[GT40FIED]

Well...most people I've met will tell you that "heaven" is whatever you want it to be. That's crap. Wren, this is probably the first and last time you and I will ever agree on a religious topic. I think the idea of heaven as a "paradise" would suck. Sure, it would be good for a short while...but what of eternity? Man...if there were no conflict (internal or external) for eternity, surely people would become insane. Like you said, if every house I built were a mansion and every meal I cooked were gourmet, it would lose it's specialty after a while. It would be like an episode of The Twilight Zone. Particularly the one where that one guy is the sole survivor of that huge war and all he wants to do is read...then he breaks his glasses. When faced with limitless possibilities for happiness, how would one confront their perfect desires if they were readily available on a daily basis? Personally, I would think that perfection would be achieved in the buddhist-like reincarnation...but only if I could retain my full consciousness in my next life. There's not much chance of me being me if I come back as a butterfly. If there is a heaven, I want it to be simply an extentionof my life on this planet. I want conflicts, I want problems, I want dilemas. Without those, where's the joy in triumph?