Fall seems like a good time to confront our demons.
If all of my comforts were stripped away: dark chocolate bars with lime & chilis, inane sitcom reruns, corn chips and salsa, the five pillows on my bed, giant trees outside all of my windows, advil for my aches & pains, toothpaste, cds and pandora, a vehicle, ginger scented soap, hand creme, books, thick journals & fancy pens, yoga pants.....
who would I be? Would I be myself or would I turn into a hostile, irate shell of myself?
How shallow our lives are. No wonder everyone is so afraid.
Are there demons naturally occurring in the universe in the same way that there is goodness and love?
I never believed in pure evil existing naturally. I always considered it an anomaly--a neurological deformity or the result of early maltreatment. That means anyone, even me or you, could turn into evil if hit on the head in a certain way.
But don't I have a soul that longs for goodness and light...a soul that could resist the darkness of a malfunctioning mind?
Does evil only spring from the human mind? Or is it bigger and more formidable than that?
Does it come from Dark spirits? Are there true Demons among us? A person or a place holding onto so much dark energy that your hairs stand up on end if you pass them. Evil that surpasses the shadows of an ordinary soul.
Logically, if I believe in my soul's ability to transcend this lifetime and my worldly circumstances, then I have to believe in evil originating from a superhuman force.
Lately, in times of stress, I've been making a more conscious effort to respond from a place of Love (or Spirit or God or Light. No one Word always resonates with me.) This required a shift in my perspective, a shift that I'm embarrassed to realize would have been most welcome in my life many years ago.
But is my shadow self visible to me even now or does it go still deeper than I can see? Many flaws I am aware of ...but are there even more lurking somewhere within ... What would it take to bring them out? Personal economic crisis, a local war, falling off the grid... or much, much less?
Maybe a scary Halloween movie will be a good way to reflect on this some more....Happy Halloween Scary Spooks Everywhere!!!
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James M. Emmerling
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Comments
....what do you all think?
On the other hand, I've just looked down and seen your response to zanelle about duality - and maybe you've got a point: is it always black and white? Probably not. For example, even the ugliest, most dangerous places still have something good and beautiful about them - just depends on how you look at it. And I think that works for people, too. Still, I do believe in a basic, pure evil and a basic, pure good out there in the world. Hmmm...thanks so much for giving me something to ponder.....
Dualism is so entrenched in our thinking that it's hard to break out of...so maybe there is something to it? I don't know.
It is difficult, Myriad. I've spent time in prison too--for my work, bringing kids to visit their moms. a woman who brought unspeakable grief to others and brings nothing but love to her daughter.....
Recognizing that there are ecosystems based on the shades of gray in between has complicated our lives, but also enriched them.
Anyway, that's my current theory.
makes sense to me, owl! good to hear from you
thank you so much, bp!