[at-l] the challenges of our faith, morality and life

[ellen at clinic.net (Bob C)]

>"...Dying, perhaps, is not pleasant.

But we really don't KNOW how DEATH will be, do we? Be honest. While 
we've been TOLD a variety of stories, none of us really knows.

Death itself might be just fine, like "taking off a tight shoe."
Or, it might be like nothing at all, but then it wouldn't matter - if 
it were like nothing, then how would we know? We wouldn't."

I couldn't agree more. I was being selfish. I was thinking of the survivors. No one can know what death will mean. I'll be surprised, hopefully pleasantly, if it is other than nothing. If there is a life after death, I can't imagine an all good, all powerful God keeping me out. But who knows. 

Anyway. I spend my time these days protecting scattered pieces of the Maine landscape -- God's landscape, I like to thing -- for people who will live after me to enjoy, protecting a few special wild places for our children, grandchildren and future generations forever. I just came back from one of our town land trust preserves. The trail was icy with patches of the mud season just starting to show -- and the first damage of the season from the ATVs. But it was a delightful walk anyway, which I badly needed after a month of somewhat discouraging health news.

We've tried to cooperate with the local ATV club. We offered them a route through the preserve if they would encourage their members to keep off the hiking trails and repair prior damage to the trails. It aint working. Two years later no repair has happened. Two years later violations of the agreement create more damage.

My other land trust, the Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust, owns lands too high and too remote for many ATVs to damage. But we did gamble last fall and borrowed $200,000 to keep the summit ridge of Abraham and the southern slopes of Saddleback out of the hands of the developers. That mortgage comes due in October. We have $100,000 left to raise. If anyone would like to help we can be found at http://www.matlt.org/

The site now has convenient buttons that enable you to contribute via a credit card. Sorry for the blatant plug. But I'm getting worried. I've discovered that six months disappear faster and faster as we get older.

Weary

> ------------Original Message------------
> From: Jan Leitschuh <janl2@mindspring.com>
> To: "AT-List" <at-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
> Date: Sat, Mar-26-2005 5:12 PM
> Subject: Re: [at-l] the challenges of our faith, morality and life
> 
> > Death is not pleasant. 
> 
> Dying, perhaps, is not pleasant.
> 
> But we really don't KNOW how DEATH will be, do we? Be honest. While 
> we've been TOLD a variety of stories, none of us really knows.
> 
> Death itself might be just fine, like "taking off a tight shoe."
> Or, it might be like nothing at all, but then it wouldn't matter - if 
> it were like nothing, then how would we know? We wouldn't.
> 
> Of course, if you fear an eternal, burning damnation, then I can see 
> perhaps why you might be afraid to die. But that's a fear based on a 
> belief, not on a knowing.
> 
> The more interesting questions are: How would we live if we weren't 
> afraid to die? What would such a life look like?
> 
> It's not like any of us will get out alive.
> 
> -- 
> ========================================
>      	AT Journal:
> 	http://www.trailjournals.com/Liteshoe/
> 	Jan Leitschuh Sporthorses Ltd.
> 	http://www.mindspring.com/~janl2/index.html
> 
> ========================================
> 
> 
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