(3 of 3)
All this suggests that paradise may ultimately lie more in the eye of the beholder than the heart of the beheld. That is the secret of its beauty, and its poignancy. For paradise must always, in a sense, be a creation of the imagination, must always, if it is to be worth seeking, be unattainable, just around the corner or behind us in the past. To find perfection is to bring it down to earth and make it mortal. We want, we need to be taken in--both welcomed and illusioned. And in the end, perhaps, the search for paradise may really come down to nothing more than a search for a paradise within. If only we can rediscover Eden, we imagine, we will recover our unfallen selves, and so lead simpler lives with happier hearts and consciences unsullied. That may be why some shrewd paradise seekers never leave home at all.