The Social Amoeba

So how is a human being like an amoeba? Amoebae represent what we think of a single celled life form. While amoebae may seem simplistic, they are for more complex than appearances suggest. For one, they possess one hundred times more base pairs in their genome. Even so, amoebae seem to live for one one purpose, to eat. The pseudopod reaches out, embraces a hapless microorganism, constricts, kills the cell, absorbs its nutrients, and excretes what is left.

Humans, too, absorb and assimilate and consume whatever crosses their path. What is not wanted or needed is discarded by the wayside. Consumer society is replete with those who purchase, use up, and toss aside.

Yet, the likeness does not end there. Amoebae respond quite dramatically to osmotic pressure. In salt water, the amoeba becomes isotonic, shrinking as water is excreted from the cell. On the other hand, is fresh water the amoeba becomes hypotonic, swelling in size and in some cases bursting.

In social circles, human beings respond similarly. When we enter into an environment we consider weak, we swell with pride. As an expert, what we know of the topic of discussion provides an advantage. This allows one to speak freely and with confidence. One must be guarded, however. Just like an amoeba, we may overdo it, metaphorically bursting with bravado.

Likewise, when we are at a disadvantage, when everyone around us is the more knowledgeable, we shrink into ourselves. We become small, quiet, unassuming. At the very worst, we may even retreat to some isolated space. Like the amoeba, we form a protective shell and wait for the danger to pass.

However, there are those of us that, like marine amoebae, have no social equivalent of contractile vacuoles. That is to say there are those who seem unaffected by the social environment in which they happen to be dropped. When either at an advantage or disadvantage, certain people neither swell up or shrink away. They remain fixed, unchangeable. This unique adaptability serves one well in matters of discourse, neither seeming timid or prideful.

On Determination

One of the core traits of a Taurian is determination. Strength of will has its benefits. It also has its weaknesses.

Positive aspects of determination include persistence. Whether at work, at the gym, or at home, the ability to follow through on one's goals is impressive. Many couples insist that one won over the other through persistence. The first impression is not always the best. Asking someone to coffee or dinner may return a negative response, but frequent offers eventually may lead to a yes. From that first date other dates follow. The couple grows to love and appreciate one another. It is a slow burning flame, but a lasting one. Grown old, the couple look back at the first, awkward attempts at wooing with laughter in the eyes. Additionally, women like to feel wanted, to be pursued. Repeated attempts to woo a lady impressed upon her the seriousness of a man's devotion. Of course, this is a rocky road as if she feels absolutely no attraction then the man is simply and persistently annoying her. More on that later.

A determined individual exudes confidence. A confident person pursues a goal in an uncompromising fashion. Things get done. When doubt is pushed aside the path to success is clear of obstruction. The forgers of history were just as clear in their intent. The list features Leonardo Davinci, Sigmund Freud, George Lucas, Karl Marx, and Orson Wells. Visionary individuals, social realists, explorers of the mind, all develop some concept and pursue it - sometimes to the bitter end. In creating a new philosophy, an economic system, a wonder of engineering, or a movement in art the confidence to carry forward is essential. One cannot soar if one is afraid of heights.

The same traits have negative connotations as well.

A persistent person can be a danger if that person is disturbed, vengeful, or in any way violent. Imagine the scorned lover, the terrorist, the mob enforcer. Such individuals can hold a grudge for a long time. They will repay a debt in kind whatever the case, even to the point of losing their own life. Persistence in a suitor as mentioned above can escalate into obsession. When one's grasp of reality slips, to persist only leads to destruction and despair. Better to let go of desires, to forgive minor slights, to forget and move on.

The same is true of confidence. Absolute certainty serves no purpose in a twisted mind. It only leads to disaster. Look at Hitler, Machiavelli, and Cromwell. Confidence dissolves into narcism - egoism. When one's goal is global domination, deceit, or genocide, the absence of doubt equates to the absence of guilt. Second thoughts prevent the pursuit of twisted ideals. In short, confidence aids the righteous or inspired man and leads the others to ruin.

In sum, what serves one may lead to well earned success and another to mass murder. The traits of determination are the same. Only the ideals set the two apart.

