Darkness as Shelter from Sight

There are those among us, who rely upon darkness as refuge. Commonly they are considered to be among those not desired by the society. Sometimes it is so due to their inclination towards unlawful or vile. But sometimes it’s because society would prefer to not notice them in order to avoid the unpleasant contemplations about whether or not one or the other individual is worthy of our attention and support.

Not everyone, who seek refuge in the night, are criminals on deviants. Truth be told, there is a fair share of them as well, but they are not in the centerfold of this particular line of thought. There are those of us, who seeks shelter in the darkness, because they fall into the realm of what China Miéville in his novel “The City & the City ” calls “unseeing” – come daylight, majority of the society will go out of their way to not notice them, because even though it’s not illegal (as opposed to the plot of the previously mentioned crime noir novel), it is uncomfortable for many due to the attached expectations from certain groups, that whenever noticing the particular groups of undesired social elements one is expected to show some degree of compassion and charity.

For these “undesired” groups (homeless and poor mostly), darkness of the night becomes a gateway to escape the vicious glances of society and find some hoped for peace and shelter. They know they are unwanted. And they know that they have played a part in their own demise. What they do not understand is the viciousness of the crowds and what have they done to deserve it.

In this sense they are a lot like children. They desire one thing and one thing only. To belong and not be cast away. And just like many children, they end up with the short straw in their hands, knowing that nobody out there cares for them. And that is the feeling that is cloaked in darkness every time the night comes.

Night brings peace and shelter. It brings a prospect of short yet restful sleep. Sleep that is more often than not filled with dreams full of hope and happiness. If you can not experience it in the real world, you might as well experience it in the shadows of the night while floating on the waves of your dream world.

Night makes them happy. It hides them from venom of the world and gives them long-awaited solitude to go about their own way. They do not have to be alert every second. They can relax for a bit. Take the load off. But deep down in the lizard-brain the fear and anxiety are still there. Ready to leap out as rapidly as lightning and strike at every enemy in sight.

Unlike society engaged in “unseeing”, darkness is neutral. It simply exists. And it’s up for grabs, as they say, by anyone or anything that feels like melting into it. Darkness doesn’t judge. On the contrary – it exhilarates and encourages to explore, examine and engage. It gives those without any hope a glimpse of light at the end of a not so long tunnel.

Darkness has gotten more than enough people of the lege at the critical moment. Way more than people themselves have managed. Darkness inspires, but not in a burdensome way. Darkness grants leeway when society and others don’t.

So don’t be afraid of the darkness. Don’t shy away from the night. Whenever you wish to vanish, they will gladly get you out of sight.