Heaven

Avowed atheist, the late Christopher Hitchens, often accused theists of wanting to believe in a Heaven because they want “the party to go on”.  (Christopher Hitchens was this scary man with a deep voice who always reminded me of my Dad when he gets really angry and I am in big trouble.)

Hitchens compared religious references of Heaven to a never-ending party because he felt that people were afraid of no longer existing after they die, of losing their identity or connection to loved ones.  They want to imagine some kind of world where they will once again be alive and able to experience all the fun they had while on earth, but this time without any of the sorrows or negatives.  They want to know that they will once again be reunited with Mom, Uncle Charlie, and their hamster Gerald.

It’s interesting to note that this idea of existing after death is a relatively Western concept.  Eastern philosophy is a bit different.  We do not want the party to go on.  Especially one that involves grey hairs, cellulite craters, saggy skin, saggier body parts, and general old age as the night grows longer.  (Not that I have real experience with any of these myself yet, but theoretically speaking!)

Instead we wish for jeevan mukti or moksha which is a release from reincarnation, or the cycle of rebirth.  Our goal is ceasing to exist as a constantly suffering, vulnerable, and transitory lifeform.  The final resting state is simply imagined to be one with no hardships or even existence, as opposed to a fun, colorful, heavenly party with harps and angels.  The Eastern vision of Heaven may sound a bit drab at first, but think of it as a dreamless sleep where you get to nap for as long as you want.  On gazillion-thread-count sheets.  Not so bad now, is it?

Bored Angel with halo and wings

In Hindu teachings, it is thought that both Heaven and Hell are accessible to us in our current state as humans.  The idea of a separate Heaven or Hell, after this life, does not really exist – except, as just discussed, the heavenly feeling of liberation from reincarnation.  But it is believed that one can be free from one’s physical body even now, in our current life, simply through the use of the mind.  Detachment of one’s expectation of a permanent happiness from temporary, worldly pleasures is supposedly the key to bliss on earth.  Perhaps comparable to the old Native Indian way of living – one of community, sharing, harmony with nature, simplicity, respect for young and old, and minimal material comforts – which was considered a sustainable, loving way to live together during our short time here.  Or maybe it is possible to have another kind of Utopia, one where we can still have our chocolate and Mc-80-inch-TVs.  (I own the former and am addicted to the latter.  Yeah, yeah, I know I don’t come across as completely enlightened yet, but I’m WORKING ON IT!)

Meanwhile, it is believed that Hell on earth can also be experienced.  Many years ago I visited a company in Bombay to look into the creation of a green eco bag with my company logo that I wanted to gift to clients in the US.  After some initial small talk, the shrewd, money-minded owner took me to the inner chambers of his factory, to show me where the work was being done.  I will never forget what happened next.  When he opened the door to a small room with about twenty women and children inside, the heat and stench hit me squarely in the face.  It comprised the most horrific working conditions I had ever seen, a dark, humid, airless room with no human comforts, just a concrete floor and frail women and children hand stitching garment after garment.  Not even sewing machines were visible, it was a simple line of humans crouched on the floor with needle, thread, and nothing else.  Not even a window. 

To me, this scenario was the quintessential example of Hell on earth.  The devil, fire, and forced labor was all here, in a small sweatshop in Bombay.  Hell can also be seen in refugee camps, crowded jails, ISIS videos, battle sites, domestic abuse shelters, slums or simply in ordinary, everyday life.

The reality of the atrocities actually suffered on Earth can be far more horrendous than the flimsy scare tactics dreamt up by religious books and leaders.  So to the atheists who believe that theists and agnostics are desperately clinging to the idea of a higher power because they wish to remain eternal – I would like to emphatically and clearly say that this is not true.  

There are many of us, like myself, who have no need to continue existing as an identity or as anything at all.  We are happy enough to have an end to our suffering, whether that happens within the framework of a random or planned design.  If our suffering ends simply because we are a random product of the Big Bang and we will cease to exist once our bodies break down – we are okay with that.  There is no need to believe in a planned or intelligent design or a God or Heaven simply for the hope that we continue to enjoy the party.  The goal is an end to suffering, not a continuation of fun times.

