Let me ask you a question that I doubt many of you have ever been asked before, at least I would hope not, and I would like to put in a way that may not seem exactly polite, so forgive me if you will. If the executioner has finally arrived and you are asked just this one question that will determine your fate, how would you answer, “Justify your continued existence.” These will either be your last words, or will be the determining factor of a continuing life, chose your answer with great forethought, for this may be the last breaths that you will take here on this earth.
What will it be then, would you tell of the family that loves you, the ones who are the most dear to you, will they be the ones that you would mention in these moments, and if so, how would you defend the need that you presume they have for you. Cannot another provide for them financially, physically, even emotionally, will their very existence come to an end without you, or is another able to take your place, after a sufficient amount of time in grieving, of course. Can you guarantee that this answer would appease the one who has asked the question of you, or would you come to the realization that perhaps this would not be the best response, for like it or not, no matter how much we are loved by others, time heals all wounds. This perceived need that you believe they have for you may only be imaginary, only real for the moment.
Perhaps your answer would revolve around your conceived idea of how much society needs you, maybe you are a great physician, able to heal almost all that come to you, a builder of great architectural wonders, housing many that hold positions within the business arena. Without you the masses of humanity would not have sufficient food, or the means to deliver that food, fresh water, the needs of humanity, not in full perhaps, but at least in part, would potentially suffer if your existence were to come to an end, but not long enough to really be a deterrent to the human race, after all, there are nearly eight billion of us at the moment. You can be replaced.
You could try to convince the one who holds the power of your life in his hands at this moment that you’re a great caretaker of the poor, the elderly, those who are need of assistance on nearly a full time level, that your compassion for them is not just a feeling within you, but a mandate of your very heart. Your desire to serve the indigent, the homeless, the down and out is admirable, but you are not as needed as much as you might think in this area, many have the same drive and devotion, the love that many hold for those in need is not a rare thing, although it is not always seen in the forefront of society, it is by no means something that is missing from it. The poor, the sick, the hurting, they will always have an arbitrator, you are not as necessary in this field as you might like to think. Your running out of options, better think fast.
Perhaps you are an excellent money manager, money is almost always an answer to the problem, but not this time, you cannot buy your way out of it this time, money at this moment in your life is of no consequence. You love animals, you have taken care of them your whole life, they are never a burden to you, you could answer the question with the love of all animals, but I do not believe that that is going to be quite enough. You may hold a great and highly esteemed position within the ranks of the government, nearly anything to do with armaments, weaponry, chemical warfare, items that are at your disposal, you could supply the one who holds your life in his hands with all that he might need to take over a small country, but he is not concerned with conquest, he has all the power that he needs, what he wants is answer, not the things of the world. What do you give someone who holds your life in his hands, someone who has need of absolutely nothing that you can offer them, someone who wants nothing but an answer to his question, justify to me a reason for your continued existence, what purpose do you serve that no other can serve.
No one in the world unconditionally needs you, for those who love you grief will pass, they will be fine, your talents are unique to no one, remember, there are nearly eight billion people on this planet, someone somewhere, in fact many if you think about it can do your job just fine, and many more than you may like to think. You are not special; you are not needed as much as you might think. Cook, clerk, doctor, dentist, you can be replaced, everyone here can be replaced, there are more than enough of us now that one single individual is not going to be missed. Although those who love you will miss you, that to will pass, so then, what is your answer, can you justify your continued existence.
Your last hope might be pleading, begging for your life, you can cry, sobbing uncontrollably, entreating for mercy, but none will be given, this is not an answer to the question, you are the one that needs to give the response, mercy is not in the equation here. You can try to convince the one who asked the question that you are a good person, that you never harmed anyone, that you have lived a good life, you were nice, polite, kind, but this is not the answer, you have served no purpose, and now you serve no purpose in the eternal, save to be a vessel fitted for wrath. Your own confidence, strength and human wisdom have been to no avail, they were all but shadows.
“Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at naught all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.” (Prov. 1:24-31)
If you were a Christian, you could have just said “To live is Christ, to die is gain.”