Who are Vampires? (a.k.a., Who are We?)
Author: Admin
In the U.S., National Public Radio recently ran a thoughtful and insightful story about the enduring popularity of vampires.
They could have run a perfectly acceptable story that said, in effect, “Wow, since Twilight made so much money, everyone else is trying to cash in, too!” Since I am not tuned into anything other than Twilight vampires, that would have been fine with me. But they didn’t. They chose to do something more.
You can read/listen to the whole NPR story here. Here’s their conclusion:
“Whether it’s Bill Compton wanting to embrace his humanity in True Blood, or the entire Cullen family rejecting humans as nourishment in the Twilight saga, these modern vamps are all struggling to be moral even though they are predators by nature. Which brings us to a question: Who are we?
“Author Whitley Strieber says we humans are just a different kind of predator.
“‘Our prey is our planet,’ he says. Today’s fear is not the Cold War or AIDS, it’s the fate of the Earth: ‘We sense that there is something wrong with the environment, that the planet itself may not be able to sustain us very long, and so we are beginning to romance death once again.’
“Maybe it gets back to that very American notion that we have laws and constitutions to keep our baser instincts in check. New York Times columnist Ross Douthat wrote recently: ‘We are beasts with self-consciousness, predators with ethics, mortal creatures who yearn for immortality.’
“Exactly. Maybe that’s why vampires aren’t really a fad. Because — except for that all-but-immortal thing — they really are us.”
Hmmm… Other than being careful about “injudicious hunting” and causing the occasional earthquake, I’m not convinced that ecological concerns are at the root of the Twilight series’ appeal, or Meyer’s conception of vampires (perhaps such concerns do effect the copycats television-based vampires?).
Regardless, portrayals of vampires may be influenced by popular concerns of the time, and more particularly, with society’s current concept of itself — who we: are; want to be; or, fear we are becoming.
Certainly, older portrayals of vampires may be less appealing to us today than they were to our forebears — even though Dracula One and Dracula Two are still “creep-tacular.”
So, if we’ve changed, then who are we now? Are we moral? Can we be? And what does our affection and interest in Stephenie Meyer’s vampires say about us today?
Big questions, although we will consider them only briefly here (wait for our upcoming book for more…):
Some philosophers say that people are innately immoral, and only social pressures keep us moral. This is, for example, the philosophical foundation of left-leaning political parties, who support social programs to encourage us to act morally.
Other philosophers say that people are innately moral, and that it is society which corrupts us. This line of thinking is a foundation of right-leaning political parties, who support smaller government to reduce societal pressures on individuals to act immorally.
Now, you may ask:
If those are the philosophical underpinnings of our political parties, why do left-wing democrats support individual citizen’s liberties so strongly?
And if right-wing republicans believe individuals would be “noble savages” if left alone by society, why do they seek to impose numerous societal limits upon citizens?
The reasons are complicated, but briefly, the answer is simply because neither philosophy is correct. Or rather, neither philosophy — people are innately moral or immoral — is complete. And more importantly, both groups of philosophers miss the point. Yet, Stephenie Meyer didn’t.
First, a brief digression. Anyone who has ever cared for two or more newborns can tell you a simple fact; Everyone has different personalities, even when they are moments old. Bella Swan, for instance, was always such a “constant little thing,” according to her father, Charlie.
Here’s a test you can try: Go ask your mother what you were like when you were first born. Then, ask her if your siblings were any different from you. Note the differences. Your mother may even draw a parallel from how you (or your sibling) acted in the first moments of life, with how you are now.
Clearly, there is something greater at work in our personalities and capabilities than simple matters of brain chemistry, nature-versus-nurture dichotomies, or pronouncing that people are innately “good” or “bad.”
And that greater something is the main point: our potential. We are born with personalities and capabilites that empower us to act both morally or immorally. The questions we then face are these:
Which will we choose? To act morally, or immorally?
How far will we take those choices?
Throughout our lives, we may choose to reinforce our moral natures, adding to our wisdom and influence, line-upon-line, until we are capable of acting in powerfully good and moral ways.
Or, during our lives we may choose to reject that path for the immoral, eventually diminishing our capabilities to act in moral ways.
When Bella’s story begins, she enters a mythical world — Forks, Washington — where time as we know it ends, and it is forever twilight, where little changes from year-to-year and where, bathed in living, green shadows, beings live eternally.
When she enters this mythic place, and the life of human, werewolf, or vampire is placed before her, she is forced to make confusing choices to act morally or immorally: Will she choose the petty lifestyles and concerns of many of her peers? Will she take a more convenient, safer path, “only” betraying herself, and choose Jacob with a kiss? Or will she remain true to her heart, and choose a purer love, for Edward?
Will she risk her immortal soul for physical passion? Or will she try to save Edward’s soul by remaining chaste, helping him remain pure and uncorrupted in this one, last way?
And then, once Bella chooses to pursue her “angel” Edward and seek an immortal life, two greater paths are then placed before her. Which type of immortal being will she become?
Will she be like the Cullens — loving, compassionate, caring for the people around them, and as a true “family” remain together eternally?
Or will she be like the Volturi — spiteful, manipulative, destroying others without compunction, and as a corrupt “coven” impersonating royalty only remain together through the machinations of their leaders (particularly Aro, with Chelsea’s binding assistance)?
Two paths of immortal potential lay before her: Will Bella become an angel? Or a devil? The choice is hers to make.
As it is ours.
We may not appear to be immortal here on earth, although some certainly claim we are/have been/will be (forms of “be” are challenging when you talk about the eternal; they just are — like someone who once introduced himself simply as, “I Am.”).
And hasn’t each of us noticed the nagging feeling in the back of our mind and heart that there is something more going on here than meets the eye? The wonder that perhaps something greater awaits us…?
The point is that each of us has an infinite potential for both good or ill.
Given time and fortitude, we could gain the wisdom and perhaps, the influence, of Carlisle Cullen, or Churchill, Gandhi, and Mother Teresa. Over time, their influence grows and grows, enlarging the souls of those who contemplate their profound examples.
Or over time, we could become as evil and loathsome as Aro, or Hitler, bin Laden, or any of the forgotten killers dragged away in chains to waste their lives on Death Row. Eventually their influence is trampled, when the heroes among us make waste of all their efforts, and the entropy of the universe is overcome by the morality of our heroes’ souls.
So the question is not whether we are innately good or innately bad. Of course we are. We all are. Both sides, in one. The real question is whether we will choose — and continue to choose — to live a moral life.
Will we limit (damn?) ourselves as merely predators? Or transcend that easier path to become something more?
Whether you believe this life is a happy accident, or (like Edward) have difficulty accepting this is all a product of chance, the opportunity to have an immortal influence for good awaits.
Like Bella, please choose wisely. And, as Renee once said, “Try to be more careful when you walk, honey, I don’t want to lose you.”
