Recently, over a talk with friends, this very interesting question came up:
What is your personal hell?
Of course, we know our blessings, being heathy is the most important of all. But just for the sake of a mind game, I started to write down a list of things that would certainly make up for my personal hell and here it is:
- Not having Internet access
- Not drinking coffee throughout the day
- Seeing all my computer files out of order
- Being forced to wear really colourful clothes from fashion designers
- Being obliged to wake up early and going to sleep early
- Having to attend “gargantuesque” lunches
- Not being able to take a nap in the afternoon
- Being forbidden to play pinball every now and then
- Having someone sleeping in my bed with day clothes
- Being forbidden to do archery
- Waiting in queues
- Having to go to discotheques and talking loudly with friends that can’t hear me because of the noise
- When in the countryside, not walking every morning in the forests
These are just some of the little things that would make my life hell… What’s your list?
To make my life hell
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il mio inferno personale in poche righe:
- amare un uomo e sapere che lui prova lo stesso per te; ma essere coscienti che non può essere il TUO uomo
-non vedere il sorriso di un bambino per un giorno intero
-passare attraverso paesaggi da sogno con qualcuno che ti parla in continuazione di cose inutili…così…tanto per passare il tempo…
-prendere l’autobus o il treno
-visitare una città con la guida turistica
-non sentire la presenza di mio padre
potrei continuare…le idee non mancano…ma non so nemmeno se il sig. Coelho parla l’italiano!!!!!
Wow! This is a long list, I didn’t expect it to be this long when I started to write, and I don’t expect anyone to read through it, but I guess I just had to put it out there.
Some of these hells I have experience, some are just things I fear would happen.
My hells:
- losing a love one (that’s an obvious one)
- seeing a love one waste away by illness (like aids, and Parkinson’s)
- losing the memories of the love ones that are gone from this earth
- losing any of my pictures, these are part of these memories
- losing all my computer files
- losing love
- Not having companionship
- Having any one of my children feel they can’t talk to me about anything.
- Not been able to cook
- Not been able to read
- Not been able to sleep
- Not been able to eat and enjoy my food
- Not been able to entertain
- Not been able to sing or dance
- exercising!
- Not been able to shut my brain down and rest at night because thoughts keep running through my head. Too many dreams.
-depression
-anxiety
-physical excruciating pain, pain that won’t go away no matter what medicines you take
- Emotional pain
- Not been able to stay with the pain
- trying to escape the pain with alcohol
- Not having the support of my husband
- Not been able to let go of my childhood, and my resentment towards my mother
- Not having forgiven my father
- Not having forgiven my mother
- trying to accept people, just how they are
- Dealing with petty people
- Dealing with injustice
- seeing suffering (of any kind)
- Not having enough patience, with myself or others
- losing faith
- learning to say NO
- learning to say YES
- Not getting old
- Not having grandchildren
- Not finding the door back in my heaven.
My personal hell would be,knowing almost everything that other will never know ,knowing everything about future but still not being able to calm my heart in times of trouble.Not being able to treat Papa ,and JC the best i should have,other would have done their best.And everyday,listening to others problems and solving it,and forgetting my own,sometimes it is boon but sometimes,when it comes back alive to attack everyday and becomes personal hell to me.
wishing a happy existance in hell, if you find yourself there. if we don’t expect but accept, there is no hell. does not mean one should not strive for this or that, whatever amuses us, but one should not have compalaints about the past which results in hell in present, complaining attitude perpetuates the hell, perpetuates the continuation of past into future. let’s strive and joyously accept whatever outcome, knowing fully well that life is an ongoing story and in it no outcome is final. little off the tpoic but this is what i wish to share here, hope it’s ahhrighht !
Well, never thought of it before, but here is what it came to
- being away from my son
- having family fights and unloving husband
- being unemployed
- having a boss like the one from “Devil wears Prada” (in that sense I’m in hell aready:)
- being forbidden to have any kind og change in life
- war
- cold
- lose freedom (emotional and financial mainly)
The worst hell one may have is to not have the love inside.
Knowing that, there’s no light and the fear becomes your companion for life.
love
Well,
I think my personal hell is when I can’t really be myself, for instance, when I’m forced to do something not pertaining to my nature… I feel very bad and abused.
So, when in a relation there’s something she expects me to do or to say that I don’t want to do and to say… when at work by boss expects me to act in a given way while I want to do differently, and so on.
Always be free: sex, money, god, drugs, politic are not the prize.
Larry
My personal hell would be:
-A world without books(especially Paulo’s),
-A world without love,
-And most importantly, a life without learning. I believe that most of our hells are self-made, but what keeps me sane and gives me hope is knowing that tomorrow(or more accurately, at any moment) I will learn one more thing that will make me better and help me vanquish the hells that I often send myself to. There will always be more to learn, more to discover, and more to become.
