“I think back to Kristen’s musings about the nature of existence … nonexistence. Her wonder about who and what her baby was before it was conceived. Now I wonder the same thing. Who was I before I existed. Who am I now that I no longer do?”
In this quote from Amy Huntley's novel "The Everafter," the protagonist reflects on the philosophical questions raised by her friend Kristen about the nature of existence and nonexistence. The protagonist contemplates the idea of who she was before she existed and who she is now that she no longer does. This introspective analysis delves into the existential nature of identity and the self.
In the quote above from Amy Huntley's novel, the protagonist contemplates the nature of existence and nonexistence. This introspective question about the self and identity is a timeless and universal theme that continues to be relevant in the modern world. In a society where individuals are constantly questioning their purpose, place in the world, and the meaning of life, the idea of pondering who we were before we existed and who we are after we no longer exist resonates deeply with many people. This quote encourages us to reflect on our own existence and the impact we have on the world around us.
"I think back to Kristen’s musings about the nature of existence … nonexistence. Her wonder about who and what her baby was before it was conceived. Now I wonder the same thing. Who was I before I existed. Who am I now that I no longer do?” - Amy Huntley"
As we reflect on Amy Huntley's poignant words about existence and nonexistence, we are prompted to consider deeper questions about our own identities and beings. Here are some reflection questions to ponder:
What do you think about the idea of existence versus nonexistence? How does it shape your perspective on life and death?
Have you ever contemplated your existence before you were born? How does this thought influence your understanding of self?
How has Amy Huntley's reflection on identity and existence resonated with you personally? Have you ever had similar thoughts or musings?
How do you define yourself in the context of existence and nonexistence? What aspects of your being do you consider to be constant and unchanging?
In what ways does pondering the nature of existence affect your beliefs, values, and actions in your daily life?
“I am the kid who sticks her finger in the light socket. I am the person who doesn't check the expiration date on the milk. I am the idiot who has never looked before she leaped. I am the girl who is falling apart, right now.”
“I’ve always had some kind of connection to the things I’ve owned. Losing them left me feeling bereft because they were linked to everyone and everything in my life that was important. And unlike the people I loved, I could control them – At least I could when I wasn’t losing them. Objects are safe, too. I mean they don’t change much. A pen stays a pen and a set of keys always unlocks something. You can go back to an object, hold it, remember who you were when you loved it. That’s something you can count on.”
“I find myself wishing that I could work that magic for her. That I could bring the smile back to her face. But I slap at those thoughts as if they were mosquitoes. What am I doing, caring so much about my best friend's love? I deny my feelings for her because they shouldn't exist.”
“I do not consider myself a religious person, because I don't adhere to a particular religion or faith or prescribed beliefs, as did my father, who was a Baptist minister. And I am not an atheist, one who thinks that belief in anything beyond the here and now and the rational is delusion. I love science, but I allow for mystery, things that can never be proven by a rational mind. I am a person who thinks about the nature of the spirit when I write. I think about what can't be known and only imagined. I often sense a spirit or force or meaning beyond myself. I leave it open as to what the spirit is, but I continue to make guesses -- that it could be the universal binding of the emotion of love, or a joyful quality of humanity, or a collective unconscious that turns out to be a unified conscience. The spirit could be all those worshiped by all the religions, even those that deny the validity of others. It could be that we all exist in all ten dimensions of a string-theory universe and are seeding memories in all of them and occupy them simultaneously as memory. Or we exist only as thought and out perception that it is a physical world is a delusion. The nature of spirit could also be my mother and my grandmother and that they really do serve as my muses as I fondly imagine them doing at times. Or maybe the nature of the spirit is a freer imagination. I've often thought that imagination was the conduit to compassion, and compassion is a true spiritual nature. Whatever the spirit might be, I am not basing what I do in this life on any expected reward or punishment in the hereafter or thereafter. It is enough that I feel blessed -- and by whom or what I don't know -- but I receive it with gratitude that I am a writer and my work is to imagine all the possibilities.”
“Those other moments that I’ve been re-retuning to seem to fade a bit every time I go to them. It’s kind of like reading the same book over and over. You keep trying to capture what you felt when you first read it, but the feelings just aren’t ever as…magical.”
“The last time I saw Kate she was crossing a street, the day before I left town. I turned my head and pretended not to notice her doing the same thing. These are the daily lies that she and I have lived. And the biggest lie of all is that I am here. What kind of a friend am I?”