the philosopher's question

[an excerpt from the Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder - p21]
...

'Where the hell do the likes of us come from? Have you thought about that?' he said, instead of really answering me.

I had thought about it many times, but I knew he wasn't really interested in what I had to say.

So I just let him talk. We had known each other for such a long time, Dad and I, that I had learned it was best that way.

'Do you know what Grandma once said? She said she'd read in the Bible that God is sitting in heaven laughing because people don't believe in Him.'

'Why?' I asked. It was always easier to ask than to answer.

'Okay', he began. 'If a God has created us, then He must regard us as something artificial. We talk, argue and fight, leave each other and die. Do you see? We are so damned clever, making atom bombs and sending rockets to the moon. But none of us asks where we come from. We are just here, taking our places.'

'And so God just laughs at us?'

'Exactly! If we had managed to make an artificial person, and this artificial person started to talk - about the stock market or horse racing - without asking the simplest and most important question of all, namely how everthing had come to be - yes, then we'd have a good laugh, wouldn't we?'

He laught that laugh now.

'We should've read a little more from the Bible, son. After God created Adam and Eve, He went around the garden and spied on them. Well, literally speaking. He lay in wait behind bushes and trees and carefully followed everything they did. Do you understand? He was so enthralled with what He'd made, He was unable to keep His eyes off them. And I don't blame Him. Oh no, I understand Him well.'

...