One of the most common concepts in the discussion of faith, is the idea that God resides “above” us. We speak of God above, we reflect on the idea that He looks down upon us. We look to the heavens as the location of Paradise. We imagine that our departed loved ones watch over us from above.

The interesting thing is that it seems to be a universal concept.

Logic suggests that there may be a common belief at work, here. Is is possible that such a universal belief has roots in some type of universal experience?

If we take a step back and view our beliefs in a logical fashion, we would soon recognize that “up” is a variable, depending on where we stand on the earth’s surface. From that perspective, we would come to understand that “up” is actually any direction in the sky, as long as it is directed away from the earth.

“Up” is also a location that we cannot access using only our built-in human abilities. Granted, we have developed technology that expands our reach, but even that technology can only take us so far before we reach another barrier.

Lacking the ability to experience what lies above and beyond, we are faced with the probability that our belief in the heavenly realm stems from some universal instinct or primal memory.

Again, we find ourselves acknowledging that “we don’t know what we don’t know.”

It is almost as if our hidden memory contains knowledge that is smothered by the vast accumulation of human experiences and sensory overload that defines us today.

So. Did our ancestors have first-hand knowledge that we struggle to grasp today? Have we evolved into a life-form that has lost certain abilities – certain knowledge? Are we just left with the instinct that there is another realm of existence… out there.

Perhaps the answer is simple. Perhaps the answer is that God allows us that instinctive memory as a way of compelling us to seek Him. Perhaps it is all part of His master plan for humanity, a master plan that is beyond human comprehension. After all…

We don’t know what we don’t know.