Young Writers Society

I have had a question, for quite some time, that I just can’t seem to find an answer for. It is this: Why do so many people desire to live forever? The topic of never ending life I will save for another time, but for now, I ask another question; one that sort of coincides with the previous. Why is this heaven -- or a perfect place where everyone is happy -- that people seem to strive so hard to gain, only attainable after death? It is my belief that we can find heaven here. Now. Heaven on Earth. Sure, the expression “heaven on Earth” is used semi-often to convey just how much someone might love something. But when that expression is used, I think it is very rarely used with any particle of truth. And so my question now becomes: Why do people not see what truly is heaven on Earth? I know what my true heaven is, and it just so happens that I will find it here on Earth. I say I will find it because I am still at the beginning of my life, and that is what the first portion of one’s life is about, finding their heaven, their real heaven on Earth. So if I may impose upon the reader to join me, I will outline what my heaven is and maybe from there, the reader may decide just what their heaven may be.

Not too long ago I wrote up a little, sappy love poem for complete fun. It was entitled “My Celeb Crush” and basically showed the fanciful life that most every one imagines with some celebrity -- even though we all know that that life is not at all realistic --. The final stanza of that poem read like this:



That is what serves as the basis of this essay. I doubt, -- more know -- that anyone actually read that to mean much of anything. “Teenagers can’t write any meaningful stuff!” is probably what most people think when they read things written by teenagers, and as a result they tend not to look at any of the work with the purpose of finding meaning it. As my good buddy Sherlock Holmes often says, one only sees what they are looking for. I tried to put some meaning into that stanza, and if you ask me, I did quite well. In the stanza preceding the above, I had proposed for marriage to this celebrity and now, in the above stanza, I am kissing the bride. That is equivalent to the wedding. The next line, “to heaven we would go,” does not mean we suddenly die upon tying the knot! Not in the slightest. It refers to what this whole essay is about, heaven on Earth, “true heaven lies in the lives we live below.” What I’m saying, is that heaven does not come upon one’s death. After I marry, a whole new life begins. A life which becomes what will -- or should... the world seems to be drifting further and further from this… -- be the life I live for my entire life. It is kind of a big thing, and due to the fact that I don’t believe in any afterlife, much less a heaven or hell, I am left with this being my work and my accomplishments. They are the only things that matter: how I raise my family, the moments I spend with my wife and what I make of those moments, the job I have to support my family, and the moments I spend raising and watching my children grow into the people they will become. There is nothing more important because that is what I will leave behind. In short, if there is any perfect place, time, or thing, it needs to be the life I live, right here, right now. (I wrote previously about how love is the most important thing. If you haven’t read it, I suggest you do http://jrsstories.webs.com/apps/blog/show/10243306-love-from-a-skeptic-s-view )

But no one is perfect. We are constantly told this by teachers, parents, ministers, preachers, pretty much any religious entity, but is it really true? Who decides what perfect is anyway? Society? I have always believed it best to go about my ways according to logic and philosophy rather than what society deems good or bad. As a result, I often try to defy society, maybe fix it a little bit, because let’s face it, society is on a steady decline of a very dangerous and slippery mountain slope. Is it religion? I don’t even want to get started on this one, but if some perfect, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent being truly cares anything about what everyone is doing, --which from what I’ve seen of the world, is not true-- or has the “perfect” ability to claim that only they are perfect, well… that does not remotely equate to perfectness for me. So in fact, maybe being perfect isn’t being perfect. Maybe it is the little imperfections, the little annoying traits, the little stupid habits that make something perfect. After all, when one finds their perfect soulmate, it is often said that it is important to love that person for what they do have rather than what they do not, in other words, for their imperfections. Maybe there are many things in life that are perfect, but one just chooses not to find them. As such, maybe that perfect place, time, or thing, isn’t so unattainable as we think it is. In fact, maybe one already has it, but again as Mr. Holmes says, maybe one is not looking for it.

I am headed towards my perfect place, my heaven. I spend every waking, hour of my day preparing, and shaping myself for the heaven that I will hopefully soon obtain. I keep on adding little droplets of the cleansing waters of life to my pail, then cary it around waiting for anything else that I might want to throw in. I am preparing for my heaven on Earth. The question now becomes, has the reader found their heaven? Or is the reader preparing likewise, until the day they come in contact, with their heaven on Earth.

Dear HostofHorus,

Wooooow! What a thought-provoking piece of work. There is so much that I want to commend you on:

First off, I just want to tell you that I am aware of the will-power it often takes to complete "general non-fiction articles", because they are so highly under-estimated at times due to their long lengths or lack of explicit amusement.

Next, I think this was a great topic. The speaker's voice is so dominant, concise, and strong-willed.

The opening question "Why do so many people desire to live forever" is very ensnaring. The reader can't help but see where that's going.

You present a number of different questions and premises and a very unique perspective. One thing that stood out to me was the way you never left an idea incomplete. You always used the next point (or points) to strengthen an idea that you had brought out beforehand.

I think the poem you referenced throughout the piece was a great source, and it really helped to illustrate your views of "heaven on Earth"

There was a little humor in there for me when it got around "The next line, “to heaven we would go,” does not mean we suddenly die upon tying the knot! Not in the slightest.". I also liked the fact that I could hear where you were going from that point.

The last thing I want to commend is the way you slip into this idea and description of "perfection". You didn't just jump there, but you made a very smooth transition and brought it in at the right time.

I honestly do not have anything to knock after reading this piece. I was so taken with the writing itself that I couldn't even really focus on grammar and punctuation.

Overall, outstanding! I had to give you your flowers!