Ship of Fools: When you go to Heaven

Thread: When you go to Heaven Board: Oblivion / Ship of Fools.

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Posted by Galloping Granny (# 13814) on :

quote:
A self-confessed lover of sleaze, [Peter O'Toole] once said: “I can’t stand light; I hate weather; my idea of heaven is moving from one smoke-filled room to another.”

So what would you like to find when you get to heaven?

And as a perhaps more serious footnote: How will you cope with eternity? Because you'll be there for ever...

GG

Posted by Eigon (# 4917) on :

As long as there are lots of books....

Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Eigon:
As long as there are lots of books....

... and dogs.

Posted by ArachnidinElmet (# 17346) on :

It would look a little like Whitby, which would encompass the previous two posts.

Posted by LeRoc (# 3216) on :

I understand that there are a lot of angels who play an instrument? I hope they like to jam a bit.

Posted by Spike (# 36) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Pigwidgeon:

quote:
Originally posted by Eigon:
As long as there are lots of books....
... and dogs.

And beer

Posted by Pigwidgeon (# 10192) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Spike:

quote:
Originally posted by Pigwidgeon:

quote:
Originally posted by Eigon:
As long as there are lots of books....
... and dogs.
And beer

Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :

I want C. S. Lewis's Heaven in The Great Divorce. I know, I know, he was writing about inner heaven and hell, here and now. But I still want it.

Lewis's description of a saintly soul there:

quote:
I cannot now remember whether she was naked or clothed. If she were naked, then it must have been the almost visible penumbra of her courtesy and joy which produces in my memory the illusion of a great and shining train that followed her across the happy grass. If she were clothed, then the illusion of nakedness is doubtless due to the clarity with which her inmost spirit shone through the clothes. For clothes in that country are not a disguise: the spiritual body lives along each thread and turns them into living organs. A robe or a crown is there as much one of the wearer's features as a lip or an eye.

But I have forgotten. And only partly do I remember the unbearable beauty of her face.

Posted by The5thMary (# 12953) on :

Cats. House cats, wild cats, leopards, tigers, black bears, zebra, seals, dolphins, sharks that are playful and not at all killers... oceans to swim and surf in--I once had a dream of Heaven and along with my guardian angel and I wrestling playfully on a huge lawn, Jesus was surfing with me! Surfing on a surfboard and there were hundreds of us in the water, laughing and telling happy jokes... ahhh!

Hopefully, there will be cooking because I would love to be able to whip up a nice dinner for Jesus and my parents! [Smile]

Posted by St. Gwladys (# 14504) on :

quote:
Originally posted by The5thMary:
Cats.

All the cats I have had and loved and all the cats I would have liked, but no litter trays to clean out or cat vomit to clean up.

Posted by Caissa (# 16710) on :

A little room full of books and piped in jazz.

Posted by Horseman Bree (# 5290) on :

The surely-to-be-sainted Clive suggested in The Last Battle that Heaven was the place where the Real Things were, those things which we had only seen as shadows while on Earth, just as the people who came up on the Bus from Hell only appeared as shadows in the Forest below Heaven in The Great Divorce.

So your dogs will be more dog-like (plus they will probably talk!); your beer will be more beer-like (and will not give you an eternal hangover, one hopes); your musical ability will be more music-like;...

And your consciousness of Time will be, at least, more elastic

The biggest thing will, I hope, be that you are less aware of some of the awful stuff you did while on Earth.

Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :

quote:
Originally posted by The5thMary:
...Hopefully, there will be cooking because I would love to be able to whip up a nice dinner for Jesus and my parents!

I so agree with this - and as one who enjoys washing up, yes really, I could probably stay in the Heavenly Kitchen most of the day.

Posted by Galilit (# 16470) on :

Cats.
Bombay Sapphire.
Lime trees from which to pick limes.
Nice soaps in endless variey.
I hope there are churches in heaven and I can go wherever I want on any particular day to suit my thoughts (or thoughts I want to explore)

Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on :

In Heaven I will host a big party with all my Hindu friends and Muslim friends and Christian friends and Quaker Friends and agnostics and atheists [and an etc. as a catch all] and we will all understand one another and get along famously.

