Optimism abound...

Time can bring you down, Time can bend your knees. Time can break your heart, Have you begging please, begging please. Beyond the door,There's peace I'm sure, And I know there'll be no moreTears in heaven. -Eric Clapton (Tears in Heaven) Where, oh where, can my baby be? The lord took her away fromMe. Shes gone to heaven, so Ive got to be good. So I can see my baby when I leave this world. - Pearl Jam (Last Kiss) You must be wondering why have i put these two songs which are in such different genre and by such different bands...well, there's one simple connect between the two...Both of them depict real loss; The first being in memory of loss of Clapton's son and the second depicting the death of a loved one after a car crash... What is amazing is not that they depict death or bereavment but the fact that they talk about optimism of such great magnitude...optimism going beyond life and death, finding their loved ones in heaven and hence being good in their present life..Those who have read Dr Brain Welsh's books (noteably Many lifes, many masters and Only love is real) or believe in the concept of reincarnation might agree to these songs but what makes me think is: is it really practical. Loss is loss and there is nothing that one can do to undo that...nevertheless, being eternal optimists we hope that things will be good and when the writing on the wall becomes too clear we know that this is not possible and then we resort to all these concepts for making us feel good. I understand people taking solace in hypothetical situations or memories but taking solace in the fact that my next life will be good seems too much of a stretch to a normal person. However if we look at just Tears in Heaven and understand it contextually, we might be just able to appreciate it. I guess Clapton was not in a normal rational state of mind, which should be very normal, given the extent of griel and hence these thoughts. These are bizzare thoughts but they do give solace for some time and sooner or later life restores to normalcy with that void, with that loss and you just learn to live with it...its as simple as that....