[PookztA]

kinda random here, but both of my Dad's parents died within the last 2 months, and now my mom's Dad just died a few days ago. weird how things happen so fast…

anyhoo, I was pretty close with my Grandpa on my mom's side, so i spent a good amount of time with my Grandma today, and she seemed pretty heart-broken and was unable to think positively about the whole situation, so I showed her the picture of the Butterfly Nebula recently taken by the Hubble Telescope, and explained to her that I believe in some form of afterlife, especially due to reoccurring natural cycles such as how the death of just one star gives birth to several new stars. it seemed to cheer my Grandma up quite a bit, and she asked me to write something to be read at his funeral which is coming up, so I figured i would share it with all of ya. Unfortunately I won't be there, but my brother is going to read it, so hopefully it is not too wordy or nerdy 🙂

…

A tribute to My Grandpa Giddie (aka Robert John Hafiz).

For as long as man has existed, we have looked to nature for inspiration, guidance, and knowledge.  Of all the natural wonders of our world, nothing has been more significant in shaping our understanding of this Universe than the vast cosmos which surrounds our planet. From the reoccurring phases of our moon to the continual rising and setting of our sun, the ever-repeating cycles of the heavenly bodies which surround our planet spoke to our ancestors about the possibility of life after death.

As technology and science continually shape our understanding of this world, they continue to shape our spiritual beliefs as well. One common belief shared by scientists and spiritual people alike is the notion that death is a natural part of the cycle of Life.  Thanks to the technology and science of modern-day astronomy, we now know that stars also have cycles of life.

A living star is constantly fusing atoms together in its core, releasing enormous amounts of energy in the form of heat and light, which prevent the star from being crushed by gravity. When a star has used up all of its fuel, a star is said to “die”, and gravity crushes the star. As the star is crushed by gravity, enormous amounts of stardust are ejected outwards as a ‘supernova’, and it is from this ‘supernova’, that countless new stars will now be born.

If there is one thing that we all can be sure of, it is that death is a natural part of life. When we look for a good example of this in nature, we see that just one star death gives birth to countless new star lives. If my Grandpa was here right now, he would not want us to mourn him, rather, he would want us to honor him with happiness, memories, and laughter. If we truly wish to honor him, then the best way we can do so is to allow his unexpected death to give birth to countless new moments of happiness, memories, and laughter, in each and every one of our lives. Robert John Hafiz was, is, and will always be a true inspiration to me, and if he is an inspiration to you as well, then I encourage you to join me in honoring him by letting the ‘supernova’ of my Grandpa’s death create countless waves of positive energy in all of our lives, for years and years to come.

Thank you.

…

Today I reached a totally new depth of understanding as to why having some form of spirituality / spiritual beliefs is very helpful for many, many people when trying to be positive. A lot of people are afraid of losing loved ones or dying themselves, and having some kind of belief in a spiritual origin of our Universe, and/or some form of afterlife, can truly make a major positive difference in someone's life.

You should have seen the look on my Grandma's face you guys… the smile that came out of nowhere, the smile that was not there before I spoke to her… despite the fact that everyone was telling her how lucky her partner was to have died in his sleep, without pain or suffering… or how jolly and joyful he was and how much he got out of his life… or how long he lived… none of that was comforting to her for anymore than a few seconds. Then I told her about my belief in some form of after life, and how my beliefs were based on facts that science has uncovered for us all, such as the life cycle of stars, etc, and her sadness faded away, and she did not cry again while I was there.

It is amazing how important spirituality is in this world, because many, many people need it, and as long as it doesn't cause them or society any harm or any slowing of scientific progress, then spiritual beliefs really seem to be either neutral or positive, but certainly not negative. In my opinion, philosophical beliefs only seem to be negative when they result in someone rejecting science or not believing in science, or someone hurting others over their beliefs.

Today i witnessed my spiritual beliefs help someone to be a happier person when she really REALLY needed it, when all the usual comforting statements and organized religion Bible mumbo-jumbo were not doing jack shit for her.

It has never been so clear to me that beliefs such as spirituality and Atheism are 'tools' we use, and regardless of whether there is some form of truth behind the spiritual beliefs of people like myself, the fact that we are using a 'tool' to get more out of our own lives, is something I will always be supportive and tolerant of, as long as I live.

I want to thank you all* for tolerating my spiritual beliefs, my grandmother's spiritual beliefs, others peoples' spiritual beliefs, and any discussions we have recently had regarding spiritual beliefs. *(except Pauldo, since he is an intolerant bastard 😉 )

Thanks for reading ya'll!

<3 Abe

[Pauldo]

Beautiful eulogy Abe.

[PookztA]

thanks Pauldoski 🙂 i appreciate your comment. and i hope you sense the sarcasm in my name-calling of ya, hence the winky face 😀

[Pauldo]

Oh I like that name.  ;D

[PookztA]

haha awesome, at least you are warning people now… 🙂

[Veck93]

Beautiful eulogy.
A wonderful thing you've done spending time with her and being sensitive to her feelings. Everyone else did the best they could I'm sure but often there is just nothing you can say that helps. I got to tell you, i feel good just imagining her smile and I've been falling back into depression over losing my wife last year so thank you. You're a good person.
Your take on spirituality and human needs was very interesting too. No time to comment now though.
be well

[Machi]

those are all wonderful words, Abe.

[PookztA]

thanks very much Veck and Machi! i appreciate you reading this 🙂

[Ascension]

I musta skipped over this before, very beautiful words Abe!

[PookztA]

thanks Kev! 😀

[PakaPaka]

My condolences and thanks for sharing, Abe. 

[PookztA]

thanks a lot PakaPaka! i appreciate your comment 🙂

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