LIFE OF PARADISE
Paradise is where all pleasures will be given to man abundantly and in complete form, and where man’s limitations about the capacity to enjoy those pleasures will be done away with. As a result, Paradise will become a place of eternal joy for man.
Some years ago, I met a person. I told him that the present world is temporary, while the Hereafter is man’s eternal abode. Therefore, a man should build his ‘paradise’ in the eternal world. That person remarked that man gets bored after some time with a thing that gives him comfort or pleasure. Thus, there is a significant boredom problem in the ‘developed’ world. In such a situation, what is the use of eternal Paradise?
Those who do not believe in the Hereafter often talk like this. However, such talk is based on a misunderstanding. The Truth is that boredom happens because of the cessation of the capacity to enjoy rather than the desire to enjoy.
People who argue against the existence of the Hereafter using the above argument assume that after enjoying something, they get bored of that, which is why the thing no longer remains a pleasure for them. However, this suggestion is wrong. The reality is that man has an insatiable nature. Therefore, he wants to enjoy the things that he likes forever.
However, man is a victim of innumerable limitations in the present world. Thus, whenever a man wants to enjoy something he likes, his limitations become a hurdle in his path after a short time. Therefore, despite their desire, he loses the strength to derive joy from these things. For example, we relish the good taste of a dish we take. However, soon our stomachs become full, so we have to stop eating. Similarly, people often stop eating many things despite desiring them because they fear they will become obese and fall prey to various diseases. The same is the case with all other objects of pleasure. Boredom or lack of interest limits our capacity to enjoy rather than limit our desires.
Paradise is where not only will all pleasures be given to man in greater quantity and a complete form but also where his limitations about the capacity to enjoy those pleasures will be done away with. In Paradise, it will no longer be that man wants to enjoy something, but he cannot do so because of his limitations. As a result, Paradise will become a place of eternal joy for man.
The boredom that man experiences in the world results from a contradiction. Man is an idealist by birth. He wants to obtain things in their ideal form. However, in this world, everything is non-ideal. It is the actual cause of boredom with things.
A man runs after something or the other in line with his desires. He thinks that this is the very thing that he has been seeking. However, after obtaining and experiencing it, he feels the same thing is much below his desirable ideal. This is why a man experiences the joy of searching for something in this world, but after obtaining that, he experiences no lasting pleasure.
There is a deceptive joy for man in the present world. There will be true joy in the Hereafter, but only for those who have proven eligible for it. Everything in the Paradise of the Hereafter will be ideal. The inhabitants of Paradise will experience true and unlimited joy. In Paradise, they will get whatever they want, and more will be added. There will be no question of boredom in that perfect world.
