Seven Hells: An Incomplete Survey of the Afterlife

by Robert Lamb
5
Mild Psychological Hell
Detail from American Street Scene by Irving Norman

This concept is much the same as the last, only it cuts more to the heart of human misery in the real world. We keep doing the things that make us miserable and while we consider quitting our vices and bettering ourselves, we never actually do it.

So in this version of Hell, the damned suffer the pain of separation from God, but in other ways they might even be enjoying themselves. Imagine the "fun" guy at the party who happens to be a complete, miserable bastard. That's the idea here. You can repent anytime and claim your seat in Heaven, but we all know you're never going to actually do it.

About the Author: Robert Lamb spent his childhood reading books and staring into the woods — first in Newfoundland, Canada and then in rural Tennessee. There was also a long stretch in which he was terrified of alien abduction. He earned a degree in creative writing. He taught high school and then attended journalism school. He wrote for the smallest of small-town newspapers before finally becoming a full-time science writer and podcaster. He’s currently a senior writer at HowStuffWorks and has co-hosted the science podcast Stuff to Blow Your Mind since its inception in 2010. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling with his wife Bonnie, discussing dinosaurs with his son Bastian and crafting the occasional work of fiction.