Time, Trains and Polar Bears

I'm watching a trailer for the upcoming new episodes of "Lost." I know the producers and writers have already said the island is absolutely not purgatory. However, it did get me thinking about the concept of heaven and hell.

We all have a vague notion of what we believe each to be. We have no idea if they are a destination of our spirit or a transfer of our energy to a higher (or lower) plane of existence. But these are both concepts of place. The most inspiring and frightening part of the concept of heaven and hell rests firmly in time.

An eternity. Not a place where the train makes a brief stop so we can get off. Look around. Take in the joyful reunions of loved ones or watch flames burn in jagged lines across a barren land. It is the daunting idea that for us, we can't take a step back on the train. Whatever soil our step marks is where the unfathomable idea of everlasting begins. Maybe re-incarnation exists, a ticket to board the train again for the reverse journey, but for now, that remains an outside-the-bell-curve-Sylvia Brown-esque theory.

Embedded deeply within our spiritual life, the notion of time guides our decisions. The swing of moral ambiguity. The choices we made that will earn us that train ticket.

And who knows? Maybe see a polar bear or two.

"A writer uses a journal [blog] to try out the new step in front of the mirror." ~Mary Gordon

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