The Confluence

Dedication

This book is dedicated to anyone who has thought about the big questions in life.

Copyright Information ©

Andre Pouleyn 2023

The right of Andre Pouleyn to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

The story, the experiences, and the words are the author’s alone.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781398475359 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781398475366 (ePub e-book)

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First Published 2023

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Introduction

At some point in time, most of us think about the bigger picture and we ask ourselves: What is the meaning of life? Why is life the way that it is? Is there life after death? What is time? Where did we come from?

In what follows I share my thoughts regarding these questions and others that always seem to be at the edge of our lives prompting us for answers. It is natural to apply your own thoughts and ideas in answering these timeless questions and to hopefully find some peace of mind in the answers that you find.

This quest is to some extent subjective as we are all individuals capable of independent thought and we are also influenced by our unique life experiences to date. There are no definitive answers to these questions presently; they are not those sorts of questions and were I by some divine intervention to reveal the definitive answers to you then neither I nor you would be aware that we have hit the lottery, but that does not stop us from playing!

The purpose of this book is not to convert anyone or to challenge any religious views or scientific concepts, rather it is to provoke some thought on the subject matter. I do believe that we are not insignificant and that we each have an important role to play in life, so read on!

To make things easier to understand I have at times used examples to demonstrate concepts and have also thrown in the odd sprinkling of humour as I find that philosophy can at times seem unrelatable. My answers are formed through my interpretation of science and logic but there is also a reasoning that comes from deep within, which is probably more spiritual or gut instinct, but it just feels right and it is a message that wants to be shared.

There is so much that can be reasoned, beyond which it is probably more of a reflection of my personal interpretation of life, yet I feel a sense of urgency almost as if I am compelled