EMINENT theoretical physicist and cosmologist, Stephen Hawking shared his thoughts on death, human purpose and our chance existence in an interview with the Guardian recently. Following is a short summary of his interview before I add my bit.

“A belief that heaven or an afterlife awaits us is a “fairy story” for people afraid of death, Stephen Hawking has said. In a dismissal that underlines his firm rejection of religious comforts, Britain’s most eminent scientist said there was nothing beyond the moment when the brain flickers for the final time.

“I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark,” he added.

Hawking’s latest comments go beyond those laid out in his 2010 book, The Grand Design, in which he asserted that there is no need for a creator to explain the existence of the universe.

The physicist’s remarks draw a stark line between the use of God as a metaphor and the belief in an omniscient creator whose hands guide the workings of the cosmos. In the interview, Hawking rejected the notion of life beyond death and emphasized the need to fulfill our potential on Earth by making good use of our lives.”

THERE are many ways to look at what may happen when we finally shed our mortal coil. No matter how intelligent we are, it can only be conjecture, for the only way of finding out the truth is to die – and once dead,  there is no way to come back to tell others about it.

So for a bit of an exercise, let’s hypothesize on his thoughts. The brain is indeed, a computer – and a damn good one at that. Basically though, it is no different than the computer I am using to write this article. This one is the latest in a line of computers that I have owned – the others have all grown old or broken down, died and gone to computer heaven. (Joke)

Like a computer that consists of a body or casing with its peripherals wrapped around the inner microprocessor, the human body and its peripherals are wrapped around our processor, the brain, that will also grow old and eventually breakdown. Then it too will die and go to heaven (We hope).

A computer must have an operator, otherwise it will not work. It does not matter in the least how smart it is, if someone does not switch it on, load up the information and log on, nothing will happen. The computer will do absolutely nothing forevermore if no one is at the keyboard making it work. It is after all, a machine.

The brain also needs an operator – otherwise it too will not work. When we die, the operator leaves the building and the brain stops. You are the operator of your brain. It is only a machine that you are using whilst you are here experiencing a physical life journey on Earth.

When that journey ends, you get up and walk away from the machine. It is hopefully old by then and its use-by date has expired. It becomes obsolete. It will not work again. When you are ready, you will acquire a new body, which also houses a brain, which will enable you to experience another physical life journey.

Stephen Hawking is right in what he said, but he only takes into account the physical aspect of life on earth – not the spiritual aspect. Looking at it logically, if this is it – one time – one go at it – why bother? What would be the point of it?

They say that, like with other animals, the survival of our species is only instinct – our inborn urge to survive, to suffer the ravages of sickness and disease maybe and the ups and downs of life on earth in general, before we descend forever into the depths of oblivion and our kids take over.

What a load of bullshit! If that was the case, once we kicked the bucket, what would it matter what happens on earth? We are forever unaware. We are not in control anymore. Our progeny, who follow us could very well blow up the entire planet for all we know causing the extinction of not only our species but the rest of life as well and what would it matter to us. We are oblivious remember! We are not anymore.

Our experience of life logically, must have a point to it, a reason. To have a onetime go at life and then no more simply does not make any sense. We might as well forget all about progress and just whoop it up for the little time we are here if that was the case. That is not intelligent design – and the universe is.

The way that our mind works is in two parts. One is the operator, although not a physical part of the brain – is the intelligence controlling the overall operation – our eternal, true self. The other is the ego, the driver behind the wheel.

The brain is not the mind so much as a part of the body, the grey ‘matter,’ which belongs to and is the abode of the ego. When the body dies, the brain and the ego die too. That, to the ego is a terrifying thought.

So really total oblivion is preferable to the ego rather than to have our true spirit (operator) continue on regardless after life, while the egos existence ends. The ego desperately wants eternity too.

The complete Stephen Hawking interview can be accessed by clicking on ‘The Guardian.’

Dan’s Quote: “Birth and death… we all move between these two unknowns.”- Bryant H. McGill

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