Beyond the First Glance
by Al Harris

A friend of mine died last night and I'm crying as I write this. Thousands died in New York and I grieve for them too.

So I widen my viewpoint to get some clarity. But I cannot shake the sadness, so I widen my viewpoint further to try to make sense of things. I widen it further still, till it encompasses the whole universe. And a strange thing happens. I see we are infinite creatures, sparks of God that inhabit bodies, feel emotions, think thoughts and have actions. 

More clarity, please, I say, and expand my viewpoint further yet. Suddenly eternity stares me in the face. And I see a small blue planet spinning through space. A sphere with a pocket of air so we can breathe. A crust with pockets of oil to run machinery. A strange place where everything eats everything else. Plankton, fish, mammals all eat each other.

And I look at the other beings that inhabit this piece of rock hurtling through the galaxy. My attention shifts down the track of time to thousands of years B.C. There they are, huddling in a cave. There's danger outside and the shelter keeps the wind in its place. One man clubs another over the head. The second one falls.

My vision blurs and my attention accelerates into the future. The clothing is different. There are more gadgets. The club is still there - it has a different shape. The men are the same. Similar emotions. Similar actions. 

I look at grownups standing beside the children. No difference there either. Both are still running around screaming: "My God is bigger than your God." And killing each other to prove it. Nothing has changed in 30,000 years.

My attention moves to an old man on a park bench. He nears the end of his life and knows it will soon be time to go. He has tasted power and built financial empires. Yet one by one his friends have all left in one fashion or another. There is little love in his life. He regrets he can take none of his accomplishments with him. Buildings. Money. They will all stay and eventually crumble, just as his body will turn to dust. His fame will one day be forgotten. 

A second man sits on a second bench. He also nears the end of his life. He sees a small child patting a dog. The dog wags its tail. The child smiles. And in a frozen moment of eternity love passes from one being to another. From the dog to the child to the man. And when the second man leaves the tiny blue sphere hurtling through space he will take that love with him. He will take his friendships. Kindness. Wisdom from what he's learned.

What will you take with you?