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A Look Into Insanity
A Look Into Insanity
A person contemplates their character and others who have the same, challenging society's right to define the norm while also giving the world a very important message.
0Horror
Alyssa Hlywa (United States)
Some wonder why I respond to certain things the way I do, but the answer is simple. I merely do not understand or react to human interaction the way society has deemed I should. When confronted with the problems of others, I offer solutions instead of consolation or, as they consider more important, sympathy. For this, I am presumed a monster, something to be locked away and feared until I am “reformed.” However, I do not require reformation as you refuse to believe.
People such as myself are all around you; you merely are too ignorant to realize it. They have mastered the art of disguise, covering their true attitude with feigned acts of joy, sadness, anger, or even the most common of those emotions, love. Truly, they deem these emotions worthless, just as I do, and merely perform in such a way to keep you imbeciles in the dark. Many think that we are cold beings for not being empathetic, but it is not to our fault that we are this way. We are forced into this, not by preference, and we have no choice but to try and conform to society's rules. We learn to condition ourselves in secret. We lock ourselves in our rooms and play scenarios over in our minds, trying to elicit something as simple as a reaction, a feeling, an emotion from ourselves. It never works, but we still attempt to conform. We study human behavior from afar, trying to see what you see and feel what you feel. Eventually, although we do not actually endure the emotion, we learn how to respond to situations and train ourselves to force it into an instinct. We determine when a normal human being would smile or cry and then force ourselves to recognize the very same triggers and procure the desired results. We teach ourselves when to laugh. We teach ourselves when to cry. We even teach ourselves what circumstances should produce anger. We do all of this without ever having a true feeling, and we are everywhere. Some hide it better than others. Those of us that still cannot figure out certain human interactions are cast aside as peculiar or odd, but none are the wiser as to what is truly stirring within our minds.
You normals are such boring creatures.
I honestly cannot fathom what drives you to do what you do. Love? Justice? Revenge? I have been called cold and heartless, but I truly do not see the point. What does one accomplish when they kill for any of these emotions? It is merely another exterminated life taken from a victim before their natural hour, and I do not understand.
I could not separate myself from your attention as the others did because I did not wish to. I have no need to reduce myself to your level with those dreaded emotions, and I acted as such. For this, I was locked away, cast out of society by imbeciles such as you, all for doing just as you taught.
Be yourself.
Does this sound familiar? Are you now encountering the hypocrisy created by none other than yourselves? Never before have I heard a more ludicrous statement. You stress the importance of this phrase, yet, when I do nothing more than follow your bland instructions, I am locked away and bound with shackles and straitjackets.
I inform you of this not to implore sympathy. Nay, I seek to warn you. By imprisoning me, you have done nothing less than create the enemy of a lifetime. I am escaping, and you shall regret ever putting me away, for I will be victorious. I will bask in your society’s downfall, and perhaps this victory will be enough to elicit true emotion from me. Perhaps I shall laugh as your world burns around you, swallowed by flames of hypocrisy, prejudice, and imbecility.
You fools have inflicted unbelievable torture upon beings such as myself, using methods deemed horrid and barbaric but only in reference to those of society. Since we have been cast out, deemed insane, we apparently are the exception to your laws and are considered to be not of our right mind. We are beaten, conditioned, and locked away all because you are afraid. You are afraid of us, afraid of what we are capable of. I am considered an experiment, the greatest challenge to the psychiatric field yet, but I refuse to conform, I refuse to relent. You have no right to disturb my life with your petty claims that I am a threat to society. I have done nothing to you, yet you have done everything to me.
By deeming me insane, your world has inflicted upon me countless disruptions in an otherwise high-functioning life, including the issue of never truly being taken seriously as one attempts to approach the world and determine just how to go about rising to the top in the business enterprise (or possibly world domination- one never truly knows). Among being feared by the populous and the fearful glances, there is also the truly bothersome idea of the insane asylum. (I do not know why I am thought to be the problem. I have done no harm or ill will, and yet I am locked away like some animal to be studied?)
Being deemed a member of the insane has only one benefit, but it is minor. My “condition” leads people to raise their guard, to overthink everything I say and do. This leads them to become so paranoid that their defenses are weakened instead of strengthened, and most are so incredibly stupid that I can pull just about anything over them, and this does include the jailbreak of a lifetime. I am determined to make you all pay for what you have done to me. By locking me away, you attempted to guarantee your survival, but you have only ensured your fate, and I tell you it is not a pleasant one. In my time at that asylum, you have succeeded in procuring a single emotion from me, but I highly doubt you understand what you have done. I have learned the lovely emotion of desire. Desire of what, you ask? Desire of revenge. Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, you say. Well, I shall play to your rules if you truly wish it.
See you soon.
