The Purpose of Life Part II

I will do this in pictures, as I am a visual learner.
This will also be long.

I have noticed that there are a lot of patterns in the universe which show how things are.

Have you ever notice that molecules look a lot like solar systems?

 


That the universe, large and small, have this pattern?




 

.

   
  
 

This spiral is called the Fibonacci Sequence or Fibonacci Spiral... or the Golden Number.


 
  



Or this pattern?
 
  
 

Or this pattern?
 

 

And other geometric shapes?

    

Movement also has a pattern.

This link is for bats.

Animators recognize this pattern of movement and attempt to replicate it.



Life also has a pattern.

Life is all about progress.

From a seed to a tree.


From a zygote to a fully formed being.
 
Even from a small trickle of water to the ocean.
 
This is the pattern of life.

When this pattern of growth is disrupted, what you get is death.

Pull the seed, it dies and the progress has ended.

Abort the zygote and the person that could have been no longer can be.

Stop up the trickle of water, and you create a dam where water can become scummy, fester, and become toxic. Water specifically has to continually flow in order to remain fresh and healthy. I think that is why when people talk about human progression the word damn is used. In the same way, through sin, human progress is stopped, turned scummy, and life becomes toxic.

So, if life's pattern is to progress, and the end of life is death, then it can be safe to say that most living beings desire not to die. Likewise, if sin brings about an end to human progress towards becoming like God - which if you haven't noticed in the previous blog is the purpose of human existence - then we also are dammed like a river...our progress stops. We fester and die. This, of course, is spiritual death rather than a physical one. But the spirit also affects the physical.

So, I'm going to propose a pattern to you. This is the eternal progress of mankind in a metaphorical sense.

Before we were looking even remotely human,
we had potential to become something great.

Pure, protected, within the protection of our mothers,
we resembled our parents, yet were not really able to do what they could do.
We wanted something they had - an opportunity for life. To grow and become.

We came with hopes and dreams



Mimicking our parents

Ready to learn

 But our comprehension is that of a two-year old. We don't really understand things as much as we think we do.
 
And sometimes like a teenager we think we know everything. And we don't want to listen to what our parents have to say because we think it is too demanding or restricts our freedom.

This last place is where most of us are.

But life is a school.

 

We're here to obtain the knowledge and skills we need. But some of us don't like to sit still. Or obey.
Some of us, sadly, flunk out. The teacher's don't want us to.
But in the end, our success or failure is determined by our choice
 in applying what we are supposed to learn.

The purpose of school is to teach us the life-skills necessary for us to become an adult.

If we fail at becoming adults...? What then?


Scary thought...


And what do adults do once they become adults?
Well, duh.

Adults work.
     

They have responsibilities.
  
 
They continue their education and gain more skills.


  


They live life and help others.

  
 
  

And they perpetuate life....

 
 


This is the purpose of life.
This is why we are here.

As I said earlier, this is a pattern. In life we see the pattern for the eternities.


Alright, the stuff after this is the actual doctrine, according to how I see it. If you can't stand hearing LDS doctrine, leave this page and go do something else.
If you are curious about the beliefs of the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, then keep reading.
 

Where do we come from?

"From dust thou art..."
The universe is made of dust... did you know that? I learned this in astronomy. Dust and energy.
Our origins are not ex-nihilo. We are in essence light,
and we come from Light, as matter can be neither created, nor destroyed.
But, it can be organized.

 

Born in the spirit, children of God, before the foundation of the Earth.
Learning at the feet of our Father. We grew, like infants, in the care of our loving Father.
But there is only so much you can learn at home,
 just as there is only so much progress a person can make in the safety of the womb.
You have to go out into the world to truly grow up.

We've been sent off to the most exclusive private school there is:

Earth
 

Why are we here?

We are here to train in the habits, knowledge and skills we need to progress on to the eternities. These are character habits, things of the heart, and physical restraint. We learn how to control our urges and desires, much like a person learning how to drive a car.

Sad to say, some drop out of the program. Some hate the rules and the self-restraint we have to have in order to succeed. Some ditch class. Some even disagree with the teacher about the facts being taught. And some perpetuate rumors that are not only false, but detracting from the learning we are to acquire. And like children at school, there is bullying, cheating, and trouble that even parents cannot stop. There will always be a culture within a culture that subverts what the teachers and parents want, because in the end it is up to the kids what their futures will bring.

So... what is after this school of Earth?

That is what is decided in 'school'. Do we get nothing more than get the spiritual equivalent to a GED? Do we drop out? Do we prepare for the spiritual equivalent of college or a technical school? Do we have plans for anything at all? Or are we just playing around and goofing off?

 

Where are we going?

I know we always show Heaven as clouds and light.
But I really don't think we are hanging around plucking harps with halos on our heads.



I'd rather have the after life look like this. ;)

Anyway, those that have done their best and taken advantage of their time on Earth will gain all the blessings of Spiritual Adulthood as that is what they have developed into. Heaven may be a place, but it is more a state of becoming. It is real freedom. A rebellious teenager might think dropping out of school is freedom, but a full-fledged adult who finished high school has more opportunities. Likewise, by following God's plan in life, you gain more opportunities as your capacity has been expanded. Those that have learned from the Teacher (who is Jesus Christ in this case), and have taken advantage of all He has to offer, will most indeed graduate with flying colors and go on to the next phase of eternal life. 

So, what happens once we get to this state of being?

I've not reached that, of course, as I am still at school. But I can tell you what has been taught to me, as far as my limited understanding goes. Assuming the pattern is correct, then I'd say Spiritual Adults will: go to work, have responsibilities, continue their studies, and perpetuate life.

How?

I don't know. I told you. I'm here. Not there. Still the spiritual equivalent to a kid. I think we will have to wait for answers on this, just like you have to wait to explain graduate school to a two-year old.

But what about those that screwed up?
What about those that did not really obtain Spiritual Adulthood, but remained like manchildren and failed to launch? See, I don't see Hell as a place where people burn for eternity. It see it as the place where you remember how badly you blew it. We call separation from God spiritual death.



Regret is it's own personal prison.

 Hell is going back to see our Father in Heaven and know all that we have done wrong, and to have to stand in his presence with this full consciousness. It is in fact more merciful NOT to stand in the presence of God in this case - like not giving a calculus problem to a child knowing only rudimentary math.

Which is why God, in his mercy, has prepared a place where people don't have to be in his presence, feeling this guilt 24/7. In my faith, we call them degrees of glory. But it is the same concept of Christ's: "In my father's house there are many mansions."

In my faith, we believe all mankind receives according to the degree of obedience to God's commandments and according to his/her acceptance of His way of life and His Son's atonement. That is to say, if you live the Celestial law, you receive Celestial glory. But if you lived a more Terrestrial law, you get a more Terrestrial glory, and so on. You are also not held accountable for what you have not been taught while on Earth. In fact, you are given a chance to learn about those things you missed out on after you have died, for our Father is fair. And with that chance to learn, you are also given a chance for obedience to the higher law and toe obtain the blessings of obedience to that law. But people who purposely rebelled...that's another story.

In simply layman's terms, if you want to make it to graduate school, you have to have a good GRE score, excellent grades, and a wonderful track record. And you have to use the mentor provided for you (Jesus Christ). No ifs, ands, or buts. Because He is the one who actually gets you in.

This pattern above is why I say the purpose of life is to become like God. In fact, it is a commandment from God, told to us through Jesus Christ.... to be perfect - even as God is.

Yes, It sounds exhausting.

But like all journeys in life, you take them step by step.
And remember that we have been given help.

Teacher, Savior, Brother, Friend.

The best kind of help there is....