A Treatise on Heaven and the Subjectivity of Perfection

Heaven Your Way

If you were given the task to create a world that was perfect and inerrant where nothing could go wrong and everything went your way (because it would be perfect, after all) - do you think it would be simple to envision? Say you were given this task but the caveat is that this world MUST be one that everyone else would also consider perfect, with ZERO exceptions.

When I close my eyes and envision a world where everything is perfect, what would my world contain--and conversely--what would not be a part of it? If another person were to review my list of self-edited inclusions and omissions of this magnificent utopia, would my ideal world of 'perfection' be brashly appraised by them as instead being one of imperfection? Is it really reasonable to expect that my perception of what I consider to be perfect become the authoritative model and final version in which everyone that has ever been--or ever will be--should abide in for all of eternity?

Arriving at the ultimate Utopia

By which devices am I able to recognize that the world I currently live in is imperfect to begin with? What world beyond ours that has been known and experienced could I possibly use as an objective comparison to ours so that I may arrive at the conclusion that our world is comparatively imperfect? I can't think of one. Even if I could, is it possible for a world to be perfect in every scenario and every instance? For what it is - our world, and everything that happens to it, and personal experiences held within it, is neither more perfect or imperfect than any outside, objective object of comparison.

Even things that are inconveniences to us on Earth have other reasons behind it. We quickly assign the label of 'imperfection' to things that directly affect us in a seemingly negative way without giving much thought to the broader implications of the positive off-shoots that the negative instances inherently possess. We quickly realize that when we think of perfection, we don't take to heart much of anything aside from ourselves as it directly impacts us. We think on the microscopic level, not the macroscopic. Wishing to never see rain again would mean never seeing a rainbow. Wishing for the sun never to set again would mean never again seeing the stars at night. Wishing for there to never be hunger again is missing the mark as well, since hunger is neither perfect nor imperfect for what it is; since without it, you'd not be aware of your need for food, and you'd starve to death.

So where is our standard of perfection? By saying this world is imperfect, you must have ideals in your mind of what perfection means to you, and it would not be a stretch to assume that what is perfect in my ideal world may possibly be an imperfection in yours. Our world is neither perfect nor imperfect. It just is what it is; perfectly itself; nothing more, nothing less.


Living in what we would consider a 'perfect' world: Would we be aware of it?

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
Revelations 21:4

You see, this is the paradox: Without being aware of what you consider undesirable, would you know to appreciate or recognize those things which you desire, aside from your involuntary, biological needs (hunger, shelter, etc)? So it goes, if you are in a world that knows no imperfections, would you be able to fully appreciate this without having some awareness of the opposing feelings? What makes you happy? Is happiness the presence of pleasure or the absence of pain? If you were living in a perfect world, would you be able to appreciate happiness as much without ever feeling pain? After all, what intrinsic value is there in living in a Utopia as the 'ultimate reward' if we are not aware of its supposed lack of imperfection? You measure the worth of something only with an understanding of the pleasure associated with having it, or the pain/displeasure potentially circumvented because of it.

If there is no sadness in heaven, this would require that you do not have a memory of things past, or that you have a feeling of ambivalence; a complete removal of yourself from the person you once were. Any memory you once held that perhaps even shaped you into a stronger person, and has molded you into the person you've become, is completely wiped away. Heaven to me, would then be likened to giving a toddler a one million dollar bill that begins to throw it in his her mouth, and possibly end up destroying it--not for the intentional lack of regard for its worth, but for the lack of awareness of it. Such is heaven to a person wiped clean of their experiences; they'll possibly be surrounded by good fortune, but the good fortune means nothing without being aware of your desire for it.

Is it possible that you could still remember any loved ones you once knew? What then if they are not present with you in Utopia? So is there really no sadness in Heaven? You can possibly only assume that they are burning in a lake of fire and brimstone then. Surely your time in heaven for all of eternity should be overshadowed by this haunting notion, right? I would think so. But this directly contradicts everything that the bible says Heaven will be like.


Divinely Contrived Shock-Therapy?

