Emptiness Post #21

    As a religious man, I hear about Hell and how to stay out of it often, however I do believe it is possible to look at it from purely an educational standpoint. "Go to Hell!"is a phrase heard often that is always of derogatory use. Therefore, as a people, Hell is never thought of as pleasant. When someone says Hell, my mind pictures a fiery red wasteland with nothing but emptiness and horrifying looking creatures. When I think about how you get into Hell, I think of the crimes that put people in jail and destroy relationships/families. Once in Hell, it is impossible for me to fathom the system. Such as can you get out? Or maybe what determines  your place in it? Like all ideas of what happens after death, Hell can't be proven on earth and will always remain a burning question to humanity.

1.) What do you have to do to get into your Hell?
   As I stated earlier, I have ideas of what it takes to enter Hell according to my religion, however for the purpose of education I will not use those. In my "non-religious Hell," people are condemned to it for not only obvious reasons (murder, adultery, etc.), but also for more specific reasons. For example, I cannot stand when people lie. Not only about important stuff, but the little things. If someone is lying to me, I usually can tell and it makes my trust in that person drop significantly. A person who lies constantly for their own benefit or just for fun earns a spot in my version of Hell. Another huge character flaw I have a problem with is people who are very two-sided. As in a different person at home then they are at school. Just like lying, it makes me think this person is very untrustworthy.

2.) What are the punishments?
    The consequences of my version of Hell would include primarily mental torture/discomfort. Especially for a sin like lying. Someone who lies constantly may face punishment like becoming mute and listening to people constantly complain and whine. That may seem mild, but I'm sure it would make one go crazy easily. Physical punishments could include extreme cold or heat. There is not many things that make someone more uncomfortable than very hot or cold places. Physical pain usually ends quickly, mental agony does not.

3.) What does your Hell look like?
 My hell would not be fiery and red, rather completely empty with not a thing in sight. I imagine an infinite space of emptiness. It wouldn't be white, or clear, or black. Just nothingness. So empty it cannot be imagined by humans, only experienced. In this case, the victim can only hear things. Such as the people complaining or crying in pain. I once read an article about how the officers at POW camps would play mixtures of crying, screaming, and violent sounds to torture their prisoners. I imagine something like this but experienced in nothingness.

4.) Can anyone escape?
   In my Hell, redemption is possible; but only to a select few. If a condemned person wants redemption, they must find someone to trade places with them. If they can find another human who's sins were "worse" than theirs, they can swap places. This puts them back on Earth with a chance to redeem themselves, not right into a happier afterlife.That is the only way someone can escape my version of Hell.

5.) What symbol represents your Hell?
A symbol that could represent my Hell is a ladder missing rungs on the top half. This symbolizes hell because it shows how it's much easier to enter then it is to escape. Imagine climbing down a ladder into a hole only to realize that every time you step down a rung disappears. That is how I imagine people would feel inside my Hell. Another symbol could be bucket with a hole in it for the same reason. Easy to fill up, but impossible to keep full.

6.) Who would be in your Hell?
As I stated earlier, people who lie constantly would make up the majority of my Hell. Obvious choices would be people like Hitler or Stalin who lied to entire populations to get their way. I also think people who commit suicide deserve a place in my Hell. This includes accidental suicides form drugs. This may be to soon, but I think people like Phillip Seymour Hoffman would be in my Hell. Another famous liar is Charles Ponzi, who created a system that harms people all over the world. Those are a few examples of who would be in my version of Hell.