Pandora's Domino Box

Hieronymus Bosch, The hell panel from The Garden of Earthly Delights

The Hell Panel by Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights is one of the most striking and complex parts of this triptych painting. The work itself, created around 1490–1510, is an allegorical and highly surreal exploration of paradise, earthly pleasure, and the torments of hell.

Take closer look at the elements within this panel:

Surreal and chaotic imagery are populated by grotesque, fantastical creatures—some of which seem human, while others are more beastly or mechanical in nature. The damned human figures with animals intimacy, often nude, are shown enduring a variety of sexual punishments. Machines are Bosch's use of strange, mechanical devices— some are musical instruments, others like torture devices. Birds and Hybrid Creatures feature many bird-like figures, sometimes with the faces of people or animals, further contributing to the nightmarish atmosphere. Dark, muted colours of in this painting is reinforcing the atmosphere of despair.

The symbolism of punishment, similar to many medieval representations of Hell, connects suffering to the vices that lead to damnation. Architectural elements appear broken, crumbling, or strangely distorted, enhancing the impression of a world in disarray. This moral and religious allegory serves as a visual caution against the perils of sin and the unavoidable outcomes of immorality. Bosch's imaginative and surreal approach was pioneering for his era.

Human Nature is the scene might be a commentary on the depravity of human beings.

The Hell Panel of The Garden of Earthly Delights can certainly offer a fascinating lens through which to think about mental health, particularly the psychological states it might evoke or reflect.

Psychological Dystopia, as if the human mind is in a state of complete disarray, manifesting as a nightmarish, tortured landscape. Paranoia is being pursued by monsters, tortured by bizarre mechanisms, or trapped in impossible, disorienting environments. Guilt and Shame of the figures in Hell are nude, symbolising vulnerability and exposure. Isolation and Helplessness of loneliness in Hell seem unable to help one another, and the tortures are often inflicted in isolation. The sheer scale and complexity of the suffering could evoke feelings of hopelessness or helplessness. Collective Fear of Guilt within in the intense visualisations of damnation, in all their grotesque detail, could be a symbolic representation of religious and societal pressures around sin and punishment.

Mental Distress from Social Norms in a society that placed so much emphasis on moral behaviour, the painting might reflect the psychological toll of living in a world where sin was viewed as catastrophic and inescapable. The Fear of the Unknown and Death represent various forms—monsters, fire, and desolation. Trauma and Post-Traumatic Growth could parallel the way trauma stays with individuals, distorting their perception of reality.

Psychological themes and mental health through the lens of art has been a powerful way for artists to communicate their inner worlds, struggles, and unique perspectives. The childhood experiences of many artists, particularly those marked by trauma, neglect, or emotional distress, often have a significant influence on their work throughout their lives.

Mental health by childhood issues—whether they stem from family trauma, abandonment, or early-life illnesses—are embedded in the psychology of many prominent artists whose works are deeply tied to psychological themes and mental health, Vincent van Gogh, Edvard Munch, Kurt Schwitters, Sally Mann, Salvador Dalí, Georgia O’Keeffe etc.

A painting can reflect a silent conversation between the artwork and the observer. This pedagogy transforms art into Psychology, as if it is directly addressing human experiences, challenges, and victories.

“Personality disorder with cognitive distortions” is a reasonable informal expression used to describe a type of personality disorder characterised by cognitive distortions—that is, persistent patterns of distorted thinking and perception about oneself, others, and the world.

However, this term is not an official psychiatric diagnosis. In clinical practice, the recognised personality disorders commonly involve significant cognitive distortions: Common Official Diagnoses with Cognitive Distortion Features

1. Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

-Characteristics: Alternating idealisation and devaluation (split thinking), unstable self-image and perception of others.

-Common Cognitive Distortions: Black-and-white thinking, catastrophising, overgeneralisation, etc.

2. Paranoid Personality Disorder

-Characteristics: Persistent distrust and suspicion, misinterpretation of others' intentions.

-Common Cognitive Distortions: Attribution bias (interpreting neutral behavior as hostile).

3. Schizotypal Personality Disorder

-Characteristics: Odd thinking and beliefs (e.g., magical thinking), perceptual distortions.

-Common Cognitive Distortions: Unrealistic beliefs/cults, overinterpretation of random events.

4. Narcissistic Personality Disorder

-Characteristics: Exaggerated self-perception, impaired emotional understanding of others.

