The Joy of Realizing That This Place Is Hell
The Joy of Realizing That This Place Is Hell
The Joy of Realizing That This Place Is Hell
CONTENTS
The Joy of Realizing That This
Place is Hell
by Greg Mackie
Have you ever wondered if this world is hell? I think that deep down, underneath all of our paeans to Mother Earth and popular songs proclaiming what
What We're Reading
9
a wonderful world, we all suspect that this is so. It is a truism that the world
is crazy. We joke about Murphys Law, which says that everything that can go
wrong will. We have the word snafu, which (in its G-rated version) is an acronym for situation normal, all fouled up.
Natural disasters are seen by many as punishment for our sins. Not only do we wonder if were being punished for our bad
deeds, but we even have a witticism that says no good deed goes unpunished. As the saying goes, were damned if we do
and damned if we dont. However much the party line may trumpet the miracle of life, I think the dissident in all of us is
whispering in our ear that Thomas Hobbes was right: Life is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.
In other words, this place is hell. A Course in Miracles certainly says so. Now of course, it also says this place is
an illusion generated by our perception, an illusion that is neutral in and of itself and can be transformed with healed
perception. But my point here is simply that the world as it normally operates, under the tyranny of the ego, is a hellish
place. In the Course, it is described as the hell we made (W-pI.122.9:2). The body we seem to inhabit here is described as
a means to fence [the Son of God] into hell without escape (W-pII.5.4:2). Everything here is painfully limited, and what
is limited cannot be Heaven. So it must be hell (T-26.X.2:9-10). Indeed, this world is the opposite of Heaven, being made
to be its opposite, and everything here takes a direction exactly opposite of what is true (T-16.V.3:6). And the Course is full
of descriptions of this world that Hobbes would find congenial with his own:
The world you see is merciless indeed, unstable, cruel, unconcerned with you, quick to avenge and pitiless with
hate. It gives but to rescind, and takes away all things that you have cherished for a while. No lasting love is
found, for none is here. This is the world of time, where all things end. (W-pI.129.2:3-6)
For years now, Ive believed that what the Course says is true: This place is hell. Yet lately, perhaps due to some recent
encounters with some pretty hellish situations, this belief has sunk in on a more visceral level. Yet to my surprise, while
this is a depressing idea, it has brought with it a curious joy as well. There is something refreshing about getting out of
denial and admitting a hard truth. And to the degree that Im really letting this idea in, my work with the Course has become
deeper, more meaningful, and more vital. Theres nothing like recognizing just how bad the disease is to make you really
want the cure.
In this article, then, I want to describe more fully my reasons for believing that this place is hell, and show how this
realization can actually be a gateway to joy. Fair warning: The first part of this article will be rough sledding. I realize that I
may come off as a bitter sourpuss, which is ironic since people who know me will tell you Im actually a pretty upbeat guy
most of the time. However, I ask you to bear with me. The point of laying out the depressing stuff is to set the table for the
joy that follows, so hang in there. I promise that there is a bright light at the end of this dark tunnel.
Continued on page 3
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Sagan have told us how magnificent those billions and billions of stars are. Yes, those pictures from the Hubble are
pretty spectacular. But the fact is, the reason we can enjoy those things is that were very far away from them. Were
like the aliens in a Gary Larson Far Side cartoon I once saw, oohing and ahhing at a thermonuclear war on earth because
(for them) it was a great fireworks show. Our earth (and any earthlike planet out there) is a tiny island of life in a hostile ocean of burning balls of gas, cosmic dust, and most of all cold emptiness. And scientists tell us it is all inexorably
winding down, dying a slow but inevitable death. Recent evidence suggests that the universe will keep expanding until it
burns out; what started with a Big Bang will go out with a whimper.
And even this island of life is no picnicwell, in a way I guess it is a picnic, for it is certainly a feeding frenzy. The
circle of life on earth is a never-ending war, a dog-eat-dog world of vulnerable bodies which must kill and consume
other bodies to survivewhat Robert has often called the circle of lunch. The Course puts it bluntly: Devouring is
natures law of life (M-27.3:7). And while the process as a whole is terribly grim, some versions of it seem especially
twisted. There are slave-maker ants, which enslave the colonies of other ant species by invading, killing the other
colonys queen, and rubbing her scent onto the slave-makers queen so the invaded colony will follow her. Recently, I
read about a parasite that lives in mice but must complete its life cycle in the body of a cat. So, to ensure that it ends up
in a cat, it destroys the specific area of the mouses brain where the fear of cats is located, so the mouse will make no
effort to avoid cats and thus inevitably be eaten by one. And so the great circle of life goes onthat is, until it too ends
in death, which will inevitably happen when our sun burns out, if not before due to some human blunder.
This brings us to the human world. At the most basic level, we human beings are participants in the biological circle
of lunch. We too kill and consume other bodies to survive. Our bodies too are vulnerable, prey to countless illnesses and
calamities of all kinds, from devastating ones like cancer and permanently crippling accidents to mundane everyday ones
like colds and stubbed toes. Pain is our constant companion; even things as simple as breathing and eating are set into
motion by the pain of lacking oxygen and food. Even the healthiest of lives is filled with the suffering that comes from
just being in a body.
