monster mash

I don't know why (when do I ever?), but I've been thinking a lot about monsters lately. Not specific scary run-and-hide kinds, more just pondering on the results of our collective imagination. I was part of a discussion recently where people offered suggestions as to what came to mind for them when they thought of monsters, and some predictable things came up: scary, other worldly, powerful, etc. For me it goes beyond that. Monsters are really an amazing human creation, and here's why: for all their fright, and all their power, man has never created a monster that cannot be beaten.

Spoiler alert, but seriously think about that. Vampires? Stake through the heart/cross/garlic. Wicked Witch/aliens from Signs? Water. Werewolf? Silver bullet. Dorian Gray looks at a picture. Various other aliens, often involving Will Smith or Tom Cruise- common cold. King Kong, the Jaws shark, Jurassic Park dinosaurs, we out-smart them all. Dementers are beaten by positive energy. Sunlight is another popular option. We create a thing that terrifies us, completely outmatches us in every way, but always give ourselves an out. We bring ourselves to the brink of disaster for the thrill of it then save the day as the underdog (and often with very little effort). And we walk away feeling very good about ourselves. Good for us.

But monsters are not to be confused with demons. Monsters are creations of the mind, but demons are the occupiers of it. They're used commonly as synonyms, but to me at least, demons are very different. They are real, unseen things that haunt, and they can't always be beaten. They are invisible. And they are scary ones.