Living in Heaven, Part Two

 When we think about Heaven, it urges our imaginations to ecstacy, so much so that it becomes difficult to create any kind of system or coherence. So, we have to try to focus on what it is that we really want to know, and what we may actually be able to discern from our sources. Just remember, what God wants, aside from rewarding his followers, is for us to be inspired. Don't you want this? 

I. General Overview 

The concept of Heaven has been around for several millennia, and it has accumulated quite a number of aspects, depending upon who is trying to imagine it. 

1. The Divine Courtyard and Council 
2. The Garden of Eden and Paradise Fountains 
3. A Dozen (x 100?) Beautiful Cities of God 
4. A Library Full of Wisdom 
5. A Palatial Mansion Home
6. Many Happy Hunting Grounds 
7. Perfect Tropical Beaches 
8. Friendly Communal Villages 
9. Endless Scenic Hiking Trails 
10. Forever Fertile Valley Farms 
11. Schools of Adventure Learning 
12. Exploring the Celestial Cosmos 

As you can readily see, I added a few of my own personal preferences, as I expect that almost everyone will. I didn't go into any visual details because I want you to use your own imagination. 

When you think about what you may want to do for eternity, you want to imagine a variety of adventures and occupations. And of course, you want to have access to venues where you can meet with God, to have private discussions or to listen to Him telling stories along with a group of friends. One of the real perks of being in Heaven is having friends around when you want them, and finding time to be alone when you don't. 

When you want to acquire something, it's never too hard to get it or make it, because neither money nor time is a restriction. If you find a real interest in a hobby, you can study and practice it until you become an expert. And whenever you see someone who needs a helping hand, you don't have to worry about getting too involved with strangers. 

But I don't expect to see any places where people indulge in excess sensuality or vices, because, if it's not healthy or proper here then I doubt it will be encouraged in Heaven. Certainly, anything that mistreats or degrades others will be strictly forbidden. And we won't be making a game out of abusing animals for sport, nor by overworking them. 

But some things that people used to think were unseemly, like dancing and listening to music, or even skinny-dipping, probably will be okay, because we won't feel compelled by sensual nature to behave sinfully. We can enjoy the beauty of our glorified bodies, without worrying that we could ruin our relationships with our families. We will always know where our ties of loyalty are, and we won't desire to cause grief or distress. Indeed, without gender roles and responsibilities, there won't be any betrayal of our spouses, only the promise to always be friends. Our love for each other can remain free and innocent, and we will know if there are any limits or expectations. 

II. Sustaining the Community 

If you want to know what we will eat, I think there will be no restrictions, so long as the food is healthy. You probably won't be over-indulging, however, because you can always come back to the buffet later. Of course, the varieties available will reflect a cosmopolitan imagination. Any kind of cuisine you can think of can be found when you want to try it. But food is something that won't be essential. If you don't want to eat, you may not get hungry for quite a while. And if you do like to eat, burning off the fat will be easy. 

If you like taking care of people and being of service, you can become a gourmet cook. The recipes can be as simple or complicated as you like, and the food will turn out right. Imagine the smiles and compliments from the diners each evening. Don't get bored. You can change the regional cuisine.

Or, maybe you like growing plants and tending animals, and you would like to be a farmer. It won't be hard and laborious, or a gamble for whether your efforts will succeed. The fields are fertile and the weather is good for growing. You can grow what you like, and you can even plow with a mule, if you want. Consider it a good exercise, because the struggle and suffering will be eliminated. You can keep your animals in shady fields, the way they like, and enjoy the dairy and eggs, or wool. They are happy to give. Maybe you have an exotic taste, and you'll want to harvest seaweed, and make tofu, or weave silk. All of that will be appreciated. 

Of course, I am just barely scratching the surface. If you want a vocation, or a temporary job, or you want to do something creative, it's all up to you. You can even volunteer to work on some major projects, divinely inspired and designed by master engineers and strategists, and so serve the whole community of Heaven. 

III. Serving God 

While the Garden of Eden and Fountains of Paradise will be major tourist attractions, where we can walk and talk with God, those won't be our only encounters with Him. I expect that we will each have our periodic duties to attend at the Divine Court and take part in the Council assembly. It is part of the ordinary administration  of Heaven, and one of the ways that God enjoys being magnanimous. 

