We have these manifestations of "Heaven" and "Hell" and personifications of "good" and "evil" because basically, humans are loath to accept responsibility for their actions. The ideals that allow people to avoid accountability come with a substantial cost: because we await some form of mystical retribution, we permit, and even encourage, evil and selfishness to flourish. If Hell is an example of ultimate justice, then a place where injustice is commonplace must represent true evil: that place must be the type of world mankind has created. If Heaven is a place that provides happiness and freedom from temptation, it exists as a state of mind, because these qualities are within oneself, and can exist in the type of world we have created. Humanity requires no outside intervention in order to create "good" and "evil"; we are quite adept at providing both, and have the ability to determine how much of each we allow to exist.…
