A Biology Teacher Ponders Death

On April 14, 2016, my friend Tony Krzysik suddenly died. Tony was a scientist and one of those larger-than-life characters who had a range of interests as broad as the river of life itself. He was a retired professor who had taught college chemistry, biology, and physics, among other things (his Ph.D. was in Bio-Ecology). Tony was a gourmet cook, lover of reptiles, fly fisherman, Audubon naturalist, car nut, Steelers fan, and something of a Mr. Rogers to the kids who found their way to the Highlands Center for Natural History in Prescott, Arizona. He could, and did, do everything.

My friendship with Tony was based upon our shared interest in trying to raise awareness about the destructive effects of human activity on the global environment. We shared the opinion that the collapse of those systems which support much of life on this planet is imminent if we do not make rapid and radical changes in human life and culture now.

Shortly after his death and subsequent cremation, on April 24, 2016, a formal Celebration of Life for Tony took place in the amphitheater of the Highlands Center.

The following is a reflection shared at the Celebration by Thomas Atkins, who knew Tony professionally and personally for many years. Tom describes himself as a "retired bio teacher." He might be a descriptive minimalist.

Tom's reflection deeply moved me because it managed to say something central to my theology. I believe it demonstrates better than anything I have found, that factual and scientific narrative can be as much the basis for profound meaning as the most celebrated myths or stories of supernatural powers and heroes. It is the surprising product of the chemistry of combining truth with love.

I share Tom's words here in honor of the extraordinary life of Anthony J. Krzysik and in the hope that you will experience something profoundly revealing in this bio teacher's courageously honest reflection:

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I had to ponder this as a biologist…  What exactly HAPPENED to my friend Tony?

Biologically, what is the end of life?

TO UNDERSTAND DEATH, ONE HAS TO UNDERSTAND LIFE!

Life is funded by utilizing food to produce trillions upon trillions of protons… naked hydrogen nuclei… each second!

These protons are produced… dammed up… and pass through an enzyme called ATP synthase.
They are tiny Nano motors which reconstruct ATP... Adenosine tri phosphate!

Thousands of ATP synthase molecules are found SPINNING AT 7000 RPM IN EVERY LIVING CELL WITHIN OUR BODIES.  

Tony’s marvelous Nano motors, living within his 60 trillion cells, worked tirelessly for 73 years +9 months.  

They made their final production delivery of ATP molecules shortly after his fall to the living room floor.

Without oxygen, these Nano motors slow… then come to a stop.

ATP, the energy molecule of the cell, can no longer be constructed.

The complex biochemical reactions in each cell that depend on ATP slowly ebb and cease as the last remaining stores of this ubiquitous molecule of cellular respiration are deconstructed for the last time…

∆H=Ø

BIOLOGICAL LIFE, THE CONSTANT BATTLE AGAINST RANDOMNESS, AGAINST ENTROPY, is finally at an end in our Tony, our dear friend.

It is not the end of his memes.

People we most love, do literally, become a physical part of us.  They are integrated within our brain structure, in the pathways where memories are created and stored!  

His intellectual essence lives in us all; it lives on in the minds of people that have had contact with this man’s remarkable intelligence.  

His memes live on in papers written late at night.  

They reside in scientific journals.  

They reside in the Internet’s electronic cloud.  

All these have changed the future in ways yet unknown.

It is not the end of his matter.  

The Earth Mother, warmed and powered by the sun, is infinitely patient.  But always in the end… FOR ALL OF US… this mother of our matter quietly and gently re-collects her elements.  

Tony’s matter, his stardust, IN THIS LAST WEEK, has already lifted into the sky!

Upon their RELEASE… these tiny elements… these molecules… were IMMEDIATELY swept away by the wind and PHOTOSYNTHESIZED INTO THE BODIES of the mother’s PLANT LIFE!  

It is Tony’s GATEWAY into the GREAT CYCLE!

Tony’s stardust currently… literally… is residing in THE MOTHER'S FAVORITE PLACES … her vast oceans… her great forests… her grasslands… her endless deserts!  
 

They also reside in TONY'S FAVORITE PLACE, a quiet pond filled with waiting trout. 
 

The Earth mother needs Tony’s universal Stardust for HER body for HER SOMA to use again… and again… and again… and again… and again…  …and again……

Thank you Tony for having become an important part of my environment and my brain.  I miss you!

Tom

I Believe in Magic (In a Way)

Expanding the scope and meaning of theology is a goal that I pursue both personally and professionally.

Inspired by my seminary mentor, Urban T. Holmes, III, I have always favored an experiential and existential way of doing theology over a classical and dogmatic one. The former starts with human questions. The latter starts with divine answers.

Theology has always been concerned with supernatural beings. This makes sense, since our species developed self-awareness and wondered about our origin, location, and destiny. We also needed protection from the unknown and frightening forces of nature around us. We assumed that everything was controlled by spiritual entities that resembled us, but were more powerful. Different cultures gave these entities different forms, but their existence was taken for granted. Theology started when some people tried to understand and speak on their behalf. They could be considered the first clergy. But in an entirely magical world, they could also be seen as the first magicians. Theology originated as the study of magic.