Posted by Sparrow (# 2458) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Horseman Bree:
The surely-to-be-sainted Clive suggested in The Last Battle that Heaven was the place where the Real Things were, those things which we had only seen as shadows while on Earth, just as the people who came up on the Bus from Hell only appeared as shadows in the Forest below Heaven in The Great Divorce.

I hope that some parts of it will look like the Lake District, only Real.

Posted by Stercus Tauri (# 16668) on :

No more dentists! No internet. Free rides on the steam trains.

A lovely old lady I knew said that God had better make good on his promise of a new body, as she was thoroughly fed up with the old one. She hasn't called back yet to say how it worked out.

Posted by Eutychus (# 3081) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Sparrow:

quote:
Originally posted by Horseman Bree:
The surely-to-be-sainted Clive suggested in The Last Battle that Heaven was the place where the Real Things were, those things which we had only seen as shadows while on Earth, just as the people who came up on the Bus from Hell only appeared as shadows in the Forest below Heaven in The Great Divorce.

I hope that some parts of it will look like the Lake District, only Real.

The last time I heard this theory expounded, Durham Cathedral was on the list too.

Posted by Twilight (# 2832) on :

My Heaven can be seen in many old black and white movies of the thirties and forties. It's that huge dinner/dancing place where everyone is either sitting at one of the white linen draped tables, eating lobster and drinking champagne, or up dancing with someone like Fred Astaire (or Ginger,) gliding across a huge marble dance floor while the orchestra plays and someone sings. We're all dressed in elegant clothes that look marvelous on our slinky thin bodies and we can dance, sing, or play in the band as the spirit moves us. Those of us who like to, smoke, and the side stream smoke evaporates before it bothers anyone else. The tables are waited on by robots so no one is serving anyone else and dogs are definitely allowed. Best of all we drink all night long while always maintaining the perfect two drink buzz.

Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Stercus Tauri:
No more dentists! No internet. Free rides on the steam trains.

And no soot coming in the windows.

My heaven would have impressively comfy furniture. Not posh looking, but the sort of thing yo can slouch in without getting a bad back. And real ale.

Posted by ExclamationMark (# 14715) on :

A cricket match with a pitch taking real turn and bounce ..... and I'm bowling!

(That and all my cats from 1963 to date ...)

Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Pigwidgeon:

quote:
Originally posted by Eigon:
As long as there are lots of books....
... and dogs.

These two things please [Smile]

Posted by rolyn (# 16840) on :

On the SoF with a couple of hot topics going off , a large mug of coffee and an eternal Saturday morning. [Yipee]

Posted by Eutychus (# 3081) on :

If the angels get to do the hosting [Disappointed]

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

I'd have a Room with a View - ok, a House with a View - in a city with lots of pavement cafes where you could meet friends for coffee and cakes, really good restaurants, old-fashioned bookshops, and libraries with window seats. The city would have elegant architecture (none of this functional modern stuff), lots of green spaces, places to sit, and a river running through it with gardens to stroll through. People who never had the chance to find out what they were best at would have the time and encouragement to develop it and there would be a thriving arts scene.

There would be plenty of peace and quiet and superfast computers that work perfectly. And an endless supply of varieties of chocolate when needed.

Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :

Heaven. [Big Grin]

Posted by The Undercover Christian (# 17875) on :

quote:
No more dentists!

Retired dentists are okay to get into Heaven, though, I hope Stercus... otherwise my dad's going to get a bit of a shock at Heaven Immigration Control.

My hopes for Heaven are quite basic - pretty much just that 'it's all going to be okay'.

Posted by Twilight (# 2832) on :

Take note all you California girls who go to ship meets with Kelly. Now you know how she likes to be greeted.

Posted by Lyda*Rose (# 4544) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Kelly Alves:
Heaven.

Oooo! A wet sari event!

Posted by Twilight (# 2832) on :

Suggestion for Ariel's heaven: I'll take Manhattan.

Posted by Desert Daughter (# 13635) on :

A tree hut high in the canopy of a decidous forest where birdwatching is easy (and birds aren't scared of souls in paradise, I suppose). The walls of said hut lined with well-stocked bookshelves. A pond in which to bathe at the foot of the tree. Endless fells in the distance, in which to roam for days. And the company of only the people I've loved on Earth.

