Heaven

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Seven years ago I was asked by a friend if I was "religious and if I believed in God?" As a (formerly) practicing agnostic I quickly answered:"no." However, I defended myself by explaining that I lived my life according to universal principals of "right and wrong" (as I understood them). Because I believed that our deeds create a lasting effect on the world, I felt confident in my everlasting future. In other words, I wasn't worried about there being a heaven or not. I told my friend that when I die, I am banking on knowing that my impact on the world will be ever lasting. My "heaven" will ultimately be the creation of the the sum total of all my actions.
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1 Y. W/ w* O# M+ T$ S I will never forget my friend's response: he looked at me with glassy eyes, and told me how deeply spiritual I was. I didn't see it. It took five more years to see what he meant. Such was the inspiration of the following poem I wrote.

Heaven
The pebble is worn smooth
: R7 o; h3 x8 t' {9 [' A5 D% ? Made small over time
A product of a cataclysmic force of nature
A fragment of mountainous sheets of rock
An accidental offspring of a boulder
9 _/ V) O9 b+ M) J2 o But just a very small stone.
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The pebble's place in our world
Is neither understood nor appreciated
But when thrown into a glassy calm pond
Its insignificance is transformed
4 D" M8 u$ d/ ^5 F3 ^* b Its meaning and purpose is unleashed.

0 L, v' @' T; ^ The instant the pebble kisses the pond
Its signature of concentric ripples
Spiral outwards
Moving far beyond itself.
0 H# u3 F# F5 u8 v$ r- y Gently affecting everything in its wake
  O8 Y- E2 v' Y) ?1 J  k/ n Forever altering the smooth placid surface.
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The pebble creates its worth and meaning
2 ~/ p8 M& ?* R9 m  W" y: s# ^ By unleashing its unimagined power?
: P0 d: v+ b) m: c: d Into a dueling force of action and reaction
Creating karmic energy
+ x. r) {( ~0 O( M( _+ v Producing lasting and fluid impressions.
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1 s1 J# j% o  k1 b; [' T Aren't we all pebbles?
+ `# F# Z4 s5 Z! T7 A, S" J4 K Feeling small and insignificant
But ultimately recognizing
That who we are meant to be
Can never be measured in isolation
on a path into ourselves.

It is true then:
Our everlasting future
& @, u0 |) Y  r# R( J" Y$ J$ c Is created by the indiscriminate tossing of pebbles
Into the pond of life
Creating ripples
, b  ]6 {, H) h$ n: M0 y that leave unique mark on our world
Not because of thoughts
2 s5 a& H8 O" r9 s' S' E  i3 z- D not because of well meaning plans
3 r  b; G; N+ u6 x9 I But because of actions.

Our life's prayers our answered
Because even the smallest pebble
) e5 I6 k$ ]5 z( D( p0 d. I9 y No matter how seemingly insignificant
Changes the course of the lives
/ O: ?+ p% t# S- `* E6 x+ h1 J Of those we touch.?

And when the icy winds of death
4 s/ o7 e0 B; a; K/ z* g, v beckon our lasting attention
8 e5 |9 K% Q  ?5 G7 Z  R We will gently leave this life
With the knowledge that
0 w& D# J  _6 ?& I% d5 _2 h because of that one pebble
$ g% W, @! {+ A4 R; i' R3 k The world will never be the same.
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And then we have heaven …
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+ _6 `- |3 R5 S" k" M3 s Ross Rosenberg
8/18/03