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Tl;dr

Heaven & hell are on Earth - we get into states of heaven & hell by the choices we make.

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Growing up, I was always a devout Catholic. I went to church every weekend, served as an altar server, and tried to read the Bible whenever I could. But around the age of 17, I had a falling out with the church. Only recently have I reconnected with my religion, though I now see it through a completely different lens—one shaped by maturity and the experiences I’ve been through.

Over the past year, I’ve learned a lot about myself through the pain I’ve endured—both from the relationships I’ve left and the situations I put myself in, personally and professionally. I’ve made choices that went against the values I grew up with, both religious and personal, and those decisions taught me a great deal. Lately, I’ve been reflecting deeply on the concept of heaven and hell.

I used to believe that the afterlife—heaven and hell—was real. But now, I’ve come to see heaven and hell as things we experience here on Earth. They aren’t otherworldly places but proxies for the state of mind we create for ourselves.

Steal from someone? You’ll face the consequences—legal, physical, or emotional—and lose someone’s trust. That’s hell.

Do good for a stranger? You’ll feel the positivity that comes from being generous and helping others. That’s heaven.

Love your wife and respect your parents? You’ll build strong, healthy relationships that keep you in a positive mental space. That’s heaven.

Betray someone close to you? You’ll experience the anguish of losing them and the pain of watching what they go through because of your actions. That’s hell.

I don’t particularly believe in an afterlife anymore. But I do believe the values we learn through religion—or simply through our interactions with others—are guides to creating heaven or hell in this life.

If you’re unsure about what decision to make in a moment, turn to your religion for guidance. It will help you create more states of heaven in your life and avoid the ones that feel like hell. Looking back, I realize I could have saved myself a lot of pain if I had done the same. Nonetheless - I’m grateful for the pain, it’s made me who I am today.