I had extensive dental work done recently.

My dentist is a very kind, gentle woman who makes the experience as easy as possible. So instead of being tense and alert, worrying about whether or not something would hurt, I was able to let my mind wander.

While I was ensconced in the dental chair, unable to go anywhere while two people worked on my mouth, I started to think about several things.

I wondered about the first people and what they thought happened when a child was born. Were they surprised? Did they know what it was? Did they nurture the child?

After ruminating about this for a while, I began to think about the Universe and the existence of God. I concluded that, for me at least, that there must be a God.

Then I thought about death and the afterlife.  I wondered what death was like—do we just go to sleep and lose consciousness?  Are we reunited with those we loved in life who went before us? Is there really a place or state of being called heaven?

Finally, I decided that it didn’t matter because if there is a heaven, living a moral life would certainly merit that reward. And if there isn’t an afterlife, well, we lose nothing by being moral.

I found it amusing that I used to wonder how much longer the procedure would take, and if and when it was going to hurt…

Ah, the marvels of modern and pain free dentistry!

Image source myteeth.co.za