[Catwoman]

I am a matter-less ‘person’ residing in a living lump of meat. When you put it like that, the notion of a soul seems insane. The immortal soul, our essential self, the one thing that eludes death, pain or distress, is our salvation from reality.

Now this is not necessarily a bad thing. It isn't pretty, this world. People die, people don't love you and most of the time it's pretty boring. So you make your own fun (or meaning). This can be within your little microcosm of family and friends, or widened to give it greater credibility, ie religion/spirituality.

The human body is fragile for god's sake (no pun intended). Just think - the stress of living in this world is enormous - we need some escape, it's self-preservation. Just like a lifer who creates his own fantasy world to avoid the reality of sitting in a box for the rest of his life.

Mr noodle - imagine the relief, the sheer pleasure of an alternative. You said something had happened in your life, something bad, that finally pushed you into believing. You had reached the ultimate point of desperation with this life and here - here was a god, an all-knowing, all loving creature to sooth your fears and help you through. Of course you would accept it, or course you would welcome it. You might even be drawn to your knees from such relief and joy.

The reason I don't have this experience every day is because I don't need the relief - nothing bad happens in my life. Oh, of course, bad things have happened - people dying, people going insane, people leaving me, people not loving me etc. But I don't see these things as bad, I just see them for what they are. "Oh no my best friend's died, this means something." No, "My best friend's died." And that's it.

My best friend didn't die, but whatever happens in my life is nothing more than what happens. There's no soul, no redemption, no restarts and no other world. Get used to it and then you'll start seeing it properly.