I was debating in my mind this morning how to commemorate Easter. The prospect of going to church -- even a Unitarian Universalist one -- seemed daunting, and the possibility of quality lazy family home time especially inviting. But as we lounge around, enjoying Easter goodies and the start of a gorgeous spring Sunday, my thoughts linger on the concept of resurrection.
Despite my Catholic upbringing (or perhaps because of it?), I don't believe in the idea of literal rebirth -- that is, the notion that anyone (even Jesus) could die and then come back from death, reanimated with the same basic form and sense of self. I'm also not a big believer in miracles, or at least in that which would violate the fundamental laws of physics and/or earthbound biology (these laws are in and of themselves miraculous enough, in my opinion). That's not to say I would rule out the supernatural -- I don't think we have enough data to disprove it -- but I do believe that once the present physical "you" is dead, then that really is the final curtain for the physical "you," and probably the spiritual "you" as well. And really, that's probably just as well -- what good would it do any of us to linger in our current state indefinitely, like restless vampires in some Anne Rice novel?
However, I am a big believer in the
first law of thermodynamics, which states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but only changed in form. Considering that all life forms are essentially collections of energy that sustain themselves via external energy inputs, when a person dies his or her energy must not cease to exist but rather must dissipate into the environment over time, where it is taken up anew and assimilated by still-living forms. Of course, some of our matter would end up as part of the abiotic world, but even these bits of our current selves would still exist and serve some purpose.
So, in this way, we do each hold a legitimate claim on eternity, and the hope of resurrection. Perhaps not in the "I, Greg, shall live forever as Greg" manner that some might prefer, and probably not following the "Pearly Gates" model either. But certainly there is power and comfort in the knowledge that the energy that is me may one day cause a flower to bloom, or help an eagle soar, or propel a snake through the grass, or help push up new mountain ranges. Or yes, I may again experience long-term self-awareness as an entirely different person or other entity. The present is the raw material of the future. Even when the Earth ceases to be, our planet consumed by a dying star or obliterated by a rogue asteroid, the energy that was Earth will forever belong to the universe, and forever be recycled into new, unique, and beautiful creations of a self-perpetuating cosmos.
Happy Easter. Spring has sprung. Again.
