Morning Pogue,

I watched a TV series recently where the premises was a group of British agents controlled a programme which gave them access to a reset button. When the world reached a catastrophic event, usually a nuclear event, and the end of the world as we know it was hustling in, the reset button would be pushed and…the world jumped back exactly a year in time. This gave the agents, now with the knowledge of what was coming, the opportunity to avert it. Very clever. Very comforting.

So, I was reading more on mental health this week, especially mental health and the crisis amongst young people and I reached a point where it became overwhelmingly apparent that the state of our mental wellbeing is heavily determined by how we are treated during our formative years which, as I said last week, seems very unfair. So, for many, by the time they are required to make any “big” life decisions, take on and maintain responsibility, step up, their response has been largely determined. It may be only a very conscious effort that will enable an unforeseen response.

So why hasn’t life provided us with a reset button? I mean, my IPhone has one, my car has one, my heating system has one, why don’t I have one?

Would that then give us the chance to determine the people we are or want to be. Could those who had an adverse childhood lose the memories of pain, shed the feelings of rejection, even become unabused (does that word exist? If it didn’t it does now!)? Wouldn’t that be a thing! The circle could be broken!

But we don’t have the button. Science and industry has seen fit to build this facility into so much today but God, in her omniscience has deemed it unnecessary for humans. And I find myself, with my limited knowledge and intelligence, asking why?

Can you entertain a crazy, only I go down this path, thought on this Monday morning?

Ok, here goes. As I’ve mused this with the premise that everything has a reason behind it and God, if God is part of your belief system, doesn’t get it wrong, So I’ve begun to wonder if there actually is a reset button in life? Again this may transgress your belief system but think, what if death was that reset? What if death is, as many philosophers and spiritual teachers have maintained, a doorway to what is to become. Death, the subject that is seldom spoken about, is part of our process. A point on our history which we must all walked up-to and maybe walk beyond.

I have maintained in many previous musings and letters to you that I am not this body. This body is but the vehicle in which I do life, this life. Many people talk about having a sense of deja-vu, that “I’ve been this way before” feeling. There’s a library of books and articles of near and post death experiences, so much so that we would do poorly not to lean into it occasionally. My failing is that in my humanness, if I deem I need a reset I need it now! Patience? But maybe before that happens I will benefit from further experiences, the logical progression of what has occurred, in order that after death, post reset, I make the best decisions having a full understanding of the experience I’ve acquired, not having dropped out midway through the course.

There’s much written about living in the moment and living in the moment is good. Let’s get the best in every moment going forward. But let’s not do it because we see our lives as limited and constantly shortening. Let’s do it so we take the very fullest experiences forward to make better the decisions we make hereafter. Can we change from seeing death as finality and more of an event that works for our wellbeing? I don’t know. Our beliefs as a society are deeply ingrained.

There, some really crazy thoughts to take into the week. They’ll lock me up someday for the things I think but what would life be like if we didn’t push the boundaries?

Yours, looking forward to an exceedingly long existence,

Wic.