There is Heaven and Hell within me; I have seen them; I have been there. There are states of mind I have entered where I could do no wrong, where every touch was inspiration, where all was right and good with the world, for even all its many faults. Then there were hours where in sudden fear, my world collapsed in on itself, and I was left with a ruin of a consciousness — when all futures lead only to death, and pain was my only reward. As I am still alive, I cannot truly say from this perspective of neutrality that I prefer one to the other state of being. True, being in a Heaven state is more pleasing, but I know that suffering (for my part) has done me much good, and I wish, too, not to get too spoiled by bliss. The one thing, perhaps, that I have learned is never to expect either state to last for any length of time — to breathe of Heaven's air while I can still smell it, and that I will live past any hellish suffering. Sometimes we forget that things in this world do not last, none of them. Where Heaven and Hell are only words, the meanings which only hint at eternity.