People such as myself are all around you; you merely are too ignorant to realize it. They have mastered the art of disguise, covering their true attitude with feigned acts of joy, sadness, anger, or even the most common of those emotions, love. Truly, they deem these emotions worthless, just as I do, and merely perform in such a way to keep you imbeciles in the dark. Many think that we are cold beings for not being empathetic, but it is not to our fault that we are this way. We are forced into this, not by preference, and we have no choice but to try and conform to society's rules. We learn to condition ourselves in secret. We lock ourselves in our rooms and play scenarios over in our minds, trying to elicit something as simple as a reaction, a feeling, an emotion from ourselves. It never works, but we still attempt to conform. We study human behavior from afar, trying to see what you see and feel what you feel. Eventually, although we do not actually endure the emotion, we learn how to respond to situations and train ourselves to force it into an instinct. We determine when a normal human being would smile or cry and then force ourselves to recognize the very same triggers and procure the desired results. We teach ourselves when to laugh. We teach ourselves when to cry. We even teach ourselves what circumstances should produce anger. We do all of this without ever having a true feeling, and we are everywhere. Some hide it better than others. Those of us that still cannot figure out certain human interactions are cast aside as peculiar or odd, but none are the wiser as to what is truly stirring within our minds.
You normals are such boring creatures.
I honestly cannot fathom what drives you to do what you do. Love? Justice? Revenge? I have been called cold and heartless, but I truly do not see the point. What does one accomplish when they kill for any of these emotions? It is merely another exterminated life taken from a victim before their natural hour, and I do not understand.
I could not separate myself from your attention as the others did because I did not wish to. I have no need to reduce myself to your level with those dreaded emotions, and I acted as such. For this, I was locked away, cast out of society by imbeciles such as you, all for doing just as you taught.
Be yourself.
Does this sound familiar? Are you now encountering the hypocrisy created by none other than yourselves? Never before have I heard a more ludicrous statement. You stress the importance of this phrase, yet, when I do nothing more than follow your bland instructions, I am locked away and bound with shackles and straitjackets.
I inform you of this not to implore sympathy. Nay, I seek to warn you. By imprisoning me, you have done nothing less than create the enemy of a lifetime. I am escaping, and you shall regret ever putting me away, for I will be victorious. I will bask in your society’s downfall, and perhaps this victory will be enough to elicit true emotion from me. Perhaps I shall laugh as your world burns around you, swallowed by flames of hypocrisy, prejudice, and imbecility.
You fools have inflicted unbelievable torture upon beings such as myself, using methods deemed horrid and barbaric but only in reference to those of society. Since we have been cast out, deemed insane, we apparently are the exception to your laws and are considered to be not of our right mind. We are beaten, conditioned, and locked away all because you are afraid. You are afraid of us, afraid of what we are capable of. I am considered an experiment, the greatest challenge to the psychiatric field yet, but I refuse to conform, I refuse to relent. You have no right to disturb my life with your petty claims that I am a threat to society. I have done nothing to you, yet you have done everything to me.
By deeming me insane, your world has inflicted upon me countless disruptions in an otherwise high-functioning life, including the issue of never truly being taken seriously as one attempts to approach the world and determine just how to go about rising to the top in the business enterprise (or possibly world domination- one never truly knows). Among being feared by the populous and the fearful glances, there is also the truly bothersome idea of the insane asylum. (I do not know why I am thought to be the problem. I have done no harm or ill will, and yet I am locked away like some animal to be studied?)
Being deemed a member of the insane has only one benefit, but it is minor. My “condition” leads people to raise their guard, to overthink everything I say and do. This leads them to become so paranoid that their defenses are weakened instead of strengthened, and most are so incredibly stupid that I can pull just about anything over them, and this does include the jailbreak of a lifetime. I am determined to make you all pay for what you have done to me. By locking me away, you attempted to guarantee your survival, but you have only ensured your fate, and I tell you it is not a pleasant one. In my time at that asylum, you have succeeded in procuring a single emotion from me, but I highly doubt you understand what you have done. I have learned the lovely emotion of desire. Desire of what, you ask? Desire of revenge. Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, you say. Well, I shall play to your rules if you truly wish it.
See you soon.
Read Reviews
Review 1:
Compelling hook?
Fresh?
Strong characters?
Entertaining?
Attention to mechanics
- You demonstrate a professional quality of writing throughout the story.
Narration and dialogue: Balance
- Your story struck a good balance between narration and authentic dialogue.
Narration and dialogue: Authentic voice
- Your characters’ voices were convincing and authentic.
Characterization
- Make sure your characters are multidimensional. Do they have strengths and weaknesses? Mere mortals make the most interesting stories because they are like you and me and we are able to empathize with their journey. That’s how the connection with a character is formed.
Main character
- Connect us to your main protagonist with a deeper characterization. Could your protagonist have a few more distinguishing character traits?
Character conflict
- The reader’s experience of the story is heightened when the characters’ goals, conflicts and purpose are clear. Perhaps giving this aspect of the story further attention could be worthwhile.
Plot and pace
- Maintaining the right pace and sustaining the reader’s interest is a challenging balancing act. The story had a clear and coherent progression with a structured plot. A truly absorbing story!
