To Be Both Happy and Honest

How can one be both happy and honest with one’s self? These are the four possible natures of God: 1)God saves no one, all are damned, 2)God saves some, 3)there is no God, 4)God saves all. These are the four possible outcomes of death: 1)one is damned to eternal torment, 2)one is purged, 3)one ceases to be 4)one is saved to eternal joy. How then can one be both happy and honest when we have no way of verifying either the nature of God or the eventual destination of our souls?

Oh God, save me. Save me and save my father. Save Hitler and the Jews. Save Jimmy Swaggart and the Dali Lama. Save the Buddha and the Christ. Save us all. Save us everyone. Save us and show yourself good and mighty. If we can forgive, can’t you? Who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he passes like a shadow? Who knows if the spirit of the sons of men goes upward and the spirit of the animal goes down to the ground? Do not be overly righteous, nor be overly wise: why should you destroy yourself? Do not be overly wicked, nor be foolish: why should you die before your time? Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all these God will bring you into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. So I commend enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.

How then shall we live? How can we be both happy and honest? As we do. As we always have. As we will until we die and finally know. Whenever you can, believe God to be good and mighty and your soul to be destined for heaven. Obey God’s three commandments: love God, love your neighbor, love yourself. Forgive and expect to be forgiven. Love. Work. Those two above all – love and work. Work was not the curse for our disobedience, seeing our innate nakedness as shameful was. Work is how we find our way to the garden we can no longer see with our eyes or touch with our hands. And love, love is still the atomic principle, the thing at the heart of it all. Love and work. Yes. Love and work.