States of being

Greetings All.

The state of one's being is subject to debate; oft heated, when debates cross the line into 'taboo' territory sanctioned impossible, improbable, or plain old ridiculous by the 'learned' scholars who set standards for what is and what is not. When the subject arises among the less 'learned', ordinary folks, if you will, follow the natural inclination to head for the nearest dictionary, thesaurus, or other sources of information (bibles by the 'learned' for the less learned) and voila, it all comes clear.

Let me take a moment to speak to what many of my visitors here have pointed out as my tendency to poke fun at those who shape the world of information; experts. Aye, and I do. I suppose I need to clarify my reasons for doing so. To cut to the chase, it is more for the fact that so many are willing to accept 'the word' pertaining to whatever information is being sought, on face value; the ease of availability. Understood, we are not all experts who have the time or inclination to go haring off looking for reasons to dispute what appears to have unfettered validity. The point of the exercise is more to remind that not all is as it appears, even to experts. How many times have some with purported higher intelligence boldly provided false theories, equations with no valid solutions, false claims, etc., conceived for the sole purpose of hoodwinking the public? My favorite remedies for prevention of just such tactics; step outside the box for a breath of fresh air, look around and think for self, consider the foibles of humanity (weaknesses that lend themselves to narrow mindedness, short sight, and the unwillingness to test given limits), open your mind, and use your intelligence.

If one always depends upon other's, one confines one's self to the arena of mediocrity in all one thinks, says, does, and believes or disbelieves. The result: setting self up to be blindsided, hoodwinked, used then discarded with the day's trash... You probably get the drift. While that arena may be your comfort zone, it is what I call the prison for those who are easily led, easily persuaded, and quite willing to give up and give in; in short, those who are satisfied with living, vicariously, through the 'learned', 'experts', 'idols', and so on. I am not suggesting that all experts are wrong in all areas, but when it comes down to that which is 'out of the norm', fear sends a great many scrambling for a place of comfort and safety; the tried and the true, where one can always fall back on he said, she said. Fine with me. If that is your preferred cup of tea, enjoy. It just does not happen to be my preference. Heard the term 'little people', in reference to the masses? Enough said?

Back to the topic of the day; states of being. Mortality, the characteristic of being human, is irrefutable, as solid proof is all around us. Most of us have been touched in one way or another by death. No expert needed to prove it. To move on to longevity (yes, some mortals live well past life expectancy and it is not necessary to get into genetics and the like), in reference to Kinds other than humans. Take Werewolves (not the only Kind with longevity), for an example. Their intrinsic characteristic of having dual natures is thought (key word) to be the factor behind their longevity beyond human years. They are long lived, and believers in the Kind and they, themselves, oft disagree as to the reason or cause. The Kind has it's own historical accountings, as with any Kind; and it's own set of problems with debatable issues.

Then there is the issue of immortality. Of course Immortals have no issue with their state of being but others do. If one goes to the dictionary, immortality is described as being exempt from death. As there are different Kinds of Immortals (your choice to believe or not), and I certainly have not met every Kind, I will speak in relation to those I have met, trust, and gleaned information from; Vampyres, for example. If one believes in their existence to begin with, those believers who have no factual knowledge or evidence of the death of one might naturally conclude that death by walking into the sun, being decapitated, or staking one's heart, are myths if one believes the dictionary description for immortality. For those of us who have actual proof that death can be visited upon an Immortal such as the Vampyre, we have learned that immortality comes with the same price tag as other states of being. To clarify; immortality is enjoyed, or not, so long as one does not meet with death.

Vampyres do not need to be reminded that their Kind is not invincible any more than the rest of Kinds do. While some might consider themselves so, those can be likened to ones of every other Kind who are foolish in that belief. Garth snickers when I playfully accuse him, as oft I do, of thinking himself indestructible. But never has he made such a bold statement, for he would be the first to say (and has) that Vampyres are as indestructible as their worst enemies; humans. The dictionary description for immortality, in his words, "only applies to the almighty Creator of whom one has complete, unshakable faith in."

Might that statement cause you to wonder whom other Kinds consider the almighty Creator? If so, it might surprise you, even shock you, that some Immortals believe in a Christian God. Garth does, and it is not at all unusual to find him haunting Christian houses of worship, most particularly of the Catholic faith, which he calls havens of peace and solace. Contrary to popular belief, forced solitude is not something Garth and many others of his Kind enjoy. But it is the solitude of a house of worship he and others like him will seek when the unfair burdens of their lives threaten to overwhelm them. Imagine that; long-lived Beings possessed of extraordinary strengths and powers few can conceive of, in need of a place to surrender their hope and belief that they, too, are deserving children of a good and just Creator. Ponder, and Blessed May You Be.

Game clue #5- Cardinal influence.