So on behalf of all party poopers who prefer an eternal nap to an eternal dance floor — let the party go on without us!

In Darwin’s book The Descent of Man, he famously claimed many of our anatomical features to be useless including the muscles of the ear, the tailbone, body hair, and the fold in the corner of our eye.  People generally think of goosebumps, male nipples, and the appendix as also being unnecessary to our existence.  They are often referred to as “vestigial organs”, which were once thought to be useful for survival, but are now mostly or completely non-functional.  Kind of like advanced calculus.

To Darwin, this was strong evidence that man had evolved from primitive ancestors.  He theorized that over time, many vestigial organs or appendages began shrinking as they were used less and less.  For example, the tailbone is thought to have once been a longer tail used by our ancestors for everyday tasks and survival.  Having shrunk over time as we began relying more on the use of our hands, the tailbone now forms a tiny bump in our spines.  (Personally I’m glad, that’s one less body part to tone at the gym.  I have enough flabby appendages already.)

On the other side it is thought that when an organ or physical part is needed or nourished, it grows instead.  Humans may have grown taller in past centuries because we paid more attention to nutrition and medical cures, and because height gave humans a strength and power advantage over those possibly weaker.  As we all know, Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest postulated that those who were stronger or more genetically advantaged were likelier to survive.

Darwin Figures of Evolution to Angel

Darwin’s theory has always appealed to me as a logical explanation for how we evolve.  It just makes alot of sense and of course it’s pretty much accepted science.  And being agnostic for the most part, I’ve never been able to fully believe the idea of a God created universe.  I normally need proof of a concept before I can consider it.  In the war between Creationists and Evolutionists I take the side of our ancestors being hairy apes.

Despite my bias towards science, I often wonder if Darwin’s theory is in fact, compatible, with Eastern spiritual beliefs.

(Warning: the following is more my whimsical musings than logic, so if you are an eye-roller, feel free to jump out now or snort your way through the rest of the article.   I won’t be offended.  I eye-rolled my way through my teenage years.)

Eastern philosophy does not talk about Creationism in detail and where we came from, but rather seems more focused on the concept of moksha, or where we go next once we are liberated from reincarnation, or the cycle of rebirth.  It is thought that humans were born into their current bodies because we had an attachment to sensory pleasures. Our desires caused us to manifest into physical forms which would enable us to experience these pleasures.  (I’m pretty sure I exist because of foot rubs and pie.)

According to Eastern philosophy, human bodies and the material life are viewed as flawed and temporary, subject to the cruelties of time and old age.  Living as a decaying human form in a suffering filled material world is not considered “survival” but rather a state to escape.

It is believed that we have the power to outgrow our attachment to the sense body.  Once the soul desires moksha or release from the cycle of rebirth, it can eventually shed its physical form and simply continue as energy.  It can be united with other energies in the universe and ride off into the sunset, having achieved eternal existence and survival in the non-temporary, non-changing form of the soul.

It often appears to me that this philosophy fits right into Darwin’s Theory of Evolution and Survival of the Fittest.  If a soul begins to place more importance on its inner energy and consciousness, and less on its external physical form, then it seems plausible that eventually the body will be shed because it is no longer needed, just like the vestigial organs we no longer use.  Like the appendix, tailbone, or other useless appendages, the ENTIRE human form becomes unnecessary for survival.  You heard that right, perhaps in the end we’re all just giant, walking, redundant male nipples!

Perhaps it can also be said that the eternal soul, if it truly exists, is inherently more successful in survival than a temporary, vulnerable physical form which can be injured and has a guaranteed death in every lifetime.  It seems that survival of the fittest would apply to the soul triumphing over the body.