Then there is the human social world, which most of the time is just a more sophisticated version of dog-eat-dog.
It is above all a world of egocentric self-interest; just as living things in nature consume other living things in order to
survive, so human beings exploit other human beings in order to be king or queen of the hill. We see this on every level,
from nations warring against nations to spouses warring against spouses. Yes, real love does exist and people are capable
of selfless acts, but most of the time they are looking out for number one. Everybody is fighting for the spoils of war:
territory, money, mates, prestigeto use the Courses term, specialness. This battle is fraught with pain and suffering
of myriad kinds: poverty, loneliness, humiliation, constant worry and fear, and the profound guilt that is the inevitable
result of participating in this free-for-all. And though we like to joke that he who dies with the most toys wins, this little
joke contains a sobering truth: Like everything else, we die, and therefore all of our striving is in vain. You really cant
take it with you.
The bottom line is that were living in a place where attack, pain, suffering, and ultimately death are the fundamental
facts of everyday existence. Now, lets think about the ramifications of this. What kind of people, in our usual way of
thinking, most deserve to be attacked, to suffer, to die? Criminals, right? We punish criminals by inflicting some sort
of suffering or deprivation on them, and the most vile offenders get the death penalty. If this is so, then doesnt the fact
that were living in a place of attack, suffering, and death suggest that someone or something regards us as criminals?
Havent you ever caught yourself wondering what nameless cosmic crime you must have committed to deserve all this?
Now for the punch line: In our religious traditions, we have a name for the place where people are punished for the
crimes (or sins) they have committed. It is a place they go after they die, where they are attacked with various forms
of suffering, an abode where they are separated from goodness and love, a state which the book of Revelation in the
Bible calls the second death. What is the name of this place? It is, of course, hell. And since our world matches this
description so well, its difficult not to conclude that this place is hell.
You have to have the bad to appreciate the good; embrace the opposites
This argument says that in order to fully appreciate the good in our lives, we must have a standard of comparison.
Therefore, we need to experience pain in order to really see how great the joy is. Ive never understood the appeal of this
idea. It certainly does seem that the pleasures of this world are sweeter when weve tasted the pains as well, but thats
hardly a reason to think this world is wonderful. Why couldnt we live in a place where we can experience a joy without
opposite, as the Course says we do in Heaven? To me, a place where we must experience pain in order to really experience joy is, well, hellish.
Individuals suffer and die, but the glorious whole goes on; celebrate Gaia
In this view, the earth is seen as a living organism (the popular understanding of the Gaia hypothesis); all of us
are parts of Mother Earths body. Therefore, theres no reason to feel sad when individuals suffer and die; its no different than cells dying in a human body. Individuals may pass away, but the glorious whole of life goes on. This is another
idea that has never had any appeal for me, since I happen to be one of those unfortunate individuals in this scenario. The
human version of this, in which individual people are seen as merely disposable cogs of the State, is called a totalitarian
regime and is regarded as evil. Why, then, should a biological totalitarian regime be regarded as glorious?
To use another illustration: Imagine a war that has been going on for ages, in which each side is of equal strength.
Soldiers are constantly getting killed at the front, but they are constantly being replenished by new recruits who take
their turn at the front. This has been going on for as long as anyone can remember. If you were to say how horrible it is
that so many soldiers are dying, would you be comforted by someone saying, Well yes, individual soldiers die, but its
all good because the war as a whole goes on? Yet a version of this is the exact situation we have on earth. Sounds like
hell to me.
upon ourselves. A world in which we must learn through pain is like a giant Skinner box, and were just experimental
rats pressing levers that sometimes give us tasty pellets and other times give us painful shocks. Welcome to hell.
Calling this place hell is just your own judgment; think positive
I get this one a lot in Course groups. The Course says that we should relinquish our judgment, and some take this
to mean that seeing the world as hell is merely our own judgment, which we must exchange for a more positive view.
However, viewing the world as hell is not simply my judgment (though my judgment can certainly piggyback on that
view); it is what the Course itself says about the world, as we can see in the quotes that began this article. Thinking
positive in the way we normally conceive of that is actually the primary way of keeping the ego in business: It is listening to the egos arguments which seek to prove all this is really Heaven (W-pI.73.6:1), and thus a way of holding on
to our own judgment. Giving up our judgment means accepting the Holy Spirits judgment in its place. If He thinks this
world is helland He does, if the Course is any indicatorthen giving up our judgment means seeing with Him that
this world is hell.
