Stephen Hawking seems to be in a talkative mood as of late. In an interview with the Guardian, he makes it clear that he has no use for the concepts of heaven or God. Ever the consummate geek, he compares the human brain to a computer and declares that “[t]here is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.” Of course, I can’t disagree with him. Heaven seems like an unnecessary distraction from all the singularly amazing things to be experienced here in this world: art, food, sex, an airplane ride, the weight of a slumbering dog at the foot of your bed, the sun falling outside my window and streaking the sky in apricot and rose. Hawking and I may be epic rivals, but we both know that we’re heading for oblivion and we’re pretty much okay with that as long as there’s ample time to enjoy the ride.
For some reason, the utter ridiculousness of heaven as a topic has been brought up quite a lot at my house over the last few weeks. Anyone who believes in the concept of heaven with it’s “looking/smiling down upon you,” clouds, harps, etc. is lacking in I.Q. points. Seriously. Think about it people.
Oh, and Mark, you should totally visit (promote??) the site I just created and join my forum because it’s awesome. I would love to interview you for a monthly feature story if you’d let me.
http://www.smaisland.org