thoughts-from-an-archangel

[thoughts-from-an-archangel]

Why Should I Want to Go To Heaven?

Heaven. Nirvana. Enlightenment. Paradise.

Though it goes by many names in different cultures, it is known as the ultimate goal for many. For many, such as myself, we set the heavenly kingdom as the standard of our moral compass. An easy question to ask in questionable situations is: Will this contribute positively to my journey to Heaven? In this lens, we see Heaven as an ultimate expression of moral correctness; only those who strive to live up to those expectations are considered to walk through those gates. But leading a life that holds up to such grand expectations is a steep ask, especially in today's world. So let's rebuild our argument from its foundation. Why should we offer much sacrifice for such a place? Normally I would turn to answers such as "I don't want to go to Hell" or "We get closer to God." But are those really the right answers? What do those answers imply?

"I don't want to go to Hell"

This answer places Heaven simply as a better alternative to something that is awfully terrible. As Hell is described as a plane of eternal torture and suffering, Heaven is described as eternal bliss. To not want eternal suffering is quite valid. None but the most unwell minds would want themselves in torture with no meaning in their suffering. To pick a location where we should spend eternity, I believe one should not be satisfied with the idea that where they spend eternity is simply "anyplace better than Hell." To truly be satisfied with the location of one's end, we must have reason to want to go to Heaven which is intrinsic to Heaven itself.

"we get closer to God"

Yes, you may get "physically" closer to God (I say "physically" because we surpass the physical plane when we pass, thus the discrepancy of physical boundaries no longer exists). However, why is that something that you may want? What does God have that would attract you to stay at His place for eternity? Here the answer is usually filled with the fact that His Son was sent to die for us, so we owe it to Him to be with Him. Personally, I just think that is a petty excuse. If I was an Almighty God who sacrificed my own Son, I am not so sure I would use that as a source to blackmail my followers to stay at my place for eternity. So the question is where do we go from here?

I think the answer to why we should desire to go to Heaven is derived from filling in something that we would desire, something that would satisfy us for eternity. What might this be? I am not so sure if this level of satisfaction would come from materialistic things. Even if Heaven promised power, glory, and riches, how long would such qualities last us until they wore old? Certainly, if those on Earth who are endowed with such gifts fail with these in hand in such sort of time, these gifts would fail to last an eternity. So that leads us to assume that what should we attain in Heaven is something beyond just the material and Earthly.

What is something that everyone in the world desires? It would have to be something that everyone could make use of. I believe this answer is Love, not just any sort of platonic love but rather a limitless unconditional love. This is the type of love expected of a parent and a child, a type of love expected between a husband and wife. However much love we receive on Earth, no matter who it is from, it will always be flawed compared to what God has for us. Looking at the world today, arguably most if not all of the problems we find have some hand in a lack of love. This lack of love could be from a stranger, a superior, a family, a group, or even the whole of society. This lack is what creates a sort of void within ourselves that we futilely attempt to fill with shortlived items. These items may include drugs, porn, social attention, sex, status, or whatever may temporarily fill in that void for you personally. One thing to note is that this void could even be filled by the love you feel in a relationship, however, this is ultimately flawed in some sense that may or may not be visible to us who are on the inside of the relationship. So the answer to why we should want Heaven is because God provides us with His unconditional love that is limitless and beyond measure. This void that it fills is known popularly as the "God-Shaped Hole" (which shall be covered in another installment). Through wanting to be with God, His Son, and the Holy Spirit, we fill the voids of Love, Purpose, and Peace in our lives.

Ideally, to answer the main question at hand, we should not strive for Heaven for Heaven's sake. Instead, we should strive to be with God for He fulfills us and by consequence of our journey to be fulfilled by Him we may attain Heaven.

To end today's note, I am going to reference a famous Christian Apologist.

"If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world." - C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.

-Mikhael

[thoughts-from-an-archangel]

An Idealized Relationship- Intro/Parental Bonds

What does it mean to have a "perfect" relationship?

I believe the answer to this question varies along with the context of what surrounds the very nature of the said relationship. For example, an ideal father-son relationship looks very different from two best friends to even two partners. Even though these different contexts allude to different specifics for their respective answers, do they share some similar characteristics in their answers?

A Parental Bond.

A bond between parent and child should be unconditional. This relationship is also probably the most influential in forming the character of a child when they age. That previous sentence alone sheds light on why the burden of being a parent can be so heavy. Every action you do should reflect the character you would like to see in your child. Knowing this, you should also understand that your child is your statement of legacy upon this Earth. What lives on in them might not be your name or your wealth but rather something that strikes deeper. The mannerisms that you teach and the character that you instill are what your child displays to the world. Through this character, the child can impact the lives of those they may come across. Assuming this chain continues from your child to a stranger to the next stranger and so forth, we can see that a certain aspect of yourself that you passed to your child will live on and create ripples in the world. It may be my advice that the traits we pass on be those that bear good fruit on the world. In this sense, one good trait from one parent to child can brighten the lives of millions of people indirectly. However, the reverse is also true: one negative trait from a parent to a child can silently knock down a million people ever so slightly.

A bond between a parent and child is unique because it is the first bond that is ever formed. It is through this bond that individuals define basic needs such as trust and safety. A parent shouldn't compromise these two values in this relationship lest they should see their child struggle to embrace the world. To properly endow these traits and let them flourish, we must incorporate "unconditional love" in our relationships with our children. This love means that a child should never feel the need to be qualified to receive love from us. We bear the responsibility to love them the same no matter if they succeed or fail in any aspect of life. We must serve as their foundation, a solid ground they can always return to even if the world should shun them. That being said, it is not a menial task. To love someone is difficult. To love someone unconditionally is nearly impossible. That is why in religion we describe the love between God and us as "unconditional" because we never had to "earn" love. We are qualified for His love simply because we are His creation, no more and no less. That is the same type of love we should emulate to those we want to serve as pillars of positive influence for the world, our children.

-Mikhael

[thoughts-from-an-archangel]

An Introduction

Hello,

This page will serve as a faucet of random thoughts and topics. These notes may be long or they may be brief. They may be psychologically deep or they can concern themselves with nothing more than what cereal I ate that morning. The goal is to send one note out every night but we shall see how that goes. Although this seems like a personal diary, feel free to engage in the conversation if you find a specific topic interesting. That will be all for tonight.

-Mikhael