In heaven everything is fine
I've recently been pondering -- mostly late at night in bed -- what it is exactly, to exist in the afterlife.
This is not a matter of whether or not there is an afterlife, or a God, or what have you. I've come to the conclusion that the very nature of such topics make it impossible to ever conclusively prove them one way or the other.
Of course, assuming a heaven/God do exist and trying to speculate on any details would be just as futile. But I'm not trying to prove anything one way or the other, merely pondering the mechanics of how the whole thing would work, if it did exist.
First of all, I feel most people (religious and non-religious alike) are too linear in their thinking, and try to base their assumptions of heaven on our existence here on Earth. You get ideas of heaven being a physical space with a flow of time that mirrors our own.
If you were to believe a God or creator made everything in the universe (and this is not necessary in order to believe in an afterlife), then one thing that was created was time itself, and we, existing in three dimensions, are trapped in this steady flow. I see no rational reason for an afterlife to be caught in this dimension, but to instead exist beyond it. So when one thinks of being in heaven for eternity, I'm not sure how accurate a description that really is. Eternity is a length of time, and in the afterlife you'd exist outside of that. So does that mean that I, in some form of existence, am in heaven right now? The only answer I can think of is "kinda."
Another thing I wonder is my own sense of self, my own identity. Would this be carried over as-is in heaven? I wonder then, what exactly is it that defines me. Is it my physical body? If so and this in some way exists in heaven, I can only conclude that means every cell in my body, from conception to full death, must therefore exist in heaven.
Looking at life in general, I can't quite determine what it is that separates humanity from any other form of life. Even our perceptions of self-identity and awareness may exist in other higher primates and some animals. I'm sure every kid who's lost their beloved childhood pet has asked themselves if little Sparky has gone on to the afterlife. If what we define as ourselves has the opportunity to exist in some form outside of death, I cannot see what's to stop anything else that pulses with life. Perhaps most creatures would not have the ability to appreciate their new existence, but surely they would exist.
And now I wonder, does that also apply to us? In the afterlife, will I still see myself there as I see myself here? I think that once again, if I were to assume the answer was simply "yes," I would again be limiting my perception of just what it would mean to exist outside of this form of reality.
Perhaps to some extent I would recognize my human form, but in an existence outside of time, outside of the third dimension, the boundaries of individuality would be no more. Maybe I would exist as everything, and everything would exist as me.
At this point I realize I've written myself into a bit of a corner: I am not just a creation of God, I am God. But as cool as this sounds at first, it makes little difference.
In the end, every one of you are too.
This is not a matter of whether or not there is an afterlife, or a God, or what have you. I've come to the conclusion that the very nature of such topics make it impossible to ever conclusively prove them one way or the other.
Of course, assuming a heaven/God do exist and trying to speculate on any details would be just as futile. But I'm not trying to prove anything one way or the other, merely pondering the mechanics of how the whole thing would work, if it did exist.
First of all, I feel most people (religious and non-religious alike) are too linear in their thinking, and try to base their assumptions of heaven on our existence here on Earth. You get ideas of heaven being a physical space with a flow of time that mirrors our own.
If you were to believe a God or creator made everything in the universe (and this is not necessary in order to believe in an afterlife), then one thing that was created was time itself, and we, existing in three dimensions, are trapped in this steady flow. I see no rational reason for an afterlife to be caught in this dimension, but to instead exist beyond it. So when one thinks of being in heaven for eternity, I'm not sure how accurate a description that really is. Eternity is a length of time, and in the afterlife you'd exist outside of that. So does that mean that I, in some form of existence, am in heaven right now? The only answer I can think of is "kinda."
Another thing I wonder is my own sense of self, my own identity. Would this be carried over as-is in heaven? I wonder then, what exactly is it that defines me. Is it my physical body? If so and this in some way exists in heaven, I can only conclude that means every cell in my body, from conception to full death, must therefore exist in heaven.
Looking at life in general, I can't quite determine what it is that separates humanity from any other form of life. Even our perceptions of self-identity and awareness may exist in other higher primates and some animals. I'm sure every kid who's lost their beloved childhood pet has asked themselves if little Sparky has gone on to the afterlife. If what we define as ourselves has the opportunity to exist in some form outside of death, I cannot see what's to stop anything else that pulses with life. Perhaps most creatures would not have the ability to appreciate their new existence, but surely they would exist.
And now I wonder, does that also apply to us? In the afterlife, will I still see myself there as I see myself here? I think that once again, if I were to assume the answer was simply "yes," I would again be limiting my perception of just what it would mean to exist outside of this form of reality.
Perhaps to some extent I would recognize my human form, but in an existence outside of time, outside of the third dimension, the boundaries of individuality would be no more. Maybe I would exist as everything, and everything would exist as me.
At this point I realize I've written myself into a bit of a corner: I am not just a creation of God, I am God. But as cool as this sounds at first, it makes little difference.
In the end, every one of you are too.