Heaven versus escape fantasies - positive versus double-negative

More than ever, it seems important to distinguish Heaven from fantasies of escape - whether that escape be into "peace", sleep, unconsciousness; or into some kind of bliss state of semi-awareness; or into a paradise of hedonic gratification ("whatever turns you on"). 

This not-Heaven fantasy is a double-negation; because mostly a matter of escaping from earthly mortal life - from its pain, loss, futility, despair...

Heaven is, by contrast, a dynamic kind of place, a place of high conscious awareness, and a place where we all have positive "work" to do - so long as "work" is understood in the most creative and self-fulfilling, and valuable sense. 

The "work" of Heaven is at an opposite pole from modern work - which is enslavement to the totalitarian project of mundane, materialistic, meaningless dehumanization - merely moving stuff around. 

The work of Heaven is spiritual work: it is creation. Creation in Heaven can be understood as each individual contributing to the totality of divine creation from himself; and also doing this with others - this whole thing being (quite naturally and spontaneously) from the spirit of love. 

(Love of God, love of people and other beings, love of the purposes of creation...) 

So the work of Heaven is a contrast with mundane work on this mortal world, because in mundane work we stand outside of the work, and Do It - we manipulate things, arrange things, process things, swap things and the like...

Whereas in Heaven we live "in" the work; the work is part of us and of creation. The work done then come back into us, in a kind of cycle - as when we are in-love: when what we do, its result, and what she does and its effect on us... all combine in a mutual, reciprocal, halo of magic. 

That's the normal state of Heaven - but it applies to all kinds of creative work, which means everything we do and that needs doing. 

In Heaven, creating is continuous with loving personal relationships - distinguishable, but inseparable. 

And this is a positive and higher state - taking the best of our experiences and aspirations of this temporary and evil-infused mortal life; and raising it clear of evil, freeing it from decay; taking what is here partial and temporary, and transforming it into the complete and everlasting.  

Note: I say Heaven is made from the best of mortal life; but of course, not everybody agrees that this is indeed the best! Some prefer passivity, unawareness, diminished consciousness. Or others get the most satisfaction from the successful and gratifying manipulation and exploitation of others; that's what they regard as "best"... Thus Hell is a dynamic situation - although dynamically-destructive, because framed by its negation of creation, its opposition to the divine. Only Heaven is dynamic and positive. Neither those who seek diminished consciousness, nor those who seek power over others, will choose Heaven; because to do so would entail leaving behind that which they value most. Much of mortal life is the business of deciding what we value most - and that choice is what determines our eternal situation.