I wonder – is it possible that we can evolve to the point where our temporary, fragile bodies are no longer of concern to us, and we can shed the unwanted, no longer useful super-organ once we stop giving it so much importance?

And is it possible . . . (drumroll, not eye-roll) . . . that Darwin’s Theory of Evolution is not contradictory to the idea of Enlightenment but instead, a fitting description of what happens on our final spiritual journey?

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

Comment on Facebook

You've missed one huge and basic point in Darwins theory of evolution. Evolution is said to take place by survival and subsequent passing on of any beneficial adaptations to our offspring. How would the soul achieve any of this in order to evolve The soul you've described would not be subject to any enforced selective process. People getting taller over recent times is a consequence of better environmental conditions and better health not evolution To evolve being taller we would need to prevent short people breeding. Like living longer, no evolution involved in people having longer lives its a consequence of better environment and health care.

We are the underdeveloped larvae of some greater physical & spiritual being. 😒

Trying to use Darwin's Theory of Evolution to add credibility to something completely unrelated is not a new idea. You might as well invoke quantum mechanics or fluid dynamics to justify reincarnation.

Vestigial does not mean useless. It means that the organ no longer has its original use.

Darwin never proposed "Survival of the Fittest", that was philosopher Herbert Spencer. His views were called 'Social Darwinism' and precipitated several unfortunate social policies. Darwin was opposed to them. The rest is based on the supposition that there is a soul, something for which there is no evidence.

I love this eastern philosophy.

I believe in one God, the Almighty Father, Creator of Heaven and Earth and of all that's visible and invisible.

Darwin was a fool. Eastern religions are all false. Only the Bible has spiritual truth.

sure does -just consider the 3rd eye as a vestge of an eye hidden in the forehead of (certain?) reptiles ,or the importance of the colour blue from when we were fish!!

"Wrong !"" ,...

No

“And then the prince and the princess lived happily ever after.  The End.”

Sigh.  Fairy tales are magical, aren’t they?  For a few wonderful moments, you immerse yourself in this fantasy world of love, intrigue, and happy endings and believe that everything will turn out fine in the end.  We love fairy tales because they give us hope.

That may be a big reason for why religion is so popular.  It gives us a perfect ending – Heaven.  Which is complete and permanent happiness with eternal freedom from pain.  Sure, life is a blessing, but very few of us think of our current state as the final goal.  Most of us aspire to move on to a better place eventually, where there is less of the bad and more of the good.  Or preferably none of the bad and all of the good.

But while I would be ecstatic for that to be true, what I don’t understand is this – if we are able to exist in our current life form – whether it was due to some past sin that we are paying for, an attachment to sensory pleasures, or a random act of science – how are we so sure that we won’t come back again?

I am not referring to the Eastern philosophy of reincarnation, where one may take birth numerous times to pay off karmic debts.

Circling between Earth and Heaven endlessly

I am talking about once we’ve neutralized our karma or done whatever it takes to reach our final destination – detachment, prayer, charity work, or other good deeds. If we were able to be tempted by some apple and fall from “heaven” onto earth, how do we know it won’t happen again even if we somehow make our way back up to paradise?  In other words, if we could fall once, couldn’t we very well fall again?

How do we know heaven — if it exists – is permanent?  If time is eternal and never-ending, then why wouldn’t the same hold true for life?  How does it make sense that there was only one cataclysmic event that enabled us to reach the state we are in – birth, temptation, or perhaps a fall from grace – and one final cataclysmic event that will pull us out of it?   Why couldn’t there be multiple such events?

Even if there is no heaven, and we are simply random products of the Big Bang and physics, how do we know that the universe won’t drum up the right mixture of neurons, electrons, protons, and croutons and give birth to us morons yet again?   Sure, it might have been a 1 in a trillion-billion-gazillion chance that the earth and mankind were able to come into being, but if it happened once, can’t it happen again?

