Thoughts on Life, Death – and Our Responsibility

Not long ago, I had the experience of realizing that all living beings – humans and animals alike – continue to exist in another form after death and can communicate with us.This experience was real, and it shook me to the core.Even though we humans often carry the hope that there might be life after death, we are – as I used to be – full of doubts.But now I know. Because I have experienced it.No hocus-pocus. Just authentic, simple, and real.

This extraordinary experience touched me in two ways:On the one hand, it filled me with joy – because I now know that my loved ones continue to exist somewhere and are “there.”On the other hand, the very same experience horrifies me:If every animal has an individual soul – what immeasurable suffering do we humans cause every day, every hour, every minute?And that’s not even considering what we do to our own species: wars, holocausts, crimes, torture – a bottomless pit.

Animals, sadly, are often just a means to an end for us humans:We eat them. We use them.But how do we treat them while they are alive?Do we respect them as beings with a soul?Where do we get the arrogance to claim we know what animals feel – or whether they even have a soul?

One example: Easter.Tens of thousands of lambs are slaughtered simply because thousands of years ago, it became a tradition in several religions.And yet we pride ourselves on having progressed as a society.But then why do we no longer stone people or crucify them?Where do we draw the line?

As far as I know, Buddhism is the only religion – or rather, philosophy of life – in which animals are regarded as equal soul-beings.“Mindfulness” is a movement more and more people in the Western world are embracing.Because they sense how their souls are being lost in the flood of news, the manipulation of social media, and the stress of constant availability.

Mindfulness can help us rediscover the world.Anyone who sits down in a flower meadow and simply observes quietly will see how wonderfully diverse life can be on a single patch of earth.Just as magical as that microcosm is – so beautiful, precious, and lovable is our planet. Nature. Wildlife. In the water, the air, and on land.

Every day, I fall in love with all this beauty again.And I feel deep sorrow when I see how humanity – driven by ego, arrogance, and consumerism – is in the process of destroying it.

Sometimes I comfort myself with the thought that artificial intelligence might one day stop us humans and side with nature.But those are wild speculations.

For today, in this very moment, all I can do is send you these words, continue practicing mindfulness –and rejoice, from the bottom of my heart, that my loved ones are always with me.

Every soul matters.