Do you have a "DARK SIDE"?

in #life7 years ago

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“The dance between darkness and light will always remain— the stars and the moon will always need the darkness to be seen, the darkness will just not be worth having without the moon and the stars.” - C. JoyBell C.

Do you have a "DARK SIDE"?

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“All shadows of clouds the sun cannot hide, like the moon cannot stop oceanic tide; but a hidden star can still be smiling at night's black spell on darkness, beguiling” ― Munia Khan

I was asked recently if I have a “dark side”
Well, my initial reaction was “is that a trick question?”

What exactly does a question like that mean –
and what sort of answer is expected?

Do I go out at night and sacrifice little kittens to a dark lord? No.
Do I plot people’s murders like Dexter? No.
(Ok maybe sometimes… but you would have to annoy me a great deal first lol)
And Dexter is still the SUPER HERO of serial killers in my mind lol...

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I suppose there are many angles to view a question like that
and personally, I think everything in life is about balance,
so effectively then, we ALL have a little of both or a lot of one –
perhaps some of us just actively engage in the one more than the other,
making the "swing" heavier in one direction or the other.

If I were to look at my past,
I would say that I probably explored
a little more than many - with both sides of the scale,
and probably leaning more towards the darker side of things...


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I have dated two people in my life that have considered themselves Satanists. The first being nothing more than a confused youngster in my opinion lol (although still an eye-opener), but the latter of the two - still to this day takes it quite seriously... like Alistair Crowley seriously... It was his "religion", his passion and there was no getting beyond that. – to be frank, he is indeed a VERY dark individual and despite the magnetism and intrigue felt by this Gemini woman, much of what I was exposed to throughout the time that we were together was disturbing to say the least. I dated him for two years and as much as I found certain attributes of his character and practices quite enticing… at the end of the day, I really felt that it completely went against my natural grain.

During this time, I met people from ALL walks of life and explored all KINDS of "things" - things that most people would never even imagine happening in a "real world" - unless of course the real world actually comprised of living, breathing, walking, talking vampires and the like...

Does it? Well, what I experienced came pretty damn close... excluding the eternal life part... although that too is a debatable facet. lol - either way...

Try and try as I did, to accept that side of him or embrace that part of his life, I eventually realised that I was lying to myself. I may be intrigued by mystery and certain things that are a little “darker” but they are most definitely not who I am. I am UNQUESTIONABLY more of a sunshine kinda gal! lol - In fact I think what I struggled with the most in that situation was the looming reality that at some point I would be faced with having to explain "this" to my son and I simply knew in my heart that I could NEVER do that, nor could I accept that for him growing up, no matter HOW much I may have been fascinated by the person himself. And so, naturally – that was the end of that.

I require a little more balance...


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Being in that relationship however, did teach me a lot… I realised that excessive darkness, as consuming as it may be, is exceptionally depleting! Dating someone like that was exceptionally draining both mentally and emotionally. He was unable to “lift himself up” when he hit rock bottom and I became like an “energy supply” to him. He actually NEEDED me there for that - and admitted on many occasion that he found that his energy levels literally dropped when I wasn’t around and that whatever little enthusiasm he did in fact feel for life, disappeared. This became problematic as I eventually began suggesting possible alternatives to “life and belief” choices – naturally that was met with MUCH resistance and was futile.

It became clear to me after some time in that situation that someone completely consumed by darkness, was a lot more needy than someone who filled their life with light. (Yes, it may seem like a no-brainer, but things like this are not ALWAYS black and white) - I was just not prepared to explore the levels of darkness that he was. Yes, I have my levels and they probably exceed the "average persons" but I have my boundaries for balance too...

It was again, only after I left that situation that I realised just how TAXING it had been on me to be around such a dark individual all the time. There was NO BALANCE! None!


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So, going back to the question – yes, I suppose I do have a dark side, but through much exploration in my life, and the understanding that there are two sides to everyone and everything, I have no uncertainty as to which side of the scales I lean – and that is without question, the happy go lucky one. Lol!

“When the Sun of compassion arises darkness evaporates and the singing birds come from nowhere.” - Amit Ray


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Until next time...

Much Love from Cape Town, South Africa xxx

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sometimes it's not a choice to be in the dark side.. sometimes the dark side is all the person has to define who he or she really is..it's who they are and it's the only person they know how to be..take that away and they are nothing...that's why they prefer to stay in the dark because they are afraid of the light destroying who they are..

VERY accurate words @grayarty!!!!! I know ALL too well of this.... so can completely relate, but I DO have to say that, at the end of it all.... EVERYTHING in life is a choice, and although a person may have not been afforded much comparison... there is generally enough exposure to the outside world to gain adequate comparison and if the comparative is appealing, then there is a choice presented... and at that point the rest is up to the individual as to whether they choose to venture that new path or not...

thanks for agreeing with me on this! yeah everyone talks about choice, but no one wakes up in the morning saying they gonna be Evilllllllll! Like Dr.Doofenshmirtz, from Phineas and Ferb..u know him? ok probably not lol.. everyone wakes up and wants to be good but unfortunately it's not easy when all the frustrations and pain that one feels is just so strong that u can't help but go back to the way u were.. because that's like your comfort zone..and yeah u can call it self pity but maybe that's all a person knows how to be also..I dunno..it's just too complicated to explain...