Suspense and conflict
- The joy of reading often lies in the element of suspense prompted by internal or external conflicts. Think about the conflict and tension in your story. How effectively has it been introduced?
Technique and tight writing
- When writing is tight, economical and each word has purpose, it enables the plot to unravel clearly. Try and make each individual word count.
Point of view
- The story successfully solicited the reader’s empathy through the clever use of the narrator's point of view. You show great deftness in handling point of view.
Style and originality
- I loved your fresh approach. Creating a unique writing style while maintaining quality of prose requires both skill and practice. Impressive.
Atmosphere and description
- Your story was a feast for the senses. The atmosphere wrapped itself around me and transported me onto the page alongside your characters.
Authentic and vivid setting
- The setting was realistic and vivid. The characters’ mood and emotions were conveyed successfully through the believable setting.
Opening line, paragraph and hook
- Great stories, nowadays, start with a powerful opening line and compelling hook in order to keep the reader engaged. Have you baited the reader enough?
Review 2:
Compelling hook?
Fresh?
Strong characters?
Entertaining?
Attention to mechanics
- The grammar, typography, sentence structure and punctuation would benefit from a further round of editing to avoid distracting from the quality of the story.
Narration and dialogue: Balance
- There needs to be more balance between narration and dialogue. Avoid overdoing the narrative and remember that dialogue can diffuse long claustrophobic text.
Narration and dialogue: Authentic voice
- Your characters’ voices were convincing and authentic.
Characterization
- Your characters were multidimensional. I found them believable and engaging and they genuinely responded to the events of the story.
Main character
- Connect us to your main protagonist with a deeper characterization. Could your protagonist have a few more distinguishing character traits?
Character conflict
- Your characters drew me into their world from the very beginning. Their goals and conflicts were clearly conveyed.
Plot and pace
- Maintaining the right pace and sustaining the reader’s interest is a difficult balancing act. Are you sure all the material is relevant to the plot, setting and atmosphere? Make sure each sentence makes sense to the reader, and each paragraph moves their experience forward.
Suspense and conflict
- The joy of reading often lies in the element of suspense prompted by internal or external conflicts. The build-up was intriguing and I felt the tension mounting with each word.
Technique and tight writing
- When writing is tight, economical and each word has purpose, it enables the plot to unravel clearly. Try and make each individual word count.
Point of view
- The story successfully solicited the reader’s empathy through the clever use of the narrator's point of view. You show great deftness in handling point of view.
Style and originality
- I loved your fresh approach. Creating a unique writing style while maintaining quality of prose requires both skill and practice. Impressive.
Atmosphere and description
- A writer’s ability to create mood and atmosphere through evocative description is vital to the reader’s experience. It’s a real skill to craft out how the characters react to the setting and atmosphere and perhaps your story could go further in its description. The reader wants to experience the same sensory and poignant journey as the characters.
Authentic and vivid setting
- The scene needs to be vivid and realistic in order to hold the reader’s attention. Being concise and plausible at the same time is tricky. Giving this further attention could perhaps be worthwhile.
Opening line, paragraph and hook
- Your great opening was a promise of wonderful things to come. I was hooked!
Review 3:
Compelling hook?
Fresh?
Strong characters?
Entertaining?
Attention to mechanics
- You demonstrate a professional quality of writing throughout the story.
Narration and dialogue: Balance
- Your story struck a good balance between narration and authentic dialogue.
Narration and dialogue: Authentic voice
- Your characters’ voices were convincing and authentic.
Characterization
- Your characters were multidimensional. I found them believable and engaging and they genuinely responded to the events of the story.
Main character
- Your protagonist exhibited a unique voice and had original characteristics. Their actions and dialogue were convincing!
Character conflict
- Your characters drew me into their world from the very beginning. Their goals and conflicts were clearly conveyed.
Plot and pace
- Maintaining the right pace and sustaining the reader’s interest is a challenging balancing act. The story had a clear and coherent progression with a structured plot. A truly absorbing story!
Suspense and conflict
- The joy of reading often lies in the element of suspense prompted by internal or external conflicts. Think about the conflict and tension in your story. How effectively has it been introduced?
Technique and tight writing
- When writing is tight, economical and each word has purpose, it enables the plot to unravel clearly. Try and make each individual word count.
Point of view
- The story successfully solicited the reader’s empathy through the clever use of the narrator's point of view. You show great deftness in handling point of view.
Style and originality
- I loved your fresh approach. Creating a unique writing style while maintaining quality of prose requires both skill and practice. Impressive.
Atmosphere and description
- Your story was a feast for the senses. The atmosphere wrapped itself around me and transported me onto the page alongside your characters.
Authentic and vivid setting
- The scene needs to be vivid and realistic in order to hold the reader’s attention. Being concise and plausible at the same time is tricky. Giving this further attention could perhaps be worthwhile.
Opening line, paragraph and hook
- Your great opening was a promise of wonderful things to come. I was hooked!