WXY 2

¹“But dad, is it good to be religious? ²Should I try to be like you?” ³“Oh, I don’t know, my child. ⁴Matters of good and bad are not very clear to me.” ⁵“But some things are bad, right? ⁶What about killing or stealing or all of the other evil things?” ⁷“Yes, some things are bad, I’m sure. ⁸But I don’t need religion to tell me what’s good and bad. ⁹It is part of me, I know it and feel it in my soul, and I doubt that religion could change my mind anyway.” ¹⁰“But that’s so confusing. ¹¹How, then, can I ever know what’s good and what’s bad?” ¹²“Oh, it’s not easy at all, my child. ¹³But good and bad are not facts, they are judgments, comparisons, almost, but not facts, so be careful.” ¹⁴“So good and bad are different for everyone?” ¹⁵“Yes, I suppose, because what’s good for the light must be bad for the darkness. ¹⁶But don’t worry, just be careful, my child, because we are not perfect, me and you, as physical beings, so you may go your whole life without ever truly understanding the nature of good and bad. ¹⁷But it’s okay, because even if you do not know, you can always fight.” ¹⁸“So is that my purpose, then? ¹⁹To fight for what is good? ²⁰Because sometimes, dad, I struggle with meaning, and despite the joys of life, everything feels pointless, and I’ve begun to doubt that I have a purpose at all.” ²¹“Oh, you have a purpose. ²²It might be less obvious than the purpose of a pencil or a broom, but if you look hard enough, I’m sure you’ll find it. ²³I know it’s hard, but don’t worry, my child, because life is precious, not because you have purpose, but because you are human. ²⁴And I agree, to do good is a beautiful pursuit, but there is more in life than just good or bad things. ²⁵Purpose is a challenge, unattainable, in a way, because although you are alive, you are much, much more. ²⁶But that’s the beauty of it. ²⁷Because we are in this universe, but so too is the universe in us. ²⁸Do not look to the stars to give you meaning, for it is you, my child, who gives meaning to the stars.”