Believing In Life

A detailed Summary of Believing In Life

"So and so wouldn't have wanted you to be upset...." those words have echoed in the ears of many, appropriately dressed in black attire, and paying their dues to a loved one, or even just an acquaintance. Whatever the case, most people follow the norms created in their society, in the event that someone they know happens to die. Whether it is a celebration of their life, or a means of gathering together in order to support and help one another, people will find a way to agree on an accepted, appropriate way of burying the dead. The most common and universal idea, of course, is God.

The need for security and comfort is understandable when people begin to near death. The harsh reality of a once youthful and lively body decaying into nothing sounds quite unappealing, to say the least. The fact that the mind, once full of vivid ideas, thoughts and intelligence will one day deteriorate to a clump of bacteria beyond resemblance of anything it was once before, is hard to digest. It is in Man's nature to question the metaphysical world around him. It is also in his nature to believe that there is someone always taking care of him. Since Man was a baby, he has held onto this belief and integrated it into his own children. He

most holy. In addition to this, the way Fenton writes "sort-of" makes God sound like a childish fool. His excuses for Fenton's interpretation of unjust negligence is finalized with, "Should have guessed that I do not exist." (LL16). This line is the most devastating of all, and seems to be engraved in stone as it starts to sink in. A great, flawless, powerful God would be great to have around. Still, most people would accept a not so fantastic, humanistic, "well I tried my best," God, if that were the only choice they had. Even Fenton's cruel, rude, careless and selfish, to say the least, impression of th'Almighty is something people would eventually learn to accept, in comparison to nothing at all. The even slightest implication of a nonexistent God is entirely unacceptable to most, and threatens everything Mankind has fought, died and lived for. When Fenton disintegrates His faithful followers into a bunch of foolish dreamers, he chips away through their safety-shell and challenges their reasoning. Obviously a statement about God not existing will quickly be tossed away into the "untrue, uneducated and ethically neglected" sort-of talk. The bearer of this statement will most likely be seen as likewise, and will most certainly be headed for the burning depths of hell...right?

new meaning, and really puts a twist to the poem. It seems as if Fenton is saying, "Even though God doesn't exist, if he did, you wouldn't mean much to him." In the last stanza he writes, " You're a grave disappoint all round" (LL 30), and continues with, '"That's all that you are," says th'Almighty,/ "And that's all that you'll be underground."'(LL31-32) The worms come back to mind, and this being his final statement, its obvious that he abandons any way of saying things a little less harsh. He is done pointing fingers, and has ended with death itself. He includes everyone and probably manages to infuriate a lot of people.

and socialization are all we can do to expand our beliefs. One can choose to live a comforting, secure life believing in an untraceable superior existence if they want. One can also rely entirely on science and facts to guide them through realistic conclusions, but never understand the magical aura that lies behind the unexplainable. There must be more than just scientific evidence and experiments...right? Then again, isn't it a bit foolish to have faith in a God to explain everything we find troubling...the way the Greek's explained the sun, moon and stars? The fact is, we may never know the real answers to the most important questions surrounding our existence. All I can assume is... if you spend the majority of your life arguing and searching for what lies beyond death...well, you may very well, just skip over the living part.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Kiddo Hey, Grammy Music, LL1 Ewww, , Yin Yang, God Fenton, Obviously Fenton, Poem Fenton, God Fenton's, Fenton God, poem fenton, nasty surprise sandwich, poem writes, repeat stanzas, faith god, surprise sandwich, nasty surprise, throughout poem, fenton writes, didn't exist, god completely,

Approximate Word count = 2332
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English