Eternity

                   Not          Without Her          3
         
         
         Who wouldn't want to physically live forever? You are cheating death. With the possibility of unending wealth and fortune, the advantages you could experience and see history unfold in front of you with the ability to claim "you were there."

         But mortality Eternity isn't what this is about. I am referencing being in Heaven or Hell for Eternity. Religions have their own beliefs and descriptions of Heaven and/or Hell. The mainstream Christian belief is that the justice of God requires a certain equilibrium between eternal reward for the blessed and eternal punishment for the dammed, with the degree of punishment being equal to the sin committed.

         The Catholic Church teaches that after death, there is an existence of Purgatory, a place to achieve the holiness necessary to enter into the joy of Heaven. In the Catholic belief, Purgatory is a place where some people who have sinned are purified in a 'cleansing fire', after which they are accepted into Heaven.

         Eternity in Hell would be just that. Time would seem to have stopped. Think about when you have been hurt, gotten seriously ill, or been with a loved one who is suffering. Time seems to slow down because our brains distort sensory information during traumatic events, causing time to occur at a much slower rate. With this in mind, Eternity would seem to move much slower than it is.

         Conversely, time in Heaven would pass more quickly because of the high activity rate of the participants doing things they enjoy. By doing such activities, we pay less attention to the passage of time and time appears to pass more quickly.

         The idea of Eternity and living forever makes me feel scared. I am scared I will be alone for Eternity. My wife does not share the same beliefs as I do. She does not believe in a Hell or Purgatory, just Heaven. If I said I was 100% Heaven-bound, I would be kidding myself. Oh, I seriously do not believe I am going to Hell. I have believed I am headed to Purgatory for most of my life. As I stated above, it's kind of like a halfway house for sinners who aren't quite good enough for Heaven, but better than those sent to Hell.

         Thinking of Eternity is hard to encompass for me. I married my wife in 1986; however, it feels like only ten years ago. I don't feel any different on the inside. My body would care to differ on that opinion, though. All of my thoughts of Eternity, now, include my wife. I don't picture fluffy white clouds or golden halos or harps, just us together, walking and talking like we do now. No hurry, no real place to go or be - just us.

Words: 476

Prompt: Eternity.
How does the idea of Eternity make you feel? What would it be like to live forever?