Posted by Ariel (# 58) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Twilight:
Suggestion for Ariel's heaven: I'll take Manhattan.

Nice, though I'd have to completely redo the bathroom, get rid of all the existing furniture, and make that a sunken bath with steps that descend into the foamy waters. I can't remember which film I saw this in but it left an indelible impression on me as being The Ultimate Bath.

Posted by no prophet (# 15560) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Twilight:
Suggestion for Ariel's heaven: I'll take Manhattan.

If, First you take Manhattan, then take Berlin.

"I'm guided by the beauty of our weapons...
And I thank you for those items that you sent me
The monkey and the plywood violin
I practised every night, now I'm ready "

I'm hoping for some pretty good adventures and fun.... Can I have a starship and explore the multiverse or whatever is the infinite?

[ 21. December 2013, 18:03: Message edited by: no prophet ]

Posted by The Rogue (# 2275) on :

Bacon and egg cobs from the cafe just round the corner from where I work.

Posted by The5thMary (# 12953) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Twilight:
My Heaven can be seen in many old black and white movies of the thirties and forties. It's that huge dinner/dancing place where everyone is either sitting at one of the white linen draped tables, eating lobster and drinking champagne, or up dancing with someone like Fred Astaire (or Ginger,) gliding across a huge marble dance floor while the orchestra plays and someone sings. We're all dressed in elegant clothes that look marvelous on our slinky thin bodies and we can dance, sing, or play in the band as the spirit moves us. Those of us who like to, smoke, and the side stream smoke evaporates before it bothers anyone else. The tables are waited on by robots so no one is serving anyone else and dogs are definitely allowed. Best of all we drink all night long while always maintaining the perfect two drink buzz.

I love this except for one glaring omission! You forgot to add the scene from "It's A Wonderful Life" where we are all dancing with Jesus and Mary and angels and our relatives and famous people on a floor that slowly splits apart and most of us fall into a pool of delightful water below or are pushed by our playful friends or guardian angels, who then jump in after us! Can you imagine the fun?! I'm smiling like a lunatic right now, mentally picturing this. [Big Grin]

Posted by The5thMary (# 12953) on :

One time, long ago, I had an experience that I can only refer to as a small glimpse, a little hint of what Heaven will be like. I was at the Seattle Center for the Folklife festival and there was a vendor with all sorts of log drums and homemade percussion. He actually encouraged people to experiment with the drums and I was fiddling around, tapping out primitive melodies on a log drum when this middle-aged Asian man joined me on another log drum. He didn't speak a word of English but we were smiling at each other and bobbing our heads in time to the little tune which we were taking turns "composing". It was so much fun and when we finished, he bowed to me, I bowed to him and we went our separate ways. I will always remember that. I suppose that's one reason I love music so much. Music is its own language. For that brief moment in time, that man and I spoke a deeper language. [Smile]

Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Twilight:
Take note all you California girls who go to ship meets with Kelly. Now you know how she likes to be greeted.

I love you for that, Twilight.

And yes. Please. Bring it.

Posted by Sir Kevin (# 3492) on :

Fast women, fast cars and fast whiskys.

Posted by Chorister (# 473) on :

In Heaven, I will be able to sing and play any instrument perfectly. That certainly will be heaven!

Posted by balaam (# 4543) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Chorister:
In Heaven, I will be able to sing and play any instrument perfectly.

And the amplifiers will go all the way to 12.

Posted by Pa'Looka (# 17917) on :

5th Mary, I loved your hint of Heaven!

I don't have any hope of going there,but when I dream of Heaven it's a place of connection, intimacy and growth.

Here everything is more and more constricted: time, hearts, even the blood flowing through our veins.

In my imaginary Heaven, there are souls to meet, to know and to love and everything that keeps us from intimacy here is vanished.

Also, there are redwood trees, rocky coasts and bamboo forests. And as long as I'm dreaming, we can all fly.

Posted by Firenze (# 619) on :

Welcome to The Ship, Pa'Looka.

Similarity of our Heaven (and Purgatory and Hell) to any other places trading under the same name a bit variable - but at least they're here and now.

There's a
Welcome thread in All Saints, but it's not obligatory.