When emotions, fear, go away you’re realize that there’s no hell, only….love.
You just have to find it in your heart.
This love will liberates you from anything.
love
Agnieszka
-Find out that God doesn’t exist.
-Not be able to paint.
-Not having love.
- when the oil runs out in my house in the winter and I have to call the oil company to come on a Sunday.
- changing from winter time to summer time and to winter time again. Once I made a mistake and I was at the airport 4 h(!) before take off early in the morning.
- when I have started to exercise regularly and I get a bad cold and I cannot do any nordic waking and swimming for weeks.
- when I have deers in my garden early Spring and they are eating all of my lovely tulips except the yellow ones.
- when I regret not to have taken the opportunity to get to know an interesting person when I had the chance.
- when I get serious allergic reaction and I don’t know from what.
My family and life long friends are based all over the world. This is what today’s world is about. Everyone now moves to another country – I am the one that moved though. My personal hell is not being able to spend everyday even once a year with the people who are so important to me. I have loved one’s were I live and where I use to live so will always feel torn.
Knowing that sometimes love just isn’t enough…
I can’t consider a mere difficulty or uncomfortability in my life as a personal hell, which, I find in most comments here. Because, for me, a “hell” is a state where you can do nothing, no hope, and no love. And, am thankful that I find these things everywhere I go. :)
Hell is:
.being snatched my personal freedom.
.see my loved ones in pain.
.not having good books to quench my thirst for reading.
.not having green tea once in a while.
.not doing justice with my position.
.being afraid of the unknown.
.not able to write.
.not having an access to your blog Mr.Coelho..it keeps me going!!
My hell would be:
1. waiting for someone who are late
2. no music
3. no coffee
4. internet connection slow
5. no umbrella in rain
6. caught people lying
7. hypocrite
8. too much of exams!!!
9. not enough money for shopping
10. dad didn’t call
11. people who drive very slow in a fast lane
12. 8am class!!!
13. feeling useless and guilty
14. someone or people leave you with confusion!!
My hell would be:
1-to live without the love of my life by my side
2-Not having milk with my coffee
3-No internet connection
4-Having writer’s block
5-A noisy house
6-shopping with hardly no money
7-listen to my kids’ fights and arguments
8-not to have books to read
La encabezadora de mi infierno es perderme en algun detalle que me demanda tiempo y demora la finalización, al realizar algun proyecto ejemplo:
Si estoy haciendo un collar, perderme en desenredar los hilos.
Al hacer Planos, tener que poner mediciones, poner nombres y nortes.
Al diseñar, tener que buscar quien imprima los diseños.
Al cocinar, tener que pensar en una bonita mesa bien puesta.
y etc, etc, etc.
Saludos desde los andes Americanos
Cecilia
It is interesting to notice that every one has its own notion of hell.
Here is my personal vision of what hell is for me:
- to argue with the people i love the most
- feeling that i am misunderstood
- not having desire for anything
- loosing faith even for a second
- writing (but i am trying to work on that)
- when i let myself being swallowed by my emotions
it’s my personal hell if at a certain point and out of personal attitude i am unable to see or find heaven in this world. daily inconvenience to me is just a matter of personal perspective. i am my personal devil as long as i do not manage to wipe minor trouble (e.g. stress, illness, minor worries, irksome duties) off my eyes in order to perceive and acknowledge heaven in my life and my surroundings.
Some of mine would be:
- Missing out on something I would enjoy, because I had to study or even worse, lack of money
- Not having a good book to read
- Missing people
- Not getting the work done on time
- Struggeling not to fall asleep in classes
- Trying to convince some company why they should partner with you
- Not listening to my favorite radio station
- Waking up early for classes, or even worse; meetings
- Lossing enthusiasm for something i once was so passionate about
- Ignoring people i shouldn’t, and paying attention to people who don’t deserve it
- Being torn between 2 or more choices
Oh, God the list could go on and on..
So i guess this is enough..
Good Night all :)
My personal hell?
- Being forbidden to take some time on my own now and then.
- Feeling uncapable of working.
- Crying non-stop without knowing why.
- Anxiety/Panic attacks.
- No internet/ No books.
^_^
A really thought provoking comment
My personal hell -
people at work that are fake and pretend to be your friend, but you know that when you are gone they talk about you; because they do it to everyone else.
watching a person succumb to a bully because they dont have the strength to stand up for themselves.
not being able to visit my very good friends in Egypt during the summer each year
Barbara
I wonder…
why pretend to like anyone?
does it make them feel better…even though they know it is false?
and what of genocide etc? true compassion for the dead…annonymous dead people who probably would have appreciated more concern whilst they lived., in elevators, Dr’s surgery etc
The rest of your points….i agree.
with Love
xxxx
Life is what we make of it…there are many things I don’t care for but I may have to do!!!
