We are Living in Hell Now… Or are We?

Pain, suffering, loss, guilt, shame, trauma, tragedy, death, violence, horror, grief, surround all of us on a daily basis. Life is really f*cking hard! It is easy to get swept up in feeling scared, vulnerable, angry, and hopeless. I was talking to a colleague the other day who said he felt that “we are living in Hell right now.”

However, I completely disagree. Yes, the world can be very, very harsh. There are horrific things happening every second of every day to many people. Most of us have gone through nightmarish experiences and have somehow come through to the other side. But the world also holds unbelievably beautiful experiences. In fact, if we didn’t experience the bad, I don’t think we could ever even recognize the good.

Think about the first time you tasted the lips of someone that you are totally into. It’s beyond description! Or, the completely unplanned moment that you say something funny to your co-workers and they all belly laugh. Or, when you hear a certain lyric or riff from a song and get elated to your core. Or, if you are a parent, seeing your small child giggle uncontrollably over the goofiest thing. Or, when your cat or dog somehow senses that you are under the weather and crawls up next to you in bed. Or, when you walk out the door without realizing that the temperature in Buffalo is finally almost 70 and the sun is shining. Or, when you are watching a romantic movie (like a Nicholas Sparks production) and you tear up with joy because you can totally relate on a universal level to the scene. Or, you give a gift to someone for their birthday or holiday, and you can see their eyes light up because they absolutely love it. Or, when you help someone through a tough time and they give you one of those hugs that nearly stop your breath. Sometimes, even when I think about scenes from a movie and discuss them, I get chills because they are so incredibly human.

Life is f*cking hard sometimes. But the world we experience also has absolutely, goddamned, exquisitely, beautiful moments.

So, I definitely do NOT believe we are living in Hell. If we were, we would not be allowed the joy that these moments give us. I think the “problem” is that we are taught to spend more time ruminating on the bad than the good.

It is so easy to get discouraged and only see the darkness. But if you can stop, or pause, or slow down long enough to embrace the goodness that is also all around you, your life will be different. It’s not a simple task as most people will try to convince you that “life sucks then you die.” But they are wrong. Life is filled with pain... correct. However, it is also full of love, beauty, and unbelievable goodness.