KEITH BURKHOLDER - SHORT-STORIES

Keith Burkholder has been published in Creative Juices, Sol Magazine, Trellis Magazine, Foliate Oak Literary Journal, New Delta Review, Poetry Quarterly, and Scarlet Leaf Review.
He has a bachelor's degree in statistics with a minor in mathematics from SUNY at Buffalo (UB).

​Science means the world to him

  At one time in his life, Steven was a big believer in God.  He followed religion very heavily until science really struck a chord in his body.
                Steven’s world changed as he aged.  His experiences with people and his job really transformed his beliefs against religion.
                Religion stopped being interesting to him.  Then he decided to devote himself to another belief, science.
                Steven began to study the Big Bang Theory and evolution.  He then learned by research that the planet is over 4.5 billion years old.  The more he studied this way, the more he began to realize that science is what he is meant to believe in.
                The religion he followed never expressed how humans really behave and the fact that human behavior is unpredictable.  We as humans are not created equal, and Steven understood this well.
                God has never shown up in his life.  In fact, it never has.  Whereas, science is realistic and a lot more tangible to grasp as a human living on planet Earth today.
                Science is amazing to Steven.  He doesn’t follow the creationistic belief that the planet is just 6,000 years old.  If a person looks at photographs of planet Earth, it is a massive place that took billions of years to develop into what it looks like today.
                Steven will continue to believe in science.  He is amazed at how vast our universe is and how long the solar system took to develop into it is today.  The universe is nearly fourteen billion years old.
                Steven hasn’t really told anyone about his science beliefs.  He thinks atheism is the way to go because science is what really matters to him.
                Steven knows the world will never get better and science is the answer to problems.  Religion is just stories that are made up to make people feel better.  Steven believes this is how it is.
                He never found religion to be helpful when he had problems.  He never found any true answers while trying to apply religion to his everyday life.
                Steven would never push his atheism on people.  He just believes we all as humans have different beliefs in life. We as humans think differently from one another.
                Steven doesn’t want fantasy to be a belief to him when it comes to his life.  He believes fantasies should be used in movies or writing science fiction or fantasy.
                The world is what one makes of it.  Steven believes in science because it is a reality that does affect us as people.
                Science is used everyday in our lives whether we want to admit this or not.  This is just how he feels about this.
                For now, Steven will continue forward with his life.  He will do what he can to feel great and spread goodness to others.
                This is our planet, planet Earth.  It is a powerful place in our solar system.  This is the only place where humans can live and survive.
                For now, just be open minded to other beliefs.  Steven has an open mind and he will respect others’ beliefs in what they feel is great for them.  Take care, Steven, and be good to yourself and others.  This is all you can do and all you can expect from yourself as time passes and the new day occurs.
 
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​Death is not a reality in this world

​   Imagine living in a world where death does not happen to anyone.  This is the case for this world in the solar system.  It is a moon just outside the planet of Jupiter.
                People that live here never die.  They live here because no wars happen and the fact that Jupiter is the safest and friendliest planet in the solar system.  This is a perfect place to live and just thrive as time passes.  Nobody dies in this world.  This is a place that is not known by too many people in the solar system.  It is obviously well known to Jupiter because it is a moon to this world.
                Eternal life is not a reality on planet Earth.  People live for a limited time on Earth, and then they pass away.  Death will always be an outcome.  However, on this moon just outside of Jupiter, the people that live there never die.  The only way someone can live on that moon is if they are a law abiding citizen and a native to Jupiter.  The people of Jupiter have kept this world from being known because they prefer privacy to this world.  They don’t want tensions or wars to exist there.
                This world exists as a place where peace thrives.  Nobody here even owns a gun or any other firearm.  The people here want it to remain this way.
                The stress free world this moon provides allows life to thrive and survive here.  Hence, no one dies at all.
                Death is a serious issue to anyone.  However, no one on this moon talks about because it is not a reality here at all.
                Other planets do not experience this kind of life.  Saturn, for example, is a hostile world where war happens a lot there.  This is even the case on planet Earth.
                Planets vary in personality and lifestyle.  This is just the way it is for the universe in general.  Jupiter is by far the friendliest planet in the solar system.
                War is not brought up there at all.  Pacifism reigns supreme on this planet.  They like to resolve issues without guns and firearms.
                No one is allowed to venture on this one moon, except from civilians on the planet Jupiter.  Their peace remains really vital to them and they want it to remain this way.
                Humans on Earth are not wired to be good to one another.  This isn’t the case for everyone, just a large percentage of life on that planet.
                Wars are popular on planet Earth.  People are always hostile and like tension in their lives.  This isn’t meant to be about everyone on planet Earth, just a good percentage of people there.
                This moon will continue on with its life as it is.  It wants to remain free of war and hostility.  This is the only way it knows how to thrive in the solar system.
                The solar system continues to change as time passes.  Change is a reality that cannot be avoided at all no matter where one goes.
                This moon just outside of Jupiter likes its way of life as it is.  It will not change and does not believe in being like other worlds.
                Kindness is not stressed in many places within the solar system.  However, it is stressed on Jupiter and this moon especially.
                Time really is of the essence no matter how one looks at it.  This is just the way it is no matter one goes in the universe.
                What will the future bring to this moon?  Only time will tell.  It will continue to practice pacifism and spread goodness near and far.
                It will continue to be a world that doesn’t believe in guns and firearms.  It will continue forward as peace incorporates itself there continually.
                It wants its world to love others as much as possible.  Again, the people will never die and this is just a reality in this world.
                Death is a harsh issue to tackle.  However, it is not known here and will never be known at this moon no matter what the future brings.
                For now, let these civilians love what they have.  They have a lot to pass on and believe in total kindness.  Let them alone and let their world continue to thrive as time passes and the future calls them every step of way for as long as the solar system continues to evolve.