On Faith.

On Faith.
____________

When the Old Die..
their lives are celebrated
with fondness by those
left behind..and while sad,
many rejoice in the comfort
that they lived to see ripe
age, and fill the pallet of their
Being with so many diverse
Experiences.

When The Young Die..it is
A Tragedy,..and no fond
words, or cliches' about
Meaning and Purpose can
fill the void their Absence
has left.

The Idea that "Everything
Happens for a Reason"
seems Unreasonable to
a Relative who has lost
someone so young, and
innocent. They often find
themselves cursing God,
and wondering how any
Loving Creator could
allow such Horror to touch
their Lives, while on a daily
basis countless social monsters
and predators of all varieties
seem to live long and prosper.

I wish I could say beyond
doubt that there is a Purpose,
and Design to it all...something
Profound that upon our own
Death will make the pieces
fall into place, and give meaning
to the chaos...but it would be
morally and intellectually
dishonest if I were to do so.

I can only say that by my own
observations, FAITH and HOPE
seem to be powerful tools that
help many in their Despair.

Many of genuine Faith I have
seen seem to be more content,
and at peace with the Horrors
of this Mysterious World..and
are able to sit back in the midst of
despair, Holding on to The Things
that they Find Sacred and Meaningful,
without falling victim to the raging
Tides of Doubt which pull so many
Souls down into that Bleakness known
when they Experience a loved
Ones Death.

To me (regardless if their beliefs
are eventually proven to be true
or false) The Merits of such faith
is evident in the Quality of Life
these Courageous Souls Live...
when they can still find it within
themselves to laugh, and crack
a smile at someones joke...or
lend their ear to another who is
in a similar state of suffering.

It is a Powerful Thing that No
amount of well intended words,
or quoted scriptures can compare
to...and (if God Truly Exists)
one of The Highest Expressions
of Divinity one could hope to
find upon this Earth.

Where does your Faith Lie?
and Does it help you along in
your path?...Or cause you to
look disdainfully upon your
Fellow Man who walks a
different Road?

(the answer to your Self may
surprise you.)

J.Stephen.H.

On Morbidity In Literature.

On Morbidity in Literature.
____________________________

I cannot count the number
of times that readers of my
work have said "I like that,
it's really good..but dark,
and kinda morbid."

This is admittedly true. It's
something obvious to anyone
who has read a piece of mine,
that my poems and verses tend to
revolve around darker themes
of Horror and Madness,..
but many carry misconceptions
about my intent when writing
such pieces.

To paraphrase (and add to)
the words of Keith Ablow:
"The Brightest Light shines
upon those brave enough to
open their eyes up to the
darkness, and honestly reflect
the Shadows which lurk
within them."

For me, writing about darkness
is not a matter of trying to be
morbid..or unleash Horrors
into the World...it is a form of
therapy which purges the
Shadows from my Mind,
and Makes the Horrors of
Life more manageable.

Some will listen to music, and
talk about their feelings with
others to help them with their
problems.

Me?...I write,..and turn the
Nature of Darkness and the
Boogeyman into an Art Form.

j.stephen.h.

On Suicide.

On Suicide.
____________

Nearly everyone in today's society
knows someone who has committed
suicide, or have at one point considered
taking their own life.

Yet in spite of it's prevalence, it is still
one of the most highly mythologized
social phenomena in many societies and
cultures.

Religious Fundamentalist types with no
obvious medical knowledge or understanding
of mental disorders, favor taking the spiritual
view that Suicide is a Sin, and declare that those
who take their own life are destined to perish
in hell. (regardless that most of those who
commit suicide suffer from a sickness,
which would imply that a Loving God
punishes the Sick and infirm for something
they did not choose to experience and
ultimately cannot control.)

Other misinformed types who are unfamiliar
with the multitude of causes, and contributing
factors which lead to suicide, consider it a
"selfish act" and say that it's taking "the easy
way out." They consider suicidal types to
be weak, or socially inferior somehow...
unable to handle the harsher realities of
life.

