What the Hell...?

Hell (detail) by Hieronymus Bosch

The wave of heat has struck Portugal and forests are back to their annual immolation.

As sweat rolls down my forehead...ok, not quite; but as my pores receive the spears of fire, I look at the bright sky and think of Hell: what’s it really like?

Last year, I suggested that Hell was on earth.

This year, I accused myself of being too simplistic and refuted my own thoughts. 

No, I still do not believe in the literal Christian portrait of Hell; but I now understand what Christians mean by it; and they mean to explain that Hell equals Torment. 

If one’s soul incarnates and derails from its original track (i.e. if either it uses its time on earth to defile its existence through evil behaviour or it fails to fulfil whichever mission assigned to it); when its cycle of life ends it can surely expect to be tormented. Then, what the hell is the torment? How will the rebellious soul be tormented: with Anthony Weiner’s obscene pictures; with Sarah Palin interviews; with Justin Bieber’s songs...what?

Behold the following scene:

A soul disincarnates and goes back to its essence. Stripped of matter and nihilism, it certainly counts on seeing the Creator; therefore it waits for its turn to meet with Him. 

Eternity goes by. The soul still waits yet it perceives that, the minute they arrive, newcomers have access to the Maker. The lamp within begins to dim and, thus, the soul starts to feel emotions similar to those felt on earth – sadness, denial, anger, despair and ultimately total darkness.

By choosing to yield to negative emotions, the soul creates for itself an absolutely tormenting situation. Suddenly, it realises it is not alone: the valley of the shadow of death is replete of brothers and sisters in the same predicament. 

In the attempt to recreate an earthy reality, the soul hears desperate screams, painful howls and it sees “people” crawling in the mud...Hell is beginning to look more like the clinging relationship with matter. 

Eternity goes by. The Light comes to fetch the soul and informs it that soon it will return to earth. Lux further advises the weary soul that the peel of torment must come off; that illusions must be scrubbed off and that it has to seriously ponder upon its future...and so the cycle recommences.

So, what is Hell? Hell is Torment. 

What’s the Torment? To never see the face of our Maker.