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“These people are in the darkness. They see no light. They have no hope, and they can’t stand it. Their very existence is anathema to them. So, what happens is they change. They experience a metamorphosis,” he said pointing to the faces in the middle of the painting. “They have escaped despair but are still just as close to the darkness as they are to the light. They can be influenced either way by their surroundings. So, then what happens is they have a choice to continue toward the light or recede back into the abyss,” he said.
“Once they surrender to either side, then they continue their journey until they’ve either reached damnation, or nirvana.” He pointed to the faces of joy and harmony in the top right. “That’s where I see you guys. I feel like I’m somewhere in the middle and want to get to where you all are. You guys are my heroes.”
Maren made him eat a live pigeon as repentance while she purred in the backseat of the car. From that point on, he knew she was on another plane of existence to which he blindly surrendered.
that it does no good to worry about the past or the future because it only prevents you from being useful in the present moment.
this world is full of bad, scary things…and…sometimes, you might not see…any light. That just means it’s your turn…to be the light.”
“The thing about absolutes is that they have no motive. Whether something is absolute good or absolute evil, they are these things because that is their nature. They just are. If someone was acting with motives of vengeance, pleasure, or rage for example, they would just be a normal, flawed human being. One could look at their acts and find a reason for why they committed them. Absolute evil has no motive. You will only drive yourself mad trying to prove the contrary.”
You have no power over the past or any mistakes you’ve made along the way. What’s even more troubling is that you can’t completely control what happens in the present, either. If the world decides to be nasty, it’ll be nasty. You’ve been through a lot—more than most, but less than some. Good and bad things happen every day, but here’s the truth: you can’t control what happens in the world, Derrick…you can only control how you will respond to it.”
