The pursuit of an education has always been paramount within my American dream. We live in a time where as individuals we are inundated with information. Coming from a knowledge base of Mormonism and Americanism I have come to the conclusion that life is indeed a test in which we are in a constant state of measurement where the treasures of heaven are knowledge and in an alchemical sense we become vessels producing wisdom.
Fundamentals of the Mormon faith within the Plan of Salvation define a preexistence to which all knowledge was present and available. Ultimately, there exists a diametrical choice between Jesus Christ and Lucifer, light and darkness, good and evil.
Before I offer the interpretive nature to which this story is a simple riddle-and with my simple answer, let me offer some context to the problem.
The problem with this riddle is that there is no correct solution. Humanity has the tendency to think in absolutes. In other words the pursuit for the truth or perfection inherently implies a pinnacle or end, when within the context of spirituality and the nature of the soul inherently implies eternity or infinity, without beginning or without end.
The notion that we are in the “image of God,” or “sons and daughters,” of a Heavenly Father defines characteristically the eternal nature of our being and potential.
Within the English context of “image,” implies that we are a snapshot of divinity encapsulated in time. Of course, reality is not one dimensional, it is multidimensional, but the wording is significant because it implies physicality and a time delimiter. Within this metaphor a polaroid exposed to natural elements, including time, will degrade. Within the same framework the importance of multiplying implies the preservation of divinity.
The prophetic nature of the declaration of a “Dispensation of Fulness of Times,” although not inherently unique to Joseph Smith, the prophet of what we call the “Restoration,” was the catalyst that has enabled me to understand and interact with the world in a way to which to me, is considered-divine. The subjective nature to which we interact with the world respects the unique individuality of each of us. In short, my concept of divine or even my contemplation of the heavens, or even hell for that matter, is a conceptualised conglomerate of knowledge that defines an imaginative and creative reality defined by wisdom ascertained through the experience of life.
Comparatively, the physicality of an image is preserved or deprecated with regards to exposure to the elements. Light which highlights your beauty also accentuates your flaws. A double edged sword. Darkness which shields you from the Light, preserves and hides. Follow the polaroid example and its origins, and you will see that God has a sense of humor. Paper dipped in water and slowly exposed in dark rooms, eventually coming to fruition.