Paradise (Where is it now?)

by dhw, Saturday, January 02, 2010, 15:07 (5220 days ago) @ BBella

BBella: Who is to say what is the true reality of life after death or even of the here and now? It's anyone's guess. And truly, nothing can be proven absolutely...so my theories/fantasies are as good as anyone else's...-Quite right. None of us, including scientists, can do more than look at what facts we have, build our theories to fill in the gaps, and adjust our theories as new facts emerge. Of course we differ as to what constitutes facts ... some people refuse to accept other people's subjective experiences, for instance, even if such experiences can be multiplied many times over. That's their prerogative, just as it's my prerogative to keep an open mind, and yours to place your trust in what has happened to you. -Bearing in mind that neither of us can do more than speculate on this particular subject, I wonder what you see as being the outcome of the afterlife you describe. Is there any purpose behind the reincarnations? If so, how could it be fulfilled if our identity was lost through forgetfulness? And what would happen once the purpose had been achieved? For me, the idea of an afterlife without my identity seems as irrelevant as a god who has lost interest in his creation. But on the other hand, if we keep our identity and go to other places "fully formed without forgetfulness", we're back to the old question of what we're supposed to do with ourselves after the homebase interlude of assessment. Either way, we're confronted with the problem of purpose and post-achievement or, alternatively, purposeless worlds without end. Perhaps your answer will be that "the possibilities are as many as our wee 10% brains can imagine". My own wee and considerably less than 10% brain has difficulty imagining any everlastingly bearable possibilities, just as it can't imagine eternity or infinity, self-assembling universes and life, a universal intelligence that's been around for ever...What I can imagine without any trouble at all is a peaceful, dreamless sleep in the earth. But the limitations of my imagination can scarcely count as evidence of any kind of truth, so I'll be interested in whatever theories you come up with!