How would you describe heaven?

**Andres** · 12-08-2009, 21:30

Last Sunday morning, it was "Sinterklaas". Sinterklaas is a fellow with a long white beard who walks on the roofs and who, together with his servant, Zwarte Piet, brings presents for children every 6th of December.

He also brings candy, cookies and chocolate.

Of course, I'm no longer a child, so the friendly old man doesn't bring me anymore presents or candy, but my lovely wife surprised me with a huge pile of chocolate on the breakfeast table.

When I was sitting there, in the kitchen, with a hot cup of coffee in my right hand, chocolate in the left hand, putting the chocolate in the coffee and letting it melt in my mouth, piece after piece of excellent chocolate melted in hot coffee, it suddenly struck me that if there is a heaven, then it must be like that.

A lazy Sunday with no obligations, nothing that needs to be done, no where to go to, cold weather outside, warm inside the house, good music coming out of the radio, excellent female company, and a never ending sensation of melting chocolate in my mouth.

That's heaven for me.

**gollum** · 12-08-2009, 21:36

This reminds me of an Andre Agassi quote after he had won a particularly hard tournament final in his prime (one of the large prestigoius ones); asked how he felt, he said that it was like being "a homosexual in a submarine".

**Strike For The South** · 12-08-2009, 21:37

Everyone loves somebody and everyone is loved by somebody. Romantically and Platonically

That's all one needs.

Now if I were to paint a picture for you.

It's sundown in Texas, the sky is a bright pink. There is football on the radio and meat on the BBQ. The kids play and their laughter echos throughout the yard while the adults sit and chew the fat for eternitey.

Some beer would be nice to

**TinCow** · 12-08-2009, 21:41

A historic old house in rural England or France with a bottomless wine cellar, an oak-paneled library filled with history books, and my wife. A FIOS line to a gaming supercomputer would also be nice.

Also, a Mercedes SLR. And a Bugatti Veyron. Make it two Veyrons.

**Sasaki Kojiro** · 12-08-2009, 21:54

I guess you have to wonder how close to heaven we could come on earth. Perhaps if technology advanced to the point where there wasn't a shortage of basic goods, medical technology improved so that diseases weren't a big factor in people's lives, we had better methods for treating depression, we could eliminate mental disorders like sociopathy, hmmmm.

I don't know if you wouldn't hit a biological limit. TinCow becomes bored with his life, Andres becomes sick of chocolate by day three, agassi's boyfriend cheats on him with the assistant navigator.

Heaven implies something persistant and constant, impossible for humanity I would guess.

**Andres** · 12-08-2009, 21:58

Originally Posted by Sasaki Kojiro

I don't know if you wouldn't hit a biological limit. TinCow becomes bored with his life, Andres becomes sick of chocolate by day three, agassi's boyfriend cheats on him with the assistant navigator.

Heaven implies something persistant and constant, impossible for humanity I would guess.

You really had to ruin it, hm? Destroying my dreams with some depressing thoughts.

You're just being jealous because I still have a lot of chocolate waiting in my cellar to be consumed next Sunday.

**TinCow** · 12-08-2009, 21:59

Originally Posted by Sasaki Kojiro

I guess you have to wonder how close to heaven we could come on earth. Perhaps if technology advanced to the point where there wasn't a shortage of basic goods, medical technology improved so that diseases weren't a big factor in people's lives, we had better methods for treating depression, we could eliminate mental disorders like sociopathy, hmmmm.

I don't know if you wouldn't hit a biological limit. TinCow becomes bored with his life, Andres becomes sick of chocolate by day three, agassi's boyfriend cheats on him with the assistant navigator.

Heaven implies something persistant and constant, impossible for humanity I would guess.

That's very true, no matter how idylic a setting, I'd probably get bored of it eventually if it never changed. Variety is the spice of life.

**Andres** · 12-08-2009, 22:01

Originally Posted by TinCow

That's very true, no matter how idylic a setting, I'd probably get bored of it eventually if it never changed. Variety is the spice of life.

Well, you go chase variety while I read books in your rural house, enjoying the exquise wines from your cellar and the company of your wife, play some games and drive around your Mercedes. Have fun.

**The Stranger** · 12-08-2009, 22:52

Originally Posted by Sasaki Kojiro

I guess you have to wonder how close to heaven we could come on earth. Perhaps if technology advanced to the point where there wasn't a shortage of basic goods, medical technology improved so that diseases weren't a big factor in people's lives, we had better methods for treating depression, we could eliminate mental disorders like sociopathy, hmmmm.

I don't know if you wouldn't hit a biological limit. TinCow becomes bored with his life, Andres becomes sick of chocolate by day three, agassi's boyfriend cheats on him with the assistant navigator.

Heaven implies something persistant and constant, impossible for humanity I would guess.

dammit... I hate agreeing with Sasaki...

STOP STEALING MY THOUGHTS! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!

ah... missed the first part... luckily that ruined it all. We'll never get close to heaven, ever. Because whenever we come one step closer to the bar we've raised, we'll raise the bar another level. So heaven will always be better, grass will always look greener on the other side. even when the sahara has swallowed up the entire earth. or maybe esspecially then.

**KukriKhan** · 12-08-2009, 22:54

Originally Posted by Strike For The South

Everyone loves somebody and everyone is loved by somebody. Romantically and Platonically

That's all one needs.

Now if I were to paint a picture for you.

It's sundown in Texas, the sky is a bright pink. There is football on the radio and meat on the BBQ. The kids play and their laughter echos throughout the yard while the adults sit and chew the fat for eternitey.

Some beer would be nice to

And a deck of cards.

Brilliant.

**Viking** · 12-08-2009, 23:04

Intravenous endorphins.

**PBI** · 12-08-2009, 23:40

Yesterday, after 8 months of false starts, dead ends, tedious coding and infuriating bug fixing, I finally finished the calculation I've been working on since April. Reams upon reams of painstakingly crafted code concertinaed down to produce the single expression "candidate/comparison = 1.0".

That was a pretty good moment.