Darkness

The absence of light is not darkness. It is the absence of hope. A person can close their eyes and not see light even if the room they are in is illuminated. Hell, some people are born without the ability to see at all, an eternal darkness even in the brightest of circumstances.

No, the absence of hope is far darker than anything else. Once hope dies, what does a person have left? An aimless motion towards the end of their days, and aimless motion towards ending their indifferent suffering.

For once one loses hope, what is left other than a lifetime of suffering indifferently?

Going into relationships, forcing one to do the things other people enjoy simply to try to enjoy something, anything, even if it is without hope.

For darkness is not the absence of light. For darkness is emptiness. Darkness is the hollow feeling that stems from being surrounded by people that make you feel more alone than when you are alone.

In those moments, the absence of light is welcome.

They just hope it is eternal.

-Dustin S. Stover