God likes to imagine great ideas and projects, and share them with the citizens of his Kingdom, asking for opinions and suggestions on how to implement them. Of course, He doesn't need our help. He just wants us to feel like we have a share in what's going on. And if one of our suggestions seems likely to work, He may authorize us to put it into practice. The daily discussions can be on topics big or small, and it's likely that we get to vote sometimes. Clearly, a divided decision would just be part of the plan, those opposed get assigned to their own part, playing a role, as one aspect of making sure it works out right. God knows what it will take, and how long, and He can make it all contribute to his glory. 

IV. Is this for real?

By now, some of you are beginning to think that I'm just making this up. Honestly, this is almost all speculation, but it's based on the promises that I have understood from the Bible. Heaven is the place where we will live for eternity, where we can adore God face to face, and all of our pain and suffering will be over. Psalm 82 is where we read about the divine council. Then, Jesus said that there are many mansions in the Father's house. And if God wanted to spend time with us in the Garden of Eden when He first created us, then He still wants to do that. And claiming Jerusalem as his own city surely must mean that He would like us to live in cities. If the Bible has whole books of Wisdom in it, I know that He has plenty more to say. Of course, I'm being too facile, but you get the point. If it will make us happy, I'm pretty sure we can find it in Heaven. 

But maybe you're thinking that the whole idea is just a fantasy. You doubt the possibility of an actual world like this, imagining that if we ever experience anything like this, it's going to be some virtual digital world. Today, some people think that even this world is fake, that we live in the Matrix, manipulated inside an artificial video game scenario. But even so, why would we not be allowed to experience the real thing, if we can somehow prove ourselves worthy? Perhaps the proof will consist in our fixing our own world so that we can make it ever better. 

But logically, if we can be fooled into thinking that we are happy in reality, that we are totally content with the experiences we are having, how much does it matter if it isn't real? If we were merely digital personalities living in an advanced holographic world, then that would be our reality. It all comes down to one thing: what is reality, and how do you define it so that it can be discerned from a virtual world that intends to perfectly mimic reality? 

I can only give one answer. Heaven is going to be as real as it needs to be. And if God wants to lift us up from this world, and give us a place in a better, more real world, then He can do that. I have no doubt that God can do anything He wants to do, and we will experience whatever He wants us to experience. And if He wants us to be happy, He can arrange for that, too. 

God gave us the capacity to dream of a better world, and He gave us a longing for a perfect relationship. If He never meant for us to attain what we most deeply want, then He would not be a perfect, holy, righteous and merciful God. And I know in my heart that He truly is.

Living in Heaven, Part One

 There are a number of questions that I would like to ask of God concerning the ascended life, in the final Heaven that trancends this world and the created Cosmos. This discussion is necessarily speculative, however, since only a revelation from the Holy Spirit could begin to answer them. And I do mean "begin" because I might not be able to fully understand if She did deign to answer. But, nonetheless, let me venture forth:

1. What kind of "glorified" body are we going to have in Heaven? We don't enter into the spiritual realm in our earthly bodies. They must be transformed into Spirit. 

A. It's probably not in any sense biological, as it's not subject to physical pain.
   B. It can be as ephemeral and insubstantial as Spirit, since Jesus could pass through a locked door.
   C. It needs to be possible to manifest as an objectively solid being, because the risen Christ could be touched.
   D. The embodied person will be capable to perform everything that we here can do, since Jesus could walk, talk, cook and eat. 
   E. Our body will not be easily contaminated by substances, nor infected by diseases. 
   F. We will feel intimately interconnected with our peers, the community of believers. 
   G. We will be able to speak to God, and unambiguously hear & understand his reply. 
   H. We will have no need for concern about sustaining the health and continuity of our bodies, since we were promised eternity. 

Of couse these ideas already have their own biblical descriptions: 
  i. Corporeal
  ii. Apparently human 
  iii. Luminous
  iv. Incorruptible & imperishable 
  v. A spiritual (pneumatic) body (I  Cor. 15:45) 
  vi. Lacking any evil inclination 
  vii. Transformed from humiliation 
  viii. Conformed to Christ's glory (Philip. 3:21) 
In short, We become a particular human kind of elohim and members of the heavenly host. 