Such types are (often unwittingly) responsible
for perpetuating the misinformed views that
so many have concerning suicide, and it is
up to us, as civic minded, evolved persons,
to shed a light upon the darkness of these
antiquated notions.

Suicide is an act which effects many
people aside from just the individual
who chooses to take their life.

Fathers and Mother lose sleep at night,
wondering if something they did may have
contributed to their child's despair, or
if there was anything they could have
said, or done to prevent it.

Arguments break out between family
members, placing blame on one another
for not Being There enough, or noticing
the "tell tale signs".

Children of parents who commit suicide
often wonder if it was something they
did, and often feel abandoned, or that their
Mother or Father did not Love them enough
to stick around.

These are but a few examples, and
the list goes on,..but the main point
is SUICIDE IS A SOLITARY ACT
which creates several devastating
repercussions that effect MANY
People. (often in unforeseeable ways.)

Those left behind are left to suffer
without any real answers, or comfort.

This brief work is intended to expose
some of the most prevalent Misconceptions
concerning Suicide.

Misconception 1)
SUICIDE IS A SELFISH ACT?

This has always been a popular
argument for many, and I will
be the first to say that in certain
social contexts, committing suicide
can be considered selfish,..when
the individual in question is a criminal
who kills him or herself in order to
avoid prosecution and incarceration
for their crimes...BUT, for non-criminal
types, it isn't really a matter of
selfishness so much as a means to
escape what they feel to be a hopeless,
painful situation.

The definition of selfish
is : lacking consideration for others,
or concerned chiefly with ones own
personal pleasure or profit.

Most who commit suicide are NOT
concerned with their own pleasure,
or profit..they are concerned with
ending their physical and/or emotional
pain and despair. For whatever reason
they are no longer able to Live with
themselves and see death as the only
alternative. (many suicides even leave
behind notes explaining themselves,
and apologizing to loved ones. Does
this strike you as selfish?)

2) THEY TOOK THE "EASY WAY OUT"

The absurdity of this statement
should be self evident to anyone with
half their wits.

Suicide is NEVER easy. Nothing
about it. Most suicides contemplate
it, and even experiment several times
before they gather the courage to
go through with it. It's not like they
just wake up one day and say "well
gee, life sure is hard. I think I'll
blow my brains out, or eat some
pills!"

It is something that the majority
of them contemplate, and mull
over in their minds. Weighing
the pros and cons.

Few suicides are Spontaneous,
spur of the moment affairs.

3) People who commit suicide
are going to HELL.

While I am far from religious in
any sense of the word, this misconception
never fails to annoy me because anyone
who has actually READ the bible,
instead of just rambling on about
whats In it, without ever opening one,
know that there is NO MENTION
of Suicides going to Hell.

There is a reference in corinthians
chapter 6 verse 19/20 that says "do
you not know that your body is a
temple of the holy spirit who is
in you, whom you have received
from God? you are not your own 20)
you were bought at a price, therefore
honor god with your body.

This is in no way  an indictment
to hell for those who commit
suicide, and while I am not religious,
I felt the need to mention it for those
who are, because it is one of the
greatest burdens upon many who
have thought about suicide, or
known others who have died by
their own hand. And it is irresponsible
on MANY levels for spiritual leaders
and common Laypersons alike to
instill fear and despair into the minds
of people by telling them their loved
ones are going to suffer for an eternity
because they succumbed to a mental
illness.

The problem with scripture is that
it is too often twisted to Justify the
personal beliefs of those quoting from it,
and the person in question often takes it
out of it's generally accepted
context in order to support their own
Agenda.

Of god, I will only say that
by my understanding of
God, (a supreme, all knowing,
all powerful being, with an
awareness of past, present,
and future events.) if such a
Thing Exists, then Everything that
occurs would be an extension
of it's Will to some degree.