-Common Cognitive Distortions: Excessive self-centeredness, hypersensitivity to criticism

A personality disorder characterised by cognitive distortions in childhood frequently indicates early developmental patterns that may develop into full personality disorders if not addressed. Although personality disorders are generally not diagnosed until adulthood (usually after age 18), cognitive distortions and problematic personality traits often originate in childhood or adolescence, influenced by the living environment or family upbringing. Many of these cases involve children from single-parent families.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) – Early sign cognitive distortions in childhood/adolescence shows chronic feelings of emptiness, intense fear of abandonment, especially in single-parent families.

Behaviours: Emotional dysregulation, Impulsivity, Identity disturbances

Paranoid Personality Disorder of cognitive distortions in childhood persistent mistrust of others, belief that others are out to harm, misinterpreting benign events as threatening.

Often rooted in early neglect, trauma, or abuse.

Schizotypal Personality Disorder - early signs relate odd beliefs, cults or magical thinking including eccentric behaviour.

Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD) preceded by Conduct Disorder (CD) before age 15, shows justification of harmful actions (“They deserved it”); lack of empathy or remorse, blaming others for one’s misbehaviour.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) beliefs inflated sense of self-importance, leadership-worship, self-centered, exploitativeness, entitlement, fantasies of unlimited success or power. Most kids in single-parent families may show hypersensitivity to criticism and grandiosity.

Related Behaviour

Catastrophising (“This is the devastating thing ever”)

Mind reading (“They must hate me”)

Personalisation (“It’s all your fault”)

Overgeneralisation (“Nobody ever likes me”)

These distortions are often linked to:

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) - Most Children from single-parent households.

Insecure attachment （Without the affection of one or both parents.）

Trauma or neglect （Bullying, discrimination, defamation and other forms of verbal and physical attacks on a person's life.）

Painting by Adolf Hitler

Painting by Adolf Hitler

Let's examine the paintings of the most notorious person in history to determine from an artistic standpoint if Hitler truly embodies the “demonic persona” attributed to him.

Hitler focused heavily on architectural landmarks—castles (like Neuschwanstein), town halls, and historic buildings—rendered in a traditional, representational style influenced by Greco‑Roman classicism, Neoclassicism, and the Italian Renaissance .

His works often lack human figures. Critics describe Hitler’s art as that of a "moderately ambitious amateur", with no distinctive style and often derivative of postcard images or older illustrations.

Painting by Adolf Hitler

Though his paintings are considered emotionally and artistically flat, lacking innovation, but technically competent in architecture and personal insight.

Hitler's paintings are undeniably based on realism that focuses on structure and linearity. Unlike surrealism, which emphasises creativity, he stresses truth and aims to present things as they are seen as completely as possible. This is what Hitler pursues in his art, even though it lacks the same level of innovation as surrealism. Achieving realism demands a specific level of skill and attention to detail.

Historical Context shows Hitler produced hundreds of works, especially during his time in Vienna (1908–13), often selling postcards and street scenes to earn a minimal living  .

He was rejected twice by the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, effectively ending his hopes of becoming a professional artist.

Though many his paintings may have been destroyed during the Nazi era, several hundred survive, housed in private collections, museums, and archives—including four watercolours held by the U.S. Army since WWII, largely unseen by the public.

How did an art student who failed twice at art school become one of the most malevolent figures in history on the path of seeking the truth? At least we deduce that he may have observed details that most people overlooked, which contributed to the disorder in his later “criminal” life.

In criminal psychology, there is a famous test.

Q: A mother passed away, and her two daughters attended her funeral. There, the younger daughter encountered a very attractive man and immediately developed feelings for him. She couldn't get him out of her mind and wished to meet him again. Once back home, the younger daughter killed her older sister.

Why?

A: By holding another funeral, she gets a chance to see that handsome man again.

If your answer is the same — or if you think like the younger sister — then at the very least, your way of thinking may be considered to have criminal tendencies or surrealistic motivations.

If an innocent kid answered the same, would you think it's smart - rising to potentially become a social elite in the future because he/she is different from 90% of humanity?

Or should we ask what experiences this kid had in the childhood?

（Statistics indicate that since 2000, American higher education institutions with an Ivy League focus generally aim to recruit and nurture students who possess thinking that significantly deviates from the norm. More than 90% of these students have the potential to become the President of the United States. ）

There is also a question in the IQ test for children.

Q: A farmer needs to transport a goat, a wolf, and a cabbage across a river. The boat can only carry the farmer and one item at a time. However, if left alone:

The wolf will eat the goat.

The goat will eat the cabbage.

The farmer must figure out how to get all three items across the river safely.

A：

1. First trip: The farmer takes the goat across the river, leaves it on the other side, and returns alone.

2. Second trip: The farmer takes the wolf across the river, leaves the wolf, and brings the goat back.

3. Third trip: The farmer takes the cabbage across the river, leaves it with the wolf, and returns alone.

4. Fourth trip: The farmer takes the goat across the river again and leaves it on the other side.

Key: The wolf doesn't eat the cabbage.

