XI. Separateness

XI. Separateness

Our strength and our weakness is life. We depend upon the vital force, for lacking enough of it ourselves, we are forced to glean it from others.

In this we are self-serving and self-preserving, though good and evil cannot be applied to our state. We know what we need, and we know we must take it, sometimes to the detriment of others. This is an unavoidable fact of reality.

We are predators at heart, even though we are physically indistinguishable from our prey. The spirit within us sets us apart. Our perceptions, our passions, and our powers make us strangers among ordinary men. Even if we refuse to act upon our more destructive impulses, we keenly feel the difference between us and those who do not share what we are. No matter how hard we try to blend in, we can never truly belong.

This is a blessing and a curse. The lives we live are fuller and more dynamic than anything most others might imagine. The levels of reality we are privy to make the world a profound and wondrous place. Yet there are few who can share our insights. Thus, we tend to be solitary, feeding alone, rarely interacting with those who would not and could not understand. Our utter separateness drives us to seek out companionship among our own kind for it is here only that we find true acceptance and understanding.

We may find friends and allies among the Awakened, but they can never truly understand what we are and what that means within the context of so many different lives. There are some experiences they can neither accept nor share, and thus there is always something lacking when in their company.

Thus we should always treasure those who are of our nature. They are our companions throughout the many, many long years. Time and again, we will find one another, for the bonds between us are never broken or worn thin.

We can love and hate one another with great passion, yet we are forever loyal to our own.