What's the Point

“Hey Bob”

“What do you want Andy?”

“Scoot over”

“Now what?”

“How would you like to die? Would you rather drown or burn in a fire?”

“What kind of question is that?”

“I’m just saying Bob, if you had your choice, what would it be? What would you choose?”

“I don’t know, I guess drown. Why do you ask?”

“It says here that the majority of people, would rather drown?

“Yeah, I guess so, it makes sense, it’s more peaceful. Yeah, you never heard of people in Medieval times being drowned at the stake. What would you choose Andy?”

“Oh me? I’d rather spontaneously combust. You know just blow up. Burn up”

“Spontaneously combust? You don’t hear about that too much anymore. It’s kinda creepy and unusual. Is that even a thing?”

“I think it is?”

“What brought this on?

“I don’t know. I was just thinking of my own mortality. We really can’t choose when and where we are going to die. Unless its suicide”

“I don’t like the thought of that. Suicide that is. I’ve got too much to do”

“Like what Bob?

“Like ending this conversation”

“Why? Don’t you ever think about things like that?”

“Well, I guess you’re right. I don’t want to blow myself up. I’m no terrorist. With all the crazy people in this world it’s enough just trying to stay alive”

“I have two more questions for you Bob. If you were to be executed, would you rather be electrocuted in the electric chair or shot by a firing squad?”

“Hey, what’s your problem Andy? Didn’t you get enough sleep last night or did you have a bad dream?”

“C’mon Bob, answer the question. We don’t have much time for this”

“Okay that’s an easy one. Firing Squad”

“Okay wait a minute what about a guillotine?

“That wasn’t one of the choices, knock it off before I take your head off. I’m done playing your stupid game”

“Okay okay. What about girls?”

“What about them?”

“You like’em right?”

“Sure I do. But yeah, so what? Are you going to ask me now if I’m going to kill a girl or have her drown me? Or pour gasoline and light me on fire like some funeral pyre ceremony in India where the husband dies and the wife has to throw herself on the burning altar of death to enter the afterlife or something ridiculous like that?”

“No no no. What I’m asking is if you are planning on ever getting married and having a family?”

“Well sure. But I don’t even have a girlfriend right now. Hey, what’s this all about?”

“It’s not about…

“Cause if you are trying to…

“No no I’m just asking”

“Fine, yeah I’ve thought about it”

“Even with all the terror in the world with wars, disease and division among nations and people. Neighbor killing neighbor. Brother killing brother. With things seemingly getting worse by the minute, why would you want to bring a child into the world with all of that kinda stuff going on?

“Well that all may be true. But maybe, just maybe my child would grow up to be the one who cures cancer or is a peacemaker to stop war. Or even an explorer that goes to outer space to a new world?”

“Bob people can’t even agree on anything. Even when they are shown the exact same thing, they come to different conclusions”

“Yes, you are so right. I’m coming to the conclusion that you are a nut job”

“Well, that may be the case, but that’s beside the point”

“What’s the point?”

“Getting back to your child…”

“My child? I didn’t even know we were expecting. What’s the babies name and birthday?”

“I don’t know but who knows, but maybe he or she could be a serial killer”

“Hey do you want me to serial kill you? What are you getting at Andy?”

“No no relax. I’m just saying, maybe he or she isn’t good or bad but something happens where they are killed in some unfortunate accident and the grief you experience as a parent is just too much”

“Yes, that could also happen. It happens every day”

“People experience grief when they love too much. Some people who have never loved don’t experience that type of loss. Their grief may not be as deep or profound as someone who has loved and has lost”

“Now you are judging people’s depth of feeling?”

“No, I’m not saying that at all”

“Then what are you saying? What’s your point?”

“My point is I guess we can’t choose how we die, maybe we can, maybe we can’t. But we can definitely choose how we live”

“Isn’t that obvious Andy?”

“You would think. But if that truly is the case, why do people choose to hurt other people? It doesn’t make sense. Does it?”

“I don’t want to die, so get to the point!”

“I think, and I’d like to believe that it’s true, that God…”

“Whoa, now you’re bringing God into it? Isn’t that another question? Like question number three?

“Well yeah, I am. God wants us to be the best person we can be. Not be a killer, not kill ourselves and not be just an observer. He wants us to choose life and to actively love each other. Not as a command but out of our own freewill. To choose right from wrong. To come to HIM to the light and not the darkness”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“Apparently not to everyone. Men never seem to learn that lesson”

“Yeah, I suppose. Isn’t that one of the commandments?

“Yes, it is. Can you name all of them?”

“Thou shall not make false idols, Thou shall not take the…”

“Hey this isn’t a test. All I’m suggesting is we as people, have been shown these rules or rather suggestions for living a moral life according to God’s plan for us, and we continually get it wrong.

“There you go again, bringing God into it”

“It seems to me when God isn’t brought into it, people believe themselves as “God” and that’s when things go bad”

“Hey, what about the argument that religion is the cause of every war and genocide?”

“I don’t remember ever hearing Hitler, Stalin and Polpot ever going to church or praying? People think every generation is smarter and more evolved than the last one. That’s an arrogant assumption in itself”

“Humility, sacrifice and repentance. Hmm. Interesting”

“Remember it’s all a choice”

“Hey this is my stop. I’ve got to get off the bus. See you at school tomorrow, Andy. Don’t forget the lunch money you owe me for the chocolate milk”

“I won’t, Bye bye Bob. Don’t forget to say hi to the kids when you eventually have them”