The Necessity of Opposition Posted by Susie

I recently had someone tell me that the perfected (but foiled) plan of God was for Adam and Eve not to have fallen, so that all of humanity would live together with love and tranquility inside the Garden of Eden. On the surface, this seems to be a wonderful thing - Peace, Prosperity, Kindness . . . all the things that are lacking in our World at large. But, would it really have been all that we imagine? I think not.

The World is not a resort for us to vacation in for a while. We are here for a specific reason; namely, to prepare ourselves for what lies ahead. Below is a quote by C.S. Lewis, regarding the reasons we have Virtues, and why we follow them:

We might think that the 'virtues' were necessary only for this present life - that in the other world we could stop being just because there is nothing to quarrel about and stop being brave because there is no danger. Now it is quite true that there will probably no occasion for just or courageous acts in the next world, but there will be every occasion for being the sort of people that we become only as the result of doing such acts here. The point is not that God will refuse you admission to His eternal world if you have not got certain qualities of character: the point is that if people have not got at least the beginnings of those qualities inside them, no possible external conditions could make a 'Heaven' for them - that is, could make them happy with the deep, strong, un­shakable kind of happiness God intends for us.

While I don't agree that there will likely not be any use for bravery, and just acts and so on in the next life, he brings up a good point - that we are not here to be good, but to become good. In a world with no troubles, there would never be an opportunity sacrifice of yourself for other people, or casting your pride away to let others help you.

Think of the child growing up in luxury, who does he become when he is older? A great man, with experience and wisdom, or a selfish one who cannot fend for himself? I think we can look to history, and experience to find the answer. Like the chick who is broken out of the egg by another, instead of struggling through it himself, the one who is given freedom looses it, and the one who struggles and fights for freedom, truly gains it.