on this bridge and partake of the "soup?" No. Why? Because it's my life. My experiences, my choices and my memories, everything that makes me me! Even though I sometimes say, "I hate my life" or "I wish I could wipe the slate clean and start over," in the end I don't really and I wouldn't. I'm relatively a good person with a good heart, who's just human. I make mistakes just like anybody else, and there are some I wish I could undo but can't. Life here on Earth isn't easy. It's downright hard, but who would want to forget the joys, the triumphs and the strength of character they've gained from the trials they had in life? I don't want to!
Sure, it would be nice to start fresh with a clean slate, but then I wouldn't remember friends or loved ones. I wouldn't remember lessons learned or experiences gained. I would have to relearn or rediscover what pain and heartache are--as well as joy and sorrow.
I don't want a new life (in the reincarnation sense). I don't want a new family, or a whole new set of trials and experiences and mistakes. (Perhaps a new body--better looking--but that's vanity talking there. I just don't wanna forget the people who've left footprints on my heart, who've left lasting impressions on my mind, or the experiences that have made me me.
* P-O-Y's topic of the week.
|
moon phase |
