is earth the true hell?

[CBM]

I was wondering

 

so many of us seems deeply miserable nomatter what we do

 

each day is emotional torture despite me having a wife and a kid plus two cats

 

each time I try to change my life or walk through the right door, then life slaps me in the face with a big steaming turd

 

this often either destroys or severely warps the change or door that I just walked through

 

and it is every single time

 

...

 

it made me think about the netflix show, the good place

 

so either earth is the fake good place, the medium place or the actual bad place in disguise

 

maybe its true that hell is on earth as the doom 2 title suggests

 

what do you think?

Edited October 10, 2021 by CBM

[Redneckerz]

This is essentially ''Is the glass half full'' kind of question. It depends on the person what answer will be. A cynic may say that Earth is indeed hell. A positive spirited person may say that you can find positivity on Earth if you just look close enough.

 

Personally? I tend to look for the good moments inbetween.

 

From what i postulate OP, i would suggest you consider counseling or therapy, if you haven't done so already. Contrary to what society may tell you, speaking up about what you feel isn't a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength.

[Murdoch]

No. I am perfectly happy with where I am in my life and where I am going, and I am far from the only one. Earth is not Hell.

 

Life is hard. It's meant to be. An easy ride through life teaches us nothing. One only need look at the children of rich people to see how a life of no challenges and having everything handed to you usually works out. Such people often have no character, no compassion, and no real sense of the reality of the world. Conversely, many of the rich who had to work hard for their money are often good, compassionate people who try and help others. Well, some are, but I digress.

 

Some of us end up with harder roads than others, it's true and often times it sucks and is difficult to see. My lady is one such person. Every day is a struggle for her for health reasons, and yet she still gives each day everything she has and then some. I might be stronger than her physically but mentally, forget it, she beats me hands down.

 

Obviously everyone is different, and not knowing the precise specifics of your life it is not really plausible to give any great insight or advice. A lot of it comes down to behaviour patterns. If you start out with a negative attitude and left everything get you down, then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Over the years you have become accustomed to negative outcomes so much you may not even realise when a good outcome is potentially in the offering or simply did happen and your brain didn't register it. People are creatures of habit, and history is littered with the corpses of people and entire civilisations who chose oblivion over change. Recognising negative patterns for what they are and combating them is a critical part of improving one's life. You sound like you could do with some help from a professional. You should ask around about counselling in your area. Someone with experience who can go through everything with you face to face. But you have to be prepared and willing to change. I have helped a few people over the years through various things, and I always say to them - words are but wind if they fall on ears unwilling to listen. Someone can give you all the support and advice in the world, but you have to make the choice and act on it.

Edited October 10, 2021 by Murdoch

[Mayomancer]

There's a lot of things to be enjoyed, a lot of things to despair about, ultimately it's all about your perspective on things and how you decide to take them, and how to respond. You will find all sorts of philosophies and intellectuals who had a lifetime thinking about questions like that and reached completely different conclusions.

 

 

[Naarok0fkor]

The world is between Heaven & hell...it takes on both in turn & at the same time. We have a lot to do on how things turn out every second we live...

[CBM]

I've been in counselling non-stop since 2018...

BUT... I have also had a pretty messed up life, almost surreal.

Maybe I am just a victim of bad karma from previous lives.

 

However, I am guessing that there are also others that also have a life that is less than ideal?

 

Maybe earth is hell for some, medium for others and heaven for the lucky few?

 

I mean, we all know life is not remotely fair...

 

However I am happy that some of you are content with your life.

Edited October 10, 2021 by CBM

[hybridial]

Philosophically and theologically I find it to be a far more credible idea than any other idea of "hell" that could be put forth, and that it functions both as hell and purgatory. 

 

But I'd say I got something from "Mans' search for Meaning" by Victor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor. He said something you maybe would not expect someone like that to say. He suffered more than any of us would ever likely grasp, and he still said he believes suffering is truly relative. That what we inflict internally on ourselves is ultimately a greater force than external conditions.

