Don’t allow preconceived notions or prejudice to blind you as to what is possible or good.  When I was a child, my early understanding of the afterlife was based mostly on stories and my imagination.  I accepted that you went to Heaven after you died.  You would float up or perhaps pass through a tunnel, and then you’d see a towering golden gate sitting on clouds.  Beyond the gate you would meet Jesus or God, and He would give you his opinion of you.  Then, if you were fortunate, you would receive Heaven’s standard issue: a cloud, wings, and a golden harp.  It seemed a little foreign if not strange to me, but I didn’t feel compelled to investigate the matter any further.  I was so preoccupied with my current reality that I never gave much thought to what might come next.  Consequently, my openness to spiritual possibilities and my ability to consciously process spiritual events in my life were both severely limited.