The word magic has many meanings and interpretations. It can evoke a sense of wonder, such as when we witness a first kiss. It can imply a mysterious phenomenon that defies logical explanation. It can be a simple trick that entertains children, like your uncle Joe's quarter act, or a spectacular show that dazzles millions, like David Copperfield's illusions. When I think of magic, I think of two of my favorite theologians, Penn and Teller.

I admire them greatly. I also regard them as theologians. As I mentioned, theology originated from the study of magic, and in my view, it remains so despite the scientific and scholarly advancements it has gained over the thousands of years since its inception. People still pursue it and offer it to others. The only difference is that we now understand its mechanisms.

Penn and Teller are masters of their craft. They have earned a fortune by satisfying our desire—a moment when logic and reality are defied and the impossible happens. We long for that rare moment when we can escape from the consequences, the responsibility, and the limitations of our lives and see our dreams come true regardless of our flaws and mistakes.

The term “illusions” is used by magicians to describe their acts. Like David Copperfield, who performs his magic and lets you wonder how he did it, most of them leave room for doubt. You see it happen, but you know it can't be real. They tease your appetite for the impossible but never satisfy it.

Penn and Teller are different from other magicians. They perform some of the most intricate illusions possible, but they always explain how they did it. They acknowledge that magic exists, but it is a product of the human mind and perception, not a property of the universe. They want you to enjoy the beauty of the illusion, but they also want you to appreciate the self-awareness that comes with understanding how it works. They are theologians in the best sense of the word.

We create and need illusions such as poetry, art, music, love, justice, and freedom. They are magical things that we make happen.

To ensure our survival on this planet, we need to be accountable for our religions, whether they are patriotism, nationalism, capitalism, militarism, football, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, or any other. They are not supernatural. They do not originate from the gods. They (and the gods we revere) are our inventions—illusions we have created. They are our mirrors.

It is time for us to accept this reality and purposefully create illusions that will inspire us to achieve the best possible conditions for all living beings on the planet and the planet itself.

We have to mature quickly and get to work designing these masterful illusions now if history is to continue.

It will be the most amazing illusion of all time if we succeed. But if we fail, we will vanish like a magic trick.

Everything matters.

WHP

Just Say'n...

Lately, I have been interacting with groups that advocate a rational and naturalistic perspective. Through this experience, I have noticed how the words we choose to communicate can reflect our understanding of reality.

My thinking is scientific. This means I believe that the only reliable way to know about the cosmos we live in is through the information we get from our senses. Moreover, this information must be verified and analyzed by others systematically, which tries to remove personal bias.

I reject the idea of a supernatural dimension in our cosmos because there is no empirical evidence to support it. Likewise, I dismiss astrology, reincarnation, ghosts, magic, miracles, consciousness beyond death, or anything similar. I do not believe in a God or a mysterious designer behind the universe because the proven process of the evolution of life contradicts the involvement of a designer.

I don't object to these popular beliefs based on personal feelings; I used to share them too. But I find no observable proof in the universe that backs them up. I would gladly accept any evidence of the supernatural and admit my mistake.

Because I think this way, and after reading the Humanist Manifesto, one of the groups with which I have chosen to associate is the American Humanist Association. I find myself very comfortable with them.  However, and to my surprise, some of them are not very comfortable with me.

The problem is atheism.

The third paragraph of this article expresses what many people would consider the essence of atheism. However, as a theologian, I reject the label of atheist. It would be as absurd as a geologist rejecting the reality of rocks or a biologist denying the existence of life.

I acknowledge that Theos has historically been synonymous with God. We are beings who are aware of our existence. This makes us psychologically troubled by the question of our purpose—the reason for our being. This is such a vital question that we cannot flourish without an answer. Theos is whatever answer we discover to satisfy that question.

I think that our ancestors invented gods in the early stages of our cultural evolution to explain the nature, causes, and purpose of things. It was a sensible idea based on their limited knowledge of themselves and the universe then and for a long time afterward.

A long history of thinking that Theos is a supernatural entity of some kind does not oblige us to keep that understanding, even when we have learned otherwise.

The human mind has created the supernatural and its various entities to answer the existential question. We needed the gods for Theos, or the purpose and meaning that sustain our existence. However, as we learn more about the cosmos and ourselves, we are leaving behind the gods and the magical thinking. Yet, Theos is still a vital human need. We have to meet that need with our best intellectual, emotional, and creative abilities. Our well-being depends on how well we do it.

I reject the existence of God, any supernatural phenomena, or beings that dwell in them.

As a scientific theologian, I embrace the scientific view of the cosmos. I also have a rational, emotional, and theistic worldview. These positions are not contradictory.

Being opposed to something rather than supporting something is not a good way to find one's purpose in life. But if someone feels such a posture is necessary, I beg them to find something besides “theist” to be “A””

WHP