To vanquish death we must move from the path of the ego to the path of the spirit

Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote the free and responsible search for truth and meaning.

Where does this search take us? There are plenty of paths to hell we can go down. Which path will take us to Truth?

We eventually learn that all the paths we go down in this life lead to death. We can't escape it no matter what we do.

All the idols we worship, all the world has to offer, leads to one place. We avoid facing this fact as long as we can. We are encouraged to fight death right up to the end even though death always wins.

So, the Latin expression, "carpe diem," seize the day, becomes the ego's modus operanti. We are encouraged by the ego to enjoy the trip as the boat on which we are riding goes down. The band played on as the Titanic sunk.

What would you do if you knew today was the last day of your life? Will money help you? What would winning the lottery do for you then?

We come to the point when we realize that all the idol worship we engage in in this world does not change our fate. The idols of the ego do not offer us true salvation. There is nothing on the path of the ego which in the last analysis has any lasting value for us, that can help us defeat death.

The dissolution of death comes in the awareness that we are not an ego. What we think of as our self is not real but a social construction. The animating energy of this social construction does not change but continues to exist forever. This animating energy is part of the All, the total package of which we just a minuscule manifestation. This manifestation will change, but it will not die.

We become aware that we are One with our brothers and sisters and that this Oneness is experienced by us during our current manifestation as Love. We come to understand, along with the Beatles, that Love is all we need. We don't need idols. Idols are counterfeit salvation. They lead us down a dark alley to disappointment and futility. No idol is ever enough to satisfy our longing for completeness.

And so the questions that guide the purpose of our lives are not "How do I acquire more money, more power, more fame, more sex, more worldly pride," but rather "What would Love have me do?"

Before we can get to the question, "What would Love have me do?" we must first forgive ourselves and others for our mistaken efforts of worshiping and obeying the idols which seduced us from our authentic path of the spirit. After forgiveness we can move to Love which is on the path of the spirit a whole new ball game.