I began thinking about this post a week ago and promptly wrote some notes about my thoughts and what I had watched and read over the course of the week. But I realised that to be honest, that would be rather naff drivel. So instead I decided after some much pondering over the next few days that I would write whatever it is that I thought about and whatever it was that came to my mind. That was working out fine until I clicked off the webpage. Not clever and quite the action of immortal stupidity. However all this was for the better as a chat with a good friend opened up a very interesting topic and thus definitely worthy of a blog post so here it is. Nothing of earth shattering impact but something to talk about nonetheless. Interesting to me and one other, and I hope maybe interesting enough to read to you as well.

Ok so what it is? Of course, you already know it. The title of the post. MONSTERS, TADA!!!

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So anyway,

Writing horror and incorporating monsters in to those stories, you are compelled to wonder what constitutes a monster and what it is that scares us.

Is it monsters in the physical sense and context? Or monsters in the hypothetical concept?

Monsters with devil wings, sharp teeth, you know the type of thing, like werewolves, vampires and demons etc. Or is it ourselves that we are truly afraid of. Preferring instead to visualise and immortalise those that represent the very worst sides of humanity as mythical beasts and devils, the utmost idea of the uitterly reprehensible evil.

It's easier to promote and face an angry monster that we conjur from the darkness than to face up to our own evil.

But assuming that there are monsters out there, that are not human, waiting, lurking and preying on the weak, of body, soul and mind. Waiting to pounce on the young and the innocent.  Cursed souls, who's only purpose is to lure, feed on and **** humanity. Where would or might those souls come from? Who creates them? God?

If this isnthe case, then what does this mean for heaven and ****? Are they or were they created by God at the same time? And if so, are all the monsters, the cursed souls if you will, are they created by God in heaven first and cast down as demons and such like? Is this the reason **** was created? A place to store the cursed  and damned? Or was it created as equal to heaven. If this is the case, then what it's true purpose. Why would God create it? For what other purpose would God create it for?

But thinking of these many questions, we find ourselves innevetably lead to another question. The ultimate kind of question as to whether God is good or bad? Is God both good and evil? Is there actually no heaven or **** however? But that which exists within God themselves. That God is actually what we see or envisage as Heaven and ****. Is God both heaven and ****?

If we consider this idea, then it brings about the same question yet again, but within another context. If God is both Heaven and ****, then if they are real, where do all the monsters we know of and write about come from?

Are they all just a figment of our wild an abated imagination?

We could or rather I could talk from a purely religious perspective on this for hours. Yet, what if it isn't religious at all? What if it is a natural thing. Of flora and fauna, a natural part of the world? What if it is much like Sci-Fi?

All these monsters, from demon dogs to banshees and mermaids to zombies and everything inbetween, what if they could for instance come from breaks in realities. Our reality. A hole in the dimentions of time, of space, of other worlds. This would certainly answer some tricky questions. Questions about how they infiltrate our world, our lives, our bodies, even our minds, with apparent disregard of heaven and seeming lack of acknowledge by God and the Heavens. Who'm seem powerless to do anything about it, as the monsters seem not to be under the influence or power of the Heaven's and of God's control.

But this leads us back to the same questions as before. If they exist, why are they here? Why do they want us? What do they want with us?

If they exist then something made them, something evolved them as a creature or species. And if that the situation, then who or what was it?

Ultimately, I think, it all comes down to one thing. Faith.

It really doesn't matter if you are religious, agnostic or atheist. It doesn't matter whether you believe in God or not.

Everybody, all of us, every person no matter who you are or where you come from, every person needs or feels the need, the overriding desire to believe in something. Basically, this boils down to the one thought. If we give in to the idea that we are all that there is, no heaven, no ****, no other planets with other life, benevolent or destructive creatures. No Angels or demons, no little faries that greet us at the bottom of the garden, in the woods or at times of solstice. If we are the extent of evolved life, intelligent and capable of cognitive thought, capable of the most amazing, selfless kindness and gentle tenderness and love. And also pure hatred, unrivalled ability to perform the most horrific, disgusting and depraved acts to each other, to ourselves and to other life, then what else is there left for us? What is the point of us being here? Simply to survive like a frog in the Amazon? Even though we have the intelligence, creativity, dexterity, deposable thumbs in order to create a vision and build it in 3D. To build a physical representation of ourselves, our icons, our idols, our desires and our dreams. And most basic of all our physical requirements. To build and create new possibilities.

We need to believe in monsters, boogie men, demons, angels and everything in between. We need to believe in a God, a structure and an order to to it so we have a reason to be here, a place to assurt blame for the horrific acts terrifying selfishness that we excel at and seemingly revel in? We need a way to take the blame away from ourselves. We have to create hideous demons and un-earthly creatures to torment us so we have a reason to live, things aspire to by the way of defeating them and a reason to come together as the social, creative intelligence that we are.

Monsters are a way of us giving a body to our own denial. A denial of our ability that we wish that we didn't posess. A face to our own evil. So adversity to what seems, monsters, from satan themself, to imps, ogres and dragons are in fact a good thing, because they allow ourselves to divert attention away from our own bad sides, into a physical embodiment so that we can combat it together.

So at the end of the day, whether monsters are real or just a part of our wild imaginations and form part of our amazingly rich and varied folk and legendary mythologies, it doesn't really matter, because when push comes to shove, it is a method we employ to perfection in order to come together as a society.

So what's my point? I don't know to be honest. But I guess if anything, it is to remind ourselves that yes monsters are real, but not necessarily as we have recorded them down in history to date. But they help us keep in touch with each other and to realise the better part of ourselves. I get my demons out on the page whereas others excise them in other ways. Think about it, what do you do that helps you to relax and chill out instead of killing things and people?  I guess that is the key, monsters are a way to keep us from the worse side of our personality, they represent the worst we can be. And if we give it a body and a name, we can fight it, together.

Well after this rather babbling wander through what I think are the things that go bump in the night, I bid thee farewell, adieu, goodnight and TTFN my wonderful FREAKPEEPS. Until next post....... Sleep tight and remember, there are no monsters under the bed or in the cupboard, well there shouldn't be, but hey, you never know..............

Yours monstrously,

Rob

All pictures are the property of and supplied by myself and are copyright (c) Rob Shepherd.

https://www.facebook.com/TheRobShepherd

Oh and if you like the occasional bit you have read by me, here are links to authors you really need to check out. xx

Susan Elliston

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Flaffiteslady.blogspot.com%2F&h=4AQGzFKau

Dale Eldon

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fdale-eldon.blogspot.com%2Fp%2Fguidelines-for-author-spotlight.html&h=HAQF_VYMG

Gregory Norris

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gregorylnorris.blogspot.com%2F&h=uAQFd9nsu