In response to the last post from Allison. Many of the prophets from most religions are analogous in their teachings. When you can step outside of your own religion and really examine them collectively, one has a hard time making sense of the things. I strongly believe in the inherit need of humans wanting to make sense of the things around us. We don't like being in the dark; we don't like not knowing or not having the answer to the question, 'why'? When people stared up at the heavens for the first time, they had to wonder what it was they were looking at and why it was there and most importantly, how did it get there? It can be so frustrating not knowing what something is or how it works. What can we do? Well, we try and figure it out. But what happens when we just aren't smart enough? Do we fill in the gaps arbitrarily? If we don't know what all those specs in the sky are, do we make up a story to explain them? Funny thing about constellations though, every civilization in history had their own. Their own explanation of things they didn't have the capacity to understand. Are all the worlds religions that much different? Does 'knowing' just make us feel better? I know it makes me feel better. There is little difference in me wondering as a little boy how my tape recorder worked versus now wondering how the universe is expanding....at a speed that is constantly increasing. Wow, how frustrating. What a beautiful system the universe would be if it were cyclical. Like a heartbeat. Is it possible? Perhaps. But now, with that increase in knowledge we have, unlikely. I'm still holding on though in thinking, "sure, but eventually it will slow and collapse...again?" I want it to work that way. So beautiful. I love Allison's thought on reincarnation. Wouldn't it be cool if the next time a star fuses hydrogen and makes helium and in turn barfs out heavier and heavier elements when it explodes in a supernova that I'll be constructed differently. There is no elegance in these things but I see them as the most beautiful and harmonious phenomenon. Back to reality, what do I know? Maybe it is better off just admitting that I don't know and wait for someone smart to figure it out and explain it to me. Where is the fun in that though? My mom has called me a dreamer and she is right.