Being blind after having sight would be a personal “hell” for me…I had a problem with my eyes about 5 years ago…my vision is fine but that experience made me realize how important my eyes are to me!!!
My personal hell?
Didn’t we all, as children, fear for the death of our loved ones?
Every now and then my boyfriend, mother, grandmother, sister (…) turns up late for an appointment or neglects to answer the phone. Every time that fear creeps in, just for a minute, but long enough to remind me how important those people are in my life.
But not to get all serious, I really hate to:
-Wake up before sundawn (wich I’m forced to during those 6 long, cold months in Scandinavia).
-Waking up feeling anxious about an exam 3 months ahead.
-Holding on to waste because there are no trashbins around.
-Discovering my computer is not working (could i be cursed?) and i have no clue as to why.
My HELL
1-Stay away from god!!!
2-Not have nothing to do on Sundays.
3-Not have dreams.
4-Not have Paulo Coehlo books.
5-Not have my family.
6-Not have plant to the future.
7-Not write in my blog.
My personal hell?
Being too far away from my family in a crisis and having no means to return home.
Being alone when I don’t want to be.
Being with people when I want to be alone.
Not having time to think and register my thoughts and then, later, when I do have time, ot remembering what I thought.
Not having enough time to spend with those that I love and those that inspire me.
Not having enough time.
Being woken up early on a Sunday morning.
Dear Maestro,
At first when I read your post, I thought that I really didn’t have anything to contribute. Being a positive, child-like mind, I usually find “GOOD”, in almost anything….jejeje….or so I thought.
Then, while walking my dog I was thinking about your little post, about the little things of life that can drive me crazy and guess what??? It turns out that there are more little “hells” in my days that I originally conceived…so here I go:
1. Having to do the stupid small talk, in elevators, client-lunches, doctor’s office and any other place you are force to pretend to like or be interested by the “bodies” next to you!!!!
2. Attend family functions, where you are force to mingle and pretend you like relatives, which you don’t.
3. Having to say goodbye…it is the worst!
4. Witnessing peer pressure or any type of group torture devise towards others…such as mocking, making fun of someone or just any form of ridiculed towards other people.
5. Having to listen to derogatory, racism or ignorant comments from co-workers.
6. Realizing that most people care more about Paris Hilton or Britney Spears than the genocide in Darfur or the current state of world hunger.
7. Having to spend most of my life working and not having more hours to travel and spend with my love ones.
8. Been trapped in my own body, unable to do and be in all the places I want to be at any giving time
9. I hate to see how much we consumed and destroy and how little or nothing others have
10. Can’t stand when people do not fight for what they want and let others decide for them
11. Despise a person that uses the name of God to achieve personal goals of power and control
12. I dislike intensely when parents inculcate prejudice to the innocent children
13. Selling people things they DON’T NEED
14. Watching people die because they can’t afford medical care
15. Not having better candidates for our presidency
So there you have it! I hope this is what you were looking for!
Hugs maestro,
Barbara
Here’s a list of things that would make up my personal hell…
- running lost through the woods naked with horsefly’s biting me and nothing but the moonlight to guide me while being chased by some who are not into “the light” but rather darkness. And realizing that if I didn’t make it out of there, my spirit would be wandering in the woods, lost, naked and being bitten by horseflies forever.
I think that’s hell enough…and I’m ever grateful to the Goddess for bringing me out of it unscathed, but for one bitemark on my ankle.
-
not been able to do meditation
not appreciating the world around me.
my personal hell would be loosing my husband which I love more than aything in the world and loosing his sopport and loosing my son who gives me the reason to keep going on: therefore he is my sunshine and I would not like to loose sunrising and sunset in my life
Having no one to call randomly
Not having a bed
Being unoccupied
Unable to open my eyes
(I actually had that one time too)
Living with a violent person
Sleepy but unable to sleep
Feeling useless
Feeling guilty
Having to listen to loud music
being sleepless
having fear
not finding the good direction,getting lost
full ash trays
not finding my work tools
noisy people
people who don’t listen
making faults
people breaking their promisses
seeing someone I love suffering,
saying or doing something out of anger,
without never meaning it,
not being able to see the Light,
not being able to write,
not being able to listen to the music,
not being able to go to the park on the sunny day,
love
Agnieszka
- Not being able to speak with anyone.
