Damnation

The object of life is to continue -- forever -- without end. There is no rest. There is no stopping point. There is no reaching the top. It is said that when Alexander the Great conquered the known world he sat down and cried because there was no more world to conquer. He was done, but he wanted more. He wanted to go on, but didn't know about anything else. Life is like that. We grow as much as we know, and then we reach our full stature and stop growing.

Damned
When a structure is built to hold back water we call it a dam. The root word of damn is the same, and has the same basic meaning. Damnation is just stopped development. Arrested physical development causes short stature, or loss of some function of the body, which limits the ability of the person to perform certain physical tasks and thus what he can do with his life. One who has no arm function will have a much harder time playing golf, for example. While the loss of physical abilities can affect our mortal lives, arrested spiritual development affects us forever. This is damnation. A person may stop growing spiritually for a variety of reasons.

Ignorance
Alexander didn't go on to conquer more because he didn't know there was more. This is the way most people who wish to go on get blocked -- they simply don't know any other possibilities. Society does not teach people who they really are, and their true potential so people just assume that what they know is all there is. Many are comfortable with what they have and stop looking for more, remaining ignorant all their lives. If Alexander had looked, he would have found twice the world he had already conquered.

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8) Ignorance is a failure to look.

Addictions
People let their appetites control them to stop their development. They are unwilling to give up their taste for food, or let go of drugs, tobacco, alcohol, pornography, and so forth to be able to move on. Addictions of all kinds stop progression. For example, homosexuality is arrested emotional development because the person assumes his feelings are all that exist. He doesn't realize that there is so much more outside of what he feels. Whenever people try to live by a feeling, they move backwards, not forwards, and thus stop developing.

"...see that ye bridle all your passions that ye may be filled with love." (Alma 38:12) Allowing feelings to run wild leads to a lack of love, and arrested development.

Religion
One huge cause of damnation is religious zeal. Being a member of a religion puts one at risk for assuming he is right, and therefore righteous. Religion assumes power where there is none such as when people are told that they are forgiven of their sins. For example, Christianity commonly stops progress by telling believers they have arrived. Once they have "confessed Christ" they can do no wrong, they can do no right, they are just saved by floating along. People believe they are righteous, good, or worthy and have no need to go further. They stop trying because they have "found it!" "I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see." To assume you see means you are no longer searching. The grace is given. You're done. This can easily lead to arrested development because there is no goal to strive for. "Arrival" is the same as damnation.

Belief
It seems like we can believe those things we experience, what we see, feel, hear, taste, and smell. However, the opposite is true. We really only see what we believe. Jelly Bellies are candies that taste remarkably like food. People tasting one called "buttered popcorn" could believe they are actually eating buttered popcorn, but it's really just ketones that provide a taste and smell. All of the senses can thus be tricked. If you believe only the things you can comprehend with your senses, you will be limited, and damned.

What can we believe?

"Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.
And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them." (Mosiah 4:9-10)

If you don't believe in God, you won't do what is necessary to grow. Unbelief in reality stops growth just as much as believing your senses. Those things you believe, or don't can arrest development.

Pride
Ultimately, there is one attribute that will stop growth cold with no chance of recovery. If we have pride we will be turned inward and know only what we know, what we feel, and what we are. We cannot get outside of ourselves and therefore cannot grow bigger than we are. Pride is the fall of all mankind who have arrested development. Pride stopped the growth of one of the greatest of Gods children, a son of the morning, even Lucifer:

"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High."
(Isaiah 14:12-14)

His pride brought him down. He assumed powers that weren't his to take. Instead of humbling himself and submitting to God, he made himself a god. Perhaps he was especially talented and gifted. He was a great leader because he got a large following to fight against the Lord. He tried to impose his will on others, taking away their freedom. He wanted more, but it had to be his way. Pride.

"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16:18) Pride creates arrested development.

Goals
We often work very hard towards goals that stop our spiritual growth. All temporal goals may lead us away from our destiny. The important part is the focus. If we are focused on the things of the world, then our goal will be temporary, and our efforts will be ultimately wasted. These are the people who get everything they want, who work for and finally arrive at their goal and cry like Alexander the Great, or say like Macbeth, "Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown, And put a barren scepter in my grip." Though your goal is to be the king of everything it is still nothing compared to the goal our Father in Heaven has for us.

Eternal Life
Our "full stature" is to own the Universe, to have the power of God -- and then move on from there. The Apostle Paul wrote an epistle to the Ephesian Saints, giving them this goal: "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:13) Unity. Knowledge. Perfection. Our full height is the "stature of the fulness of Christ!" We have the potential of becoming like Christ because we are the children of God. "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ." (Romans 8:17) He is the Son of God and will inherit everything God has. We are nothing less. Aspiring to anything less is retardation, developmental delay, cretinism, arrested development, or damnation.