Do the Gates of Hell exist, or are they in our minds?

In the movie, the Gates of Hell/City of the Living Dead, Father Thomas, a priest, hangs himself in the town of Dunwich and by doing so, releases the living dead from the gates of hell. A state of emergency is declared, and the protagonists fight the living dead, and to close the gates.

The supernatural horror thriller was directed by Italian filmmaker Lucio Fulci. It was released in Europe as City of the Living Dead in 1980, then re-released in the United States as The Gates of Hell in 1983.

Though in its purest form it is about the battle between the physical forces of good and evil, there are a number of interpretations. One is that we battle the gates of hell within our minds, and that our final judgment on whether we succeeded is when we transition from our earthly bodies into the heavenly realm.

Another is that society is hell, and we need to separate ourselves from it in order to embrace the good – be of the world, not in it. Also, that we allow society to impute hell into us, and it takes the rest of our lives to root it out.

Yet another is that we as ordinary citizens are perceived as metaphorical demons, or more aptly as outsiders by the gatekeepers, and we must be kept out at all cost.

Throughout our lives, we have faced situations where we have been held back by gatekeepers to opportunities we sought, not because we weren’t good enough, talented enough, skilled enough, but because of forces beyond our control – the sociopolitical culture in which we live.

Even in mythology, there are gates to heaven that determine who gets through to heaven or not. A figure is at the gate, and with a book in hand, identifies the name of the person in front of them, and lets said person know if they are marked for entry, or denial. Everyone adhering to this mythology wants in. No one wants to be cast into the darkness, or hell, or oblivion.

This is a very human concept. If there is a heaven, why would it need gates, and a keeper with a ledger? Moreover, are the determinations based on universal truths, or subjectivity? After all, a god that is infinite would not have human traits at all, and therefore would exist in that environment as such. Thus, the world of the infinite would not be emotional, biased. judgmental, or transactional. That is our gig exclusively.

We are complex, flawed human beings, all of us. We lack the wisdom and understanding beyond the world in which we exist. We have a difficult enough time logically and rationally discerning this one. Anything else is merely speculation.

To have gates or velvet ropes, or doors with passwords or keycards to infinity is fantasy. It is also the fantasy that we would have the knowledge of who would get in, and who would not. We want that kind of power. We relish in it. That is why this concept of the gate has transcended time and generation.

And that is what it is at its core. The gate, and the gatekeeper is about power, the ability to act in deciding those who can enter, which is determined by a set of rules wholly and subjectively by those beyond the gate. Whether it is a corporation, an institution, an organization, a party, or any formulated entity, even heaven, it is often ruled less by wisdom, and more by whim.

We strive with all of our might to get past those gatekeepers and get accepted in. Then once we are there, we must expend vast amounts of energy ensuring that we can stay there. We will follow all the appropriate codes, watch our tongue, abide by the culture, and give our heart and soul to our position within. What we don’t comprehend is that we have created gates of our own within our minds, because nothing is rarely what we expect it to be when we are not free, for gates only beget more gates.

This is not to say that where we proclaim we want to be cannot be fulfilling. There are a significant number of us who love our positions beyond the gates. However, it is the job of the gate to give the illusion that one craves to be beyond it, that it holds sway over our deepest ambitions.

There was even a study where a set of velvet ropes was placed in front of a door with a keeper in front of it. There was no sign, no indication what the building was. Yet, gradually people began forming a line. In this Pavlovian example, we see that the illusion of exclusivity becomes very real in the minds of those who are accustomed to being in front of boundaries.

It makes us feel important, that we can get through the door of the nightclub, the country club, the fine restaurant, the VIP section. We want the black card, or the gold card. It separates us from the others, and we play the role well, enjoying all the fruits therein.

Or, more simply as everyday citizens, we want the opportunities afforded us. Yes, there is the prestige in being in certain places, but many of us also view it as the more we have, and the better position we are in, the more we can do for others, the caveat being that we will be able to do so once we get in and stick around for a while. We want that ability to pave the way for others, to turn around and lift someone else up. It is a very noble trait to have.

Some of us feel that we need gates to feel protected, safe, and holistically validated. To some extent, that is valid. However, do we then have true agency to be who we are? Are there conditions to be within those gates? Are those around us being vigilant, watching our moves, poised to tell the authorities, even maybe planning our demise? Or, could they have altruistic motives, making sure that we are doing well, and having as much support as possible? Those that operate within those gates aren’t monolithic. Within each body there is much complexity.

There has been much written about the concept of FOMO – the Fear of Missing Out, which may be at the heart of all of this. We believe that if we don’t strive to get through those boundaries to these bodies in which we want to operate, that we will be missing out.  What is meant for us to have we will have, so we should never bend our wills to the point of gross compromise to get there. It is really our perception of the thing, not the thing itself that drives us, for we really don’t know what is happening beyond those gates, those walls, that building. We only know what we are told.

In horror, the protagonists fear that if the gates of hell are opened, the demons will come and overrun our world. It is the ancient concept of good versus evil. It is the most powerful concept in the hero’s journey, the courage to fight against evil for the good.

As we know, life is not that black and white. Who we perceive to be the demons may be angels, and those alleged angels who are at the gates may in fact be the demons themselves.

If we create our own worlds, however, we won’t have to concern ourselves with gates. We won’t be stopped by a gatekeeper, and have them determine whether we will gain entry or not. We will be free to move about our country, and enjoy all the benefits therein.