I definitely wouldn't call it self pity. I can completely understand precisely what you are saying and it is very true. These are battles that many people face every single day... some more so than others and it is a very REAL thing - not to be treated flippantly and fobbed off... but, I believe - being a person that has been dealt many a blow int his life and suffering from a multitude of issues, including mild depression .... BABY STEPS. Rome was not built in a day and even if we make the smallest of progressive steps forward on a daily basis... whether they feel true to us or not, it is still better than not trying at all!

Much love to you @grayarty

wow u really do understand what I'm talking about..not many can..you're really a special person with a good heart..wish u all the best in your life..u definitely deserve it! Much love to u too @jaynie

Rightbackatya!!! @grayarty - Stay in touch ok :)

I have read it several times over the last few days. I have resteemed it for others to read. I have been thinking about a good reply, but not gotten anywhere. Your little piece of wonder deserves a good reply! An intellectual evaluation and useful critique. I'm sorry to say i'm not in that category just yet. I can't give justice to writing what you made me think, cause word aren't enough. Some say the best experiences in life are best if unspoken, but you deserve to know it touched another human heart. Keep up the good work!

I think the response you DID give @vikingabroad spoke from the heart anyway. So thank you for that! I write with the sole purpose of reaching other people on a level that impacts their lives, so I am glad I seem to have achieved this. Thank you!!!!

Aww... @jaynie, I just want to reach through my screen and give you a BIG hug (I think you know why 😉)!

Yes, we all have a dark side and I strongly believe we all have a light side. I think it's the light in people that we are all drawn to ❤☀️☯️. Some people bring the dark side out of us more than others, the trick is knowing who they are and making the appropriate decisions ❤

Biiiig virtual hug angel xxx

Well that was a really interesting read. Fun to see a different facet of your past.

My dark side was probably most present in the years I suffered from depression. The whole world was dark then (although not in the way you describe it in your story).

Now I don't consider myself to have a dark side. I can be negative and a bit of an eeyore at times but I wouldn't call it dark. Maybe a little blah! 😁

I can definitely relate to the "blah" scenario in myself too @gillianpearce lol

Wow the quote from yoda was epic. I have never heard that one. I suppose we all have 2 wolves in are lives. The dark side of are life is one wolf and the light side is another wolf. It is up to us to discuss which would we will choose to feed.

Precisely! In fact I wrote about exactly that yesterday!

12:36 in the a.ms, the scotch is good, the read is good. I'm in the mood, why not add my bit.
I think that the romance of the darkside is a dramatic one fashioned for one end only. To ensnare. It's a suspicious question that implies some of a kind of a sinister motive. To see how far one is willing to go and how far one can be take along for the ride. Think Bram Stoker's Count Dracula or, to use a contemporary example, 50 Shades of Gray. The main leads entices and seduce with the question of one's acquaintance with their dark-side. It's the seduction of the assumed innocent.

Thanks @jaynie for this provocative post and your honesty as well. Like you, Iam a positive person for the most part.

But if I was to say that I never have "dark" feelings or thoughts I would be lying.

I say sometimes and pretty much the ONLY time I feel a little "dark" is when Iam around bullies and people who are blatantly disrespectful towards my friends or any family members.

I just cannot tolerate people being mean. It just gets me stirred up !!

I have always been the guy who bullies the bully ( but only in a way to protect those the bully is bullying.)

Anyway, thanks again for your interesting and insightful post :)

Robert

people who are blatantly disrespectful towards my friends or any family members.

Yup! Agreed! That REALLY grates me too... and definitely brings out the "grrr" lol

Hmmm. I think I know who asked you that question, but I digress. As a Catholic raised boy, there wasn't a chance in hell I'd ever date someone into the occult.

But music and the Grateful Dead had me off and running for some time. I still love the music, not the lifestyle.

hahahaha I would LOVE to know who you "think" asked me that question.... :D

Ok. I still like part of the lifestyle. Not the drinking, drugging, irresponsible part.

My guess? @deadsparrow. :)

Good guess actually @inalittlewhile and I could imagine @deadsparrow asking that of me, but no... keep guessing ;)

I love that last Carl Jung quote about bringing awareness to the darknesss. It is the antidote to all new age bullshit.

This is a great post and it's essential to explore the darkness and your shadow side if you want to truly grow. It's just as important to learn from your so called negative thoughts and feelings as your positive ones.

Thank you @eftnow :) and yes, it is a great quote indeed

Duality in all of us keeps us busy, keeps us in check, hence the human drama. Thank you for your post.

Too true @madlena ;)