Mormons treat life like a flyover state
For those of you who might not be familiar with the term, "flyover state" is a rather derogatory term used to describe the states you must pass through on your way to your destination, but you don't see any reason why someone would want to actually stop there. Preferably, the only way you'd ever see it is looking down from 30,000 feet.
I was talking to my dad today, and realized that this is really the way Mormons are taught to view their mortal existence. They're on their way from one place that was pretty great (premortal life) to an even better home (the Celestial Kingdom), but in the way is the desolate waste known as mortality, which must be slogged through on their way to their true destination.
The problem with the flyover state mentality is that you actually miss out on some pretty fantastic stuff while you're single-mindedly trudging towards your destination. For instance, if you take Nevada for a flyover state, you'll miss out on all the fun of Las Vegas.
This life is incredible and amazing and fun and wonderful. And I'm saddened that so many of my friends and family spend it shuffling along, staring at their feet, making sure they never step out of line, doggedly heading for a destination they can't even prove exists.
I think the greatest tragedy of Mormonism is that it causes people to look at the only life we can be sure we'll have as something that must be "endured to the end," rather than enjoyed in its own right!
