Dark Side
No, this has nothing to do with Star Wars. this is about the dark side that resides in all of us. this is about the side of you and me that nobody sees, that nobody will ever want to see, because it's not pretty.This is not about bright and cheery messages of peace and hope. this is a post that I've warned you of, one of those that the easily shaken should not be reading. if you so happen to be one of those, then i suggest that you stop reading this now, for your benefit and mine. believe me, I do not want a guilty conscience.
So, for those still with me. I believe that you would have realised that we live in a world of duality. for everything there must be a direct opposite, the immediate anti-thesis of the other. there is hot and cold, light and dark, good and evil. such is the way of the world. Stephen King once wrote that if we share a brotherhood of Man, then we must also share an insanity of man. if such wonderful values of hope and honour and grace can exist in this world, then the immediate anti-thesis would, by the laws of this world, exist as well. I hope that, no pun intended, you have heard of the seven deadly sins. wrath. greed. envy. sloth. gluttony. pride. lust. what most of you would not have heard of, is the seven contrary virtues. patience. liberality. kindness. diligence. abstinence. humility. chastity. for everything there must be a direct opposite. such is the way of the world.
Now that I have made my point, on to more sensitive issues. many of you have seen The Exorcism of Emily Rose. if not, I believe that you have heard of it, or even seen it's predecessor, The Exorcist. it would be natural to wonder why God, with such greatness that he could create the universe with but a single word, would permit the existence of such evil like demons and possession. for everything there must be a direct opposite, the immediate anti-thesis. such is the way of the world. since people can believe in angels and redemption, so can demons and posession exist. the belief in one validates the existence of the other.
We live in a world of duality. that would make us, in essence, creatures of duality as well. we embody values like friendship, kindness and innocence. we treat others with respect and honour our promises. we live each day as law-abiding citizens and adhere to our country's principles and values. but, that is what the world sees, or what we want the world to see. there is something else, something we keep hidden away under the facade of righteousness.
Allow me to digress for a bit. let us talk about movies. we like watching horror movies like The Ring, Ju-On, The Eye, or even those like Dawn of The Dead, Freddy Vs Jason, The Amityville Horror, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and so on and so forth. I think we've all seen such shows and thought afterwards, "so scary! wah, i very frightened!". and yet, we come out smiling. we come out saying we can't wait for the sequel. we come out talking about gory details of how so and so died, the interesting ways they were decapitated/drowned/staked/stabbed/et cetera. but ask yourselves. is it right that we feel so excited about such morbid stuff? is it right that we enjoy seeing people die in interesting ways? sure, maybe the character was acting like an ass and deserved it, but, is it right?
Like I said before, we live in a world of duality. since we display such virtues like love and joy, so must we also display such sins like lust and wrath. everyone is guilty of such crimes. don't deny it. you know you are. we are, after all, only human. it's that bit of you that wants to see the arrogant bastard die. it's that bit of you that wants to punch that guy who has been annoying you all day. oh, we don't actually do it, but we think it. it's that part of you that still remains primal when the rest of you is civilised. it's the instinct that you never lose. it's called The Beast, and it's always hungry. it needs to be fed, otherwise it just grows and grows until it's leash breaks and then, well, we all know what happens after that.
But where to display such sins? how can we calm The Beast? certainly not in everyday life, and certainly not in public. such displays would only land you in a cell. this is where the convenience of modernity comes in. movies, games, videos, all these are avenues that allow us to show our dark side, where we can let our Beast revel and play in safety. I don't particularly like mindless horror flicks, and i hate watching porn. that's just for people who don't have an imagination. but i personally like to indulge in violent games, as some of you would know. but why do it? why indulge in something that is bad? won't it just make me a slave to my vices? no. because it keeps The Beast full, that's why. it's what keeps me thinking with the head up here and not the one down there. it is what keeps me sane, because you have to admit that you have to be a little crazy to live in a world like this.
I am not telling you to indulge your vices. this is merely something for you to reflect on. if you want to indulge you vices, and if you think that you can still live with yourself after that, then by all means go ahead.
And one more thing. some people may ask me why I believe in demons and possession. I'll tell them that's because I believe in angels and redemption.