2. Eternity is a really long time. How can we be sure that we won't get bored sometimes? 

A. God is a creator. He will have a plethora of projects and purposes for us to dedicate our time to achieving. 
   B. There are so many things for us to learn, not just about material creation, but also about the transcendent level of being.
   C. We can "hang out" with Jesus, for discussion, and to listen to him tell stories. 
   D. We can go to find and visit our friends and families, old ones and new ones. 
   E. Maybe we will be given the opportunity to colonize space, and explore our galaxy. 
   F. We can pick an occupation or trade for work to support a community. 
   G. We can do something artistic, to develop our own capacity for creativity. 
   H. We can gather at the Temple to adore God, and praise his wonders and wisdom. 

3. I wonder how we will be trained for our personal character to be so highly disciplined that we can discern and choose right from wrong without fail. 

A. We may be given infallible "photographic" memories, to be able to recall everything. 
   B. We can take lessons in logic, analogy and metaphor from the Master Himself. 
   C. History lessons can be used to give examples of precedents, both right to follow, and wrong to avoid.
   D. We can always check in with Jesus, to ask for clarification and advice. 
   E. We would not be sent on truly dangerous missions without adequate aid and backup. 
   F. God would not put us in an impossible no-win situation, or He would grant us mercy and compassion. 
   G. It is certain that a rescue mission could be sent, to bring back a "casualty." 
   H. While it remains possible that we could choose to do something wrong, there isn't really a plausible scenario when we would deliberately defy God. 

4. What kind of community will we live in? A community is held together by justice and economics. We can assume that our local village relationships will be held together by friendship, and God will be our final arbiter for Justice when a situation is too difficult for us. But, will the Kingdom in Heaven have a new kind of economics, and how will we value work and productivity? If we have been promised a life of abundance, what does that mean?

A. Whatever size of town or city we may live in, we will have a close-knit circle of friends as our own community "village." We will treat our neighbors as friends, until we know and care about them, the same as our other friends. Indeed, we will all be like siblings and cousins, members of an extended family, whom we love and feel loved by. 
  B. Each person will have a job, or several that fit with his/her skills and interests, like an amateur with a useful hobby. 
C. We will be as productive as the requests for our goods or services from our friends and neighborhood village first, and then for the interests expressed from town.

  D. So long as we are willing to work and share, there will be nothing that we may need that will not be shared with us. 
  E. There will be no need for reserving or stockpiling goods, but we can be as frugal and free of possessions as we may like. 
  F. Many kinds of goods will probably be owned by the village, to be borrowed and shared by whomever needs to use them. 
  G. Our work and services will be transferable to other towns if we are called to move, or wish for a change of scenery. 
   H. There is no compelling need to consider how we must care for ourselves, and thus no reason to take unfair advantage of others. 

5. What shall we find to be of real value in Heaven? Surely, we will not be spending our efforts on accumulating wealth. Nor will we be fighting each other for political power and ascendancy. There won't be any shortage of land, water or resources. When the Lord leads us to green pastures and still waters, what then shall we want?

A. Wisdom for well-being and peace 
  B. Relationships with family and friends 
  C. Harmony with living ecosystems 
  D. Healthy foods in variety and plenty 
  E. Teamwork and companionship 
  F. Meaning in life and purpose for work 
  G. Adventure and challenge 
  H. Loving and working for, and with God. 

The way we understand these will likely be measured by the customs of our home communities, as well as being tailored to fit our individual needs. Our spiritual aspirations and interests may even be unique, as we each come alone before God, who sees us as special individuals, and desires to embrace us within the mystery of his Trinity. For that, He may propose particular tasks for us, to teach our hearts how deeply faith, trust and love go toward building community and accepting unity. 

Our daily activities may seem mundane at first, but they subtly teach us a deeper meaning and appreciation for eternal life. A balanced and harmonious routine, rewarding in its simplicity and focused on service to people we care about and who care about us in turn, can be a source of unending bliss. And of course, God knows when we begin to long for challenge, novelty and a mission that widens our perspective. 

