Paradise​—A Desirable Place in Which to Live

WHAT picture comes to your mind at the mention of an earthly paradise? What do you think it would be like?

Perhaps you envision a lovely park, a place of natural beauty and peacefulness. You may imagine trees and flowers in great variety, as well as many birds and animals that you can enjoy. Such a mental picture is understandable, for in many languages the word “paradise“ comes from ancient words meaning a wooded park or a parklike garden.

However, rather than a park with fixed boundaries, what if the whole earth were a paradise? What would it be like for you?

For one thing, a paradise earth would have endless variety in plant and animal life, not like today where, in large areas, men have killed off many forms of life.

There would also be delightful variety in terrain. You might enjoy visiting a rocky or sandy coastline unmarred by garbage or industrial pollutants. There you could listen to the waves and watch graceful gulls and other sea life. Inland you would find a variety of forests, each with its distinctive animals and plants, and all free of the effects of ruinous exploitation by greedy men.

Of course, there would be mountains, some lofty and blanketed with snow, others with gentle slopes, where you could hike without stumbling over discarded beer cans and other litter. Beyond these mountains there would be drier plains. Instead of these being man-made dust bowls, they would display their own natural vegetation, and would abound with animals, large and small, wild and domestic. Elsewhere you would find heaths with low trees and softly colored shrubs.

Maintaining and cultivating such a global paradise would require some work, would it not? But you would not mind that if you were not frustrated or oppressed by a harsh boss. You could apply your efforts and abilities in ways that would bring benefits to you, your family, and to the rest of mankind by cooperating together. You would delight in making your contribution to paradise.

Having a personal share in paradise, you would get lasting pleasure from your work and from your opportunities to rest, to travel and to learn more about the wonders of this earth.

But do you feel that this is all just fanciful dreaming? Do you think that it is not possible for the entire earth to become a place of beauty? From what you have seen and read, do you believe that it is headed in the opposite direction​—toward more pollution, plunder and ruin?

Frankly, as cheerless as the earth’s future may seem, there are sound reasons for you to expect that our planet will become a global paradise.