For Writers:
I like to think that I have a pretty good imagination; however, one concept I do have trouble imagining is eternal life. After all, how many millions of years would it take to cross off all the items on your “to do” list?
It’s human nature to put things off until tomorrow – and that’s even with the knowledge that we’re all going to die sooner than later. Now, imagine if you knew that you were going to live on and on and on? It seems to me that the tendency to procrastinate would grow exponentially.
And quite frankly, I don’t think I’m the only one that has trouble with the whole “eternal life” concept. Most people don’t seem to get past the playing harps on clouds imagery; and for those that believe in reincarnation, well that’s just cheating. But maybe that’s the only real way to live eternally – living each finite lifespan in a repeated state of amnesia, as if each life cycle is the one and only.
Okay, let’s narrow it down from eternity to something more manageable. If your lifespan was, say, one million years, how would you go about filling your days? How would such an elongated lifespan change your perspective on living?
“Life without death is meaningless.” – Dave Mustaine
I don't have a problem with the Eternal Life concept. In fact, I am looking forward to it. My body will be free from cancer and it will function without pills and chemicals. Also, I will not be constrained by money or unattractiveness to do the things I want to do.
ReplyDeleteThis is what I will be doing for the next million years. I have never met my grandparents or my great grandparents or my great great grandparents or many of my uncles, aunts and cousins so I want to talk with them. I want to have long visits with Mother Teresa, the Pope, Madame Curie, Philo T. Farnsworth, Nicola Tesla, Joan of Arc, Queen Elizabeth, Mary Magdalene, Mrs. Giaconda, Melanie Anderson, Shelly Kukendall, Borghild Kjar, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Paul Revere, Sybil Ludington, Kermit Hall, Revo Young, Margaret Wood, Amanda Cooper, William Helm, Mary Meyers, Bertha Godnecht, John Whitehead, Wendy Bladen, Clara Barton, Barbara Aaron, Ken Chamberlain, Glen Willardson just to name a few. It will take a million years to see all the people I want to for an hour or two. Then when I get done with that, I want to start teaching all the billions of people there about truth, goodness, and love. That in itself would take eternitiy. I think we will be suprised at how many things there are to do. I look forward to seeing you there!
I am a different "Anonymous". I agree with the Anonymous who said what he/she would do first, to a degree, but I think there is a great deal more to it. There is more to Eternial life than merely not ever dying. In fact there is much more to mortal life than just eating, drinking, workinmg etc. It appears to me that the other Anonymous has an understanding of that.
ReplyDeleteIt is not surprising that we who are currently in this world, living in a state where we know our time is limited, our strength is limited, our abilities are limited, cannot even imagine what it would be like to have unlimited opportunities, unlimited challenges and unlimited time with unlimited wisdom, unlimited energy etc, in which to accomplish, to create, to learn, to share, etc.
I must agree that the more or less common idea of eternal life in which we sit around on clouds playing harps forever and ever, or even in which we spent forever and ever bowing and praising God, as if He needs that, would be depressing to say the least. I agree if what we do here does not seek to improve conditions around us, the probabliltiy is that anything we might do past mortality would be no better. So we need to start where we are, if we have not already started, to think (and act) unselfishly.
It has been said that Eternal Life is the kind of Life that God our Eternal Father enjoys. He is not a person who finds that boring, in my opinion and understanding. He is not a person who seeks only His own pleasure. Whatever kind of being you think God is, consider these ideas when you think what it would be like to have Eternal Life.