Most people think of heaven and hell as destinations waiting for us after death. I have always seen them differently.
To me, heaven and hell are experiences we create and carry within ourselves every day of our lives.
When I look at the world, I see people living in both heaven and hell simultaneously.
Some are surrounded by material success yet trapped by fear, anxiety, and resentment. Others possess very little but radiate gratitude, peace, and joy. This suggests that heaven and hell are not places we arrive at.
They are states of consciousness.
Heaven is the part of us that holds our love, compassion, gratitude, hope, and beautiful memories. It is where we experience connection, meaning, and inner peace.
Whenever we appreciate a sunset, laugh with a friend, forgive someone, or feel deeply present in a moment, we are tasting heaven.
Hell, on the other hand, is made from our fears, regrets, anger, guilt, hatred, and nightmares. It is the inner landscape that causes suffering long before any external event does.
A person can carry hell within them even while living in comfort and abundance.
Most of us spend our lives moving back and forth between these two realms. One moment we are uplifted by joy, and the next we are consumed by worry. Our minds become the battlefield where heaven and hell constantly compete for space.
Yet I believe there is something else that exists between them.
Between heaven and hell lies an emptiness. Not emptiness in the sense of loneliness or meaninglessness, but a vast inner stillness.
A space where there is no attachment, no judgment, no fear, and no desire. It is simply awareness itself.
Many spiritual traditions point toward this state. Meditation, contemplation, and self-inquiry are not necessarily about creating more happiness or eliminating all suffering.
They are practices that help us expand this inner space of stillness.
As this stillness grows, something interesting begins to happen.
Our joys remain enjoyable, but we no longer cling to them. Our fears may still arise, but they no longer control us. The grip of both heaven and hell begins to weaken.
I often think of this inner emptiness as being like the depths of the ocean or the vastness of outer space. Anything that enters such an immense expanse gradually dissolves.
Thoughts, fears, desires, identities, and even our most cherished beliefs lose their solidity. They become temporary clouds drifting through an infinite sky.
From this perspective, spirituality is not about reaching heaven or escaping hell. It is about discovering the boundless space that contains them both.
And when that space becomes large enough, heaven and hell cease to be opposing forces.
They become passing experiences within a much greater awareness.
Perhaps true freedom is not found in choosing heaven over hell.
Perhaps it is found in realizing that neither defines who we truly are.
In that realization, there is only presence.
And in that presence, there is peace.
AUGUST 2026