6. Will there be anyone in Heaven who is not a "Church Christian"? Of course, there must have been some Jews accounted as worthy because they really wanted and tried to do as they were commanded. But, isn't it possible to find a right relationship with God, without knowing what Jesus did among the Jews, Greeks and Romans 2,000 years ago? How would He respond to another kind of longing for God, from someone whose heart was in the right place, who was trying to be kind and unselfish? Can a human being find God by human means? It is surely possible to deduce the idea of a God who created the Cosmos. Wouldn't God grant the grace to encourage prayer? And if so, what would Jesus say to that person to instruct him for a right approach to relationship with God? 

I must assume that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and the primary, if not only, Gateway to Heaven, but what of wandering sheep who long for the Good Shepherd? Wouldn't He go out of his way to find them? God found some people to speak to even before Jesus' time, and those who listened with faith were accounted as righteous in those days. If faith and trust was enough before, would it not be enough for anyone who would want to hear? But all I have for my curiosity are these questions. I, too, can only believe and trust. 

Still, there are a few hints of Jesus calling others mentioned in the Bible. His descent into Hades, between the crucifixion and the resurrection, was a call for any of the dead who would believe to follow Him. And there may be others, if God chose them. It would not matter what their religion was, if they would respond with faith when reached with the good news. He would cherish any of his own people who heard, believed and tried to obey because they loved Him. That's all He has ever asked, even long before Jesus came to save us.

As a final note, let me say, I hope that God would be magnanimous enough to accept anyone who truly desired to know the truth about Him, and was willing to listen and obey for the sake of his honor and love. Whatever degree of understanding they might have reached, I hope it would be enough, so that God in his mercy would be willing to claim them as his own. 

Two Ways to Transcend this Life

 There are two ways to free oneself from the wheel of life, learning, death and rebirth: to stop being reborn, or to live forever in paradise. It's your choice. If life is full of hardship and suffering here, how would you hope for relief? 

Which would you want, nirvana like the Buddha, or salvation with the Christ? Both are the way of Compassion and Love. Both ask us to pursue a moral life, according to the wisdom that lessens the suffering in the world. Perhaps, if we can see that there is no conflict, we can choose to follow both ways at once, asking only that we be allowed to choose what may be our end if we deserve a reward.

Perhaps that is what the Boddhisattvas do, following a life of simplicity, renunciation and compassion, and yet they love enough to return and teach. We can do this while seeking a right relationship with the God who lives in our hearts, and with the other living beings who share this world with us.

Sin and guilt tie us to the cycle of rebirth, so that we must return to the experience of suffering. If we have chosen selfishness and evil, the next life can be an equal to hell. But we only sin because we have a desire to do or to have something which we should not. Guilt is the distress that tells us we are unworthy of eternity, that we are unready for the joy of enlightenment. But it is an illusion, based on karma and divine justice, and can be forgiven when we choose humility and the way of right relationships, with God and other people. 

The way of compassion is the way of love. When we love God, and we love people, and allow ourselves to renounce the desire to promote our own enhancement, especially at another's expense, then we are following the way of true wisdom, the middle path. To love one another is to do for others as you would have them do for you. It is the same as compassion, because the only way to know what you would want is to understand their situation and their feelings. We want others to treat us as we should be treated, so we should treat them as they should be treated. 

Perhaps, in some cases, all we want is to be left alone, to think or regain our balance, and we should not be insulted if that is what our friend wants. I say friend, because the way of compassion acknowledges that the right relationship between persons is one of sharing, cooperation and harmlessness, to allow each other to exist in peace. At other times, we desire companionship, to share the experiences of life. But love and compassion tell us to read the other's heart to know what we should do. If this is the way we treat each other, then we are truly friends. 

When live together in community, we need to accept a few basic rules in order to maintain harmony. There is nothing in Buddhism that would prevent us from believing in Jesus or following the rules of Christianity, nor in Christianity to tell us to refuse to venerate the Buddha and listen to his wisdom. When you understand one, you can grasp the other as well. They both accept kindness. 

The differences between our religions has been a cause for mistrust. It is a wedge that separates us, but it doesn't have to be. If we simply recognize that there is no inherent conflict between the ways of people who live rightly, we can live side by side in harmony, and perhaps in Heaven as well. Our personal practices might be different, but perhaps we might actually learn from each other. If one prays, while another meditates, it is like two sides of the same coin. One is expressing a hope, asking that something may get better, while the other is listening for an answer, or for some wise instruction. If we apply both, we may learn how to create a better world. 

