This is why Eternalism is often difficult to grasp. Though the concept itself is simple, the REALIZATION of the reality of eternity is not. Overcoming the mind of the finite self, the self that seeks preservation, the self that cannot easily accept the eventual death of the body and the self that has latched onto dogmatic finite mindsets - these take years to readjust our minds to think ABOVE all that is the finite.
The Concepts of Heaven And Hell are Finite.
We've been directed to entertain the ideas that there exists a life after death in which we receive either eternal bliss or eternal pain depending on the judgement of a deity. We know Time Itself is not stagnant though, it does not sit on bliss or pain or anything forever. Time Itself is always in motion. For one to be in heaven or hell would be the end of the story of their lives, there would be nothing more to tell. So to think of heaven and hell, or worse, to BELIEVE such places exist is to accept an END. And Eternity does not do ends. Eternity persists.
Understanding Eternity.
As I said, Eternalism may be hard to grasp and the degree of its difficulty will likely vary from person to person. It is difficult not because it is too intellectual or mystical or zen or crazy, but because it's outside of most societal thinking. All languages that has been developed through the ages are used as tools for a finite purpose. We think 'To what end?' To what end do I read this book or blog, or to what end do I talk to my friend, my boss or my parents?
Language is an EXCELLENT tool, we use it so often that it reverberates in our heads. Our minds speak to us in our language because we willingly developed our minds to do that. language became NECESSARY to societies, it is a SURVIVAL tool. We see problems and LANGUAGE tells us solutions.
But life goes on with or without language. At some point we must ask ourselves; what is our EXPERIENCE beyond language. That is where you will meet Eternity.
Life Forms And Life Forms
When I tell people Eternalists put the search above the discovery, they've sometimes told me that makes them feel anxious, as if some yearning is never-ending or self-defeating or worse, nihilistic. How do we find our happiness, our JOY, on a path that is eternal? I tell them, because that is where true joy, true bliss exists, and it is worth the search BECAUSE it is transient, BECAUSE we are only passing through. And we will pass through joy and bliss again, and they will be the SAME yet DIFFERENT - an old new experience.
So, What Is An Eternalist To Do With Their Life?
Three things;
1. Believe Eternity is real and thereby think in infinite ways.
2. Seek Knowledge.
3. Be on the path of Love.
