In an environment where everyone is equal, there is nothing to which an individual may aspire.  Without adversity, there can be no success, no triumph.  Without the possibility of pain or discomfort, there can be neither risk nor thrill in pushing beyond our perceived limitations.  Without labor, there can be no sense of pride, satisfaction or accomplishment.  Without need, there is no motivation, no sense of self-sufficiency or self-worth.  In the absence of fear, either for oneself or for others, there can be no courage.  And without varied beliefs and thought, there is intellectual death. 

Indeed, if I were to attempt to conceptualize what, for me, Hell might look like, all would be gray and silent, and every resident’s status, appearance, speech, manner and belief would be identical for all eternity.  There would be no disagreement, no desire, no aspiration or recognition of achievement.  There would be no hatred due to the sameness of all; but there could be no real, distinct love of another for the same reason.  It would be a place of relentless monotony, devoid of joy.  In short, the attributes which might have the makings of Hell in my eyes are really nothing more than the cornerstones of a traditional concept of Heaven viewed from another perspective.

Were I to fashion my own Heaven, it would be a place of ultimate diversity, where no two persons were identical in appearance, manner or thought. There would be debate, discourse and argument through which individual thoughts would be born, discussed, and would ultimately flourish or fail on their merits.  There would be both labor and rest, so each could be appreciated for its own virtues.  There would be challenges, one after the other, so that I could savor the joy of success, magnified by periodic failures.  I would have the opportunity and responsibility to provide for my own needs, and the needs of those I love, so that I could experience the satisfaction and sense of self-worth that can only come from doing so. There would exist the possibility of failure to spur me to improve, and to insure that successes brought about by my actions and decisions would have meaning; the chance of loss to force me to recognize and appreciate the things which I earned, or with which I was blessed; and a recognition of the certainty that those I love will grow, will change, and will ultimately be lost to me, if I am not first lost to them, to insure that I cherish and adore them every moment they are with me.

Effectively, I have come to realize that, at least for me, this terrestrial life, fraught with adversity, challenges, fear and uncertainty, offers more hope, more joy, more love and satisfaction than I can envision experiencing under the traditional concept of Heaven.  I hope that I am able to hold onto this recognition, and to bring it to bear the next time I encounter a challenge that seems insurmountable, or a loss which might appear inconsolable at the time.