I find myself thinking about spirituality again, so soon after putting down my thoughts on religion. It certainly is an interesting topic to give speculation towards. Unfortunate that with my mind I shall never be able to participate in such things. Again, I feel disconcerted and envious over that fact.
I have been giving some thought towards the idea of a 'heaven'. That is, in the context of the afterlife, the place one goes with faith in a deity or deities and their teachings. It is said that one may find eternal bliss there, if it exists. A blissful, immortal existence as a gleeful soul in a place beyond comprehension... It is what most everypony strives for, is it not? Having everything that I could ever want certainly sounds wonderful... At first.
These souls, in that afterlife. They would simply end up all the same. Follow your lords without question, acknowledge them and share their ideals to any who would listen. No doing this or that, or you will suffer; perhaps eternally. Threatening, is it not? No, not at all.
A major issue arises as I think on it. Is ultimate bliss truly what I desire most in life? Everything in the afterlife is said to be perfect, even the souls whom reside within. They have no flaws, no errors. There are no misconceptions, no wrong. I could have anything I wanted, no questions asked, as a reward for following the deity or deities' law on the mortal plane.
However, what can be gained when I have everything I ever wanted, when there is no challenge? There would be no strife, no journeys, no growth; as there is no place to go after I get there. What happens is that I become empty. I eat the fruit from the forbidden tree, as it were. It is of my opinion that there is no greater force in the universe than the curse of the pursuit of knowledge and self-growth.
Additionally, what gives the right to those who maintain the plane of the afterlife to judge those who do not affect them in any way? One could live their entire life knowing only what they were taught, and such teachings could be wrong in the eyes of the judges, condemning the soul to suffer. Is it still right for them to pass judgement on an individual for ignorance? I am sure some zealous types would say that they should have been taught anyway.
As much as I feel guilty to admit the act, I have looked closely upon my subjects and judged them on a personal level. Rather than watch the perfect pony in grace, skill, and speech whittle their days with an empty shell... I observe the ones who are notably, visibly flawed. With the right spell and concentration, I can see anything and anypony through the window of my study, even into their minds.
The nature of ponies... I look at them as they commit heinous acts. I can feel their emotions of hate, of passion, of want. I observe them as they bring out all of their feelings freely without being binded to a deity's will. They walk about day by day, not shackled by promises of wonder and perfection; sometimes they are even aware of the possibility, but choose otherwise. They eat, drink, and be merry. They are truly what it means to be alive.
Somehow, this reminds me of the Princess Molestia tumblr page. In this one image, she's disguising herself as a statue in order to spy on the sex lives of her citizens.
This, I can agree to
Heck, I've spent hours thinking about the same thing.
249871pfff lol now that you bring it up
Fudge.
Those are some very good questions, Celestia. Here are my thoughts.
A perfect world can certainly sound boring, if looked at from a certain perspective. But you have to remember that if it is a place you do not enjoy, then it isn't perfect. A perfect 'heaven' would be a place you would never want to leave, for so many reasons. Even if you could change it you woudn't. Not only wouldn't there be sadness or loss, or pain or sorrow or hatred, but it would also be a perfect community, where you're as close to others as can be. Don't all ponies have a desire to know and be with others, to have friends and socialize? To be loved and accepted? In heaven, that desire would be completely fulfilled. Also, why couldn't there be mistakes, or growth? There's nothing "wrong" about making mistakes--it's part of learning. And if heaven is a world in and of itself, I imagine there would be plenty to learn about and explore, just as there is in the physical world. And what of the deity? If he is boundless, then having an eternity to learn about him/her seems fitting, especially if that diety created ponies, and programmed them with a desire to know their maker.
And I certainly wouldn't think that everypony loses their individuality, their personality, color and flare. That certainly doesn't sound perfect to me, so it must not be what heaven is like. And again if the deity is also the creator, then clearly they are a deity of diversity just as much as anything else. Here in Equestria diversity can cause conflict, but in heaven it wouldn't, which to me sounds wonderful. And as far as the concept of mindlessly following the deity's will is concerned, what if that will is entirely and selflessly focused on the happiness and fulfillment of the ponies who occupy their heaven? What if their will is for their ponies to go out and explore and discover, to learn and create new things? And what if that will can never in anyway cross your own?
As for judgement, indeed who can judge? But surely someone must, for if there is a moral law, what use is that law if there is no one to enforce it? To hold others to it? Who then can be the judge? Perhaps one who created all the ponies who must follow it, and who also created the moral law and follows it perfectly, and knows it better than anypony alive. As for those who were raised in ignorance, what if that same creator is also absolutely just (we can assume this if we believe they follow the moral law perfectly), and would never incorrectly judge a pony, or send them somewhere they absolutely didn't deserve to go? Since this is a creator we are talking about, they would know the heart of each pony more than you do, for he/she made their hearts. And what if the creator spent the entire life of each ignorant pony trying to reach them and convince them of their existence?
You must remember Celestia, you are bound by this world, while a deity or creator is not. There are going to be many things that don't make sense to you, because your mind is constrained. But simply because one does not understand how something may work or be possible does not mean it isn't.
Any thoughts?
777378 Blowing the dust off my old Bible it says somewhere that in Heaven we go "from glory to glory." Even there, there may be growth.