Be Honest. Tell your self the truth.

Be Honest. Tell your self the truth.
What is real?
What do you believe?
Separate what you wish were true from what you know to be true.
No wishful thinking.
No seeking comfort in fairy tails.
Wipe away the stories of childhood.

The truth will not hurt you. The truth will set you free.

How many days do you have left before you die?
Those days are all that you have. Every second that passes is gone forever. You will never get it back and now you are one second closer to the moment that you will cease to exist.

Life is finite.
You are your body.
You are your brain.

Your body and your consciousness are two sides of a coin.
One cannot exist without the other.
When your body dies, you die.
There is nothing that follows death. For you, your death is the end of everything.
No reincarnation, no heaven, no spirit world, no afterlife.

Knowing that this world and this life are all that we have makes each day incredibly valuable. By some chance we have this life to do with what we wish. What an incredible stroke of luck to be born with the capacity to know ones self, to feel emotion, to be born a human being... to look at the world around you and understand it, is an opportunity that few living creatures have.

Before history, before technology, in primitive cultures human life must have been very immediate. Now we live in a world of global economies and super human abilities, unnaturally long lifespans and creature comforts. We here in the west are caught up in distractions and entertainments. Each day can pass us by hardly noticed.

Once you accept that every day, once it passes, is gone forever and there is no life after this life you will value your days in a different way.

My body comes from this Earth and is a part of this Earth and so a part of everything. I am one with the Universe. My flesh and blood and bone are one with the air and rocks and mountains and stars and worlds where I live. It is all one thing.

The fact that I know that I exist, can feel emotions, think about the future and the past, create music and art, perceive beauty and ugliness, the fact of my sentience, is a ripple in the flow of reality. Consciousness if a characteristic of me. It's like the color of the sky or the texture of a rock. Consciousness happens to be a part of me. The fact that there is life on this earth and that some of the living creatures here have consciousness and that some of those with consciousness are self aware is a ripple in the flow of reality. It could have happened in a very different way and it surely has happened in many different ways in many different places and times in the universe where we live. 

Is the Universe a conscious thing? Is our form of consciousness unique in all of reality? We cannot know.
Is there a higher power that exists outside of our selves that is paying attention to our thoughts and deeds? Is there a plan for us or a morality to the world beyond the one that we create for our selves? No. Morals and ethics are characteristics of herd dwelling creatures. They are traits that increase our chances of survival as a species. We need each other. And so we have evolved instincts that compel us to live together. We seek companionship. We care for our children. We feel guilt if we needlessly harm others. These are all things that help us to live together and thus further the survival of our species.

The question to ask ones self is: What matters to me? What is the right course from here to the end?

The very beautiful answer is: What ever I decide it is.