save for the heaven and hell we create for one another

paradise is a state of mind/perception, as is hell

you're absolutely right in determining that heaven cannot exist without hell to contrast it, thus, heaven and hell are literally the same thing. Which side of the spectrum you choose to dwell and focus on is entirely up to you

there are people on this planet that are content, happy, and in love with nature and one another, on the inverse of this experience, there are people whom live in fear, unhappy, and with hatred in their hearts

once again, hate cannot exist without love to contrast it, they are two sides of the same coin, just like life & death

you cannot have the foreground without the background and vice versa

i personally believe that the universe sprang into existence to facilitate life

according to the ancient philosophies, our time is limited so that we grasp the beauty of something that is essentially eternal, because as if we were always eternal, we would be disconnected from that very eternity as there would be nothing to contrast it (such as short life)

hence, comes in the universe, to offer a playground for life to explore itself on, if we are to take the big bang as fact, than the universe sprang into existence with any and every conceivable fragment of stuff, and on the brink of the universe, on the brink of a galaxy (where Earth is), where the mixtures of "stuff" and the patterns are more complex, you find life.

i believe consciousness is the looking glass for the universe itself, and if we are exploratory, life preserving, artistic, emotional, and adventurous beings, there is no reason to assume the universe is any different, as we were in fact, molded by it.

~Experience is the currency of the soul.