Avoiding the dark side...

I often listen to audiobooks while I work or when I travel. Rather than distract me, it seems to help me focus on my task, and to not be distracted by other things. Lately I have been listening to a recently published and highly promoted book. I actually enjoyed the first few CDs, but things started to make me uncomfortable as the book progressed. The last CD I listened to (not the last one in the book, there are several more beyond this one) made me feel quite uncomfortable. It began glorifying things that felt evil to me. In fact, it even tried to make them seem Godly, which is the scariest kind of evil of all, I think.

I ended up having a horrible night. I have always been very sensitive to things with an aura of spiritual evil. I can not watch horror movies. Even when I was young, there were people whom I avoided, not for any specific reason, but because they 'felt wrong' to me. Generally, the progression of time proved that feeling to be an accurate one. I always encourage young people to listen to that inner voice. I know it kept me out of danger on several occasions.

But a book? Can books be evil? I mean, novels? Meant for our entertainment? I think they can. Books take me places I've never been before; they can even take me to different times, and to places that only exist in an author's and a reader's mind. I love that about books! But I do not want books to take me where I don't want to go. And I believe the power of the written word can take readers places from which they cannot easily return. I do not want or need to be gently led to believe that evil is good. I returned the audio book to the library this morning, without finishing it. I rarely do not finish a book I have begun; in fact, I have plowed my way through some really dreadful books, just to see if they got any better! But not books that are steering the reader towards evil. I am a strong believer that evil does exist. There IS a powerful dark side, and I have no desire to dwell there, even for the length of an audio book.

When I see the darkness coming towards me, I immediately look for the bit of light that will lead me away from it. There will always be that touch of blue sky to find, when you know in your heart it is there.