Scientists theorize that energy can neither be created nor destroyed. It can be changed into matter and matter into energy. There is, of course, always the question of where it originally came from and what will happen to it in the end. Which begs the question of what comes after the end? We will let the philosophers and scientists discuss and go crazy working those questions out.
In recent months we have known a number of people who have come to an end. Some have retired, coming to the end of a job they have had for most of their lives. Some of these people have been “down sized” or fired. Some of them have had long term relationships end. Yes, some of these ends have been through death. Fortune has also smiled and some of the people and the ending have been of a long standing problem or disability.
In many of these cases, multiple endings happen together. For example, when a person retires they usual also end many business relations and multiple problems. When a couple divorces, it is the conclusion of many conflicts as well as the termination of a long term relationship.
We tend to think of an end as the finish. The finish, however, is just one end. The other end is the beginning. For every finish there is a beginning. In fact, every finish is a beginning.
Remember what the scientists have said, energy can not be created or destroyed only changed from one form to another. All of life is based on energy. To be more precise, the entire universe is energy. Albert Einstein’s most famous formula, E=MC2, is for the conversion of energy into matter. In other words, even matter, the atoms we are made of, started as energy and have been changed into the atoms.
In metaphysics we teach that people are energy beings. For a short time, when measuring time in celestial or universal dimensions, we form a material or physical body. When we reach the conclusion of this life we turn into the energy being. Most religions have a similar teaching. In Christianity, for example, they teach that when a person dies their soul goes on to the final reward or punishment. The Hindu religion teaches that when a person dies they are reincarnated over and over again until they perfect themselves.
All endings are paired. For each finish there is a new beginning. When you finish a day’s work, you start your home chores. If you are in an accident and require an operation, at the finish of the surgery you are moved to the recovery room. Once you have stabilized you are either moved to your hospital room or are released and then the healing starts.
Graduation from school is not the end of your life or the end of learning; it is only the finish of that set of classes. We move on and on from one end to the next. If we have learned what we need we move onward and if we missed the meaning we cycle around again. Quite often a person will get a divorce only to marry another person who is exactly like the least one.
As we learn and grow, we move from one end to the next. Retirement and even vacations are greeted with enthusiasm and trepidation. People fight change, even changes that are good for them, even changes that they have looked forward to. The finish is viewed as a cliff and the beginning as a wall.
Both ends should be embraced. The beginning is a time of opportunity. The end is a time for reflection.
Chris and Dave Wattenberg CHTP, SHP/I
