Sunday, August 15, 2010

Shadows

Its a fairly normal title, shadows, but this is going to be a very deep (hopefully) post. Shadows are part of you, they are you in essence, but they are also separate from you, something wanting to imitate you, following your every move, but cant quite be you. You can never be rid of your shadow, it will go with you wherever and always be part of you. Your mind is the same way, all the memories, the mistakes, the downfalls, the ups, the praise, all will be with you for the rest of your life, and no matter what you do, you can not be rid of them. You can attempt to cover them up but even that will not destroy them, and you will still have to deal with them. But your past, as well as your shadow, can be put behind you, as long as you look forward into the light.

Metaphorically, the shadow seems to be very multi-talented. Shadows represent death, and darkness. They are the opposite of light and life, they are something you don't want to face. They are also your deepest hidden secret, the part of you that you don't want to exist but is there for the entire world to see, and no matter how you try to run from it, it follows you. But in art, it draws the line between the good artist and the great artist. It is what makes things go from dead and fake and flat to alive and real. The shadow to me means lots of different things. The shadow is your clone, the thing that you have from birth until you die, that is you, that is of you, that is unfortunately yet thankful ever silent. Anything you have seen, your shadow has as well. Anything you've done, your shadow did it too. Anything you think, your shadow was there preying on your mind, taking what is yours and making it theirs as well. Even now as I type, my shadow types with me, imitating my keystrokes exactly, yet making no impact. It is rather sad I believe, that this thing is forced to be with you yet can not truly do anything at all. It can not complain, it can not move, it can not be free of you.

I keep referring to the shadow and the conscience, your mind. I think that this is the thing that sticks out to me the most. When you see something you don't want to, hear something you don't want to, face something you don't want to, that thing becomes a part of you, whether you want it to or not, and it is there with you for the rest of forever. No matter what, its in your mind, and it can make you laugh or haunt you any time it wishes. You have no shield from it, it just happens at random, with only the tiniest spark of outside influence telling it to appear. Its just like a shadow, the smallest speck of light, and its there. Every time.