_Where did we come from?
What are we doing here?
Whither are we going?_
These questions have puzzled thinking people since consciousness first
dawned in the brain. Many have sought to answer them, so why not
I?--with the hope that the reading of this book will arouse in the minds
of the readers thoughts that will enable them to answer these questions
for themselves.
Were you suddenly to find yourself living on another planet, and you
were a thinking being, one anxious for knowledge, you would naturally
investigate the conditions under which you found yourself, and seek, if
possible, a solution for your existence there. Surely it is equally
appropriate, situated as we are on this earth, endowed with brains and
possessing senses and nerves, to inquire into and investigate the
conditions under which we live, and the purpose, if any, of our
existence here.
The peculiarity of this existence warrants such analysis. It is certain,
from our understanding as well as from all visible scientific facts,
that we did not make ourselves, and that we never had a former
existence; and we are led to conclude, in view of lack of credible
evidence to the contrary, from those who have passed on, that the
future, so far as our individual life is concerned, is an eternal void.
It is also certain, as science has indubitably shown, that we do not
make our offspring, that we are not creators, but are instruments merely
in producing life.
Furthermore, we did not make any portion of the globe which we inhabit
and of which we are a part, and, so far as we are able to determine, all
the natural conditions and "raw materials" of our environment are
something separate and distinct from anything which we ourselves
possess sufficient power to accomplish.
Therefore, since among the organs of my body, there is a _thinking_
portion, I am within the bounds of sanity when I investigate and express
such thoughts, opinions and findings as my reason and understanding
dictate. No one can truthfully say that he possesses sufficient
knowledge to account for or to explain the peculiar and mystifying
rules, conditions and surroundings which we are _forced_ to accept,
abide by and live under. And, therefore, the result of one person's
findings is worthy the same consideration as those of another.
Upon such basis I submit an honest attempt to express logically my
convictions upon this vital and puzzling condition of our existence, and
shall endeavor to aid those who read this book to see conditions in what
I believe to be their true light, and to stimulate the readers to think
for themselves. It is only through the exchange of the results of
investigations, and of honest opinions, that we have been able to add
improvement to improvement, and make easier the routine of our lives.
The conditions and elements that compose Nature, for the sake of
clearness, I will ofttimes call "God." I shall be more easily
understood, and at times the term "God" will express more succinctly the
thoughts or ideas I wish to express.