Forever And Ever

[William]

If you could live forever, what kind of environment would you want to exist within if you could chose it?

[Purple Knight]

I would not want to choose. I would want the universe to choose for me.

I would not want the option to bore myself until I want death and it never comes. I would not want the option to put myself in Hell anymore than I would want to live in a blank, white cage with nothing but needles filled with infinite cocaine until I start shooting up because there is simply nothing else to do.

[Dimmesdale]

If you could live forever, what kind of environment would you want to exist within if you could chose it?

Purple Knight is right. We ourselves 9 times out of 10 don't know what is truly in our best interest. We make so many earthly plans here, often times with meticulous care, and at the end we are usually still dissatisfied, if not profoundly. If we don't know what happiness is on earth, how can we arrange, manipulate or otherwise cajole God into giving us a specific heavenly happiness? We can't, not in our current state. In our current state our mind is diseased to such an extent that all our desires are marred and we desire that which, had we perfect knowledge, we would definitely reject as incompatible with our true best interest. We need to rely on a higher authority to guide our decisions, even regards what we "really" want.

[Tcg]

If we don't know what happiness is on earth, how can we arrange, manipulate or otherwise cajole God into giving us a specific heavenly happiness?

I know what happiness on earth is. I certainly don't need to beg some being that has never been proven to exist outside human imagination to achieve it. I've achieved it on my own. It's sad to realize that some humans aren't capable of doing so.


Tcg

[Miles]

If you could live forever, what kind of environment would you want to exist within if you could chose it?

I would never opt to do such a thing. What might be nice tho is to go unconscious forever (die, if you like) except for waking up now and then just to see how things have changed, that is, until the Earth goes
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[William]

If you could live forever, what kind of environment would you want to exist within if you could chose it?

I would extend my happiness [from my current experience] into the eternal situation and develop my creativity from that knowledge and understanding.

The environments I create from that position, will reflect everything about myself and I will be free to explore those creations and make adjustments as I please.

[Dimmesdale]

I know what happiness on earth is. I certainly don't need to beg some being that has never been proven to exist outside human imagination to achieve it. I've achieved it on my own. It's sad to realize that some humans aren't capable of doing so.
Tcg

I am actually skeptical that you have achieved happiness. In my experience most people haven't. Happiness, actually, isn't something to be achieved at all, according to some thinkers. It is like a butterfly. If you hold still enough, and forget your own incessant striving, it may alight upon your shoulder. Thus you are happy, even against your will. Happiness takes you unawares, in other words. It isn't the kind of object you can seize hold of. It isn't an object at all.

In my humble opinion, I think you are mistaking prosperity for happiness. Prosperity can be definitely achieved, and many have achieved it. The same thing with other goals. One can achieve success in a lot of ways. But the interesting thing is that none of these things by themselves yield happiness for long. At least not happiness in the sense of unending, lasting peace and joy. All these goals may yield powerful experiences. Like for example when Michael Jordan won the NBA Championships. I'm not downplaying those experiences. Those may have been peak experiences. But even those feelings, however powerful they are, don't yield continuous happiness. Even they, fade.

[William]

Happiness in and of itself is a quality of being at peace with oneself. Theoretically one could be in any situation and still maintain that peace. It is not dependent upon external happenings...although external happenings can be effected by it...

[Tcg]

I know what happiness on earth is. I certainly don't need to beg some being that has never been proven to exist outside human imagination to achieve it. I've achieved it on my own. It's sad to realize that some humans aren't capable of doing so.


Tcg

I am actually skeptical that you have achieved happiness.

This is nothing but a reflection on your own experience. It says nothing about mine.


Tcg

[Tcg]

In my humble opinion, I think you are mistaking prosperity for happiness. Prosperity can be definitely achieved, and many have achieved it.

Prosperity? Me? The most valuable thing I own is a $400 guitar amp. It's a cool '67 black-line Silverface Champ, but that hardly makes me prosperous.


Tcg