Tuesday, February 25, 2014

What would your heaven look like?

At times, religious people speak about the nature of heaven. I've had the misfortune to hear some of these gits say that it's a place where we will marvel at god's perfection for all eternity. On our knees, I assume. Oy. That sounds like eternal detention to me.

Heaven doesn't exist, of course. But a heaven of the type humans hunger for -- a place of eternal joy -- would have to be tailored for each individual. We like different things, so this is the only workable solution. This raises an interesting question. When you imagine the perfect heaven for you, what are its features? I considered this question last night and came up with my answer.

In my fictional but perfect heaven, there would be a book that tells the stories of all the intelligent species of the universe: how they lived, what they were like and how it ended for them (if it did end). Did any species succeed in the grandest sense? Did they create a living heaven for themselves? I want to know. The book would be incredibly well-written, of course, making every sentence a delight to read. And when I finished the book, I'd be able to discuss it with intelligent alien readers residing in their versions of heaven. (Gotta socialize, right?)

What would your heaven look like?