In the last decade there has been an increase in zombie activity. So much so that in the last couple of years zombies have become so much of a craze that everyone wants to sink their teeth in. Right up to having a major TV series based off one of the best books series ever, The Walking Dead.
Where did this sudden increase come from? Why the sudden Class 4 outbreak of undead culture? Well many reasons factor in. For one vampires have been taken about as far as they could go and then ruined for generations to come. The ruining of vampires is an entire article in itself but I will go into it here only to express another reason society has fallen head over heels for zombies. Quite simply vampires were a darkness people are not allowed to tap into. Vampires are former humans who have become monsters, creatures of evil with the power to do and take whatever they want. Vampires offered all the advantages of undead believes and culture combined with an actual desire to become one. This is the vampire's fatal flaw, while the question "werewolf or vampire?" has been one every person has had to answer at one point or another and many have a hard time choosing, the question "zombie or vampire?" is an easy choice. No one wants to BE a zombie. There is no romance in it, no glory, to be one of the mindless horde. The question "zombie or dead?" is one that suits this particular monster much better and why they will not fall into the trap of the vampire. That is the trap of becoming a teenage dream with no flaws. Of course people are playing with the idea of zombies thinking and zombies having memories, things that the zombie community fights against harder then the vampire community fought against vampires sparkling. But zombies have two more very strong advantages in this category, zombies are real, the evidence will always be there to show zombies are not to be love interests and zombies are ugly. While a vampire is a picture of twisted human perfection, a zombie is a picture of the most disgusting thing a human can become. Vampire's flaws are what made them so great, the weaknesses made them tragic and mysterious combined with all the advantages. But once those weaknesses were taken away by the popularity of teen girls, the idea of absolute perfection is a lot less appealing to people than one would first believe. So society can't use the seductive creatures of the night as their undead of choice anymore; another must take it's place.
But why have undead at all? That goes into the fear we all have buried somewhere inside or possibly just resting on our sleeves. The fear of death; more specifically the fear of what comes after death. The undead are something we can really latch onto and stare in the face. It fulfills our natural morbid desires to find some comfort in death, even if that comfort is just knowing what comes next or comparing what comes next to what could happen if we don't pass on! So few choose to become a zombie once bit, the majority would rather die and find some sort of peace then become an abomination. Humans love to think about death in the same way they love to think about God. That is to say some people love thinking about it and other people would rather just be shown something solid and reliable or even just ambiguous and open ended. Thus so many turn to agnostic instead of a religion or atheist. In the same vein people get wrapped into zombies instead of facing finality and some unknown end. Zombies are the physical representation of inevitable death. Slowly but surely it will come for us all. But it can be fought, it can be avoided, it can possibly even be beat!
Zombies also represent something much more rooted in our generation. Zombies represent freedom. Not the freedom previous generations fought for the freedom the current generation does not fight for. Freedom from society. The vast majority of people, even though all logic and knowledge say society is correct and the ways you have been taught are safe and true, something somewhere in the mind wants to be free. Knows that things are not as good as they could be and wants to push back against the corporations and societal norms that demand everyone stays in-line and accepts this is as good as it gets. Zombies represent freedom from society. The freedom to do as you please and only be responsible for the people and things that you choose to be responsible for. Zombies are all the wild west of the future. A Class 4 outbreak would bring about a world where each man's moral compass was his law and his skills and abilities meant more then his cheque book. This sort of anarchy where every family and group has to survive on their own is a world many people secretly desire. To let go of the stress of money and a job is a very common desire and a more politically correct then wishing for the end of the world. Also consider at one point or another everyone has expressed to some extent the desire to just hurt something or the world would be better without certain jerks: the undead are a perfect outlet for this kind of thinking. Not only will most people die off anyway but the lack of law enforcement allows for aggression to be freely taken out on the undead who are, in all fairness, trying to eat you. It also will inevitably lead to bandits and certain unsavory types surviving as well, that instead of putting up with their crimes and physical attacks; survivors will finally be able to fight back and properly protect themselves without fearing consequences from law enforcement or lawyers or the joke that is insurance. Most importantly will be the freedom from money, from having to have a job and a boss, to be able to spend time in whatever manner we choose and to know that every moment of survival is a moment of victory. This is a freedom and a sense of accomplishment everyone wishes to have, and we search for it in escapism, movies, theatre, TV, games, books etc. And few things present this strange desire for freedom by any means necessary -even the end of civilization- as a zombie apocalypse.
Stay in touch, may the infection never reach you, and those close to you have the resolve to do what is needed should you be so unfortunate, Mike D.
Showing posts with label fear. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fear. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Surviving death
Hello fellow survivors! Welcome once again and I hope you are able to prepare yourself for the trials that lie ahead.
Before the apocalypse we are given the time to deal with our sorrow and grief over losing someone as we see fit and is true to our customs. This is part of being human, what makes us separate from beasts.
