Mind Can Make Hell Out of Heaven and Heaven Out of Hell

“Mind has its own place and in itself, it can make hell out of heaven and heaven out of hell”.

It is a famous quote of John Milton. This line is spoken by Satan in the epic poem “Paradise lost” in 1667.Basically it is said by Satan to make him feel better in pity phase of his life. According to him if he put it in this the mind can make feel better even in hell. It all about mind. Milton shows that the fallen angels have an unconquerable will, capable of transforming disadvantages into opportunities for progress. Satan’s speech thus introduces a major theme in Paradise Lost the mind’s ability to find value in dramatic losses and to change setbacks into the beginnings of new and surprising adventures. When he notes the mind’s ability to make a heaven of hell and hell of heaven. Satan argues that the intellect is capable of overcoming the physical and emotional problems that arise every day. He contends that place or time cannot change the mind, for no matter how old or isolated he becomes, he is still in possession of the inner life he has always known. He suggests that the mind is itself a place, so external changes need not distance him from his own, strong intellect. On a note of optimism, he points out that his soul is the same as it was in heaven, except that now, in hell, it is free.

His speech thus serves as a private pep talk, a way of reminding himself that he can use his imagination to overcome the significant spiritual and physical pain he is experiencing in hell. Milton calls Satan’s assertions into question by including a litany of tortuous conditions that make the fallen angels feel as if they are cut off from their former selves. The fallen angels do not seem capable of making a heaven of hell while they are “under amazement of their hideous change.” Their minds are of little use to them when they recall that they are forever “blotted out” from the Books of Life. Whatever Satan’s imaginative powers may be, they cannot erase the scars of thunder that were etched into his face during the war with God. Satan himself refers to “a dire change hateful to utter,” suggesting that he is succumbing to the external torments of hell. All of these complaints cast doubt on Satan’s cheerful assertion that thought and the imagination can transform a prison into a paradise. Yet, amazingly, the behavior of the fallen angels does support Satan’s faith in the power and resilience of the mind. Within moments of waking, a hell-bound angel refers to his “unconquerable” will, refusing to acknowledge the misery of his external surroundings. Satan observes that the thunder that scarred his face also strengthened his inner resources, for now he has a better sense of his enemy and himself. Beelzebub, too, refers to the invincibility of the mind and spirit, and he notes a sudden return of vigor to his blood. The angels agree that, in rejecting them, God has conquered only one-half of their forces (their bodies) and left unhindered the other half (their minds).

The angels’ pledge to re-ascend “self-raised” to their former glories recalls Satan’s confident assertion that the mind is ultimately undefeated by physical and emotional setbacks. By opening his remarks with an ode to the powers of the mind, Satan sets the tone for an epic poem that repeatedly celebrates man’s ability to imagine and create a better world for himself than the one in which he is currently suffering. Milton makes Satan’s claims seem dubious when he enumerates the many scars and hardships that await the fallen angels in hell. However, he offers surprising justification for Satan’s optimism by depicting the angels’ willingness to ignore external torment and envision a path toward a better life. Milton’s renowned faith in man’s intellectual capacities inspired the generation of writers known as the Romantics, who, more than any earlier school of poets, honored and probed the depths of the individual mind. Mind is the most lethal instrument a human body has. It can make hell of heaven and heaven of hell irrespective of the external conditions. Milton says our mind has hell and heaven and it’s all up to it. It can change hellish situation into heavenly and heavenly situation into hellish. Just a coin has two sides, human nature is divided into two schools of thoughts. One is optimists and the other are pessimists. You would come across people who see the glass half full and those who see the same as half empty. This doesn’t means that one is right and the other one is wrong. It’s just a matter perceiving things. The human desire in my opinion is the biggest player in this game. It the desire which has made man explore the depth of the ocean, roam the skies and even go beyond. The same desire makes all of us have goals, fuels our passion and compels us to get what we want. If this desire is tamed wisely, it results in us achieving great things, though we go through struggle, hardships in other words Hell! But our mind says to keep our focus on the prize, and once at finish line, that very hell is transformed in to heaven. But then…..the coin flips, and the same desire make us forget what we have achieved, it makes us forget how far we have come. and forces us to look at the next thing, thus forgetting the good at hand, we start focusing on what we don’t have , and if you don’t mind me saying……turns our heaven into hell. So it’s all up here (tough your head, mind while saying it) as this is the CPU of human body, and this machine creates desire, and so I rest my case by saying that the mind can turn heaven into hell and hell into heaven.

