The Four Hells
By LisaFairhurst on 05-04-2008
As an Idealist, my view of hell is a disintegration of personality. I want to be a person of integrity and whole, so the opposite is a dis-integrity-ation into a madness akin to multiple personalities but far worse since you are aware of all of the parts and have no ability to put them together again. Hell is where you realize that every attempt at authenticity and self-actualization has been a lie. You’ve lied to yourself and others about your own motives. Everything good thing you’ve done for others has been either a bad thing in the long run or a function of your own neediness to feel good about yourself.
For Rationals, hell is where you realize that all of your knowledge, your expertise, your logic are stupidity, especially compared to what God knows. You will see that your pride about seeing clearly and being logical are lies, that you actually consistently denied the truth you were given. I would think that most Rationals would find themselves regretful of spending so much time on ideas and so little on people, but that may just be an Idealist perspective.
For Artisans, hell is no freedom. No challenges, no goals, nothing that can be done or is worth doing. Hell is the realization that the thrill of a few moments of prideful freedom has earned an eternity of nothingness with no ability to affect the environment, no emotions, a morass of gray.
For Guardians, hell is the realization you’ve been a hypocrite. All of your talk about respecting authority, being a good citizen, doing what is right has been hot air as you see that you have not respected the ultimate authority. When you’ve tried to get people to do things the ‘right’ way, you will now see that you didn’t do it because you cared about the other person but because it hit you in the area of your pride.
What is your view of hell?
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Posted by LisaFairhurst on May 4, 2008
Is Sister Faustina your patron saint, Lesley? |
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Posted by Lesley on May 5, 2008
No. |
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Posted by JackDermody on May 5, 2008
According to the prayer we recited in church in childhood -- perhaps one of the core prayers of my father's life philosophy -- hell is HERE. Here' s the prayer: Hail Holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve, to thee to we send up our signs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy on us and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Oh clement, o loving, oh sweet Virgin Mary. |
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Posted by Keillan on May 5, 2008
Regardless of cosmology, one thing that I do not see surviving physical death is the mind. What we think, what we know, and what we remember are chemical functions of the brain. As a Rational, even a heaven without knowledge can seem to be a frightening place. The way that I have come to think on it is that our minds are a tool that we use to survive, and it is unnecessary afterwards. However, all is not lost, for what our minds do after we leave this plane of existence is influence others. (We still live with the knowledge of Newton, Einstein, and the many prophets.) As our minds interact with our spirit when we are alive, its pursuit is not folly. As the spirit survives, perhaps it takes a touch of wisdom along with it. |
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Posted by LisaFairhurst on May 7, 2008
What is the spirit without conscious thought? |
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Posted by Keillan on May 7, 2008
I suppose that I see "spirit" more as a life-force energy than as a person's post-mortem self. However, I'm not saying that the thinking process is entirely lost, but it has to be of a different form than what our brains generate. Perhaps that is where the concept of karma comes in. It could be that karma is the momentum of our spirit after it moves on. Then again, all of this may seem pretty much speculative, but I believe that "incomplete" is a better term. Trying to associate the idea of an afterlife with life experience is metaphor at best. Just my thoughts. |
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Posted by mkb32 on May 8, 2008
This is good, ya'll ... this is good. In my moments of worst despair I have been terrified by thoughts of surviving some kind of paralyzing accident with my brain completely intact but no ability for external physical movement. Then I realize I am completely dependant on two care givers who have no knowledge, skill or intention of giving "care". Hell for me. |
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Posted by bsaunders on Jun 2, 2008
Hmmm...my idea of hell looks more like your Artisan hell, no freedom. As for "disintegration" of personality, I think my (Idealist) heaven would be release from/transcendenc of personality, as in a peak experience. |
"Let the sinner know that he will be tortured throughout all eternity, in those senses which he made use of to sin.... I, Sister Faustina, by the order of God, have visited the abysses of hell so that I might tell souls about it and testify to its existence" (Diary 741).