This is also part of the human need to be “okay” and to know others are “okay.”
When someone passes, “It will be ok.”
“We will be ok.”
“It’s ok, he just let go.”
“We’re all ok.”
Even when informed if that a person has suffered a lose others will almost without fail respond, “Are you ok?” or alternatively, “Is everything ok?” Often followed by questions about if the other people involved are ok.
What is this state of ok? Is it simply the state of going on? I believe so. Being ok, is to be able to keep living, so people just want to know that others are ok. As long as others are able to keep living then the asker feels he has done his job.
The trouble comes when a person is not ok: at that point something must be done by someone. Sometimes an outside hand is needed to change events or offer support and make the person ok. Or sometimes the person can make those changes and coping mechanisms on his own. Someone who is not ok will be distracted and unable to accomplish the goals that must be carried out in day-to-day living. Because of that ok becomes subjective to how demanding the tasks a person must accomplish. And survivors must accomplish a great number of vital tasks every day. But it is important to realize that after the fall just like in today’s social world, if someone cannot be made okay, a survivor must look out for his own safety first and certain customs must be forgotten.
The feelings vary but loss, sadness, confusion, love, empathy, connection, disconnection, despair can all be part of it. Often all at the same time. Every task seems annoying and pointless, life needs to have some sort of point and goals must be accomplished with every move!
The truth, nothing has changed. There is one fewer soul in the close, safe, immediate world. Mortality comes for all survivors and we can only do our best to choose the circumstances of life leading up to it.This seems like a harsh reality but a reality it is. There will be no time for days of mourning, proper burials, cremations, week long festivities. This however does not mean we should not remember and honor our dead. We own much to those who pass, the things they teach us in life and the things they teach us in leaving this world. Even so much as owing to them for things they have taught others who then pass the knowledge on or use it to better our chances of survival. Much is owed and even animals remember and honor their dead. It is possible to still honor without spending too much time or becoming dangerously emotional. The fine line is, what is too much or dangerous?
This will vary group by group and even person to person much as it does now. You will not always have time, especially in the heat of zombat to bury your dead or even recover their bodies. There are ways to work around this however, some may seem morbid but can become a ritual of their own and in fact therapeutic. Below are a number of practices that can be followed before and after death to make it that much easier to become “ok.” People should be encouraged to find their our methods to deal with the loss of other survivors so long as it does not interfere with their ability to perform their duties, i.e. to be ok.
One way to save time is during down time to dig graves. These serve dual purpose; once the time comes you will not have to find time and struggle to dig fresh graves. They can also act as a sort of defense if positioned properly and the undead are made to walk through them.
Decapitation/destruction of the brain, while not the prettiest of retinues is one of the most important and over time will become as second nature as the idea of burying the dead. The number of ways to do this are countless and people may prefer different ways to do it or to even let someone else do it. Rolling the deceased onto its stomach and striking once near the top of the spine with a pickax or similar tool is a relatively clean and quick way to make sure. Using a smaller tool like an ice pick requires a little more strength but will not pierce the front of the head.
It will be hard to give everyone the burial survivors may think they deserve. Because of this and because most deaths will occur quickly and brutally, it is easier to put the memories of these people aside for a short time so that you will survive to remember them. Once you are relatively safe and things have calmed down take the time to remember them with a few words and perhaps a burial of something they owned or a symbol of them.
A powerful way to move on is to forgive. The power of a person’s emotions and will is beyond comparison and few things will wear it away as much as not being able to forgive the dead. This extends to both the undead and the truly gone.
Writing is another way to remember those passed. Writing a letter to or about the deceased will allow a survivor to say goodbye. Many things can be done with the letter, it can be burnt, buried, sent over a cliff or into the sea.
Letting go can be difficult for many survivors. Often it is hard to even realize how difficult until the very moment when a person passes on while in the arms of another survivor. Consider with this the added stress that every person who falls is now a much larger percentage of the human population as a whole. This weight can be over bearing. The danger of becoming “not ok” will continue to grow. To survive this a survivor must become hard and practical. Things we view as humane will begin to fade and the grey lines will blur. THIS MUST HAPPEN! Do not be afraid to let go of things gradually, the danger becomes letting go of everything completely. Eventually surviving will not be enough and the lone survivors will need to band together to form new societies and communities. These societies will have to be rough and hard to thrive but they do not need to be heartless. Make no mistake the world will change and those unwilling to change with it will be swept away. When the dead pass let them fade, keep their teachings and memories but do not let the loss of a live among billions distract and inevitably cost more lives.
Remember that time for mourning has past. Now the greatest honor to give those loved and lost is to keep living. To be “okay.”
Always okay, may the infection never reach you, and those close to you have the resolve to do what is needed should you be so unfortunate,
Before the apocalypse we are given the time to deal with our sorrow and grief over losing someone as we see fit and is true to our customs. This is part of being human, what makes us separate from beasts.
