An Eschatological Laundry List

Some items from “An Eschatological Laundry List” found in If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him! by Sheldon Kopp.

1. This is it!
2. There are no hidden meanings.
3. You can’t get there from here, and besides there’s no place else to go.
4. We are all already dying, and we will be dead for a long time.
5. Nothing lasts.
6. There is no way of getting all you want.
7. You only get to keep what you give away.
8. There is no particular reason why you lost out on some things.
9. The world is not necessarily just. Being good often does not pay off and there is no compensation for misfortune.
10. You have a responsibility to do your best nonetheless.
11. It is a random universe to which we bring meaning.
12. Evil can be displaced but never eradicated, as all solutions breed new problems.
13. Yet it is necessary to keep on struggling toward solution.
14. We must live within the ambiguity of partial freedom, partial power, and partial knowledge.
15. All important decisions must be made on the basis of insufficient data.
16. Yet we are responsible for everything we do.
17. No excuses will be accepted.
18. You can run, but you can’t hide.
19. It is most important to run out of scapegoats.
20. All of the significant battles are waged within the self.
21. You are free to do whatever you like. You need only face the consequences.
22. What do you know…for sure…anyway?

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