_________

There are many contributors which
lead people to consider, or commit suicide;
ranging from mental illness, physical
illness, criminal evasion to avoid
prosecution/incarceration, existential
anxiety etc, Yet whatever the reason, it can
(in many instances) be Prevented.

So be vigilant, an unafraid to lend your ear
to your fellow man whenever he or she is
lost in their own despair. For just by Listening,
and offering compassion, your choice to do so
could make all of the difference, and mean life
or Death for one who is SUFFERING.

J.Stephen.H.

On Man and Chaos.

On Man and Chaos.
_______________

I do not measure the merits
of a Man by any cause he
claims a willingness to die for,
but rather by the positive way
in which he chooses to live his
Life in service of Others.

Death is (by far) an easier path
to take than this Uncertain Road
of Living, for the mortal body
dies but once, while any Soul that
does not shine with Love dies
endlessly evermore.

I have little admiration for those
sophistic naysayers who profess
to know how to live a Life absent
of chaos, yet my deepest respect
goes to anyone who has discovered
(within themselves) a means by
which to make this chaotic existence
more bearable. They are honest in
their Truth that Man and Chaos are
inseparable, yet bold enough none
the less to embrace Absurdity on its
own terms, without conforming to the
(false) belief that chaos ultimately reigns
the day.

Those aware of chaos are either
Blessed, or Cursed. Blessed if they
accept that Fate is a Mockery in the
Face of Freedom, and thus create
destiny for themselves; ... Cursed
if they fall Victim to repeated cycles
of indoctrination, while bound by
self-slavery to those erroneous
Theologies of Man.

Unfortunately, most slaves are
unwitting, and few reach enligh-
tenment by the devices of their
own reasoning, so that it often
requires another enlightened
soul to endow them with that
"Promethean Flame"; but once
their dreaming eyes awaken to
the possibility of Freedom, they
Will never sleep again.

(But most remain well rested,
and content to be the authors of
their Own Personal Script.)

And so here I am,.. a wanderer
in the process of enlightenment,..
seeking others to enlighten.

Staring boldly into the face of
Chaos, and serving the only cause
worthy of my Hearts Intent.
(Those I Love.)

J.Stephen.H.

The Hermit and His Shadow.

The Hermit and His Shadow.
________________________

My Shadow spoke this morning, in a
roar that (until now) I had formerly
reduced to a state of manageable
whispers, that did not eat away at
my heart one love at a time.

A man who considers himself wise
once told me that since there is
no way of successfully defeating
ones shadow, it's mostly a matter of
compromise. That one must
occasionally "give the beast it's
hour upon the stage" and allow
it to speak and be heard without
ridicule. Then (once it finds suitable
expression in the world) it will return
willfully to that home most rational
men would consider a cage.
_

My Shadow is homeless however,..
a beggar suffering from an addiction
to be known, and craved, and loved
in such a way that the World itself
becomes a substitute for that home
it never had. Thus an hour upon the
stage is like giving a drunkard a sip
of wine he craves by gallons.
No amount of praise, or attention
can fill the hungry void that is My
Shadow.

Because of this, I am a Hermit.
My Home is my prison, and My
Heart is a Wasteland of memories
from a former life when my shadow
was a newborn light singing in joy
beneath the heavenly stars.

I do not congregate with other
Souls, nor allow My Shadow to
mingle with theirs. For to do so would
ensure the destruction of what remains
of my Heart and likely be a plague upon
mankind.

Even in writing this, to an audience that
will never hear it...I feel the dreaded
fiend within me growing to Titanic heights,
drunk on primitive hungers no modern
man could understand. And so I must
make short my work, and sit in silence
beneath Heaven's Starless Void,.. until the rays of
morning light conceal the sorrows of my
bitter Heart. (which is constantly 
consumed one Love at a Time.)

J.Stephen.H.