So if there's no sadness in Heaven, even if your loved ones are supposedly in Hell, what's the remedy for this? I can think of at least one; you'd have to be an unthinking, unfeeling automaton to not be affected by it. Yet, this is what the scripture implies. The notion that I am blissful (i.e., not sad) while my loved ones are being burned for all of eternity should be enough to overshadow the blissfulness I feel. The only way I can see this to be possible is that something changes in us due to some direct, explicit, meddling with our minds; in essence being reprogrammed to delete the sadness. Divinely contrived shock-therapy for your soul.


What it all comes down to is that we're all relatively unique; different and distinct from each other, with different tastes in food, clothing, art, music. What I think is great music does not, by proxy, deem that the music is indeed the best or any standard of perfection, but, nonetheless, is still the music in which I find favor. A perfect world for all would require that one size does indeed fit all. If Heaven were to be a perfect place, this to me means either one of two things: 1) that we sacrifices our humanity, and ironically, our souls for something we don't even recognize as being perfect, or 2) that we will not be aware that there are, or were, any other options, thereby diminishing the reward of heaven itself.

One thing I've come to realize is that there are rarely things that are altogether Just, and with things that are un-Just, it's possible that there may be elements of good and bad in both. I don't think things are always just either 'good' or 'bad', 'black' or 'white', beautiful or ugly. Now imagine there are no in-betweens or different perceptions of anything derived from your experiences and who you are, or why you feel that way. Opinions are nonexistent and emotion is a vestige. I can't help but come to the conclusion that this Heaven that the bible portrays is a hell in its own right.

So what does that make of this life here on Earth? Is it perfect or not? It's neither perfect, nor imperfect. It's just perfectly itself. This to me means that my version of Heaven really is on Earth, and with all the anguish, pain, longing and desire I feel, I'd keep that any day over not feeling. When it comes down to it, we are our feelings. We are our views, and opinions. It's what sets us apart from a rock. So yes, it's simple for me to say that I prefer feeling pain, anguish and sadness over pure obliviousness, and it may be that much easier to make these assertions since I may not suffering to the degree that many other people are around the world might be. Then it comes to reason that my life of relative suffering could be their Heaven. And again, it brings us full circle to the notion that a Utopia would be derived from opinion, a subjective preference, not an absolute that I could speak of for everyone else. So then: what value is this Utopia to us when we lack the capacity to recognize its perfection without any other thing to measure it against?

Define 'living' for yourself, and you define your own Heaven

As far as perfection goes; life is no more imperfect than death. Does the absence of life define death? What did that make me before I was born then? Was I alive prior to being born? Energy can neither be destroyed nor created, but can be converted to other forms, after all. Does being alive mean existing, or does it mean being aware of your existence?

As Descartes once said, "I think, therefore I am". Aren't trees alive? What about the stars? We are all made of stardust and yet we still came to be who we are. I'd certainly appreciate the view that a star has, but a star exists in the heavens most likely without appreciating their panoramic view of the Universe that it's been granted. Does that make it's own view of the universe any less rewarding to it?

I don't know. Would your view of Heaven be any less rewarding to you when you wouldn't know why you should appreciate it? What reward is Heaven if you know not why it's to be considered as such? If someone were to visit you in Heaven, and show you a picture of your life, lift the veil from your eyes and show you art, poetry, and music as you once experienced, would it matter? Would there be an uprising against someone you now may see as an oppressor? Do you find it confusing that you actually have virtual no free-will?

In Defense of Divinely Contrived Shock-Therapy in Heaven

So the only consolation I see in forfeiting my humanity for eternity is for the comfort of being oblivious to losing someone in a burning lake of fire-So maybe then, only then, would it appear worth it to wander aimlessly in a state of drunken euphoria, all the while being oblivious that I once knew what it felt like to love someone I've since forgotten, and that I've lost this person to God's fiery wrath, who I'm assuredly praising each and every day.


A Piece of Heaven, Even in Hell?

"There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out." Luke 13:28

The Bible implies that those in Hell will be aware of their state and as to why they are there. Nice move, right? If I were not to make it into the Pearly Gates, only then would I find my portion of Heaven in Hell itself, wherein the consolation would be that I realize that those I love do not have any memory of me, so that they may live out all of eternity without any sadness or recollection of my existence. So even then in Hell, I will have found my own version of Heaven, as I have on Earth.

Thank God for that.


There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. Revelations 20:5


"[...] and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection." Luke 20:36

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelations 21:4

"Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." Revelations 21:27