Life

Lately I've been pondering the question: why did God create animals? There's many ways to approach this question from a human standpoint. Scientifically, because we evolved from them. But then why create evolution? Is it that it reinforces that we are the most powerful because we are the only beings that have halted evolution?

Or is it for sentimental reasons, to be our companions? However, not all of them are companions. What makes an animal suitable for a companion?

Or could it be for food? However, God is all powerful and he could have created science and the world so that none of our food sources had life. The conclusion that I've come to with the help of my class is this:

Currently, in order for life to continue, life has to end. In order for beings to live, they must consume other living things - plants, animals, fungus, etc. Why does it have to be this way? A beautiful answer that we came to is that life doesn't end. When we eat food, any kind of food, it becomes a part of us. In a sense, the life is living through us. Not in the sense that I have the same spirit as a bacteria that lived a million years ago, but the sense that I am made of the same elements and the same matter. I believe that God creates new life all the time, but here on earth our physical bodies are all made of reused material. Thinking this way gives a wonderful sense of continuity. Death is seen as a tragic event, an ending. Looked at through the lens of continuity, death is a new beginning.

Furthermore, continuity spanning life and death fosters an interconnectedness of the world. We are literally made of particles that belonged to living beings since the beginning of life on Earth. Matter is neither created nor destroyed, only changed. Perhaps this scientific law holds more truth than previously thought.

Now if we do believe that all life is connected, might we treat life differently? How will we treat the most vulnerable members of the population - the poor, the disabled, children, animals...? When all life is connected, that connects everyone to the world in a more intimate way.

My beloved grandmother died when I was four. We had an amazing relationship, and I still think about her frequently. My brother was born a couple of weeks later. They are two of the most caring and loving people that have ever been a part of my life. They are also two of the most important people in my moms life. What kind of beautiful gift from God is that - that when one precious life ends that another one begins? I don't believe in reincarnation, but I do believe in the continuity of life. Life inspires, life loves, and life never ends.

So the larger point that I'm trying to make is that although life may be tough sometimes and it is easy to hate another life or take another life for granted, all life is connected. I am connected to you, and you're connected to me in more ways than we can imagine. That is one of God's most precious gifts to us.