Something exciting needs to happen.

Something amazing needs to happen.

I finally finished Chuck Palahniuk’s Haunted last night.  Again, it was one of those books that left me sitting on our couch, thinking.  I believe I enjoyed it far more than I enjoyed Fight Club. 

The basic summary is this – 17 people all respond to an invitation to participate in a “writer’s retreat” to create their “masterpiece”.  It will last for three months; no contact with the outside world.  Food and lodging provided.  They are picked up by a Mr. Whittier and a Mrs. Clark, driven to the location of the retreat, and then pretty much locked in for the three months.  Things are alright at first, but as time progresses, human depravity takes over in ways one generally only reads about.

The book really resonated with me, and…I must warn you…I am going to air my views on a potentially touchy subject for some in the following paragraph(s).

Artists – writers – poets – novelists – etc. Some succeed; some don’t.  Some are truly what they claim to be while others claim the title and don’t actually produce anything in their given domain.  I have friends who are artists, and I do love them.  There are a few that I have personally known, however, who don’t go a day looking for drama…looking for adventure…and if not looking, then creating the drama, adventure, angst, conflict, etc. that they long for in order to be a “better” writer, poet, etc.  To be honest, that annoys me greatly, and I will be honest and state that I am still trying to figure out why it really irritates me.  By the way, you don’t have to be an artist to be like the above.

The characters in Haunted reminded me of those types of artists.  Some of them had gone through harrowing life experiences; others had not, but they each had a story to tell, and they wrote them down.  As you read their stories, you become disgusted, feel compassion for them, mourn their losses, empathize, etc.  However, their stories are not enough; in fact, none of them view their stories as “masterpieces” in the making.  Instead, they end up creating a “masterpiece” out of them all, locked in this abandoned theatre.  Each one starts to sabotage their peaceful, rather comfortable existence in order to create a drama of unprecedented magnitude.  They abuse themselves and others; they delve into the depths of depravity…all for this masterpiece they can sell once they are released/rescued from the locked theatre.  Each one tries to outdo the others – whether it be mutilating themselves, claiming abuse from other members of the group that never happened, claiming “ghosts” are haunting them all to hider their own devious actions, etc. – all for this story.  Yet, as you read their stories, it becomes apparent that reality is brutal enough without having to go out of one’s way to create it.

What I am trying to say is this: open your eyes to what is going on inside you and around you.  Life is hard enough as it is.  You don’t need to create drama to get a good experience or a “better story” than the person next to you.  In fact, why don’t you create something beautiful?  Help someone? 

It really all boils down to how selfish we are…

…and I thank God that He is more powerful than my selfish ambitions and keeps me in check; by His grace, keeping me from becoming one of those who is Haunted.