23rd August 2019, the day I joined my university. From having an attached bath, food sent to the room, my wardrobe being looking after on its own to waiting in the line to use the restroom ],walking to the dining room on time, making my own bed, I have taken a 180 degree turn. Some say it’s tough, some say it’s interesting. I say, it’s all depends on the perspective, and hence my argument for today, “The mind turn heaven into hell and hell into heaven”. This quote has a lot of value in our life. It is not just limited to the poem but it has a great value in our real life. This leads to change in our behavior, our approach to life, hence everything.

Now an example of a person who turns heaven into hell. It seems odd to hear or say this sentence, but it really is true. Think of a person who has been blessed with every basic necessity of life with family and everything but he is still not happy with his life just because of some stupid comparison with someone who has a bigger car, a bigger house etc. Or sometimes in an all perfect situation rather than looking at the positive persons is bury in finding the mistake. These kind of people win their own life.So the way we like our life is its with tension and depression or with passion and hunger for success, really is in our hands, the only thinking holding us back is our perspective. This leads us to the conversion of optimism and pessimism. And I believe that optimism is an example of having the faith to turn hell into heaven. Look, Life really is full of ups and downs bit having the hope that it will be ok very soon gives you motivation to live and enjoy the things we love. I think it means that serenity cannot be achieved in the presence of suffering, but accepting bad luck is a good survival mechanism. Under rigorous self-control, you can not only move to survive your bad luck, but can also realize a level of self-satisfaction from being confident of your abilities to with hand and persevere through it all.

Without these survival mechanisms well developed, you (or I) are capable of being miserable in any situation we find ourselves in. Milton’s words actually make little sense as written: they require interpretation. He was a poet, not a self-help quack. No interpretation is required, meaning is clear, it's the mind which defines the situation and it's the mind which adjust to any situation. Hell can be heaven or vice versa if the mind so desires, is the capacity of mind to adjust to any adverse situation or to not accommodating to any environment which otherwise pleasant to others. Simply putting happiness or sorrow are not dependent upon outer situation.

I’d go for a Romantic explanation, although it is after Milton’s time. The Mind here, as Romantics seen it, is the Imaginative, Creative Mind of the human being and it is the force of our existence. It is not pure ratio, but Imagination that sets the world into motion. The idea of Freedom is sealed within it and Milton’s sublime Satan, as interpreted by the (some) Romantics, embodies the ideal of such freedom. The Mind here represents the freedom of the mind, freethinking, seeking for self-acknowledgment, searching for one’s own place, re-claiming oneself for oneself. Satan in Paradise Lost is convincing in his rhetoric of the necessity of being self-raised, self-begot, to me, as to some critics. It is the power of the Imaginative Mind that allows for it. It is the beauty of the Imaginative Mind. Satan appears to be the Poetic Genius, the Genius of Liberty, with his bold claim. This verse I would also use as the argument to approve Satan’s rebellion; he insists on being his own, if not self-created (the idea he explores over the course of the poem), then self-raised, self-developed.

Everything is in control of our mind it can change every situation within no time iirespective of the external and the real world. Suppose a person get everything in his life he ever wanted. Like he get the money, every relationship and everything that can make him happy and if he could not get control over his mind , he cannot be happy in his life. Mind can change the situation into worst one and instead of happiness he will be in depression and he will be in hell. It is only because of his mind. If someone can get control over his mind he can be happy I worst phase of his life.