 

I have been in some pretty dark pits, and the best fix, not one that works all the time but it definitely helps a lot in getting through things is to have a creative output. Find a hobby, commit to it, put some real heart and soul into it, but don't place any expectations in terms of results on it. I find it helps. 

 

Edited October 10, 2021 by hybridial

[Biodegradable]

Life is what you make of it, and if you decide to only focus on the negative, you'll definitely warp your perspective enough to think it's nothing but pure hell. It's a balancing act from what I can see. The way I see it, it's all about the Ying and the Yang, baby. Sometimes I feel like the universe constantly likes to play pranks on me to throw my life in disarray with the Global Financial Crisis happening before I left school and crippling my employment prospects and financial stability, and now a Global Pandemic just as I started building my freelance business-to keep me trapped inside the house that I've been yearning to escape for years-just a little while longer. One of the biggest lessons I learned during my time in therapy is that there's no sense agonising over the stupid shit that happens that I have no control over. Instead, I implore people to focus on what you can control, adapt to your circumstances as best you can (adaptability is one of humanity's greatest strengths!) and always try to find new ideas/methods/avenues that might just turn things around a little. There's no shame in feeling lost as long as you plan to try and do something about it.

 

I'm far from "content" with my life right now and I'm genuinely upset that I feel like the last decade of it was stolen from me thanks to university, unemployment and depression. However, I'm a lot happier than I was a couple years ago and I'm determined to make things happen for myself as best as I possibly can. Sometimes shit happens and Life shoves you to the ground. It's up to you to decide if you're going to either get up, dust yourself off and keep going or just lie there and give up.

[SOSU]

Hell is other people :DDD

 

Now for a theistic response:

Personally i am Catholic, and in Christianity creation is inherently good and evil is only caused by the opposition to God (there are an entire lineage of pseudo-Christian religions that consider existence and matter to be evil and wrong like Gnosticism, Manichaeism, the Bogomils, the Cathars but those have been refuted since the early days of Christianity up through the middle ages)

(Don't worry i am not trying to convert anyone here :'') )

When Christ tells of the Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man, the depiction of hell in it implies that hell is separation from God.

The fires of hell are then self inflicted, the rich man doesn't even ask Abraham for help to espace from the fire, he just asks him to bring Lazarus down, to serve him just as he was served during his life. The fire of hell is the fire of sin, of pride and gluttony, of avarice and lust, it's the fire of imperfection that engulfs us.

[Azuris]

In the (changed) Words of Emperor Marcus Aurelius:

If you accept that Sh*t is real and Part of the World, the Sh*t isn't as bad.
 

As Biodegradable says, don't focus on the negative Stuff.

My Girlfriend does the same. She overthinks Stuff over and over again.
It is a unreasonable waste of Time.
Just handle it when the Time comes and basta.
See it as a Task in the Future, make it a more abstract thing you don't have to waste your Time right now on it (not counting if you actually have to prepare something, but than do it) and focus your Thoughts on something positive you have right now around you.

To make it maybe even more abstract, maybe think about the Stuff as if it is something another Person has to care about.
Just to take your personal Feelings to a Distance.

So if you are worrying about something, think thats not your personal Problem, it is CBMs Problem and focus on something you can have joy of in that Moment.
 

But when the Time comes, take care of the Problem.

[Chopkinsca]

Hell implies limitless suffering. This world still has so many good things in it, so no, I don't feel like this is the true hell.

[CBM]

2 minutes ago, Azuris said:

But when the Time comes, take care of the Problem.

Interesting take and good advice. But not easy :-D

 

31 minutes ago, SOSU said:

Hell is other people :DDD

In many cases, yes :-)

 

1 hour ago, Biodegradable said:

 It's up to you to decide if you're going to either get up, dust yourself off and keep going or just lie there and give up.

Well I agree and I will never stop fighting.

 

1 hour ago, hybridial said:

Philosophically and theologically I find it to be a far more credible idea than any other idea of "hell" that could be put forth, and that it functions both as hell and purgatory. 

