Feb. 12, 2003 - 6:00 p.m.
Why does the darker side of life call so strongly to certain people? What is it about night and dark passion and living on the edge of taboo that excites some? Why can't we be content with the mundane and the ordinary?
I personally believe that the advent of Western mentality, based on a generic Christian model, is at the root of this. When thought about logically, death, blood, sex, food are all natural functions and shouldn't cause such an uproar. Emotions are a natural part of humanity and shouldn't be hidden but expressed. Night follows day; destruction breeds creation; and a balance is held together by opposing forces equally important to the cycle.
A problem arises when one of these natural forces is considered tainted and undeserving of respect and appreciation. Our society has slid, quite unaware, into this very rut, and a line has been drawn in the sand.
Could it be that surprising that those who are unsatisfied with the present regime would rebel in such a manner and embrace the very opposite attitude? So much is lost when society puts on its blinders and turns away from the beauty inherent in half the equation of life.
The meaning of it all has been lost in this war between light and dark because how could you possibly understand the totality of it all, if you have never experienced it all? So humanity has lost its direction and a few of us are quite pissed off about the whole affair. That still doesn't explain why we have such a morbid fascination (or in the case of many here, a morbid need) to swallow whole a life opposed to the norm.
Humanity is still a babe in arms. Deny us anything, and it becomes the one thing we crave the most. We want what we are told we cannot have. And we have been told for far too long that the darkness is not a toy for us to play with. The difference in those who embrace such a view of life and those who don't is merely this: we see it; therefore, we want it.
I think those who rush to embrace all that is dark are not the ones who are flawed, but rather the ones who are able to clearly see. And since so much of mankind's effort and attention is already devoted to things of a light and airy nature, we turn our attention to that which is shunned, embracing it and strengthening it with our attention and our love. And the outcome is that in the deep abyss, we find lost secrets and alternative solutions, we rediscover the sublime and find the parts of our humanity that have been missing for so very long. We find that we are not alone here, and there is comfort and pleasure and life.
And little by little we restore the balance.
