i wrote a paper

i wrote this paper today as an assignment. we just had to write a dialogue between two people about anything we wanted. i also had to include at least one quote from Plato's Crito. i put some thoughts in it that i've been meaning to write down anyway, so why not just copy/paste eh?
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The View From Up Here

Her. Why did you follow me?

Him. I was worried about you. And to see you standing on the edge like that, maybe I was right to be concerned. I want to talk. Can we?

Her. I guess. I’ve got some time.

Him. Can we go downstairs? The rooftop isn’t quite the ideal place for a conversation.

Her. No I’m staying here. I’m never going down unless it’s falling over the side.

Him. Don’t say things like that, why would you say that?

Her. Because it’s pointless! Everything is pointless; our lives have no meaning beyond ourselves! We live and we breathe and we get hurt and we hurt other people and we watch everyone before us die and we never see them again. And then we die and if nobody remembers us we might as well have never existed. We don’t even have a purpose; we just reproduce and go on messing up the world we live in.

Him. What about God?

Her. Hah! Your God? The one that all you hypocrites follow? Maybe one day I could believe that there was something that made the world but I’d never believe it was your God, the one that’s supposed to be so kind and forgiving. The one that’s supposed to love me no matter what but gives me a list of rules to follow if I want to be rewarded?

Him. What do you mean?

Her. Well let’s say for one second that there is a God. How can he love me if I’ve had to go through so much pain in my life? If everyone goes through so much pain in life?

Him. That’s a good point. Can I ask you a couple of questions?

Her. Okay.

Him. Can you force some one to love you?

Her. No, that wouldn’t be real love.

Him. Right, so do you agree that real love has to be a free will decision?

Her. Yeah.

Him. Then if God really loves us and wants our real love and devotion in return, he can’t force it. He has to let us choose to love or deny. Make sense?

Her. Yes I see what you mean. But still, why do I have to go through so much if he loves me?

Him. God loves all people, no matter who it is or what they’ve done, and all people are given free will. When people choose to be selfish and act only on their own desires, that’s when they hurt other people. It’s not God’s plan, but his love prevents him from restricting free will. When the end comes people will have to account for how they lived their lives, the choices they made. God loves, but he is also just in punishment.

Her. But if God is loving, then why would he be so punishing?

Him. God is loving and just. What you are asking puts God in an impossible position. How can there be justice without punishment? God cannot be just without dealing with the consequences of a person’s choices and actions.

Her. But don’t you say that we are all sinners? That means everyone should be punished. How loving can that be?

Him. This is where God’s balance of love and justice are revealed. God will punish those for the evil they do in their lives, but because God is loving he provides a way for us to be saved from what we justly deserve. God punished one man, his son Jesus, who had done absolutely nothing wrong, and because Jesus was perfect, a completely holy sacrifice, that paid the price for all of us. All we have to do is use our free will to accept it. If we choose to live for ourselves our own way, then we get to pay our own price for the evil in our lives.

Her. But we have to follow a bunch of rules then right? How is that loving or an example of free will?

Him. Are you familiar with Plato’s Crito?

Her. Yes, why?

Him. Something Socrates said in that dialogue really applies here, “…he ought to live and train, and eat and drink in the way which seems good to his single master who has understanding, rather than according to the opinion of all other men put together?” God, as our creator, knows how we were designed to live and what is best for us. His rules aren’t restrictions, but a guide on how to live a life that will give you the most happiness while also being pleasing to God. What loving parent wouldn’t place rules on their children or punish them when they go astray? A parent understands far more than a child; they raise them with discipline out of love. In the same way, God understands far more than we do. Wouldn’t it be smart to follow his instruction?

Her. But isn’t that just like giving a child candy if they do what you tell them? It’s giving rewards for good behavior.

Him. If God exists outside of time in the way we understand the concept of “time,” he knows our past, present and future. God can see our choices laid out before us and he has an ideal plan for our lives that would gives us the most joy and prosperity. When we follow that plan by living the way God intends us to, we open ourselves up to the opportunities for our lives that God has in store. When we live our own way, we miss out on what could have been, trading an unknown good for what we could see in front of us. And I would argue that what we didn’t see around the corner, or maybe even far down the road, would have been greater in comparison to what we chose on our own. Does that make sense?

Her. Yeah I guess so, but I still have some more questions. Listen, can we go inside and talk? It’s getting cold up here.

Him. Yeah, sure. Follow me.