Ultimate Good Versus Evil

In both reality and fiction, the champions of good wage war against the thieving, murderous forces of evil. Masterminds plot and subvert. Heroes find themselves vastly outnumbered by the minions of villainy. The mastermind sacrifices others at a whim. The hero risks himself to protect and avenge the innocent. "Right" and "wrong" may prove subjective. Good and evil, however, are very distinct.

A tempered strength and thoughtful effort are good. A conniving intellect and malevolent scheme are evil. All else is spoils or treasure. Hero or mastermind: all others are lambs gathered for the slaughter.

The war of good against evil is spiritual. In reality, the struggle is muddled by chauvinism and politics. The truth itself, however, is what it is regardless of such things. Freedom does not bend to will. Justice respects no man's person nor heeds any law or custom. The whimsical ways of humanity have no say in the matter of all that matters. The war of good against evil precedes and transcends mortal notions.

A hero is the only relevant force of good. A mastermind is the only will to evil. All others are victims and chattel. Ultimately, the war of good against evil is a duel.

The Value of Human Life

"Fairness" is a nonsense that fails to acknowledge the reality that some are simply better than others. "Equality" is an ideal and nothing more. The vast majority of people are insignificant and their lives inconsequential.

Most of the few who make a name for themselves are soon forgotten. Most of the few who make a difference make little difference. I have more fingers and toes than there were ever relevant men and women. Alas, pride proves a vainglory.

In fiction, there are main characters and supporting characters. There are the anonymous masses: the bystanders and lambs gathered for the slaughter. Reality is no different. Your part to play is your importance. Your significance is your relevance. You must be interesting, even if hated, if you are to be remembered.

Do you shun renown? Are you content with obscurity? May your works prove memorable or else your life was in vain. Shine as light shines or be lost in the shadows of those who do.

For better or worse, for good or evil, a life that makes a difference is more important than one that does not. Significance is significant and insignificance irrelevance. Be hot or cold. Lukewarm is mediocrity. The mediocre are a dead weight that burden the heroic. The lukewarm are the chattel of the malevolent.

Is human life precious? It is the only life that can be. A man or woman may be lost in a crowd... or rise above it or sink below it. Choose and choose wisely. Your value is not a given. You must make something of yourself... or you are a nothing.

Sexually Unfair

Everyone, male or female, associates women with sex. Even beasts and aquatic mammals readily find women sexually desirable. The Bible claims angels did as well.

"Fairness" is whatever people want it to be. "Fairness" is always the unfair advantage sought by its proponents. It is subjective, opportunistic sophistry and nothing more.

It is "unfair" that women are always associated with sex. It is equally "unfair" that women are weaker than men. It is "unfair" that women are the only ones burdened with pregnancy and the pangs of childbirth. So? Nature is real. "Fairness" is a whatever nothing.

Men are stronger than women. Men rule the world. Women have no say unless granted a say by men. Both anatomically and spiritually men have the penis and women the vagina. A woman may tease but a man can rape. Life is so unfair.

Men shall always dominate, even in a matriarchy. Women shall always be associated with sex, even when homely. So? Admire a man for being strong. Adore a woman for being sexy. Anything contrary would be unnatural.

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Stormtroopers, Red Shirts and Scream Queens

The Imperial Stormtrooper of Star Wars is popular fiction's favorite useless henchman. The Red Shirt of Star Trek is the most popular expendable protagonist. The scream queen dominates the cinematic horror genre. We enjoy these characters because they die with style. Their flamboyant mortality makes them immortal.

The Stormtrooper was thrashed by cute little teddy bears. The Red Shirt was turned into a polyhedron and crushed into powder. The scream queen committed involuntary "suicide" by head-butting a wall-mounted television set. They are lambs gathered for inglorious slaughter. They are victims to our grim delight.

Reality is all about consequences. Art and fiction are creative expression. Death in life is the cessation of life and nothing more. In art and fiction, however, it is drama and intensity. Even if expressed in jest, the demise of a character resonates with grim connotations. In both reality and unreality death is cold and darkness. Used artfully, however, it is a rousing theme.

The Stormtrooper, Red Shirt and scream queen are popular because they genuinely entertain us. Their thematic misfortunes thrill and inspire us. We would be at a loss without them.

Fiction's Favorite Evil

They were efficient, ruthless and genocidal. Their ideology was nigh a religion and their plans for conquest nearly realized. Their uniforms were stylish, their weapons sleek and their technology amazing. They were the Third Reich.

Nazi Germany was the reality of a desperate nation striving to grow and flourish. In propaganda and fiction it was the epitome of evil bent on world domination. The reality was smashed when the Germans were conquered. The grim glory of their Third Empire, however, has grown and flourished into the symbol of evil at its finest.

Long after World War Two, the Nazis remain a favorite antagonist in fiction. Organized villainy is often fashioned after them. Their symbols and the face and name of their leader still evoke dread. Though decried as the ultimate evil, the Nazis prove darkly fascinating and artistically inspiring. The legacy of the Third Reich is one we have grown to love to hate.

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.

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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.

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