Numerous netizens remarked that if a 10-year-old child can answer this question accurately, they should seek psychological counseling at a hospital instead of being labeled as having a high IQ, because any 10-year-old child who can tackle this question cannot be labeled as innocent and high IQ at the same time. This question stems from economicology (ecology, economics) The study of the interrelationship between economics and ecology- profit and interests.

The parable of the broken window was presented by French economist Frédéric Bastiat in his 1850 essay "That Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen" ("Ce qu'on voit et ce qu'on ne voit pas") to demonstrate why destruction, along with the expenses incurred to repair it, does not provide a net benefit to society.

Q: When a child accidentally smashes a window, and then it has to be replaced, does this accident constitute a benefit to society, due to the economic activity of repairing and replacing the window? People will spend the money from food to window repairs, thus window manufacturers will make a profit.

However, this doesn't benefit to society; it only allows window manufacturers to profit from farmers' money; while, in addition, the damage to the windows increases the risk to humans and societies.

Edward Wadie Said (1935 - 2003) was a Palestinian-American academic, literary critic, and political activist, a professor of literature at Columbia University. He critically assumed based on Frédéric Bastiat's the parable of the broken window, that if windows in other countries were broken, then the window manufacturers would certainly make a lot of money from other countries, while also bringing great benefits to domestic market. This was a groundbreaking and disruptive statement.

For example: If setting virus into other countries, people will spend their healthcare insurance to buy vaccines. This way, vaccine manufacturers will make big money. So how do vaccine manufacturers know that a virus will occur? Or, are the vaccine manufacturers the ones who are poisoning?

Example II: If people's houses are burned down by wildfires, they will spend their hard-earned money to rebuild their homes, and the construction industry will profit. But if the government provides funds for fire victims, where does the government's money come from? Or, is there a possibility that the wildfires are actually set by the government, colluding with construction industry to profit together? If this reasoning is true, then setting fire in the rich area and other countries are the ideal first choice; the government and construction industry partner to make money from the rich.

What if there are no rich in the world anymore? Then the poor will become even poorer.

Example III: If we start war in other countries and destroy entire nations, then domestic manufacturing industries will profit from the war-torn countries. As long as the war continues, you can profit from everything to the war countries, the most important of which is weapon manufacturers. Since then, as long as wars are waged in every country, not only can money be made, but every country and all domestic citizens can be manipulated by the military; send military to every country and repeat the mechanism, ultimately becoming the most powerful country in the world.

From then on, there was an organisation, a government, a country in the world that care nothing about human beings, focusing on smashing the windows of other countries, poisoning other countries, and starting wars in other countries. Ultimately, they manipulate everything in the world. Certainly, some blind individuals still continue to join this organisation to contribute to it, or they can't get rid of it once joined?

Now, let's go back to the QUESTION:

A farmer needs to transport a goat, a wolf, and a cabbage across a river. The boat can only carry the farmer and one item at a time. However, if left alone:

The wolf will eat the goat.

The goat will eat the cabbage.

The farmer must figure out how to get all three items across the river safely.

What you would do?

We will take over the river, monopolise the cabbage, tell the wolf we can clone the goat, colonise the goat and prove we can end the wolf.

Naturally, the prerequisite for being able to do all this is that we need to have a strong backing to bolster our strength.

1, All the islands and cities near the river must be completely occupied. Tell the residents of the islands that we own all the cities along the river, and tell the residents of the cities that we own all the islands. The river and transportation are under our control, all the residents of the cities and the islands are unable verify or establish contact, as the only route is this river.

2, Inform all the residents of the islands and the cities that every government is under our power to comprehensively monitor residents; meddling elections, and designating who become presidents are the best proof. Let the residents on the islands died one after another, unable to ask for help, if they betray us.

The road of growth is like a Pandora's box; the more you grow, the more you will find that dominoes gradually accumulate inside the box. When someone tries to open it, the dominoes will fall all at once.

When a child errs in early years, parents and teachers might set clear boundaries and offer guidance on what is right and wrong, instead of solely fostering the growth of a distinct personality being "creative or high IQ." If a mistake committed in childhood is not addressed promptly, by the time a person reaches 50, they may no longer perceive it as a mistake and will likely dismiss any cautions from others.

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Justyna Bienkowska

Warsaw, Poland

11:55 AM, Sat

July 26 2025

Thinn Linn Oo

Yangon, Myanmar

04:24 PM, Sat

Co-writing by Artpendix Team