Although not all Buddhists today agree on the existence of God, it is all the same to God. God is both Being and Nonbeing at the same time. So long as we do not use atheism as an excuse for selfishness or evil, but choose the way of compassion and love, God will know that we tread the middle path. It is also the same, as not all Christians believe in trying to renounce worldly desire, but so long as we restrain the impulses to indulge in immorality, we may limit the suffering that we cause. 

The cause of the greatest harm in our world today is something that both religions can agree is wrong: militarism. The fact that our nations compete for power and territory, and disregard the imperative to choose life over death, is the worst impediment to truly civilized societies. Why must we insist on exclusive rights and privileges? There will only ever be peace when we learn to share and cooperate. War is not simply diplomacy by other means. It is a blasphemy against the human spirit, and we must agree to stop it. All of the efforts, resources and money that the military wastes, not to mention the lives of our children, could be put to much better, and more worthy purposes. 

We can't just assume that governments will do the right things without the prompting of their people. They are much more concerned with maintaining their own power, by any means necessary. But people who believe in God and righteousness have their own power. They can offer advice, and dissent if they must. There is power in making a stand for what is right, so long as we use non-violent methods. Still, at the same time, we must loudly assert that we support the government's right to guide the country. "My country, right or wrong. When right, to be kept right, and when wrong, to be put right." That is the motto of a model citizen. There need be no fear for any government that its citizens may answer to a higher authority, as that greater obedience rarely applies to more than matters of ethics and morality. And no religion should be used as an excuse to violate the ethical principles of other faiths, or to subjugate other people. 

But while such radical assumptions of moral maturity may seem foreign to people used to living under paternalistic authority, it is a central requirement for those who value a maximum of independence and freedom. The one drawback of this kind of vigilance to restrain the lust for power and authority, however, is the need for extensive education in morality, ethics and law. Lacking this, the people will decline into decadence. And yet, this is not usually a high priority, emphasized by the teachers of philosophy and religion, although perhaps it should be. The freedom of religion doesn't translate into the freedom to reject religion in favor of immorality, vice and criminal pursuits. 

Governments need to be structured to include a balance of powers, with a variety of means to impose checks back and forth to prevent potential abuses. The better these balance, and work to insure good intentions, then the less politically active the citizens will have to be, maintaining interest mostly in choices of future objectives. There needs to be clarity in the purpose of government, whether to protect us from foreign threats, or to insure the most compassionate and fair standards of justice will be applied. The regulation of internal affairs is only necessary to keep the society running smoothly. 

If we want to depend on our governments to watch over us and provide for us, or even to decide what seems to them to be in our best interests, then we will find our freedoms have been curtailed. Many of us would prefer to be allowed to follow our own ideas of the best possible future, relying on a small amount of assistance, and only when necessary. And yet, if we restrict the roles of government too much, we will find that it has lost the means to care when needed, and lacks the power to limit our own abuses. Clearly, there is a small gap between too much government and too little, where there may be a comfortable fit. 

When we look at the potential compatibility between Christianity and Buddhism, we also see the differences between their political philosophies. This isn't necessarily a conflict between democracy and socialism, however. Our governments' biased points of view see different things to fear, but these come from our histories, rather than from religion. We both fear the stifling of our values. One values the motivation to freely pursue opportunities for wealth, while the other values paternal supervision to moderate the abuses of selfishness. A true balance may be hard to achieve. Obviously, this is a real concern, but the problems imagined stem from a lack of appreciation of what the two religions have been trying to teach. 

A moderate course of officially recognized instruction, coupled with the freedom to choose either or both, might go a long way toward a solution to our differences. There could even be other faiths on the "acceptable" list, if people agree to the moral standards and don't harbor any deep philosophical conflicts. Such freedom might lead our peoples toward mutual respect and toleration and the beginnings of a growing trust. And when we learn that we can trust and understand one another, our natural human capacities for empathy and compassion will take effect. 