When Love and Death Embrace

Throughout literary history, even extending down through oral tradition, love has been associated with death. The two concepts intertwine like a worm around a rose, one feasting upon the other. Just take a studied look at stories throughout the ages and you will find love and death embracing.

LITERATURE
One of the earliest meetings of love and death in story form took place on the stage. In Oedipus Rex, Sophocles has the title character kill his father and marry his mother. His mother, Jocasta, knows that Oedipus is her son and marries him anyway, even begetting children with him. When Oedipus realizes what he has done, Jocasta cannot bear his grief. She retreats to the bedroom and hangs herself. Oedipus is so distraught that he gouges out his own eyes, claiming that a blind man sees the truth more clearly than he.

Shakespeare, too, explores this dark side of love. In Hamlet, Ophelia is driven to madness by Hamlet's peculiar displays. No longer able to cope with his drama, she drowns herself in a river. We all know how Romeo and Juliet ends - with each committing suicide. The young lovers would rather die than live without one another. In Othello, Iago fills the king with such jealous rage that he kills his queen. These three examples show the broad range of how death follows love. Death is brought on by despair, loneliness, or jealousy.

Novels are no different. Love and death are frequent partners. Tragic love stories abound, usually centered around obsession. The tragic love story, just as in the stage play, ends in murder or suicide. Consider The Collector by John Fowles. A man is driven by obsession so far as to abduct the woman of his desire. He keeps her in the basement. His attempts at seduction fall flat. Finally she concedes to his advances only to attempt an escape. Her failure ends in death. The man simply moves on to his next obsession.

Poetry, too, follows love to the bitter and tragic end. Lord Byron is but one example. His poems drip with obsession, desire, and forbidden love. Although this results primarily in exile, sometimes it ends in death. El Cid, an epic poem from Spain pits the love between characters and one's sense of duty. If you are in love with the princess how can you kill her father, the king? The conflict between love and duty is a motif in many stories.

FILM AND TELEVISION

It is no surprise that love and death would make the transition from the page to the big or small screen. Gothic horror plays with the pair quite well. The Phantom of the Opera, The Bride of Frankenstein, and The Creature from the Black Lagoon pursue obsession and unrequited love. The monster seeks love only to be rebuked. In anger the monster either murders the source of its obsession or in turn is destroyed. King Kong is a premier example of beauty killing the beast.

Film Noir explores dark obsession in less metaphorical terms. Here the woman tempts the hero, leading him astray. She uses her wiles to lead the male character to commit murder. The femme fatale is the very love child of sexual desire and death. Hers is a poison kiss. There is unlikely a better example than Double Endemnity, wherein an insurance salesman murders a man so the two lovers could share in the return from the life insurance policy.

Modern movies and TV shows carry on the traditions of gothic horror, film noir, and literary history. Daytime soaps are rife with these themes. Love and death might as well be a series title.

MUSIC

In my opinion no other medium enchants the soul quite like music. A well crafted lyric over a melody conveys a powerful emotion. Themes of love and death seem custom fit for a singer-songwriter. The darkwave scene including gothic rock attacks these themes with abandon. The loss of a loved one, dark obsession, unrequited love, no one does it better than a gothic rock band. From Siouxsie's Obsession to The Cure's Pornography, from Christian Death to Paralyzed Age love and death have featured prominently.

The love and death gestalt has transcended lyrical content to interfere in the lives of the musicians. Ian Curtis trapped in a loveless marriage and in love with a reporter one day hanged himself in his home kitchen. Then there is the well known case of Sid and Nancy, a tumultuous affair fueled by drugs, alcohol, and other excesses and ending inevitably in death.

I know of know other band that weaves love and death so frequently and skillfully than HIM. Ville Valo's lyrics blend love and death so well that they become one and the same. Even covers like (I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight and Don't Fear the Reaper contribute to his leitmotif. Take a look at some of these song titles and decide for yourself.

The Funeral of Hearts, When Love and Death Embrace, Buried Alive By Love, Poison Girl, Killing Loneliness, Heartkiller, Vampire Heart, Lose You Tonight, Like St. Valentine, Passion's Killing Floor, It's All Tears (Drown in This Love), Join Me in Death, Dark Sekret Love, Love and Cold Blood, Dead Lovers' Lane, not to mention the lyrics within less obvious titles.