What is your idea of Heaven ?
There are many literary ideas that describe Heaven. A place people go after death.
What are yours ?
What are yours ?
56-60, M
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Picklebobble · 56-60, M
Many thanks to all of you for responding and letting me know your view. I asked the question as it came up
In a session I did the other day with some kids in a hospice near here.
Part of my work involves grief counselling for young people who have experienced or ARE experiencing loss in one capacity or another.
A psychologist I work with contends that we develop out thinking on this issue when we're young. And rarely change it throughout our lives.
My contention is that your thinking or belief on this issue stems, primarily at least! On whether you have a faith. Whether you were brought up in said faith. And whether life experiences have altered that belief.
Of course. The other commonly held view is that as we grow the more our ideas on this issue, as well as many others in life. Change to reflect our experiences.
In a session I did the other day with some kids in a hospice near here.
Part of my work involves grief counselling for young people who have experienced or ARE experiencing loss in one capacity or another.
A psychologist I work with contends that we develop out thinking on this issue when we're young. And rarely change it throughout our lives.
My contention is that your thinking or belief on this issue stems, primarily at least! On whether you have a faith. Whether you were brought up in said faith. And whether life experiences have altered that belief.
Of course. The other commonly held view is that as we grow the more our ideas on this issue, as well as many others in life. Change to reflect our experiences.
twistermind · 51-55, F
A very interesting and helpful work you do with these young people. Thanks for that.
I sometimes face a very uncomfortable situation when one of my kids tell me about a grandparent, a pet or some other member in the family passing away. I know how important is to have the consolation of believing that death is not the end. That they are gonna see these loved ones in the future. But, if I tell them thsg they are in Heaven I would be lying. Only can tell them to recall the enjoyed time with them and that they are living somehow inside them.
I sometimes face a very uncomfortable situation when one of my kids tell me about a grandparent, a pet or some other member in the family passing away. I know how important is to have the consolation of believing that death is not the end. That they are gonna see these loved ones in the future. But, if I tell them thsg they are in Heaven I would be lying. Only can tell them to recall the enjoyed time with them and that they are living somehow inside them.
Picklebobble · 56-60, M
twistermind · 51-55, F
JoyfulSilence · 46-50, M
A close EP/R2T/AM/SW friend of mine died recently, and it has been really tough. We wrote often for over 1.5 years. She was special to me, very special. She appreciated me a lot, too.
I am an atheist, who does not believe in "supernatural" things, and this includes God, gods, spirits, heavens, hells, reincarnation, magic, miracles, etc. I do not think any energy or matter is special. I believe the physical rules that govern the world around us also govern us, including our brains and our "souls". I think that when we die that is it. The neural net decays and cannot be retrieved by current technologies (but who knows, maybe someday we can emulate brains flawlessly, store them, and reload them from backup and grow new brains, and bodies, too! Or dispense with the flesh and just be robots after we die). I believe that my dear friend's "soul", as encoded in her brain, is gone forever. She is not out there in some form for me to talk to, and she cannot talk to me. When I die we will not meet again.
Yet my pain has been so great, so intense. I have never lost somebody I loved this much. I miss her terribly. It has been three weeks, so it has been getting better, I admit. But there was a time a week ago when I felt so lost, so sad, so desperate, one might even say crazy (at least to me it seemed). My mind contemplated, seriously contemplated, that the supernatural might exist and that her "soul" might be still present in some form, which I could perhaps connect with while I yet lived. I started talking, almost the way religious people pray. Not so much to some god, but to her.
That has passed a bit, but still comes back to me. It is a struggle. Rationally I do not believe any of it could be true, but I want it to be true so much sometimes, that I find it hard at times to keep on moving forward without meditating and praying on it. I am in a strange place, and not sure of the outcome.
As an atheist I do not believe there are any supernatural powers. I used to scoff (inside, I was too polite to do so outwardly) at people who felt there was supernatural powers, spirit, God, etc. Yet now I understand, on a deep personal level, that a primary reason why faith and religious traditions arose, at first, was as a way to try to cope with the death of a loved one. It may seem obvious, but it was always just an intellectual thought with me, not too personal. Oh, I have had loved ones die, and I was really sad, but it never made me question my beliefs, or debilitate me like it has now, or driven me to a strange mental state, bordering on insanity. But the recent death of my friend has made me go to this place, because I want it so much to be true. I need it. I need to talk to her. The loss is devastating. She meant a lot to me.
