From K., an old friend in Australia, a poignant essay on life and death in the universe:
We are the first in history to know the vast extent of ‘creation.’
First it was castles and kings, four seasons, church on Sunday. Then the book of Job(s)!
The tiny electrons and virus’s spell the end of us, end of evolution as we tinker with DNA.
Yesterday I had left a bucket of water by our leaking rain tank, and overnight a small (2cm) six leg animal had fallen onto the surface of the water, and spread itself to stay on the surface.
Being a nocturnal creature, when the sun came up he/she (unused to light) was literally crucified as the sun rose to the heat of day.
I took the body out of the bucket and lay it on the ground and ants devoured its life fluids. I felt terrible, as I had set the scene, so to speak.
Galaxies, small animals and God, and us, we strut and sway our time on Earth.
This guy I know said to me that if he could find God he thinks he would find his wife.
He wasn’t referring to the God of Sunday School and the God of organized and disorganized religion — a divine being surrounded by bright light who lives in a magical place called Heaven.
By God he meant the mystery behind the universe.
The word God is a paltry three-letter inadequacy for the universe. The mathematical precision alone that keeps it all together, spinning and constantly moving at unbelievable speeds is miraculous. One centimeter off and KARRROOM!
This led me to thinking that God needs a more spectacular name. Take the word supernatural. That’s an impressive word. But God and the supernatural are not synonymous, because God also includes the natural world — the earth and the oceans andmountains and cities and houses and people and animals, everything we see around us with our available senses, the senses that currently are the only ones available to us.
But in the supernatural word, other senses must come into play, senses we aren’t yet aware of. There may be living people who have some supernatural sense, or think they do. But I think only in death does the supernatural world, that otherworldly dimension possibly become available to us and we become part of it, part of the universe, part of the miracle.
Unbelievers will say this sounds like the same pie-in-the-sky nonsense as the God in Heaven surrounded by divine light. Certainly, it requires the same faith or suspension of disbelief.
Faith carries a heavy burden for a five-letter word. The word for God should at least have five letters. Miracle has seven.
Seven. Now we’re getting somewhere. In Biblical studies, seven is the number of “completeness and perfection.”
The Bible itself was originally divided into seven parts: the law, the prophets, the writings or psalms, the gospels and acts, the general epistles, the epistles of Paul, and the book of Revelation. The total number of originally inspired books was forty-nine — seven times seven.
That works for me. God is the Miracle. The Miracle of the universe. If we become part of that when we die, we find the undead.
Who is best able to handle all the evil and misery in the world?
“I have seen men build and destroy. I have seen this world, which could be a paradise, reduced to a planet of greed, fear and hatred, I have seen humanity betrayed. I can stomach no more!” — Silver Surfer
In a surprising announcement today, the Silver Surfer issued an unprecedented challenge to God that would put their awesome powers to the ultimate test.
The Silver Surfer said he will match his powers with those of God to determine which one of them is best suited to handle the out-of-control violence, anger and suffering on Earth and on an infinite number of planets in the universe.
“If the Almighty will dare to reveal Himself,” taunted the Silver Surfer in a message on the galactic social platform Universal Language, “I am prepared to meet him head on in a contest to see who can achieve Total Good on Earth and throughout the Universe.”
Possible sighting of God (last known image, taken in 1968)
The Silver Surfer, a former humble astronaut from an alien planet, appeared to be speaking out of character by making such a public challenge. Mainstream media slammed it as a “blasphemous and shameless display of grandstanding by an overblown ego.”
The Silver Surfer defended his call to action by saying he can longer abide God’s continuing invisibility and silence in the midst of mounting misery and apocalyptic gloom that afflicts the Cosmos.
If God takes the challenge — which many doubt — He will find out that the Silver Surfer has daunting powers. They include creating life and healing himself and others by recreating damaged cells, traveling at speeds of 500,000 light years in seconds, moving moons and creating black holes — powers that would seem to match those of God.
For readers who may not know the origin of the Silver Surfer, here’s some background.
ORIGIN OF THE SILVER SURFER
The Silver Surfer was formerly a young astronaut named Norrin Radd who lived on the peaceful planet of Zenn-La. Enter an evil super entity known as Galactus, who gets his energy, his life force by devouring planets.
When Galactus threatened to consume Zenn-La, Norrin Radd made a pact with the galactic monster to save his own planet and his fellow citizens by agreeing to work for Galactus, traveling the universe and finding new planets for him to consume.
The Silver Surfer working for Galactus
In exchange for his services Galactus endowed Radd with the Power Cosmic and in the process the former astronaut became the Silver Surfer. With indestructible metallic skin he travels through space on a surfboard-like craft at superluminal speeds.
When the Silver Surfer’s travels took him to Earth he met the Fantastic Four — the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, Mister Fantastic and the Thing. Galactus was on the verge of consuming Earth when the Fantastic Four influenced the Silver Surfer to rediscover his true self and defy the evil devourer of planets.
Silver Surfer with the Fantastic Four
The Silver Surfer thus betrayed Galactus, saved Earth and dedicated himself to fighting evil throughout the cosmos.
We all know what God can do or claims He can do, here’s just some of what the Silver Surfer can do —
SILVER SURFER’S POWERS
Incredible speed. He can travel 500,000 light years in seconds! He can also use this speed in short bursts to dodge sudden attacks.
Time travel. He can fly at such immeasurable speeds that he shatters the time barrier and can travel to whatever time he chooses.
Healing and creating life. He can both heal himself and others, using the power cosmic to repair or recreate damaged cells.
Manipulate matter. Using telekinesis he can move objects and can transmute matter by changing atoms and substances from one form to another.
Create energy. He can blast his enemies with energy beams and create powerful force fields to protect himself. He can use this power to create black holes.
Super strength. His feats have included pushing a moon out of the way and breaking through a magically-charged vibranium wall with his bare hands.
Indestructibility. The Silver Surfer’s skin is composed of an impervious metallic substance that can withstand blows from the strongest beings in the universe. It also enables him to surf through stars and withstand the power of supernovas.
Cosmic awareness. He is imbued with an understanding of the universe that no human beings could even comprehend.
These are just some of the Silver Surfer’s powers. Full list HERE.
