I'm not sure I want to live forever.

In the afterlife (or between lives), once our soul has become our "true self" again, concepts like time or space do not apply. Insofar, the word "forever" has no meaning.

You can also ask Yogis or people who, with meditation etc. reach consciousness states where our "ego" becomes one with the global consciousness/all-there-is/god/creation or whatever you want to call it. Some people who had NDEs and similar experiences got a small glimpse of this state. It is 'eternal' bliss but again, time/space have lost their meaning. All realities happen at the same time, one becomes "one" with everything, past, present, future.

The problem is that religions keep applying human concepts to the afterlife or to god.

By the way what's with that negative reply to the OPs question? "Where is he want to go with this?" Isn't it OBVIOUS? Billions of people get actually taught this religious nonsense every day. So no wonder they ask such questions.

droid56
The idea that you will live for all eternity in a blissful world is something various religions offer as a main reason to join a religion.

Don't get me wrong. I don't want to disappear in the near future.

But to exist for all eternity? That is an amazingly long time, clearly beyond my comprehension.

I'm not sure I want to exist that long.

The reason you are unsatisfied now is the very reason you will be in a state of bliss later.

"V. All things are either good or bad by comparison. A sufficient analysis will show that pleasure, in all cases, is but the contrast of pain. Positive pleasure is a mere idea. To be happy at any one point we must have suffered at the same. Never to suffer would have been never to have been blessed. But it has been shown that, in the inorganic life, pain cannot be thus the necessity for the organic. The pain of the primitive life of Earth, is the sole basis of the bliss of the ultimate life in Heaven."

Mesmeric Revelation

reply to post by droid56


If you get bored, you could always reincarnate, as a human and forget your past lol.

reply to post by droid56


I think we have a disconnect with the concept of eternity and time . Is like would try and simplify the term but there is no waiting like in a time domain that we are in .Not sure there would be adequate words to really describe it .Probably just existing . I know what you mean though because we can get tired of this place so yea I could agree with not wanting to go for that long of a period if it had time attached to it .....peace

It wouldn't be nearly so bad if that eternity weren't spent doing the same thing all the time, namely kowtowing and whatnot.

If I had the choice to off myself whenever I pleased, I would most definitely wish to live indefinitely.
I can't think of anything better, than to have an unlimited sense of time.

Check out Man From Earth

reply to post by droid56


When I was a kid, growing up in a religious household, I often contemplated living for eternity in heaven (as it was taught in the Baptist church). Upon said contemplation, I realized that it would be boring as hell, lol.

That said, as I grew into adulthood and searched metaphysically and through various eastern philosophies, I realized what SayonaraJupiter expressed in his/her post: self identity/individualism is essentially lost (even if Western/protestent teachings teach that it is retained) because temporal existence (time/space) is lost in One eternal and infinite moment that IS ALL (and essentially God/Godhead).

reply to post by Liquesence

I realized what SayonaraJupiter expressed in his/her post: self identity/individualism is essentially lost

Which is the most saddening truth of most modern religions. They don't encourage diversity. They encourage monotony.

AfterInfinity
reply to post by Liquesence

 

I realized what SayonaraJupiter expressed in his/her post: self identity/individualism is essentially lost

Which is the most saddening truth of most modern religions. They don't encourage diversity. They encourage monotony.

True, In some form or fashion, most modern (organized) religion does teach conformity and monotony. Western religion certainly teaches conformity/monotony but still "individualism" insofar as you retain your identify after death. Other than that, there is little true individualism in Western religion, in general.

However, It's still possible to have self-identify and diversity in life and still believe in the loss of individualism after life, IMO, and perhaps why I dislike organized religion and sway to eastern spiritualism.

droid56
The idea that you will live for all eternity in a blissful world is something various religions offer as a main reason to join a religion.

Don't get me wrong. I don't want to disappear in the near future.

But to exist for all eternity? That is an amazingly long time, clearly beyond my comprehension.

I'm not sure I want to exist that long.

When you look at spending an infinite amount of time in a finite reality, then yes, you hit a wall where when nothing new can be experienced, boredom comes along, stagnation, even the idea of imprisonment.

