💬 This is probably hell, right?
In the Lounge
Welcome to our monthly Lounge Chats! We gather here on the last Thursday of every month for a bit of connection, curiosity, and occasionally admitting we have no idea what we’re doing — but we’re doing it together.” 😄
(NB: This whole thread was sparked by a Note I posted a couple of weeks ago, and one of your replies. So really, this is your fault. Which feels right.)
I posted this quote on Notes from Chidi (yep, him from The Good Place):
“My fake heaven was a 600 sqf apartment that was essentially a bookcase and a toilet. And I loved it.”
Naturally, I related far too much. (It’s the dream, innit? All the books, peace to read ‘em all, questionable snack choices.)
But then
replied with this brilliant memory from Night Gallery, about this hippie who dies in a car accident and finds himself in hell… except it’s not fire or torture devices. It’s just... lots of boring people. Forever. That was his personal hell.And as I was turning that over in my head, it hit me:
Wait a minute.
Isn’t that basically The Good Place’s whole game plan?
Forget fire and brimstone. Real torture is bespoke. Precision-engineered. Psychologically petty.
Eleanor got moral guilt.
Chidi got impossible choices.
Tahani got status FOMO.
Jason got... well, somehow Jason was thriving.
And now I can't stop thinking about it.
→ What if heaven and hell aren’t places at all? What if they’re playlists? Mood boards? Highly curated experiences built from the weird little details of our lives?
Maybe your heaven is a window seat and nobody asking “what’s for dinner?”
Maybe your hell is glitter crafts. Or cliché team-building exercises. Or a forever Zoom call with bad wifi.
So tell me…
→ What’s a small, weird, unmistakable detail that would tell you: yep, I’m in heaven.
→ And what’s a dead giveaway that you’ve wandered into your own personal hell?
Bonus points for oddly specific examples.
Double bonus points if your answers would absolutely confuse a medieval priest.
🔐 This is where the Lounge opens up.
This part of the conversation continues in The Lounge, our private space for trading stories, asking big (or small) questions, and figuring things out together.
Not a Lounger yet? Why not join us today? We saved you a seat.