Q: Do you think this life is all there is, or do you believe in an afterlife?
BONO: I'll be very disappointed if this is all there is. I'm having such a great life. I'm never surprised at the ugliness in the world, nor by the beauty of it. I understand the survival of the fittest, but people who have a lot less fun still glean from their lives the precious stones of friendship, insight and knowledge that they will take with them forever, no matter what their circumstances. I do think they are the eternal things. I love that idea of hell as a flame that will burn away all the crap and only the precious stones will remain. I think that is probably where things get evened out and I think that's probably what the idea of "the first will be last"means, that if you have spent your whole life accumulating material things and material ideas about yourself, you will be lrft with very little. I feel I have a lot of faith. Musicians tend to have a lot of faith. When you hear one note in your head you have to have faith that there is another one around the corner. If my first life is going to be my last, then I am in trouble.
Q: Do you accept the concept of karma in the sense of cause and effect?
BONO: I think karma is at the very heart of the Universe, but Divine Grace can intervene. I'm much more interested in Grace. You can't escape the effect of your actions. But the idea that people go through several lives and that people are born better off in this life because of what they did in the last life, I think is bullocks. This idea has produced the caste system and a lot of other useless heirarchies.
Q: What is your moral code in relation to right and wrong?
BONO: You know instinctively, always, what's the right thing to do. And the greatest enemy of that instinct is the din of too many choices. Noise. I think of that story in the Bible of Elijah who was told he should go up a hill and wait to hear from God. A mighty wind springs up and he thinks: "Here it comes, God's on his way." Then there's an earthquake, but no word from God. Then comes a great fire and he thinks God will speak from the fire, but no. The wind calms down and in the stillness he hears God's voice. My idea is sometimes you have to quiet your life to hear what is the right thing to do.
Q: Do you believe you have a destiny, and do you see yourself as here to fulfill it?
BONO: I believe you create your own destiny. You choose it everyday. For me, one of the most important ideas is that you can begin again. It's one of the reasons I was attracted to the Jubilee 2000 idea of the poorest countries having their debts to the richest cancelled. The ability to start again is enshrined in any worthy philosophy. Putting the past behind youdoesn't always mean ignoring the past, but learning from it and moving on.