Nietzsche famously posited the same fear in his publishing, Eternal Recurrence.  He theorized that if time is eternal, then it is more than certain that life will recur endlessly as well.  He was tormented by the worry that we may even circle back into the exact same life we are living now, because eventually the same configuration of matter that gave rise to us once will eventually regenerate and give rise to us in the same form.  So horrified was he at the idea of having to relive his current life that he spent a whole book examining this scary concept.  Oh, and he also went insane and was checked into a mental asylum. (Note to self: DO NOT GO CRAZY!)

It is partially for this reason that I don’t abandon my worldly life and become a detached, praying hairy hermit monk in the Himalayas.  I’ve thought about it – and tough as it would be, I would happily do it if I thought I could achieve permanent Enlightenment that way.  But I remain skeptical that all of that sacrifice is worth it, either because as an Agnostic I’m not sure there really is a Heaven or God, or because I’m not sure that our final resting place – free from all pain and suffering – is really permanent.

To begin with, it already seems like such a tough, self-sacrificing journey to get to Heaven in the first place, at least according to some religions.  Hinduism theorizes that many lifetimes of being reborn into plant, animal, and human forms are involved – 84,000 lifetimes in fact –  in order to atone for bad karma through suffering and good deeds.  (Yes, that means we will one day be reborn as a lizard or spider or chicken sandwich, the animals we treat so cruelly as humans.)  Only after millions or perhaps billions of years is our long arduous effort finally rewarded with moksha, or enlightenment.

And after all that, imagine if the finish line was only a temporary respite, one that could eventually end and culminate in the cycle of rebirth all over again?  What if we all share the same plight as King Sisyphus – doomed to try endlessly to reach the top of the hill, only to slide back down again – but we just don’t know it?

I HOPE that isn’t the case.  How depressing.  Waaah!  Everyone wants to think positive thoughts and stay optimistic, and of course, I do too.  I most certainly hope I’m wrong.  I pray there is a fairy tale ending in store for all of us – no matter how difficult the road may be to get there.  Even if it’s tough, if we can eventually achieve a state of happiness that lasts forever, then all the striving will have been worth it.

So here’s hoping that one day we can all live Happily Ever After . . . but . . .  I’ll fully believe it when I get there.

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

Comment on Facebook

other than assertion/ affirmation and " belief"... what leads one to believe " heaven" actually exists ?

Who in the world thinks time is eternal?....

Nothing new here... vedic and buddhist scripts spoke about this millenia ago.

Logic and experience makes us think we won't come back at all. Might as well ask "What if magic isn't real?"

you talking about reincarnation then,,I am never coming back to earth this slave planet again,

I don't remember being here before, but who knows?

There is no paradise now. Heaven will be formed in the universe that follows this universe after its destruction In this universe, people make Paradise by the work of the hands, but the Paradise of God is the one that made it, because there is no work or misery in it

I sincerely hope I don't ever have to come back to this world again.

Need to get the good NEWS that we are all divine beings and NOT BORN SINNERS as we are all part of that ultimate infinite divine supreme reality as energy cannot be created but can only be transformed.

The bible claim heaven exist and when jesus come back the dead will rise up and everyone will be judge. The righteous will live in god's kingdom and so on. ------ Now why are you people at 3 chip on god making up your nonsense.

🙄

So true!!!❤️🕊❤️🕊❤️🕊❤️🕊🕊

I am more interested in the afterlife than my current life.  By a factor of 100 to 1.  I know that’s a bit extreme, but it’s true.

Now don’t get me wrong. I would love to improve my current life.  I have a few too many muffins in my muffin top that need to be Tae-Boed, I could floss more, save more, and spend less.  I could become a better me and be more mindful of my breathing and blinking and stuff like that.  No doubt.

But there are TWO reasons why I am exponentially more interested in what comes next – what my “life” looks like for eternity rather than just the next 30-40 years.  The reasons are:

  1. Depreciation
  2. Numbers
Calculations and Equations and Rolling Dice

Let’s begin by reviewing the first point – depreciation.  I may be expected to know this already since I’m a financial planner, but Joe the Plumber also knows that it’s better to invest more in a home – an appreciating asset – than in a car, which is a depreciating asset.  It’s considered more prudent to invest in something that will last in perpetuity over something that has a limited life span.