- Not having electricity for days living in the city (like the last summer …)
- Being forbiden write letters to my friends and short tales
- Having to listen to music techno
- Not being able to read anything for more than fifteen days.
- Being in a smoke-filled room
- Put on television and that only the programs of the heart.
…
ok Hell , every day in my life is HELL
- weake up @ 5.30 Am.
-transportation to work take 1 hour .
- working from 9 Am to 7 or 8 Pm .
- I dont have break.
- Transportation to home take 1 hour .
- I cant find love .
- surrounding wiz bad ppls.
- have alot of freinds but i cant find time to go out .
- ONLY HAVE FAITH THAT TOMORROW WILL BE GOOD but the patience game only i have it .
I WILL NEVER LOSE HOPE i trying really i am trying inshallah i will never
Shaima
What is my personal hell?
Presently some of my small, big or lack of …= hells are:
The plight of children suffering and the inability to rescue them
If music was not part of my day
Moments of solitude(indispensable for me)
Driving
Being in the presence of nasty and badly mannered people
Absence of silence throughout out the day
Camouflaged prejudices
Not being able to be in natures bosom
The news and most media (purely exercises in directional perceptions)
Absence of Beauty
Being stuck
If I had to stop drinking champagne
Not having the gift of writing
So many dreams not
♡
Milou
Personal Hell huh? Had to think about this one for a long time. I thought at first I was living my own Hell. After awhile I thought about all the things I’ve gone though in life. Some things just happen… You have little choice but to endure it. You survive, and the sun still rises in the morning the next day. It will still happen whether or not you make it though. If you do make it, another day passes.
You can tolerate and go though any personal hell as long as it doesn’t kill you.
- having no friends available to talk to when I’m lonely or upset
- being forced to sit still in one place all day
- being sleep deprived to the point of collapsing
- being completely helpless
I think part of self-growth is learning there is no such thing as any personal “hell.” We create it and thus, we can learn to dissolve it. The truth is felt.
- hearing my dad lie about his whereabouts
- hearing my mom degrade all the people around her, including us
- not being able to take a shower after a very hot day
- not being able to listen to music
- seeing your family slowly breaking into pieces and you can’t do anything about it
- hearing your parents very proud of other people other than their very own children
- listening to your bosses’ rantings as if everything is your fault
- getting caught in traffic just when you’re in a hurry
- nobody notices nor remembers it is your birthday
- seeing people cutting down trees for no or for selfish reasons
-Not having a shower, where I couldn’t sing, and give my sorrow to Earth.
-Being forced to swallow rough eggs on an empty stomach, instead of chocolate for breakfast, as Rocky Balboa does
-Not access to my friends for laughs or tears
-Having any instrument to write ok, while my brain is creating a so true quote
-Reading a law phrohibiting smokers on the pavement
-Spending the whole day, not making the fool once
-Having to put a feet in the temperamental castle of civil services
-Being locked in, and so, not see entirely what Life’s answer is
-Finding my guitar without strings
-Seeing the stars has disappeared
:)
Hell?
Seeing the ones you love suffering and you can’t help them.
Joan
Il mio inferno personale?
-Non avere internet
-Non avere il cellulare
-Stare da sola per giornate intere, o anche solo per ore
-idea di prendere l’aereo
-non avere soldi
-Aspettare in coda
-rimanere bloccati in macchina
-Andare in ferie su un monte d’estate senza neve!
I have thought about this one for some time….
yes, no coffee is annoying, but I’ve done that and survived…
as with no cigarettes, for a day, anyway, not by choice…
I found it difficult to think of something, or lack of something, that would really be hell for me….but then I remembered my most recent horrific nightmare -
- waking up blind
(I was clawing at my eyes to try and get them to open and then I really woke up properly)
….but even then, if I was blind, I would probably get used to it eventually, I mean, other people have survived, and I could enjoy the new experience and even the dependency on other people and my other senses.
SO
I want to obnoxiously say
that no hell exists for me
because
hell is what we fear
or what we can not do without
and I’ve had enough experiences of various ‘hells’ in my life that there is little or no effect anymore
thank you
I suddenly feel invincible again!!
lol
love
xxxx
Hi..
Some of the things you listed reminded me of my childhood, like sleeping and waking up early, wearing colorful clothes chosen by my mother, being forbidden to play certain games..
Does that mean my childhood was a series of hells!?
I’d rather list some of my personal hells of my adulthood:
- Being responsible for every single word and action I speak and take
- Feeling guilt (never felt that in my childhood)
- Visiting my dentist for annual check ups
- Flossing my teeth everynight
There are much more..
Being forced to listen to someone who is saying a bad words about someone else
watching on Tv to the children who don’t have any food or peace in Gaza
listening to hard rock!!
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