In eternity, there are no ends. Without an end to things, things are infinite, so along with time, reality itself is also of infinite span and depth.

Have you ever gotten "lost" in something? A game, or a book, or a movie, where you were not focusing and thus not aware of the passage of time, because you were engrossed with the novelty of the game or book or movie? Do you think: "gosh, theres all this time around me, I wish it would go away!".

"Time flies when you are having fun", right?

Of course you would not be thinking of time; you would be thinking (per se) of having fun and of the novelty you are experiencing at that moment, which essentially has no "time limit", in that unlike this world, it does not expire like so many other things do for us, like a game reaching completion, or a movie ending, or approaching the final chapter of that superb book.

It is only done when you choose to move on. But even if you choose to move on, its still there for you to come back to if you wish, and experience it again.

In essence, even this hellish physical life is eternal and unending; it will remain as it is even long after we have chosen to leave it for new horizons. Part of the novelty of this world is the novelty of limit, even though it is still part of the eternal and infinite super reality that is all and everything.

When it comes down to it, you are already living in eternity.

Now if you desire the experience of nothingness, you can have it. You are limitless, and that is within your reach, as all things are.

I would think though, that if you think living forever in unending novelty and infinite dimensional and depth potential is boring, then youre in a for a real shock when you when you see what nothingness is really like

But dont worry... you can always come back

In the cycle, if you get this way, memory washing and rebirth starts things all over new again.

droid56
The idea that you will live for all eternity in a blissful world is something various religions offer as a main reason to join a religion.

Don't get me wrong. I don't want to disappear in the near future.

But to exist for all eternity? That is an amazingly long time, clearly beyond my comprehension.

I'm not sure I want to exist that long.

Good thing you don't remember your past lives by default then. Otherwise, we'd be bored as soon as we exited the womb with each respawn.

reply to post by Cuervo


Reincarnation and immortality are not the same. Close, but not the same.

AfterInfinity
reply to post by Cuervo

 

Reincarnation and immortality are not the same. Close, but not the same.

To me, they are indistinguishable.

reply to post by droid56

I'm not sure I want to live forever.

Eternal feeling of happiness,and a soul full of love,without any pain and or any concern,on an endless field of beautiful flowers,surrounded by those who you have loved,and have loved you,and all of this in divine light,as an infinite feeling which human mind cannot comprehend,may worth eternally embracing eternity in Paradise.

Because you can be at the beginning and at the end in the same time,and everything in the same point,on that field of flowers.....from Paradise.

reply to post by piequal3because14


*yawn* Sounds pretty boring. Don't we need the bad stuff to give our blessings that extra special touch? Your heaven sounds droll and monotonous. Needs more balance.

AfterInfinity
reply to post by piequal3because14

 

*yawn* Sounds pretty boring. Don't we need the bad stuff to give our blessings that extra special touch? Your heaven sounds droll and monotonous. Needs more balance.

Because ,you didn't feel it,so it is a feeling which cannot be described in words,but maybe you will get the chance,at least for a minute,and certainly you would wish to last eternally.

reply to post by piequal3because14


I would rather not forget what pain and sorrow is. They lend an extra dimension to peace and joy. They all define each other. You cannot know joy until you know what it is to not have it. Lose one, and you lose the other.

The only reason people dont want to live on forever in bodily form is the human condition and this miserable planet full of illness. violence and greed.

Now just consider, if there was no illness, no war, no govt, no criminals so no crime, no taxes, no insurance, no Obamacare, you dont have to work unless you want to, do whatever you want, no need for money, no need for war and everybody was full of love for their fellow man etc etc...

when I was around 16 years old I got into a conversation with some bloke at a bus stop about heaven, he asked me what I personally thought heaven would be like – well I had visions of meeting girls and playing my guitar and drinking with my mates and meeting girls – imagine my horror when he told me it would be singing god's praises for ever and ever more

The thought of spending all eternity in the company of religious people who considered that to be a good time filled me with an icy dread far more terrifying then Satan and all his imps could ever put in me