The Primal Forces of Passion

Sex and violence. Both are exciting. Both are intimidating. Either can be crude or sensual. They are the most passionate of our impulses. They are the fire of our art and fiction.

Sex. Every human being is instilled with the unassuming desire to perpetuate the species by means of physical intercourse. Coitus, the actual means of sexual reproduction, is the intended act of our innate yearning. Sexuality is an impetus beyond its procreative application, however. Creatures use it as a means of affection and domination. Humanity channels its energies for creative or manipulative endeavors. Our religions, philosophies and politics are shaped by its influence.

Violence. Every creature struggles. Nature is balanced by the callous reality of survival of the fittest. Predators devour prey. Aggression asserts or thwarts assertion. Even our spiritual ideals of freedom and justice are the struggle of good against evil. Even that which is gentle and friendly thrives and endures only if protected by the threat or use of force.

Sex and violence. They are the primal forces in action as interaction. Each is intense. Together they are overwhelming. Like male and female they are the polarities of a natural, restless dynamic. In art and fiction they are the drama of passion. They are the vim and vigor of our psyche and the spices of our imagination.

I am a writer and an artist. I celebrate the intensities of sex and violence. I refine their qualities and focus their energies. I am mindful of their danger but appreciate their sensual and dramatic potential. Like fire, they are immeasurably useful but must be used with thoughtful care. Like fire, they must be fed and burn if we are to be their beneficiary.

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ShawnOToole

The Grim Reality of Adventure Fiction

Humanity has always loved stories of high adventure. Heroes, villains and monsters have always been our favorite characters. Legend, whether embellished history or conspicuous fiction, is what inspires us. For all our science, technology and supposed enlightenment we have not changed. Humanity is as it has always been. We want and love what we have always wanted and loved. Our entirety has always been within.

Fiction is like dreams: a fanciful way of symbolically articulating and experiencing our innermost thoughts and feelings. To thrive and prosper in reality we must struggle, hence, the everlasting relevance of adventure stories. The "hero" of such a tale is the champion of our struggle. The "villain" is the will that opposes us. A "monster" is the primal forces to be reckoned with.

Adventure must be exciting if it is to be adventurous. Danger must lurk if a hero is to prove heroic. A villain must mean harm if he is to be villainous. A monster must prey on humanity if it is to be monstrous. The story is one of effort and conflict. The characters and their interactions are the story.

Fighting is what makes an adventure story intense; mortal combat specifically. Peril and sexuality can do much to excite but violence is a must. The struggle is the very theme of the adventure. It resonates because we all struggle. A battle to the death is the ultimate clash of wills. Fighting to the death, inside or out, is a tribulation we all face just by living.

Adventure fiction easily assimilates every other genre... because questing and conflict are the defining moments of the human condition.

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ShawnOToole

Patriotic Spirit

I love my country. I am protective of its sovereignty, appreciative of its virtues and proud of its accomplishments. Understanding that "survival of the fittest" was, is and shall always be the way of the world, I condone my nation's use of subversion and force. In sports and war I am loyal to my own team, regardless of who is supposedly deserving, right or wrong. I am neither a bigot nor a jingoist: I am a realist whose every thought and action is for the common good.

God himself is nothing without his adoring masses. One man is simply irrelevant unless a multitude finds him useful. People are weak. People as a people are strong. Alas, the anonymous many are the relevance of the individual and the power and glory of the mighty few.

Freedom and justice are neither loyal nor obedient. They respect no man's person nor do they bend to the consensus of the many. Freedom defies power. Justice shuns glory. The mighty and the many are equals in the eyes of freedom and justice.

As a man of flesh of blood I must breath, eat and drink. My nation is my safety and a fertile ground for the sowing of my life's endeavors. My patriotism is thoughtful and justified. I bless the many who are my nation by edifying their virtues and appreciating their accomplishments. I encourage them to love what is good about us. I remind them that We the People are the heart, mind, soul and strength of our great nation. I strive to create and am reticent to destroy. I implore my countrymen to do the same, for the good of us all.

As a man of spirit I see the cracks in the walls of the nations and know all walls come tumbling down. I see and smell every culture for the smoke it is and know it is soon to dissipate. I am mindful that all wealth is rust and ashes. The pride of the doomed is vainglory. Freedom and justice shall prevail, stripping the mighty and the many naked to be judged. One shall reap what one has sown, alone and individually.

The friendly shall reap the friendship they have sown. The merciful shall be spared. The caring shall be cared for. To hell with all others for they were dead even as they lived. Let us be forever rid of their festering stench. Never again shall there be tribes or nations for the need of them shall be over. The dreary days of enemies shall have passed away.