Yesterday was Lilac festival - without the flowers - was a big success as far as attendance is concerned, but I did not see many filled shopping bags doing the rounds. The festival is great for finding contacts. For example I spotted the basket case funeral service, about which I’d heard on CBC radio’s O’Reilly’s Persuasion show. I think they are from the UK and may find out this week at their reception.

Yesterday’s attendance at Herman’s was low, just Jack and me beside the volunteers, with Shirley and Judith coming later, making it eight (8) altogether. Herman talks a lot about his past and I think people feel that they know that already, while they miss the message for dayly living.

Jack asked me for my website link and the daily entry writing dates that I would like him to peruse. This let me to list all the entry date that relate to my topic ‘A Framework for Human Experience’. This list starts around April 25 consisting of nineteen (19) entries and is still growing.

However, I sent Jack only four dates that outline the beginning of that formulation in a definitive way. Some of my writing is very exploratory and searching, but the four I referred Jack to form his favourite funnel.

Last night my friend S. called to let me know that my card had arrived, but I had to ask what she thought of it and the enclosed article. After this opener I got to hear about the kitchen renovation and all its implications. There is no time for coffee at the moment, which is o.k. with me, as I’m fairly busy. P.S: Nolton Nash, CBC’s former news anchor passed away.

Making the above mentioned tabulation of the writings relating to ‘A Framework for Human Experience’ focussed me on the still remaining topic of ‘eschatology’. This is a theological term which means ‘teachings about the last things’. The Greek word ‘escha’ means last and logy refers knowledge, as in the term theology - knowledge about god - where theo means god.

Each religious human tradition has such teachings, which include ideas about heaven, hell for Christianity and fire and paradise for Islam, with judgement day for both, while Judaism has a vague eschatology. As an aside reminder, I am limiting my examples to the three monotheisms as I’m most familiar with them.

Inherent to the concept of eschatology is that there is an end to human individual life and to the present state of existence of earthly human life. In Christianity these teachings are closely tied to salvation and conduct during one‘s lifetime. If you belief in Jesus as saviour you will go to heaven, if you are unrepentant of your shortcomings you go to hell, while purgatory is for those capable of improvement.

These three states are presumed to exist and have a pedigree of twenty centuries, but are no more verifiable than today’s multi dimensional string theory of science based cosmology. What does become clear from these considerations, is that we humans project a certain future achievable state that is not a dead end nor a cul-de-sac.

We are dealing with a conceptual construct that cannot be verified and while presumed, is functional through its lending perspective to our present state of being. I think that this perspective is a psychological and emotional necessity for us humans, such as we are and it would be imprudent to negate its value and functionality.

We are conscious and knowledgeable enough today about our own human condition to recognise the need for a perspective on our daily life that is realistic and hopeful. The unrealistic will be dismissed, which will leave us without such a functional perspective.
<11:00am and 1:00pm; with laundry going.>

The traditional imagery of heaven and hell are anthropomorphic depiction of what was considered acceptable in the past, but is no longer today.

A perspective on the future does not have to be provable, there are many theories that not either, however it must be credible and not border on speculation or fantasy. The traditional imagery of heaven and hell are anthropomorphic depiction of what was considered acceptable in the past, but is no longer today.

A credible perspective on future existence - that is a modern eschatology - can certainly be composed or constructed and formulated using modern concepts. These should be analogues in functionality to the traditional ones. It is therefore useful to examine those handed down ideas and possibly generalise from them.

The traditional eschatology shows that human behaviour during one’s life time has consequences that are related to attitude as well as conduct. That is the human who is ‘contrite’ about wrong doings meets with forgiveness and forgoes ‘everlasting’ punishment. This kind of value set allows for a human to be less than perfect and still be acceptable, provided the chosen attitude is one of accepting one’s failings and learning from them.

So far the personal life of the human, but there was also the collective aspect that includes all of humanity. Cultures as a whole were thought to be capable of straying a way from the righteous path.

Generally the redemption in such a collective case could be found by applying heaven’s laws and directives. This was accompanied by society wide service of the higher power and law giver, which was regarded as the source of authority, by means of common ceremony, liturgy and ritual.

In both the personal and the collective case the human is dedicated to a cause and purpose that lies beyond the immediate daily experience, but is near enough to be within the range of affect and effect on and by human behaviour.
<1:51pm~