 

But I'd say I got something from "Mans' search for Meaning" by Victor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor. He said something you maybe would not expect someone like that to say. He suffered more than any of us would ever likely grasp, and he still said he believes suffering is truly relative. That what we inflict internally on ourselves is ultimately a greater force than external conditions.

 

I have been in some pretty dark pits, and the best fix, not one that works all the time but it definitely helps a lot in getting through things is to have a creative output. Find a hobby, commit to it, put some real heart and soul into it, but don't place any expectations in terms of results on it. I find it helps. 

 

Pretty interesting and I have great respect for Victor, that he is able to share that insigt with the world compared to what he has been through.

[snapshot]

hell no lol

Edited October 11, 2021 by sluggard

[CBM]

5 minutes ago, sluggard said:

hell no

LOL, except when we are playing DOOM 2 ? :-)

 

but in all seriousness.. I do not think there is an actual hell and that our life on earth serves that purpose..

 

ie. if you have lived a bad life in a previous life then you get punished in the next life.

 

And equally, if you lived a good life then you might be rewarded in the next life. So each life could be anywhere between heaven and hell.

 

8 minutes ago, Chopkinsca said:

Hell implies limitless suffering. This world still has so many good things in it, so no, I don't feel like this is the true hell.

Well you have a point, maybe its more like purgatory... atleast for some of us.

 

Edited October 10, 2021 by CBM

[BBQgiraffe]

weed and ice coffee exists so I'd say no

[CBM]

2 minutes ago, BBQgiraffe said:

weed and ice coffee exists so I'd say no

interesting argument

[Yandere_Doomer]

Life is definitely hard, yes. Right now I am in a hard spot and slowly recovering. 

I've been homeless, I'm poor, Ive had 2 psychotic episodes, and I've been isolated from people my age for over 4 years.

But Doom helps me drown out these things, and this forum does too.

So sometimes the best thing to do is to forget about it and absorb yourself in some form of media, if you can't think of anything else or, like me, can't do anything else because you are locked indoors for the majority of the time. (And not because of COVID)

[xX_Lol6_Xx]

I'm catholic (some of you may know that already) and I believe that no. Unlike the botomless pit of hell, this world can offer a lot of good things that help us in our formation as good human beings, think about your relatives for example, your mom, dad, brothers, husband or wife if you're married, and look how many things they did, do and will do to make you better. Sure there are situations that are absolutely ugly and bad, and the world can sometimes (or most of the time even) be unfair, but it's better if we focus on the good things of this world rather than suffer for the bad aspects. We have to be thankfull of what we have. Like some people have already witten, Hell is eternal punishment, and Earth is not. Eventually all the suffering will stop. (Yes, I'm that optimistic)

 

Spoiler

Although I will point out that the situation that many countries are going through does look like hell.

 

[Hawk of The Crystals]

Much like most people are saying in this thread, that depends on you. Life can always be shit if you just focus on the worst parts of it and never try to find any type of happiness: and of course life can be a bitch, but if you let your emotions and life's more shitty side run your life, you'll always be miserable. Even with things that bring you happiness.

[Teo Slayer]

No

[Archfiend]

Earth isn't Hell. Life is just incredibly difficult. But once you overcome its challenges, once you forge a path and reach a better situation, one you can be content with, you'll see the beauty in it. Life is kinda like Dark Souls, honestly. Is it worth it? Well, dying kinda blows, so you don't really have any other choice than to find out for yourself. I think it is. I'd much rather be living in the series of facefucks that I'm going through than just die, because I know I can find the light at the end of the tunnel and achieve my dreams. Make the best of the opportunity you've been given.

 

Also,

2 hours ago, BBQgiraffe said:

weed and ice coffee exists so I'd say no

you may joke, but you make a good point. The little things are always what drag me out of those dark places and remind me why I keep going. Just think-- the little things are so great, but also so small that you can fit a ton of them into every day of your life! Just don't eat (or drink [or smoke]) yourself to death.