For some time now, the recognition has been growing that there is more than one faith that teaches how to lead a moral life. If we can see that, perhaps we can all decide to seek a way for everyone to live together, without conflict. Cultures can be melted together, or stand side by side, in harmony, and religions that truly teach peace can be appreciated even by those who don't share them. We need to try to value inclusivity, without rigidity. Thus, we will learn that we are not really so different in our hearts. We can begin to love each other, starting from the basis of learning to discern how we each want to be treated. From this compassion and love we can build a better society, and plan for a better future in a less abused world. Surely, both the Buddha and the Christ would be in favor of that. 

Arkologistics

 The science of Arkologistics is the study of how to build self-contained ecologically stable biomes, with sustainable cities, inside rotating space colonies. While, as the name suggests, the first challenge will be the logistics of sourcing the needed materials and getting them together to be assembled into an air-and-water-tight hull, that is an engineer's job. I'm more interested in the reasons why we should build them, and the purposes they are to be used for. 

The largest of the "Arks" will be designed as semi-wild parklands to showcase the variety and diversity of our beloved landscapes, and kept as preserves to help maintain important species and essential interconnections for the biomes that keep our planet healthy. But of course, we will be building these huge rotating space colonies not just for nature preserves, but for ourselves. Such habitats can house whole cities with suburbs, parks and farmlands designed for primarily human habitation, so that we can all live and work on the high frontier. Indeed, the construction of these behemoth space stations will be the fulfillment of millennia of religious hope, as we transition our civilization into the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Part One: Preservation 

Depending on the size of habitat we can build, we will want to create as much room for nature as we can. Noah clearly had a grand vision, but practically, he could only save the animals that he knew, and those would primarily be his farm animals. We want to save whole regions, if not the planet itself, from potential disaster and indiscriminate extinction of multiple species. To do this, we will want to build many cylinders, or spheres, to accommodate one biome in each, at least until we can build them the size of continents, and not just small islands. 

Which kinds of biomes will we want to save? Of course, the places that are most popular and desirable as places to live or visit will be the ones we will choose first. But we still have to consider how they all fit together with the synergy to keep our planet running and healthy. The following examples may be among the earliest choices:

1. Appalachian & Luoxiao mountains 

2. Tropical Islands (Pacific, Caribbean, Indian)

3. Brazilian & Congo rainforests 

4. Grasslands, plains & prairies 

5. Riparian flood-plains & bayou deltas 

6. Boreal forests & tundra 

7. Cactus deserts & date palm oases 

8. Coral reefs & shallow seas 

9. Fresh water rivers & lakes 

10. Antarctic & Arctic ice lands 

11. Peruvian & Tibetan plateaus 

12. Sumatra, Borneo & Australian jungles 

These biomes will include the widest variety of plants and animals that will be beneficial to humans and to each other. The purpose is to imitate, insofar as possible, a complete ecosystem in a harmonious, wild but Eden-like state. This should include predators, but leave out diseases. This is not a landscape untouched by Mankind, but one in which we are integral and needed to maintain its order and balance, and we replenish what we take.

There is no need to rescue creatures that have evolved to be parasitic or poisonous, unless they are required to balance the ecosystem. We can try to find alternate species of similar skills, but lesser danger, to fulfill their functions if such are necessary. A forest with both chestnuts and elms is much preferable to one decimated by diseases, and mice can be controlled without rattlesnakes. It will be interesting to see if we can have dragonflies without mosquitoes, and how they will adapt to catch other prey. 

There is no need to preserve either the bane due to Pandora's curiosity, nor the curse from the Fall from Grace. If we cannot return to a simple state of innocence, let us at least fulfill our jobs as stewards of creation, and make peace with the necessity of labor.

Part Two: Vocations 

In every habitat cylinder or sphere, there will be a community of people. While we cannot hope to return to using primitive technology, we do have a vested interest in maintaining the machines and infrastructures that keep the functionality of the shell and its plumbing operational. In large part, this will be focused on the maintenance and repair of robots that patch incidental damages or clean corrosion, and log locations that may need reinforcing.