This is also part of the human need to be “okay” and to know others are “okay.”
When someone passes, “It will be ok.”
“We will be ok.”
“It’s ok, he just let go.”
“We’re all ok.”
Even when informed if that a person has suffered a lose others will almost without fail respond, “Are you ok?” or alternatively, “Is everything ok?” Often followed by questions about if the other people involved are ok.
What is this state of ok? Is it simply the state of going on? I believe so. Being ok, is to be able to keep living, so people just want to know that others are ok. As long as others are able to keep living then the asker feels he has done his job.
The trouble comes when a person is not ok: at that point something must be done by someone. Sometimes an outside hand is needed to change events or offer support and make the person ok. Or sometimes the person can make those changes and coping mechanisms on his own. Someone who is not ok will be distracted and unable to accomplish the goals that must be carried out in day-to-day living. Because of that ok becomes subjective to how demanding the tasks a person must accomplish. And survivors must accomplish a great number of vital tasks every day. But it is important to realize that after the fall just like in today’s social world, if someone cannot be made okay, a survivor must look out for his own safety first and certain customs must be forgotten.
The feelings vary but loss, sadness, confusion, love, empathy, connection, disconnection, despair can all be part of it. Often all at the same time. Every task seems annoying and pointless, life needs to have some sort of point and goals must be accomplished with every move!
The truth, nothing has changed. There is one fewer soul in the close, safe, immediate world. Mortality comes for all survivors and we can only do our best to choose the circumstances of life leading up to it.This seems like a harsh reality but a reality it is. There will be no time for days of mourning, proper burials, cremations, week long festivities. This however does not mean we should not remember and honor our dead. We own much to those who pass, the things they teach us in life and the things they teach us in leaving this world. Even so much as owing to them for things they have taught others who then pass the knowledge on or use it to better our chances of survival. Much is owed and even animals remember and honor their dead. It is possible to still honor without spending too much time or becoming dangerously emotional. The fine line is, what is too much or dangerous?
This will vary group by group and even person to person much as it does now. You will not always have time, especially in the heat of zombat to bury your dead or even recover their bodies. There are ways to work around this however, some may seem morbid but can become a ritual of their own and in fact therapeutic. Below are a number of practices that can be followed before and after death to make it that much easier to become “ok.” People should be encouraged to find their our methods to deal with the loss of other survivors so long as it does not interfere with their ability to perform their duties, i.e. to be ok.
One way to save time is during down time to dig graves. These serve dual purpose; once the time comes you will not have to find time and struggle to dig fresh graves. They can also act as a sort of defense if positioned properly and the undead are made to walk through them.
Decapitation/destruction of the brain, while not the prettiest of retinues is one of the most important and over time will become as second nature as the idea of burying the dead. The number of ways to do this are countless and people may prefer different ways to do it or to even let someone else do it. Rolling the deceased onto its stomach and striking once near the top of the spine with a pickax or similar tool is a relatively clean and quick way to make sure. Using a smaller tool like an ice pick requires a little more strength but will not pierce the front of the head.
It will be hard to give everyone the burial survivors may think they deserve. Because of this and because most deaths will occur quickly and brutally, it is easier to put the memories of these people aside for a short time so that you will survive to remember them. Once you are relatively safe and things have calmed down take the time to remember them with a few words and perhaps a burial of something they owned or a symbol of them.
A powerful way to move on is to forgive. The power of a person’s emotions and will is beyond comparison and few things will wear it away as much as not being able to forgive the dead. This extends to both the undead and the truly gone.
Writing is another way to remember those passed. Writing a letter to or about the deceased will allow a survivor to say goodbye. Many things can be done with the letter, it can be burnt, buried, sent over a cliff or into the sea.
Letting go can be difficult for many survivors. Often it is hard to even realize how difficult until the very moment when a person passes on while in the arms of another survivor. Consider with this the added stress that every person who falls is now a much larger percentage of the human population as a whole. This weight can be over bearing. The danger of becoming “not ok” will continue to grow. To survive this a survivor must become hard and practical. Things we view as humane will begin to fade and the grey lines will blur. THIS MUST HAPPEN! Do not be afraid to let go of things gradually, the danger becomes letting go of everything completely. Eventually surviving will not be enough and the lone survivors will need to band together to form new societies and communities. These societies will have to be rough and hard to thrive but they do not need to be heartless. Make no mistake the world will change and those unwilling to change with it will be swept away. When the dead pass let them fade, keep their teachings and memories but do not let the loss of a live among billions distract and inevitably cost more lives.
Remember that time for mourning has past. Now the greatest honor to give those loved and lost is to keep living. To be “okay.”
Always okay, may the infection never reach you, and those close to you have the resolve to do what is needed should you be so unfortunate,
Mike D.
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