 

Actually, weed is completely harmless as long as you're over the age of 25 (after your brain fully develops), so smoke as much weed as you want, I guess. The same does not apply to all other smokable objects.

[Hitboi]

10 hours ago, CBM said:

so many of us seems deeply miserable nomatter what we do

I don't think I'm miserable, I enjoy my life even if it's difficult.

No, when you solve the problems that you're forced to do you will be rewarded, in the end, it depends how you view life and the actions you make.

[Yandere_Doomer]

4 minutes ago, Hitboi said:

I don't think I'm miserable, I enjoy my life even if it's difficult.

No, when you solve the problems that you're forced to do you will be rewarded, in the end, it depends how you view life and the actions you make.

Yep, same here. Even with all of the Psychological problems and frustration from things I shall not name, I still want to live and I enjoy life.

I have had this semi-pessimistic saying for a while "Things will get better, just not anytime soon"

I made that up a year ago and I find myself in the same spot..

It applies to me. Anyone else?

But anyways the moral is to have a strong mindset

[hybridial]

20 minutes ago, Archfiend said:

 Life is kinda like Dark Souls

 

Everything getting compared to Dark Souls is my personal hell :P 

[Murdoch]

5 hours ago, CBM said:

I've been in counselling non-stop since 2018...

BUT... I have also had a pretty messed up life, almost surreal.

 

It can take a long time to undo deep seated psychological damage, especially if it can be traced back to childhood. Stick with it.

[Maribo]

4 hours ago, CBM said:

but in all seriousness.. I do not think there is an actual hell and that our life on earth serves that purpose..

 

ie. if you have lived a bad life in a previous life then you get punished in the next life.

 

And equally, if you lived a good life then you might be rewarded in the next life. So each life could be anywhere between heaven and hell.

Not to go off on a tangent or something, but it's related to my own personal view of reincarnation. This is an interpretation that I've always struggled with my feelings on, and personally don't subscribe to this specific idea of it, the whole "Good In Past Life -> Rewarded In Next Life / Bad In Past Life -> Punished In Next Life" thing. The reason, chiefly, is that abuse breeds abuse. It's a cycle. Of course, people (obviously) can overcome something like a bad upbringing, but thinking about it is just like.... it would be a trap. There would be so many more souls that screw up in a good life and get cycled into punishment and never escape, because it just feeds back into itself. And obviously you have to get into things like "what does it mean to live a good/bad life" because I think these meanings will vary drastically between people, but we're not here to get into that.

 

Anyway, I live my life as though karma and maybe reincarnation are real, but I couldn't tell you if I actually believe in them. Some people would probably classify that as some obscure shade of heresy, but I dunno, spirituality and things related to how you should live your life and the concept of an "afterlife/lack of one" are hard, dude.

 

re: "is earth the true hell?" though:
Not a spiritual one. But there are definitely pockets on earth (and the internet) that are a manifestation of hell entirely due to the actions of humanity.

[Biodegradable]

5 hours ago, CBM said:

Well I agree and I will never stop fighting.

 

That's the spirit. If we go down, we go down swinging, fam.

[Murdoch]

11 minutes ago, Biodegradable said:

 

That's the spirit. If we go down, we go down swinging, fam.

 

*opening chords to "The Show Must Go On" start to play*

[Sena]

As the old saying goes:

"We are living in the greatest possible world", says the optimist. The pessimist fears this might be true. To actually answer the question, possibly, I suppose the issue with the judgements made by both people in the aforementioned saying is they have no frame of reference for other worlds. But, I don't know, I don't quite suppose this planet was built for the specific purpose of inducing suffering as my very rudimentary understanding of theology tells me that's what hell is. So life can be bad, perhaps worse because it can contain just enough appeasements to convince people otherwise, but it's not quite hell, maybe that's what the real hell is, getting hung up on technicalities. 

[Widosm]

The world is both a good and bad place. If you choose to step out of your comfort, meet new people, learn new things, then you'll have the best life you can. If you're wallowing in your own sadness, your life is not going to change. So get out there, make your life better. The world can be whatever you want it to be.