Who wants to live forever?

People of a religious persuasion, especially Christians, are sometimes mocked for their belief in the afterlife. Some will go as far as to claim that this yearning for heavenly bliss is yet another strong indication that being a believer is all about having escapist leanings.



A failed life?

Some say that because we're such failures when it comes to coping with this present life, or because we really too terrified by the prospect of going to hell, we postpone or abstain from anything that may even vaguely come across as being pleasurable or enjoyable. Life to a Christian, then, it is asserted, becomes one long excercise in hiding from e.g. sensual gratification. Which doesn't really matter that much, as heaven is going to unveil happiness unimaginable to those who stayed pure, those who never took part in sinful deeds (e.g. parties), those who remained in near-monastic seclusion, away from the dirtiness and temptations of this world.

Are we really like that? Am I like that? I certainly don't think so. In my teens I was mistakenly apprehensive of all things appearing so-called worldy, which resulted in the rather silly practice of staying miles away from cinemas, concert venues and the like. Thinking that it was my religious duty to shun such places, I actually missed out on a lot of rather innocent fun.

I'm not afraid of fun anymore

I've long since stopped being an abstainee in that respect. But while being rid of this load of unneccesary, religious misconceptions, I've still retained the awareness that I'll do well to stay clear of totally immersing myself in material pleasures. Not because they're in any way inherently sinful or bad, but simply because too much pleasure may crowd out both devotion to God, and make me lose that finely tuned sensitivity to his voice: that still, small one telling me what's best for me in the long run.

I want to get to heaven, not because I'm miserable down here or finding earth such a stinking, rotten cesspool of decay. I marvel at the natural beauty still so prolific everywhere I go, and yet I remind myself that what my physical senses can relate to, are actually just comparatively cheap replicas of what's beyond the grave, according to the best sources.

Party in the skies

I'm such a lover of life I want to take part in that ongoing party behind the slim curtain separating the physical and the spiritual world. I want to go to a heaven where I can be reunited with those that I loved for as long as I knew them. I want to live forever when there's no more life in this body, this lanky frame that will age and eventually decompose.

I want to live forever, unafraid of the pain that separation or malady may bring. And that's simply not being very escapist at all. It just serves to tell that I, as well as other believers, want to continue enjoying what's really pleasurable: staying close to the Designer and Sustainer of life.