I suspect as I slowly get over my intense grief, this state of mind will pass. But who knows? Maybe I will not be able to let it go. Maybe if it is real I will make a breakthrough? Or maybe give up. Or maybe decide I was just crazy and it was all insane. I do not know.
Thanks for reading.
I am an atheist, who does not believe in "supernatural" things, and this includes God, gods, spirits, heavens, hells, reincarnation, magic, miracles, etc. I do not think any energy or matter is special. I believe the physical rules that govern the world around us also govern us, including our brains and our "souls". I think that when we die that is it. The neural net decays and cannot be retrieved by current technologies (but who knows, maybe someday we can emulate brains flawlessly, store them, and reload them from backup and grow new brains, and bodies, too! Or dispense with the flesh and just be robots after we die). I believe that my dear friend's "soul", as encoded in her brain, is gone forever. She is not out there in some form for me to talk to, and she cannot talk to me. When I die we will not meet again.
Yet my pain has been so great, so intense. I have never lost somebody I loved this much. I miss her terribly. It has been three weeks, so it has been getting better, I admit. But there was a time a week ago when I felt so lost, so sad, so desperate, one might even say crazy (at least to me it seemed). My mind contemplated, seriously contemplated, that the supernatural might exist and that her "soul" might be still present in some form, which I could perhaps connect with while I yet lived. I started talking, almost the way religious people pray. Not so much to some god, but to her.
That has passed a bit, but still comes back to me. It is a struggle. Rationally I do not believe any of it could be true, but I want it to be true so much sometimes, that I find it hard at times to keep on moving forward without meditating and praying on it. I am in a strange place, and not sure of the outcome.
As an atheist I do not believe there are any supernatural powers. I used to scoff (inside, I was too polite to do so outwardly) at people who felt there was supernatural powers, spirit, God, etc. Yet now I understand, on a deep personal level, that a primary reason why faith and religious traditions arose, at first, was as a way to try to cope with the death of a loved one. It may seem obvious, but it was always just an intellectual thought with me, not too personal. Oh, I have had loved ones die, and I was really sad, but it never made me question my beliefs, or debilitate me like it has now, or driven me to a strange mental state, bordering on insanity. But the recent death of my friend has made me go to this place, because I want it so much to be true. I need it. I need to talk to her. The loss is devastating. She meant a lot to me.
I suspect as I slowly get over my intense grief, this state of mind will pass. But who knows? Maybe I will not be able to let it go. Maybe if it is real I will make a breakthrough? Or maybe give up. Or maybe decide I was just crazy and it was all insane. I do not know.
Thanks for reading.
Picklebobble · 56-60, M
Joyful silence:
I am so sorry for the loss of your friend.
I know when things happen unexpectedly it can leave you feeling empty and questioning everything you ordinarily hold dear.
And no matter how much you get used to the idea. It still makes no logical sense to you.
I know that your pain will subside with time. And it's my hope that it will leave you nothing but the good memories of a dear friend and the things you shared.
I am so sorry for the loss of your friend.
I know when things happen unexpectedly it can leave you feeling empty and questioning everything you ordinarily hold dear.
And no matter how much you get used to the idea. It still makes no logical sense to you.
I know that your pain will subside with time. And it's my hope that it will leave you nothing but the good memories of a dear friend and the things you shared.
JoyfulSilence · 46-50, M
Thanks for your consolation. Yes, I have felt empty. I loved her so much.
It is subsiding. Slowly. And most of my memories are good. The only bad stuff was feeling pain because I loved her but she could not (and would not even if she could) love me. Oh, we were good friends, but that is all we ever would be. So before her death I was already depressed for months about that. Yet the way she made me feel was heavenly. So with the pain came bliss. Sigh.
We chatted on those sites, and before EP died I had saved the PM. I have since archived the PMs on the other three sites, including this one. Also, I have grabbed her public stuff. I want those memories in case it disappears over time.
It is subsiding. Slowly. And most of my memories are good. The only bad stuff was feeling pain because I loved her but she could not (and would not even if she could) love me. Oh, we were good friends, but that is all we ever would be. So before her death I was already depressed for months about that. Yet the way she made me feel was heavenly. So with the pain came bliss. Sigh.
We chatted on those sites, and before EP died I had saved the PM. I have since archived the PMs on the other three sites, including this one. Also, I have grabbed her public stuff. I want those memories in case it disappears over time.