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This topic is pure speculation. Just wanted to get that out of the way up front.
I've always thought of us as a “learning” church. From young women's values today, stretching back to the dark ages when I was in Mutual, I've always felt education was an important focus. Even our Relief Society declaration today says that we “love life and learning.” I'm all over that. Yes, yes, yes! I love life and learning.
Now that my children are grown I have more discretionary time to do with as I please. And it pleases me to write. But it's a struggle. I'm not that good. And it takes me a looong time to write a little.
My husband's thoughts: He wonders why I try so hard when everything will be so much easier in the next life. He thinks if we want to learn something then, our minds and understandings will be so enlightened that we will know it in the twinkling of an eye. So why struggle here? Especially with gifts that I haven't clearly been given, like learning other languages or how to play an instrument or what makes a good story and how to get that down on paper.
I think, that learning something without effort would take away the reward.
What do you think? Will learning in the next life come without effort as we know it? Will we be able to just touch a book to glean all the knowledge that book has to offer? Wouldn't that negate all the time and effort the author put into making the book?
Here's my real concern. It may take me the next ten years of my free time, sitting on my backside in a chair, learning to write a novel that others might find entertianing. I want to do that. But is it a worthy goal if in the next life I would simply be able to do that without effort? I could ask that of so many different activities, like becoming a tennis champion, running a marathon, learning to sing. If what my husband thinks is true, then the only worthwhile activity in this life would be to serve others, on earth or in the temple and that's it. After all, there are already more books to read in the world than anyone could read in a lifetime.
What do you think?
Alison Moore Smith is a 61-year-old entrepreneur who graduated from BYU in 1987. She has been (very happily) married to Samuel M. Smith for 40 years. They are parents of six incredible children and grandparents to two astounding grandsons. She is the author of The 7 Success Habits of Homeschoolers.
Here is my pure-speculation opinion. I disagree with your husband. I don’t think learning is necessarily going to be any easier. I think as with things in this life, learning will be a process, it’s just that we’ll have a lot longer to learn things!
Besides, part of the joy of life is in the learning process. Even though it might be difficult for you to learn something now, isn’t it so rewarding? When you finish writing your novel, you are going to be so proud of yourself, and a lot smarter besides! You will have learned a new skill, and you will find satisfaction from it.
My two cents.
agardner—THANK YOU for your two cents. THey are worth a million bucks to me today.
And why bother? In the afterlife, we’ll have all sorts of spirits standing right in front of us and they can just TELL us their names and birthdates. And, heck, who will care about their EARTHLY birthdates by then anyway? :devil:
Darcee, I tend to think that we’ll all be pretty much the same as we are now. Same strengths, same weaknesses. We grow stronger, we aren’t poofed stronger.
But it’s a great question!
Thanks, Alison. Though I don’t think we’ll just be *poofed* stronger or smarter or better, I would hope our immortialized bodies(brains) will work better, or faster? At least I hope we get a new and imporved model. But then what is faster, when time is numbered only to man?
And, If time is numbered only to man, ten years spent learning to write is literally nothing. Bottom line, I’ll keep writing.
You do it, Darcee! And let us know when your book is ready. We’ll promote the heck out of it!
Daisy, here’s my speculative opinion… If you want to write a novel, write it in this lifetime!
I think in the next life your writing talents will be used to write family histories, record missionary work and ordinances performed, etc. My understanding is that the next life will be a time of joy and rejoicing, missionary work, etc – but not much time for what we mortals would call pure leisure… I don’t think we can sit back and just wait for the next life to learn and progress. (ie: that “poof” thing Alison mentioned)
Based on what you said, you write because you enjoy it. Well, maybe not the process of trying to get it “just right” but you write because it brings you happiness and fulfillment. Who says it is “wrong” to take 10 years to write your book? I think you should dissolve the artificial boundaries (time frame, etc) and just write! I’ll read your book whenever you get it finished.
And I think it’s fantastic that you know what you want to do with your additional discretionary time now that your kids are grown! I envy you that knowledge… My oldest kids have/are leaving home, and I hope by the time my youngest kids are at that point, I will have figured out what I truly hope to accomplish with my discretionary time.