Firenze
Heaven Host

Posted by Eigon (# 4917) on :

Sir Kevin - slow whiskeys, surely? A good whisky (and they will all be good in heaven) should be savoured slowly.

I've just been out for my traditional Christmas Day walk, and it was like a little bit of heaven. Sunshine, and beautiful views across the Wye Valley, and snow on the Black Mountains in the distance.

Posted by que sais-je (# 17185) on :

The Seventh Day Adventists from just down the road put a leaflet through the door. The title was "You could spend eternity with your family". They didn't actually say whether it was Heaven or Hell but if it's the former then I'd prefer almost anything else.

But mostly to be wherever my wife is.

Posted by Amorya (# 2652) on :

I have a very specific mental image of how heaven works. In particular, I think we will still have the satisfaction of achieving things: building a house, painting a watercolour, etc… even things like growing our own food. The difference will be that we don't have to do these things for an income or in order to stay alive: we can do them purely for the joy of the task and the end result.

It'll still be just as hard to learn to play the violin. But I'll have enough time to do so, if I choose, without having to worry that my time is limited and fleeting.

Posted by Boogie (# 13538) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Amorya:
I have a very specific mental image of how heaven works. In particular, I think we will still have the satisfaction of achieving things: building a house, painting a watercolour, etc… even things like growing our own food.

Oh yes - it wouldn't be heaven without this sort of satisfaction [Smile]

Posted by Chorister (# 473) on :

Someone once told me that heaven would be like being in a warm bath, without you ever getting all wrinkly or the water ever going cold. [Smile]

Posted by The5thMary (# 12953) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Chorister:
Someone once told me that heaven would be like being in a warm bath, without you ever getting all wrinkly or the water ever going cold.

Make mine a hot bath, surrounded by the aforementioned cats and I'll take your heaven! [Big Grin]

Posted by Galloping Granny (# 13814) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Amorya:
I have a very specific mental image of how heaven works. In particular, I think we will still have the satisfaction of achieving things: building a house, painting a watercolour, etc… even things like growing our own food. The difference will be that we don't have to do these things for an income or in order to stay alive: we can do them purely for the joy of the task and the end result.

This rings a bell – I've had thoughts of the horror of a heaven as a place with no challenges – a kind of eternal blandness. I certainly don't want to cast down my golden crown beside a glassy sea. I sympathise with Kipling's seafarers who pleaded 'give us back our sea'.
Please may I sit by a chattering stream in the bush, with the spicy smell of our trees in spring, lots of the birds singing that have almost disappeared from the predations of introduced pests, but with room for the blackbirds and the cheeky sparrows that will sit on my fingers pecking crumbs. The thought of eternity bugged me until I remembered that time itself is illusory, and a day in God's sight can be a thousand years.

I am enjoying the multiple heavens that have been described – I hope we can visit one another's!

GG

Posted by Emendator Liturgia (# 17245) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Welease Woderwick:

quote:
Originally posted by The5thMary:
...Hopefully, there will be cooking because I would love to be able to whip up a nice dinner for Jesus and my parents!
I so agree with this - and as one who enjoys washing up, yes really, I could probably stay in the Heavenly Kitchen most of the day.

WW - where were you on Christmas Day - we could have used your talents in a big way!
[Yipee]

Posted by comet (# 10353) on :

a tree house in a huge forest, in a treehouse community. my house will have books, be almost all windows, have a big kitchen, and room for yoga.

Everything self-sustaining - meaning I haul my own water, gather and hunt and grow all my food, light with lanterns, and heat with my own gathered wood. and most importantly - I have the physical ability to do so.

the community would be loved ones, but enough new people to make it interesting. When I choose, I can intermingle and perform (because it's not heaven if I don't get to sing and dance and act) and have long conversations around the fire. But when I need to be away from other humans, I can just go to my treehouse or out into the forest for as long as I need it and nobody will get their feelings hurt, and no one will demand my attention, and no one will show up unannounced, and no one will worry that I'm not okay; they'll just understand that just because I'm an actor and gregarious as hell doesn't mean I'm also not an introvert at times that needs to be the eff away from people and their constant needs and demands. And no one will ever make me explain all of that because they "care".

and there will be lots of critters. and excellent coffee.

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