Plus, there will always be a need for imported materials, so we cannot allow ourselves to become insular and isolated. We will need to keep a fleet of asteroid mining and transport ships, both autonomous and manned, to collect the necessary elements, or even to build manufacturing bases to prefabricate parts. These can become commodities for trade, depending on their distribution and rarity. Not only metals, but also fertilizers, or even carbon or water may need occasional replenishing. Recycling is never 100%, no matter how hard we try. And of course, there will be most, if not all of the occupations that we are familiar with down here on the surface of our planet. 

First, we have to feed and clothe ourselves, so there will be farms. A lot of our vegetables will be grown in hi-tech organic greenhouses and hydroponic facilities, while our row crops like corn or cotton can be grown without pesticides or herbicides. And we should also give enough room for our animals to live in pastures, rather than feedlots, for their own health and ours when we consume them. Grass fed and free roaming livestock is both healthier and happier, compared to feedlot and factory beasts. 

We should not keep our efforts focused on only a few foods. There are a hundred or more kinds of foods that are really healthy for us, even when we limit or disuse the ones that cause problems. We can begin with the "superfoods" and build up as much variety as we need, limiting the grains and sugars, and keeping the fruits to their seasonal levels of abundance. Everything can be grown without poisons, and without the supermarket pressures to use drugs or preservatives to create perfect or non-spoiling products. Most of the problems those were meant to "solve" will have been left behind on Earth. The farms will be close to the markets, which may take on an open air style, and it will all be fresh.

Our clothing can be manufactured from more natural materials, too. We don't really need everything to be made of synthetic, petrol-based materials. Cotton, linen, leather, rubber, etc. These are good for the environment, and adequate for everyday wear. The only time we will need artificial materials to wear will be when we need to face hazardous conditions, like to clean up chemical spills, or when venturing out into space. The occasional bits of metal, for buckles, buttons, zippers or snaps can be made from nickel steel, which will be abundantly available. 

And the weather inside a space habitat will probably be mostly under control, and reasonably predictable, so we won't have to worry about exposure. Transportation can be mostly on foot or bicycle, as long commutes to work will be unnecessary. Everyone can wear a light pack, or carry a purse, to keep an umbrella or rain jacket handy, as well as having a snack and drink ready if needed. Outdoor exercise will likely be very popular, when we have plenty of open parklands and the air is clean. 

Part Three: Habitats are Sacred 

When we begin to build enormous structures in space, we are making a statement. We are saying that humanity is emerging into a new era of history, moving beyond the ephemeral, fragile conditions of a world subject to the whims of natural chaos. We are celebrating the idea that God created the world and populated it with life. By building an Ark, we are affirming that the creation is good. And by our selections of what we want to save, we are working to reestablish the original purity of the Garden of Eden. It will remain only for us to purify our hearts, so that we can walk in those gardens side by side with God.

When we populate the Ark with the full variety of species from a biome that we intend to preserve, we are also fulfilling a sacred vocation. Our position as the apex intelligent species on the planet, with the most potential to change the ecosystems we inhabit, places a responsibility upon us to be thoughtful stewards, and to replenish the resources that we extract from the earth. 

Although removing large numbers of specimens, of many species, from key habitats may look like a wholesale harvesting, in actuality we are setting aside and banking the rich variety of life. And while we are doing that, we can study the ways that the plants and animals live together, so that we can find the balance of each niche in the biome. In that way, the overall system can work in harmony, almost automatically with minimal supervision. And then, if anything happens to the Earth that damages its biomes, we will have the species saved in space, in an Ark, from which to repair its integrity and replenish its life.

Another aspect of the sacred respect we will have for these awe-inspiring space habitats comes from the obvious idea that they will be symbolic of Heaven itself. The cities they contain with be home to people who will likely refer to themselves as "saved," since they too will be preserved as a backup for the human species in case of disaster. And it will be our natural preoccupation to be always looking for ways to make life better, and to cure or minimize the causes of suffering. If we ever discover the full secrets of living for centuries, and not just decades, the space colonies will be certain to use them.

So first and last, we must do all we can to protect and respect the immense value that the Space Arks represent. They are our gifts to all of the future generations of Humanity, and to the Earth itself. And they will be lasting monuments to our having finally matured as a species, and thus chosen to establish the benefits of peace among all creatures. It will be an everlasting promise, like the way God set his rainbow in the sky. We will have rebuilt Noah's Ark, and set that in the Heavens as our promise. We promise to choose Life.