.
People down there know it's permanent, but probably hoping against hope
that it isn't. That's what makes Hell so much worse than any other source of
misery one can possibly imagine. If only they could see a light at the end of
the tunnel; but that's just it: there is no end of the tunnel; it's like a Gerbil
exercise wheel; within which the little rodents run and run and run but get
nowhere.
I sometimes wish there were tour buses to Hell so people could see what's in
store for them down there. Maybe it would motivate the incorrigible ones to
begin using what time they have remaining to prepare themselves for the
worst when they pass on.
People have been filtering into perdition not only since the time of Christ,
but since before the Step Pyramid of Djoser, and even before the Flood. I
won't speculate how many years that might be, but h.sapiens is thought by
some to have achieved full behavioral modernity something like 50,000
years ago. (There's new findings suggesting that human existence goes as
far back as 150-300,000 years) Anyway; whether that extends clear on back
to Adam and Eve I have no clue; but just think: if it does, then Cain and
others from his era have been down in the netherworld all this time.
It's difficult for the human mind to appreciate 50,000 years let alone
300,000. I've been on the Earth for just 80, and I've noticed that my
childhood is so far in the past to me now as to seem more like a fantasy
than a memory. But you know; when you're talking about eternity, 80 years
isn't even a drop in the bucket. If it were a drop in the bucket, it would be a
bucket with no bottom; which is roughly akin to the futility of a gnat
attempting to drink up the Atlantic ocean.
But just think: time stands still in Hell: it's for the now; it's an existence.
People who arrived there yesterday didn't begin doing time in jail expecting
to get out some day; nor is perdition a temporary tour of duty like shipping
out to Afghanistan. No, people in Hell are in it as perpetual residents; they're
in a rut.
They go year, after year, after year, after year, with no relief, no vacations,
no recreation, no reading materials, and no hobbies— there's absolutely
nothing to do but reminisce. The mental atrophy, and the boredom that
must result from that kind of mindless existence is beyond estimation.
In life, everybody enjoys God's blessings; even the really bad people. We're
all breathing fresh air, basking in sunshine, drinking cool water, savoring
tasty foods, listening to birds chirp, star gazing at night, throwing snow balls
at each other in winter, river rafting, fishing, snow skiing, tending gardens,
pruning shrubs, greeting friends during the holidays, spending days with
grandkids; and all that sort of thing. In Hell, there are no blessings of any
kind at all: only perpetual sadness, vexation, despair, and want.
In Hell's unruly society; it's reasonable to expect quarrels, bickering, hard
feelings, vendettas, rivalry, selfishness, insensitivity, irritation, aggravation,
and ugly words exchanged between people. Is there really any good reason
to be courteous and/or respect your fellow man's human rights in Hell; or to
be kind, forgiving, affable, genial, courteous, cordial, charitable, altruistic,
tolerant, sympathetic, generous, and patient?
And the din: think of the volume of noise down there with all the wailing and
sobbing, and the screams, shrieks, yelps, howls, and gnashing teeth.
Conditions are really bad, and everyone is sad, blue, and feeling isolated.
After a few years of the conditions I'm describing, I should think most folks
break, and go mad from their circumstances.
But just imagine bringing with you a craving for tobacco with none available.
Or longing for a cocktail with no liquor in sight. A desire for music, with no
way to produce it. A skill for writing, with no pen and paper. Yearning for a
walk out in nature, with no world to do it in.
People in Hell will never again smell a sea breeze, sit in the shade of a tree,
take deep breaths of mountain-fresh air, play at sports, hear a bird chirp,
see a sunset, watch a lunar eclipse, jog in the park, strum a guitar, enjoy a
Christmas dinner with loved ones; nor make little pigs of themselves
gobbling barbecued spare ribs and corn on the 4th of July.
Sports and recreation are gone: no more World Series, no more Super Bowl,
no more Olympics, no more Las Vegas, no more Indian casinos, no more
lottery, no more Lego World, no more Sea World, no more NASCAR, no more
golf, no more surfing, et al.
No baths, no showers, no sleep, no TV, no radio, no iPods, no computers, no
Twitter, no texting, no FaceBook, no YouTube, no MySpace, no internet, no
clean sheets, no breakfast, no lunch, and no dinner. No snacks, no gum, no
candy, no flowers, no parks, no rivers, no snow, no seasons, no picnics, no
malls, no days at the Zoo, no fast food, no trades, no careers, no trendy
fashions, no jewelry, no cosmetics, no concerts, no operas, and no hobbies;
absolutely nothing of this world that brings people the pleasures and the
satisfactions of just being alive.
There's likely no pets in Hell and no flowers or vegetation of any kind. The
one advantage of the lack of pets and vegetation is the absence of fleas and
allergies. I suppose you could say that's at least one good thing about it.
There's a bright side to everything I guess; even to that place.
_
