Myth, Religion, and Proof of Existence — Humanity's Approaches to Eternity

*This essay is an academic analysis and does not advocate for any specific political or religious position.

1. Myth — The Storage Device of Collective Memory

Long before writing was invented, humanity told stories. These are myths.

Myths are not mere "made-up stories." They are storage devices for "collective memory," condensing a community's origins, values, and worldview. Homer's epics were transmitted orally for centuries. Japanese myths were told long before being recorded in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki.

Myth is a device for communities to pass down "who we are and where we came from."

Religious scholar Mircea Eliade discussed the "eternal return" structure of myth. Mythical time is not linear but cyclical. Through rituals, people return to "primordial time" and re-experience the world's beginning.

This is a form of "transcending time." By telling myths and performing rituals, people exit ordinary time and enter sacred time. There, the distinction between past and present dissolves, and primordial events are reproduced "here and now."

Myth and Proof of Existence

Myth functions not as individual proof of existence but as collective proof of existence. "Our ancestors were born this way." "Our god created the world this way." These stories give meaning and continuity to the community.

Individuals may not be named in myths. But by participating in myth transmission as community members, individuals too connect to "eternity."

2. Religion and Eternity — The Solution of Soul Immortality

The most powerful solution humanity has devised against the fear of death is religion.

Many religions promise some form of "survival after death."

• Christianity: Immortality of the soul, Last Judgment, Heaven and Hell
• Islam: Eternal life in the afterlife, Paradise
• Hinduism/Buddhism: Reincarnation, Nirvana through liberation
• Ancient Egypt: The afterworld, preservation of the body through mummification
• Shinto: Ancestral spirit worship, continuity with ancestors

What these beliefs share is the conviction that "even if the body perishes, something remains." Soul, spirit, karma—though named differently, "something" that does not completely vanish with death has been believed in.

Faith and Proof of Existence

In a religious worldview, the problem of proof of existence is fundamentally solved. Because existence is eternal.

For those who believe in an afterlife, the need to "leave evidence that I existed" diminishes. Because the soul continues to exist eternally. There's no need even to be remembered—God knows everything.

Conversely, the desire to "leave something behind" strengthens when faith in the afterlife wavers.

3. Sacred Sites and Monuments — The Intersection of Physical Permanence and Religion

While religion promises spiritual eternity, it has also pursued physical permanence.

The Pyramids, the Great Wall of China, the Parthenon, Ise Shrine—these are structures built with religious or political significance while simultaneously intended to "remain."

The Persistence of Sacred Sites

Interestingly, sacred sites tend to persist beyond the changes of regimes and nations.

Jerusalem has maintained its importance as a holy site for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam for over 3,000 years. Political rulers have changed many times, but its status as a sacred site remains unshaken.

Japan's Ise Shrine has continued its rituals at the same location for over 1,300 years while rebuilding every 20 years through the Shikinen Sengu ceremony. The buildings are renewed, but the "place" and "ritual" continue.

Graves and Monuments

At the individual level, graves become the intersection of religion and physical permanence.

Graves physically preserve remains while functioning as places to remember the deceased. Grave visits are rituals connecting the living and the dead.

However, graves are not eternal either. In Japan, the increase of "abandoned graves" has become a social issue. Without successors, graves fall into disrepair and are eventually removed. Even within religious frameworks, physical permanence is not guaranteed.

4. The Secular Age — After Religion's Decline

Since modernity, the influence of religion has declined in many societies. This is called "secularization."

Philosopher Charles Taylor, in A Secular Age, analyzed in detail the transformation of faith in modern Western society. Societies where "not believing in God" was nearly impossible transformed into societies where "faith is one option among many."

Death in an Age Without Afterlife

For those who do not believe in an afterlife, death means complete extinction. No immortal soul, no reincarnation, no heaven. When you die, that's the end.

In this worldview, the meaning of "leaving something behind" changes fundamentally.

In a religious worldview, proof of existence was unnecessary—because the soul is eternal. But in a secular worldview, leaving traces of "I existed" becomes the only form of "survival after death."

For those who do not believe in an afterlife, "leaving something behind" becomes the secular substitute for the function religion once served.

Secular Desire for "Eternity"

Secularization did not eliminate religion. But the "desire for eternity" that religion once monopolized now manifests in diverse forms.

• Art: Seeking "immortality" through works
• Science: Leaving one's name through discoveries and theories
• Descendants: Entrusting genes and memories to the next generation
• Social contribution: Inscribing one's name in philanthropy, buildings, institutions
• Digital: Leaving traces on the internet

All of these can be seen as secular variations of religious "eternity."

5. Toki Storage's Position — Universality That Blends Into Religion

Based on the discussion so far, let us consider the philosophical positioning of Toki Storage.

The key point is that Toki Storage does not "replace" existing religions. Rather, it is a universal approach that can "blend into" any religious tradition.

Eastern and Western Traditions

In Christian and Islamic traditions, epitaphs and monuments have served as important means of commemorating the deceased. Even if the soul is in heaven, inscribing one's name in this world has meaning. Toki Storage does not contradict this tradition.

In Buddhist and Shinto traditions, ancestral worship, memorial tablets, and grave visits are important practices. Believing in reincarnation or communion with ancestral spirits while leaving physical "marks" is compatible. Toki Storage can blend into this tradition as well.

In Hindu tradition too, sacred sites, monuments, and the transmission of family lineages hold important meaning. Toki Storage can function as a complement to such practices.

Design Independent of Faith

Toki Storage's design does not presuppose faith. The physical durability of quartz glass, GitHub's distributed architecture, the serverless zero-dependency structure—these are based on engineering and scientific foundations.

But this does not exclude people of faith.

• Those who believe in an afterlife: Leaving traces in this world does not contradict faith. Indeed, many religions have valued graves and monuments
• Those who don't believe in an afterlife: Physical proof of existence becomes their only "survival after death"
• Agnostics: Precisely because they're uncertain, using physical means alongside has meaning

Conclusion — With Religion, Yet Independent of It

Humanity has always sought "eternity." The methods have changed over time.

Myth preserved collective memory through oral transmission. Religion answered the fear of death by promising the immortality of the soul. Sacred sites and monuments pursued physical permanence.

These are not opposites but complements. Those who believed in the soul's eternity also built graves. Those who passed down myths also left monuments. Spiritual eternity and physical permanence have always coexisted in human history.

Toki Storage is an extension of this long tradition.

It does not replace any specific religion. It blends into and complements any religious tradition. Christians, Buddhists, and the non-religious alike can leave "proof of existence" physically while maintaining their own faith and worldview.

It is a response to the universal human theme of "desire for eternity" that does not depend on religion. It neither denies faith nor presupposes it—simply answering the humble wish to "leave something behind."

1000 years from now, no one knows what form religion will take. But the desire to "be remembered by someone" and "leave proof of existence" will likely remain unchanged. Toki Storage is an attempt to answer that universal desire.