Hell and the Psychological Depth of Unjust Acts

Last week, I had much to reflect on as I thought about my recent episode with Lori Alhadeff (Listen Here), where we spoke about the tragic loss of her daughter from a school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018. Lori's story is inspirational not only because of how she overcame the grief from the loss of her daughter but also because she found meaning and a sense of purpose in her grief. She made it her mission to let her daughter live through her non-profit initiative, Make Our Schools Safe. Through Lori's perseverance, she has continued to work with schools to ensure teachers and students are equipped and that more actions are in place to prevent such horrible incidents in the future. I have spent considerable time highlighting the power of how people find meaning under significant life challenges and adversity.

The other thing that stood out to me and something Lori and I touched on in the episode was a philosophical debate about why these incidents occur. What is going on for the individual who chooses such an action? While considerable research and focus have taken place in analyzing the psychological implications of what is going on for these individuals, there is a more profound sense of nihilism and suffering that I wanted to expand on. Last week, while on vacation, I had the opportunity to read through Dostoevsky's classic Crime and Punishment. I also had several conversations the previous week regarding purpose and how we can empower our youth with a sense of meaning in their lives, which can mitigate many mental health challenges we observe in society today. Raskolnikov, the main character in Crime and Punishment, justifies to himself that he can murder for the betterment of society. What drives him to this conclusion is a complete loss of purpose, as his financial situation forces him to quit school and lose a sense of purpose. Mired in a nihilistic view of life, he convinces himself to commit this murder. Despite getting away with the murder and someone else taking the blame, Raskolnikov suffers miserably, is depressed and constantly in a feverish state.

Why do I share all of this? I have only come to understand it with experience, but I also struggle with it. Often, I get stuck in righteous self-indignation and question the need for justice, especially when I feel I or others are wronged. While justice is crucial for a society to function, there is a deeper psychological aspect I wanted to explore. I was asked by a podcast host last week if I believe in the concept of hell. I had to pause before fully answering that question because it was not a simple "yes" or "no." Fortunately, I had also spent time reflecting on the whole notion of the psychological impact on individuals living with themselves. Whether or not one believes in hell as a place where one goes after death, depending on one's actions, is individual-specific. The concept itself is so complex that we cannot fully appreciate it. However, I have come to understand and also believe that we can create hell in our existence in this world through our actions and thoughts. Beyond justice, an individual has to live with their actions and their conscience, and that can itself be a form of punishment, as the character of Raskolnikov experiences. Ultimately, he finds salvation when he finally chooses to turn himself in and find meaning from his experience in solitary confinement.

Therefore, in this week's edition of EZ Reflections I wanted to share my thoughts on the notion of hell, suffering and purpose. How do our actions create hell in our daily lives? What do we do when we experience this overwhelming sense of depression or pain? Here are some resources that can help with your own reflection:

1. Zimbardo, Philip G. "The Stanford Prison Experiment: A simulation study of the psychology of imprisonment." Stanford University, 1971.

2. Tangney, June Price, et al. "High moral identity and low guilt-proneness: The role of coping style." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 73, no. 6, 1997, pp. 1342-1357.

3. Bandura, Albert. "Moral disengagement in the perpetration of inhumanities." Personality and Social Psychology Review, vol. 3, no. 3, 1999, pp. 193-209.

4. Restorative Justice: Concepts, Practice, and Evaluation. Edited by Gerry Johnstone and Daniel W. Van Ness, Willan Publishing, 2007.

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