Let’s take an example from our daily life. Suppose a baby boy has his birthday, his parents tried hard and make everything perfect. Take care of each and every small things like the balloons, the cake, the napkins, the theme etc. The boy is standing in front of it and he is very much happy. When everything is going perfect, his younger sibling come running along and lick the icing of the cake. Now that it the boy is crying, he is angry. The should be in heaven because what about the balloons, what about the cake, the chocolates, the presents he got, the toy story outfit.

But nothing of this matters because all he can think right now is why he get to taste the cake first. Isn’t it interesting mind can make hell out of heaven. His parents tried so hard to make heaven outside and they was able to make heaven but the boy can’t think about it. He is in hell instead of heaven. That small moment change the mood of mind of the boy and he can’t think about the things present at that time which take him into a state of hell. This is what we are doing in our daily life. We are in hell not because of the conditions or the situation but just because of our mind. If two people are in the same condition and situation, it is possible that one would be happy and the other one is depressed because all the thing matters are the way you think. There are many other advantages of mind control. We are able to reduce our pain by just controlling our mind.

Drugs are very good at getting rid of pain, but they often have unpleasant, and even serious, side effects when used for a long time. If you have backache, fibromyalgia, arthritis, or other chronic pain that interferes with your daily life, you may be looking for a way to relieve discomfort that doesn't involve drugs. Some age-old techniques—including meditation and yoga—as well as newer variations may help reduce your need for pain medication.

Research suggests that because pain involves both the mind and the body, mind-body therapies may have the capacity to alleviate pain by changing the way you perceive it. How you feel pain is influenced by your genetic makeup, emotions, personality, and lifestyle. It's also influenced by past experience. If you've been in pain for a while, your brain may have rewired itself to perceive pain signals even after the signals aren't being sent anymore.

The Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital specializes in helping people learn techniques to alleviate stress, anxiety, and pain. Dr. Ellen Slawsby, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School who works with patients at the Benson-Henry Institute, suggests learning several techniques so that you can settle on the ones that work best for you. 'I tend to think of these techniques as similar to flavors in an ice cream store. Depending on your mood,you might want a different flavor of ice cream—or a different technique,' Dr. Slawsby says. 'Practicing a combination of mind-body skills increases the effectiveness of pain relief.'

The following techniques can help you take your mind off the pain and may help to override established pain signals. It's central to all the techniques, so deep breathing is the one to learn first. Inhale deeply, hold for a few seconds, and exhale. To help you focus, you can use a word or phrase to guide you. For example, you may want to breathe in 'peace' and breathe out 'tension.' There are also several apps for smartphones and tablets that use sound and images to help you maintain breathing rhythms. An antidote to the stress response, which pumps up heart rate and puts the body's systems on high alert, the relaxation response turns down your body's reactions. After closing your eyes and relaxing all your muscles, concentrate on deep breathing. When thoughts break through, say 'refresh,' and return to the breathing repetition. Continue doing this for 10 to 20 minutes. Afterward, sit quietly for a minute or two while your thoughts return. Then open your eyes and sit quietly for another minute.

Begin deep breathing, paying attention to each breath. Then listen to calming music or imagine being in a restful environment. If you find your mind wandering, say 'refresh,' and call the image back into focus. Pick any activity you enjoy—reading poetry, walking in nature, gardening, or cooking—and become fully immersed in it. Notice every detail of what you are doing and how your senses and emotions are responding. Practice bringing mindfulness to all aspects of your life. These mind-body exercises incorporate breath control, meditation, and movements to stretch and strengthen muscles. Videos and apps can help you get started. If you enroll in a yoga or tai chi class at a gym or health club, your health insurance may subsidize the cost. 'When we're ill, we often tend to become fixated on what we aren't able to do. Retraining your focus on what you can do instead of what you can't will give you a more accurate view of yourself and the world at large,' says Dr. Slawsby. She advises keeping a journal in which you list all the things you are thankful for each day. 'We may have limitations, but that doesn't mean we aren't still whole human beings.'