To me, the same goes for the body vs the soul.  The body is a depreciating asset.  Sorry to say that so bluntly, but it’s true.  Over time we go from being glorious, full blooming flowers to wilted, dried up stalks.  From battling grey hair, wrinkles, decreased energy, increased grumpiness, and the aforementioned muffin tops, it’s a downhill slide as we age.  (Don’t deny it, you know what I’m talking about, baldy!)  Of course there are those who manage to slow the aging process down and bail out enough water so that the boat still floats.  But it takes more and more effort and investment as the cracks keep widening.

On top of that, our life span is so ridiculously short compared to the incredible amount of effort we put into ourselves.  We spend a good 25 years learning to walk, talk, read, and acquire a money-earning skill, another 40 years running a race to satisfy our ever increasing needs, and then the next 20-30 years coping with dwindling health and savings.  I almost cried the day I bought my first vitamin pill box and I will be irreparably traumatized when they send me an AARP card in a few years.  (They don’t even ask, they just send it to everyone at 50.  This should be illegal!)

I mean, really, is this whole roller coaster truly worth it?  It’s utterly exhausting at times.  And then at the end of it all, this demanding, deteriorating body, with its lifelong craving for satiation of sensory pleasures – for pleasing tastes, sights, sounds, touches, and smells – at the end of this long marathon, the body simply betrays us and DIES.  How do you like that??  We spend a lifetime catering to this ungrateful, wise-ass punk of a body, and in the end it sputters out.  Just like a $500k Lamborghini with an insatiable appetite for expensive repairs, oil, maintenance, and gas will one day run out of miles and end up in the junkyard.  All that investment goes down the tubes.

I like to accumulate luxuries and go for massages and get expensive haircuts and buy iStuff just as much as the next person.  But these are temporary pleasures for a temporary body.  Whereas the same efforts and money put into a permanent home – our souls – will appreciate or grow in value over time.  What’s becoming more and more important to me is cultivating and growing my mind and spiritual awareness, assuming there is an afterlife and I get to take my portfolio with me to where I go next

That brings me to my second point – it’s a numbers game The afterlife, or eternity, is greater than my current life, another 30-50 years at most.  It’s easy math:

ETERNITY > NOW

If I knew there will be no afterlife, if the Big Bang was it and we are random miracles of nature that will simply dissipate and cease to exist one day, then sure, I’d be more interested in my current incarnation.  Of course I would.  Because then:

NOW > NOTHING AFTERWARDS

But since I lean towards the belief that there most likely is an afterlife, I put more of my efforts into advancing my soul than I do my looks, finances, or current ego.  My current incarnation with it’s current circle of friends, family, career, and pleasures is a temptation and compelling in it’s tangible, short-term gratification metrics, especially over an intangible ROI of spiritual development.  But cerebrally I know I’m only here for what seems the blink of an eye and I can’t help but worry and wonder about what comes next.

I’ll confess, being spiritually aware can be lame!  I think I used to be happier and more motivated when I was young, ignorant, and in love with my present life and worldly possessions.  Those innocent, materialistic days were awesomesauce and if I could, I might have chosen to remain in that more blissful, optimistic mindset.   (I’d sure be more fun to my friends.)

But as you get older and go through life experiences, the reality of a finite existence becomes more stark and less avoidable.  There is no going back to childhood innocence, only forward through the dark tunnel towards light and enlightenment.

And of course being a financial planner, and the daughter of a former math teacher, I can’t help but understand the following concepts:  1) the body is a depreciating asset, and 2) eternity is greater than now.  In the realm of logic and numbers, the choice becomes clear – my soul justifies the greater investment of resources.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest content delivered to your inbox.  

(NOTE:  We hate spam and will never sell your email!)