Such a long time, or so they say.
I would have to concur with whoever said that they would be utterly bored in heaven after a time (it wasn't on this thread and I can't remember who it was). I have had many a thought like that before. An eternity of consciousness must become pretty damn dull.
On top of that I don't think I would like the idea of depicting people that I knew in life in hell. If I was in heaven and someone I loved was not there, I would have an eternity to miss them and an eternity of agony knowing that they are in hell. My brother and best friend is nearly three years gone. I picture myself, ideally, having another 60-70 years ahead of me, if not more and I know that I will still wake up every day until then feeling that emptiness inside of me. I can't imagine an eternity having that kind of feeling.
Unless God decides to wipe away all unhappy memories in heaven. But, I don't like that idea very much either. If we are to be resurrected in heaven then shouldn't we keep all of ourselves? What are we but the sum of our experiences? The good and the bad.
Me, I would rather give this life the best go that I can, try to make my life and the lives of those around me better and then pass away into nothingness. Eternal rest. Sounds good to me.
All of my tears and all of my pain will be gone just the same as it is alleged to happen in heaven.
"You are metaphysicians. You can prove anything by metaphysics; and having done so, every metaphysician can prove every other metaphysician wrong--to his own satisfaction. You are anarchists in the realm of thought. And you are mad cosmos-makers. Each of you dwells in a cosmos of his own making, created out of his own fancies and desires. You do not know the real world in which you live, and your thinking has no place in the real world except in so far as it is phenomena of mental aberration." -
The Iron Heel by Jack London
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