Now it's looking a little monstrous, isn't it?
It’s hard to define a monster. Think about it, there are so many things we can think of as monsters. From James P. Sullivan to a ten-legged fire-breathing rhino to a pedophile to racism…
I took a course on monsters once. I loved it. We discussed so much and yet… at the end of the course all of the participants had a different concept of what a monster is. At the time, when confronted about this the professor said something along the lines of:
That’s the whole point of the course. I can’t define a monster for you. Not even the philosophers we've read can. My intention here is that you give the subject some thought and draw conclusions, no matter what they are. What's important is that you get something out of this.
For me it’s still a little complicated, but it's really fun to give some thought to the matter so I did get something good: I now often reflect on monsters and what comes with them.
About an hour ago—after facing a really bad case of writer’s block and reading this—I decided to work on a story I’ve been trying to continue that involves… you guessed it: monsters. Now, I didn’t reach a breakthrough with that one but it did get my gears turning. Can we find monsters everywhere? In everything?
“He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster, when you gaze long into the abyss the abyss also gazes into you.” – Friedrich Nietzsche.
Now I have not yet read ‘Jenseits von Gut und Böse’ but that phrase is quite famous and definitely catches the eye.
The first part is a quite obvious, yet deep. Nietzsche points at one of the main problems of mankind: an obsession can lead us to become what we vehemently reject—like a pacifist blowing up a building to send a message against war or a preacher who resorts to sins to spread the word of his religion. We are all vulnerable.
The second part to me shows an idea just as complex as the first one. ‘When you gaze long into the abyss the abyss also gazes into you’. What is it that the abyss watches in us? Can it see our humanity? So, maybe, and I could be terribly wrong here but… what if the abyss–the monster we fight–gets some humanity out of us too? Can we find a monster in every human, and a human in every monster?
What about you, who took the time to read this? In a few words. Could you share with me what comes to your mind when you think of monsters?
Well, I "wrote" a post few days back about spider eating a bee, and all living things must eat concept, so I think we see monstrosity in something that we don't like, or it is just disgusting even if we have no clue is it good or bad, it wakes a terror in us. Since we are talking about monstrums I must share this beautiful scene and one quote with you.
For the quote I will go a bit classic, William Shakespeare:
Somehow I have never feared creatures of the dark, wild animals, but only our human monsters, THE monster in me; in everyone actually. And it scares me to death when you hear, or worse, have known someone for quite a long time and they just snap into something you never realize it is possible.
Guess that is one of the reason I like to read Stephen King's books. :)
And for the ending, I enjoyed your article. :)
It's interesting how you phrase all this. You describe monstrosity with the bee-eating spider, yet you don't point at the spider as a monster. Then, you talk about 'creatures of the dark', and that hints on monsters, yet your description isn't monstrous at all.
I think it was either Canguilhem or Focault who wrote something about monsters and monstrosity as separate concept, only that was on a different note I think... I can't recall and can't seem to find it online either :(. Nonetheless, I think what you wrote here is a great example of that differentiation.
I really liked the phrase from the scene! It somehow points to that relativity @waphilip wrote about as well as to your Shakespeare quote. Also, it rises the question... do we create our monsters? Or do we just choose them?
Thanks a lot for reading and sharing your thoughts :)
If you can classify the psychological identity of monster until abstraction I am sure you will find that it is so vastly different from your ordinary self. So you can understand what divides you from them. In doing so you can enforce the differences and take pride in your own identity. So I think that a good understanding of a monster will reinforce your own identity.
So—if I understood correctly, you're saying that a monster is the representation of that which is completely different from our core identity? If that is so, I think you're right with your last statement, by understanding the monster we understand ourselves better. Does that mean our monsters are part of us?
Thanks for sharing @mathowl!
I mean like this ->
Hmmmm a very interesting representation! Not what I had in mind, but intellectually pleasant nonetheless. And of course leave it to @mathowl to find a math-way to explain monsters...
'Everyone is a monster to someone. Since you are so convinced that I am yours, I will be it.' - Captain James Flint, "Black Sails"
Very interesting and thought provoking. To me, snakes are monstrous creatures that invoke absolute fear and flight from me. But to others, snakes are beautiful creatures in nature. So, just like beauty, monsters are in the eye of the beholder. Awesome post :)
Just the exact quote svemirac shared! the one from Black Sails. It's a good one.
It is very interesting how a monster is defined by our point of view too. As you point out, we can think of something or someone as frightening or foreign, yet others may not see them as monstrous at all. It's all about perception.
Thank you for you comment @tropicalwolf!
Nice share. I like things that spark intellectual thought and dialogue. Especially ones so useful for writing fiction.
I tend to think like you. Nietzsche's quote is intriguing because it sort of brings us to the heart of "the monster" which is defined by our perception. Some people actually like Trump. And to some he's the most terrible thing imaginable hiding under the bed.
So what comes to my mind when I think of the term "monster"?
It's this sort of caricature. A monster I used to imagine when I was very little. Now it doesn't look very scary. It's very generic, but I think we'd all think "monster" if we saw it. Albeit childish. Short, stocky, furry, big eyes, sharp teeth, maybe horns.
The other image that follows is something like Nietzsche referred to. I see into a dark well, I see these eyes that flash open to register me. Something that is going to climb out of my mind into my reality now that I've acknowledged it. To me I can best describe it as my depression that I've dealt with most of my life. It would be the thing that most has attacked my life and changed it from what I perceived as "should be" into a sort of horror version of what "should be."
Long answer, I know. To me a monster, I guess, is that which wrenches a thing or situation into the terrible. It starts off as unknown and then it arrives to shock.
I love long answers when they say a lot.
I love this. This image of a monster that's so stereotypical and yet not that scary. Maybe even cute, if you emphasize the 'childishness'. Makes me think about the so many not-scary monsters that exist in every culture.
Now, this one... not stereotypical at all. Shapeless, yet really scary.
Very interesting description. Thank you for sharing!
This is a very interesting topic.. to read it, because for my part, I can’t answer, I can’t even decide if a monster is should be always something/someone negative to you…I can think of good monsters too… If monster should be what scares you the most the abyss for me represents it quite completely.
I agree, the definition of monster is a little blurry, but that's what makes it interesting! The fact that you can think of good monsters is a proof of that. There are monsters that, in my opinion and following yours, are not monstrous, not scary, some are even good, as you put it!
Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely loved this @isa93!
One of my favorite quotes is, "anybody is a killer if you push em to the limit" -Jcole
It's very relatable to Nietzsche's quote in that, we are all inherently good and evil, it's all relative to who's interpreting the action. If we stare, or focus on a certain stimuli, whether it's good or evil, we are bound to be affected by it.
Really enjoyed reading this post, and I'm looking forward to more in the future! Your going to thrive on Steemit, just be patient, active and genuine in the comments, and keep putting out quality content like this!
Wow thanks! I'm really glad you enjoyed it.
Nice quote. You're right, seeing something from a relative POV instead of an absolute one leads to different interpretations of the facts. And yet, since this inertial frame of reference is (maybe) located somewhere in the middle of the universe... maybe we can't see things but relatively, and it's in us to judge something as 'good' or 'evil', not capable of reaching an absolute verdict? Something else that's fun to think about.
Thanks for reading and for the good vibes! I really appreciate your comment.
Wow I’ve never thought that deep about it before haha Definitley some food for thought!
And anytime 😁!
wow.
pls upvote and follow me :)
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Monsters are closets and what we hide in them.