We dont really know what its all about; surrender to the mystery
Appealing to mystery is the last refuge when all other arguments have failed. The appeal to mystery says that given
our human limitations, we just arent capable of understanding how it all works. After all, God works in strange and
mysterious ways. Therefore, how do we know there isnt an explanation that, if we were capable of discerning it, would
reveal how good and glorious and necessary this world really is? Well, its certainly true that our understanding is limited. However, it is perfectly reasonable to look at our experience and develop plausible theories to explain that experience, and weve seen that the hell theory is quite plausible. The Course itself regards the appeal to mystery as patently
absurd: [God] does not lead you through a world of misery, waiting to tell you, at the journeys end, why He did this
to you (T-22.I.3:11). Yes, its possible that this statement is wrong, but is it really likely that a loving God could have a
satisfactory explanation for this? Many have concluded that He couldnt; indeed, the horror of life in this world is probably the number one argument for atheism. Given our actual experience in this world, I think the burden of proof is on
those who say it isnt hell.
If God is Love, why is there so much pain and suffering in this world?
This question is the catalyst that sets into motion the journey Im describing. Among those who want to believe in
a loving God, I dont think theres anyone who hasnt wrestled with this issue, because there is such a stark contrast
between the God of Love and the slaughterhouse He is said to have created. This has been a burning issue for me for
as long as I can remember. Even as a child, long before I was able to articulate the issue with the clarity that I can now,
I struggled with this. Ive always believed in a loving God; this idea just seems to be part of my being, as necessary
to survival as food and water. But an animal would die, a natural disaster would strike, some senseless human cruelty
would be inflicted on me or someone else, and I would find myself crying out, Why, God? Why do you allow this?
Looking back on it now, it seems that my whole life has really been driven by the collision between my loving God and
this cruel world. I know Im not alone in this.
interspersed by periods of suicidal depression; he decided one day that he could no longer live with himself, and this
decision led to a profound experience of awakening. Theres the popular spiritual teacher Byron Katie, who was living in
a halfway house and wrestling with depression and suicidal thoughts until her own transformation occurred. The list goes
on and on.
Notice a common element in all of these examples: The life-changing experience of seeing the light comes out of the
persons recognition (however this is expressed) that his or her current life is hell. Of course, these people didnt necessarily conclude that the entire world as we know it is hell; my point here is simply that honestly admitting just how painful ones life is can be a powerful catalyst for a spiritual awakening. No doubt there are cases where people didnt have to
sink quite so low to have such an experience, but it is an extremely common pattern. Most of the time, people just wont
change until they are forced to do so by the full realization of just how desperate their situation is. It seems that you often
have to hit bottom in some way before you are lifted into the light.
My seeing the light experience was discovering the Course. I was blown away by the idea that God did not create
the world at all, but instead created a limitless, perfect, one hundred percent joyful Heaven. I was really blown away by
Section 27 of the Manual, which says that death is an illusion that is not of God, because God is Love. When I read that,
I had a real epiphany. Of course! That must be true. That solves everything! It was one of those experiences in which
you encounter something completely new, yet it feels like it has always been a part of you. My encounter with the Course
changed my life forever. The tension was gone. The conflict between a loving God and this suffering world was over. I
could follow the author of this course without any reservation.
What about you? If you are resisting the idea that this world is hell, ask yourself these questions: Given your experience of life so far, is it possible that life on earth really is hell? Is it possible that your resistance to this realization is
actually keeping you in hell? Is it possible that, as hard as it can be to acknowledge the hellishness of life as you know
it, this acknowledgment might motivate you to practice the Course with greater dedication, and open you up to joy
beyond any you have ever experienced before? I encourage you to really consider these possibilities. You may just find,
to your surprise, that it really is a joy to realize that this place is hell.
He has been a student of A Course in Miracles since 1991, and a teacher for the Circle of Atonement since 1999. He writes Course
Q & As and a popular blog on the Circle of Atonement's website, and teaches the Circle's weekday Workbook class in Sedona,
Arizona (along with Robert Perry). He sees his primary function as helping to develop a tradition of Course scholarship.
CIRCLE MAILBOX
Ive been doing the Course since 1991. I recently celebrated my eightieth birthday. I can relate to so much of what
you have written [Questioning Every Value That You Hold by Greg Mackie, A Better Way #69]. Well done, honest and
for me most powerful. I have experienced the transformative power of the Course and do my very best to live it every
day and for that I am grateful.
To what you have written I say, Hallelujah.
Steve Weglarz
Billed as the private writings of the saint of Calcutta, this is the book that contains the letters that caused such a
stir a few months ago: the letters in which Mother Teresa shockingly described her inner life as dryness, darkness,
loneliness, and torture. The editor is the person responsible for presenting the case for her sainthood to the authorities
in Rome, and it shows; hell often write things like, But then God answered her fervent prayers by providing her with
a new home for the dying. I would have preferred a more neutral presentation. That being said, the letters and writings
of Mother Teresa presented here make this book fascinating and worthwhile reading. Im learning a lot about the person
behind the icon.
Robert Perry:
The Death of Socrates, by Emily Wilson
Fascinating new book on the death of the Athenian philosopher. It shows just how many different views of Socrates
and his death there have been, this diversity being rooted in the fact that Socrates own contemporaries saw him and wrote
about him in widely differing ways.
Roger has written an excellent book on the ancient practice of shamanism, incorporating the latest scholarship. He constantly connects shamanism with the broader exploration of consciousness, which began with shamanism and continues to
this day.